Barry James Payne - acoustic guitar, harmonica, vocals
Live: Dan Henshall on Upright Bass,
Steve Wood on Peddle Steel and often other special guests.
In the studio, I have had incredible support and help from the following musicians who I am very happy to also call my friends :
Shannon Lyon - Producer/Engineer, Electric Guitars, Acoustic Guitar
Chris Giesbrecht - Producer/engineer, Piano, Organ, Keyboards, Samples, Electric Guitar, Nashville Tuning Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Banjo
Bob Egan (Blue Rodeo, Wilco) - Peddle Steel, Lap Steel
Antonia Munro - Violin/Vocals
Jay Schneider - Electric Bass, Mandolin, Lap Steel
Tomas Bouda - Upright Bass
Jeff Cowell - Drums
Josh Sparks - Drums
Mike Alviano - Electric Guitar
Paul Shilton - Accordian
Nick Skalkos - Percussion
Romney Getty - Vocals
Nicole Andrea Aube - Vocals
Todd Donald - Vocals
Influences
Neil Young,Leonard Cohen, Gordie LightfootJoni Mitchell,Blue Rodeo,Bob Dylan,Elvis Costello, Mike Scott, The Waterboys, Jerry Jeff Walker,Shannon Lyon, Lucinda Williams, Stephen Fearing, Patrick Logier,Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt, Gillian Welch,Ray LaMontagne,Willie P. BennettCSN&Y, Damien Rice, David Gray, Jesse Winchester, Graham Parker, Ryan Adams, Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Schramms, The Sadies, The Band,Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, The Beatles, The Jam, The Clash, Woodstock, The Shakin’ Pyramids, Johnny Cash,HankElvis,Beck U2, 60’s & 70’s Motown, The Who, Ferron, k.d. lang, American Music Club, The Assponys, Pixies, Vic Chestnut, Nirvana, Afghan Whigs, Chicago Blues, Springsteen, Tom Waites, Fellow Travellers, Ennio Morricone,My Three SonsBonanza Little Joe, Hoss and Ben Cartwrightanybody I ever played with, shared a drink with or shared a conversation with…. Everything has influenced me, from my family to my friends and the thousands of records I've heard to the hundreds of live acts I've seen that were globally famous or locally known.The sun, the moon, the stars, my dog, nature in all it beauty - and all the places I've visited.My daughter inspired me to go down this road of creating, recording and performing. Thank you sweety!
“Payne carves a brooding persona steeped in roots of Dylan's 'Blood On The Tracks', Springsteen's 'Nebraska', Wilco's elliptical Americana, Son Volt's balladry... “
“Wash Away Our Sins is an explosive assessment, a bone-rattling and pulsating blues rocker that embodies the 'Blood On The Tracks' side of Payne's influences”
“Fans of Wilco, Son Volt or Uncle Tupelo will love "Portland, Maine" which features a wicked performance by Bob Egan (formerly of Wilco) on pedal steel guitar. Reminiscent of Jay Farrar from Son Volt singing 'Windfall' and with an aching chorus…..this song feels like 5 am and driving home, but taking the long way because you don't want to stop listening.”
“Killing Town is the bread and butter here - a stark homage to turn-of-the-century American Roots that is all too human and replete with an edgy veneer.”
"Payne scores big as a lyrical talent because of his depth and a focused, refined approach that isn't over-produced and this effort heralds the arrival of a major songwriter”
Michael Canter, SonicJive.com/Jivewired.com, August 12, 2009 (Wisconsin, USA)
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“Gordon Lightfoot and Lucinda Williams’ lovechild?”
“…the song ‘Killing Town’ is also included here, and a fine song it is, like Gordon Lightfoot goes to the Mississippi delta”
“If I Had A Dream is…..sounding like it could have come from Lucinda’s ‘Car Wheels’ via Wilco’s ‘AM’, and has some fine playing.”
“if the alt.country stalwarts do it for you, with an added Lightfoot touch, then this is worth checking out.”
Patrick Wilkins, Americana-UK, July 29, 2009 (Liverpool, England)
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“Super debut CD from Barry James Payne, who along with upright bass player Dan Henshall performs under the name String Bone.”
