I pulled up to the Triple Rock in Minneapolis at around 6 pm on Monday night. The show didn't start until 9, but I had never been in this area before so I thought I’d get there early, hang around and soak it all in. After walking around for a little bit, I decided it was time to go to the Triple Rock and get some food. I made it in time for their happy hour, which is a choice of a burger, veggie burger, hot dog or a veggie hotdog, fries and a pint for 6 bucks. I got the veggie hotdog and a Stella. Good stuff I tell ya. To add to the awesomeness of this meal deal, my bartender was Billy from Dillinger Four! I told him I saw him play in Vegas and we talked about how rad Punk Rock Bowling was. I also tried to convince him that I would kick his butt in the upcoming tournament, which he laughed at because Triple Rock has won that thing more times than I’ve even been there (which means more than once, but still). I asked him if he was going to the show after his shift, but he had to leave for band practice in preparation for their upcoming show. After a few more drinks I meet up with my buddy Kyle from Suburban Home Records and his fiancé Jamie, and we head over to the stage side.
Once we went over to the stage side I finally got in touch with Tim Barry about our interview. I headed to the back and saw him sitting in the back room with Josh Small (or as I like to say, Josh Schmall) and William Elliot Whitmore. I said hey to they guys, we talked a little bit about Suburban Home Records (Tim and Josh’s label, I first met them at SubHome’s 11th anniversary show in Denver) and had a few PBR’s. Josh was pacing back and forth, worried about his performance. He doesn’t know why, but for some reason he’s just nervous about the show that night. I asked Tim if he’s ready for an interview, but he is distraught at this moment. He just got off the phone with a friend back home who had bad news about his cat’s health. His mind was somewhere else so we decided to just hang out and put the interview off for tonight. Around 10 it was time for Josh to get on stage.
Josh and Tim’s sister, Caitlin Barry, got on stage and started playing songs from Josh’s album, “Tall by Josh Small”. Josh is a little smaller than the average guy, but one would not be able to guess this by the sound of his voice. His voice can fill up a whole room, which it did on that Monday night. No matter what part of the room you were in, you could feel every note, every emotion and every tone that Josh sang out. He truly knows what he is doing and he knows how to make a folk song that will stick with you for a long time.
Tim Barry’s set was next and he was joined by Josh Small and Caitlin Barry. It’s a really intimate experience to see someone go straight from talking to you in the back room to playing a set on stage. It reminded me of friends playing at parties and it brought a personal connection to the live performance. I’ve never been disappointed at a Tim Barry show and this night was no different. Along with playing plenty of songs from his “Rivanna Junction” release, he also played a few new songs, which made me even more excited for a new album. If you haven’t gotten a chance to see or hear Tim Barry, I really suggest that you help yourself out and check it, as soon as possible. You can check out Tim’s myspace at www.myspace.com/timbarryrva, or for streaming audio of his album you can go to www.suburbanhomerecords.com.
This was my first time seeing William Elliot Whitmore and if I had it my way, I would be able to catch his live performance every single night. After listening to “The Song of the Blackbird” I was already impressed with Whitmore, but I was interested to see how he would be able to pull this amazing sound off during a live show. His concert was even more impressive than his album. When I met him backstage I didn’t even recognize him. He looks like an innocent late-20-something-year-old guy, definitely not the man you would expect this soulful, bluesy voice to come out of. On stage it was just him, his guitar (or banjo) and his foot, which was miked to keep a beat. I seriously almost shed a tear when he played, “Porchlight”. It was just one of the most sincere, heart-hitting performances I’ve seen in a really long time, if not in my whole lifetime.
Moral of the story, if you can’t get an interview, be sure to pay attention to the reason why you’re there. For the live performance. Josh Small, Tim Barry and William Elliot Whitmore definitely brought the perfect folk performance to the Triple Rock that Monday night.
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