Bare Jr. – Interview

I caught Bobby Bare, Jr. in New York right before Christmas. He was preparing to fly down to Tampa to spend the holidays with his family in a house they rented for the occasion. Here is our conversation.

What was up with the record? We’ve had it for over six months.

It was supposed to come out last fall, and right before it came out there was a big convention in New Orleans where all the Virgin people were there. It was the first time the Virgin people saw us play. The head of Virgin flipped out when he saw us play so he decided he wanted to put more money and more effort into us. Basically he wanted to give us a better window of opportunity. I couldn’t really say, ‘No, I don’t want you to spend more money on my band.’ (laughs) So I’m glad that he was that into it.

Did you have a one record deal with Sony or was it Immortal leaving to join ranks with Virgin?

Immortal was originally through Epic, and then the day of our second single coming out Immortal left Epic. The head of our label didn’t think he was being listened to at Epic so he wanted to take his bands and leave.

How long did it take to actually do the record?

It was finished in May or June the previous year. I had it actually done by January, and May is when it was completely finished.

So were you losing your mind at all just waiting?

Actually, we were playing a bunch of dates in Europe. We did some Bob Dylan dates and two weeks ago we were out with Fastball. We’ve played all over.

The guys from Fastball are really cool. I was lucky enough to have hung out with them for a day.

Yeah, they are. You know Miles is moving near me in Nashville?

Really?

Well, at least that is what he told me. (laughs) But I have to actually call him in a few minutes because we are doing a show with them on New Years Eve.

How was the Bob Dylan show?

We played a side stage to thousands of people and we got to see Bob Dylan play every night, so that didn’t suck.

Is the writing you alone?

No, actually I co-wrote three of the songs. “Why Do I Need A Job”, the verse and the chorus were done, but I collaborated for the second verse. There is a guy named Chesney Hawks from England and we co-wrote a few songs.

How do the collaborations work and bringing the songs to the band?

That is the best part. Well, finish is the most gratifying. Finishing a song is the best part. There is nothing that makes me happier than finishing a song, but when you get to share it with the band it’s like an orgy. It’s so much fun. The only rule is that no idea goes unexplored. We try everyone’s ideas. Most of the time everyone in the room will know whether or not it’s going to work.

What’s up with that Dulcimer thing? What does it sound like?

It’s funny because most of the guitar solos are actually Dulcimer solos. So what you think is guitar is an acoustic Dulcimer amplified like a motherfucker.

Is that the thing that lies on your lap?

Yeah. It’s diatonic, which means the wrong notes aren’t there. Wherever you go on it, it’s the right note. It’s just a great instrument to have in your band.

Listening to the album, it’s wildly eclectic. You live in Nashville, but have a love for rock and a dad who has a love for country. How does that all factor in your group’s sound?

I’m a buffet guy. I like going and having as many things as I can fit in my mouth. That is just how the album ends up. We didn’t set up to change every song. When you are arranging a song, you are a slave to the song. I always say, ‘I’m not the star, you’re not the star, the song is the star.’ You have to go wherever the song takes you.

Did you learn a lot from your father (’70’s country artist Bobby Bare)?

Definitely, and I still do. I was nominated for a Grammy when I was seven. So I’ve been in the industry since I was a kid. And you know, I’ve sold t-shirts in every honky-tonk across the country a hundred times over.

See, I think you have a real advantage to a lot of new artists because it isn’t music that overwhelms them or the fame so much as the industry itself.

You know, every day that I don’t have to fix a flat tire on a bike it’s a good day. I see someone like Dave Grohl and it appears he enjoys the industry. I mean, there are ways to enjoy it and to me it’s a joke. It’s a blast. There is no way they can tell me that this job sucks.

Because there are a billion people who would take your spot in a second.

Yeah, exactly. There are guys traveling in vans with amplifiers falling on them all the time. I get to travel on a bus and I’m not going to complain. For those people who write the songs that click for some reason, the industry is great for them. I guess how much you complain depends on whether you have success or not.

Like it’s not your fault you aren’t as big a star as you should be. It’s as much a game as it is skill.

That is definitely true.

What is it like going out touring for those billions who would take your place?

See, the thing they don’t realize is I don’t just get up and go on stage. There are twenty or thirty interviews a day. When you get the record deal, it’s only begun. That is when the work just starts. You are at the bottom of the ladder and have to fight your way up. But you know what? That is fun. All my friends who are complainers always bitch that it’s all politics, so I say be a politician then. You do what you have to do. There are cool people in the industry.

I wanted to ask, since your album has many flavors, is it hitting at a perfect time when the lines are really blurred between musical genres?

I just know I’m glad I’m not an A&R guy. If I saw Creed and I was an A&R guy, I would have laughed my ass off. I would have absolutely laughed myself into tears, and yet they are the biggest rock band in America and maybe the world. Would I have thought that? Absolutely not. They are the worst… Wait, I shouldn’t say that. (laughs). I better stop.

Well, you are right that the jobs of the A&R reps has become harder. Especially when they need to find the next big thing. But for you it’s probably better that it isn’t 1985 where you would have either done the big hair thing or 1992 where you’d have to sound like Nirvana.

Yeah, there is no sound or category to fit into. I like the freedom. It at least leaves people open to odd things.

That is what I liked about this album. Because honestly, I have a short attention span, so if you give me three or four songs that sound the same and you’ve lost me, I’m just dead to it.

You just shut off.

And the country thing is very intriguing being that I grew up on country though I’m a rock fan at heart. But you get bands like Pavement and Blur who will explore things like that.

They take so many freedoms, I love Pavement. Don’t get me started. You and I will be here for the rest of the night talking about this shit. (laughs) I’ve been listening to Blur’s Greatest Hits like all night and day. Do you have that album?

Yeah. I’m the biggest Blur fan. I just love bands that don’t have creative barriers.

Embraces the ridiculous.

+ charlie craine