“….the bones of the CD is the fine songwriting, from the dramatic opener 'Nietzsche Finds A Bullfight' with Antonia Munro's gypsy violin prelude, the bittersweet ballad, 'Midnight Train' with Bob Egan's peddle steel and supporting vocals from Nicole Andrea Aube, and 'Too Young For Romance', which reminded me of Nick Lowe.”
Dave Clarke, Scene Magazine, July 2-15 issue, (London, Ontario)
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“The strength of singer/songwriter String Bone is both in the lyrics and the melody of these folk/Americana songs which, on 'Nadir' he lays out for you on a platter.”
“String Bone songs such as Wash Away Our Sins, Midnight Train, Southern Ontario Chill, If I Had A Dream and Too Young For Romance speak for themselves because of the outstanding and contagious Americana melody in these songs, the latter characteristic and reminiscent of Elvis Costello.”
“If you can put out such terrific songs on a debut CD categorized as great, you must be a very gifted lyricist and songwriter. Nadir from String Bone is of an excellent high quality.”
Johan Schoenmakers, Alt.Country Forum, July 8, 2009, (Holland)
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THE BIO String Bone is songwriter Barry James Payne who is based in Southern Ontario, Canada and has just released his first full-length record produced by Shannon Lyon and Chris Giesbrecht.
Payne currently plays live with Dan Henshall on upright bass and Steve Wood on Pedal Steel and often has special guests join him on-stage. He has shared the stage with some fabulous artists in the last year - Shannon Lyon, Mel Brown (Etta James), Rob Szabo (The Groove Daddies), Roger Marin (Fred Eaglesmith), Romney Getty, Mike Alviano, Bill Toms (Bruce Springsteen, The House Rockers), Allison Brown (Girls With Glasses), Matthew De Zoete, Montreal's Kaya Fraser, John Allaire (The Town Cryers), Kim Clarke (The Falcons) and many others.
Payne has been playing and writing songs for many years having played in roots and rock bands since the 80's. He set out in 2006 to write and record a collection of songs which eventually has turned into the new release entitled nadir released May 21, 2009.
Halfway through the recording of this album, he met Latvian violinist, Antonia Munro in the spring of 2008. Together they started to create a unique sound at String Bone's live shows, feeding off each other musically and vocally. He immediately brought Munro into the studio to add her incredible musicianship to his solo project.
The first song that starts the record is called "Nietzsche Finds A Bullfight" and demonstrates their early chemistry while jamming. They collaborated on that intro song, which really takes the unit out of the folk and country americana sound and puts it smack dab into the middle of a gypsy, european folk melodramatic traditional approach.
At the beginning of September/08, Payne hooked-up with Dan Henshall from London who joined the duo on upright bass providing additional foot-stomping bottom-end.
With the record close to finished, the trio went on a short tour of Ontario playing shows from London to Montreal, with several stops in between. The tour met with receptive audiences at every stop and received positive response.
String Bone writes songs about real life struggles and his powerful lyrics “often paint vivid portraits of some of the darker corners of Southern Ontario life, as in the tracks Killing Town, Wash Away Our Sins and Southern Ontario Chill” (quoted from The Kitchener-Waterloo Record—Sept. 17, 2008).
His sound has been described as Roots-Americana, but also defined as diverse and having influences in Folk, Blues, Rock, Country, Gypsy, Celtic and Classical with the help of fellow musicians Henshall, Wood, Munro and others. Payne's approach to songs are conversational, at times almost talking while delivering songs, to singing with some serious soul & passion.
As Lyon and String Bone started this project in January 2007, they each chose their top ten songs from a pool of 24 songs that String Bone had played for him one night. They ended up with 14 songs after their lists were combined. The next session they recorded all 14 songs with just voice and guitar, so they could listen and work out arrangements and later decide the final cut of 10. During the recording, Payne kept writing and so, two of the songs from that original batch were replaced by a couple more newer and more appropriate songs. In particular, the intro written by Payne & Munro and the second song on the record, Wash Away Our Sins, which fit perfectly with the intro.
Enjoy the tunes, come back often....be a friend, leave a comment.
2009 Past Performances
Mar 1 – Port Stanley – Windjammer Inn
May 29 – Port Stanley – The Windjammer Inn
May 30 – Waterloo – St. Jacobs Market
June 1 – Toronto – Gladstone Hotel/Groovy Mondays
June 2 – Waterloo – Maxwell’s Music House
June 4 – Kitchener – The Boathouse w/ Rocker Dunn and Trevor Caswell
June 5 – London – London Music Club w/ Matthew DeZoete & Isabelle Gunn
June 6 – Ottawa – Irene’s Pub w/ Caledonia & Sarah Hallman
June 11 – Waterloo – Maxwell’s w/Mike Alviano & Phil McTaggart
July 23 – Cambridge – The Groove Kitchen w/Ginger St. James
July 31 – London – London Music Club w/HOTCHA & Dan Henshall
August 15 – Cambridge – The Groove Kitchen
August 19 – Waterloo – Maxwell’s Music House w/ Christina Martin & Steven Bowers
August 21 – Toronto – The Free Times Café w/ Ginger St. James, Alfie Smith & John Allaire
August 27 – Wakefield – The Black Sheep Inn w/ Bill Toms & John Allaire
August 28 – Toronto – Mitzi’s Sister w/ Bill Toms & John Allaire
August 29 – London – London Music Club w/ Bill Toms & John Allaire
August 30 – Port Stanley – The Windjammer Inn w/ Bill Toms & John Allaire
September 3 – Cambridge – The Groove Kitchen w/Ginger St. James
September 10 – Cambridge – The Groove Kitchen w/Ginger St. James & Alfie Smith
September 17 – Cambridge – The Groove Kitchen w/Ginger St. James & Carolyna Loveless
September 24 - Cambridge - The Groove Kitchen w/Ginger St. James, Chris Giesbrecht & Cindy Clasper
October 15 - Stratford - Foster's Inn w/ Danny Michel & Emma-Lee
October 17 - London - London Music Club w/ Lance Boyle & James Maurice Dale Band
October 22 - Toronto - C'est What? w/ Romney Getty & Alfie Smith
October 23 - Port Stanley - The Windjammer Inn
Past 2008 Performances
January 10 - Kitchener, ON, Molly Bloom’s
January 12 - Stratford, ON, Queen’s Inn
January 24 - Kitchener, ON, Molly Bloom’s
January 31 - Kitchener, ON, Molly Bloom’s
February 14 - London, ON, London Music Club
February 25 - Toronto, ON, Mitzi's Sister
February 26 - Kitchener, ON, Boathouse
March 12 - Stratford, ON, Othello's
March 13 - London, ON, London Music Club
April 4 - London, ON, London Music Club
April 11 - London, ON, London Music Club
April 17 - London, ON, London Music Club
April 21 - Guelph, ON, Manhattan's
April 28 - Toronto, ON, Mitzi's Sister
May 5 - Guelph, ON, Manhattan's
May 12 - Guelph, ON, Manhattan's
May 15 - London, ON, London Music Club
May 25 - London, ON, London Music Club
May 27 - Kitchener, ON, The Boathouse
June 3 - Kitchener, ON, The Boathouse
June 4 - Stratford, ON, Othello's
June 7 - Sarnia, ON, Artwalk Festival
June 11 - Stratford, ON, Othello's
June 18 - Kitchener, ON, The Boathouse
June 20 - London, ON, London Music Club
June 29 - Kitchener, ON, The Boathouse
July 6 - London, ON, The Alex P. Keaton
July 12 - Burlington, ON, The Blue Moon Lounge
July 13 - London, ON, The Alex P. Keaton
July 17 - London, ON, London Music Club
July 26 - Waterloo, ON, Maxwell's Music House
August 16 - Kitchener, ON, Sadiefest, 4:00pm show
August 16 - Stratford, ON, The Boar's Head
August 27 - Stratford, ON, Othello's
September 6 - Kitchener, ON, The Boathouse
September 11 - Kitchener, ON, The Registry Theatre
September 18 - Hamilton, ON, The Freeway Cafe
September 19 - London, ON, London Music Club
September 20 - Burlington, ON, The Blue Moon Lounge
September 21 - Toronto, ON, The Tranzac Club
September 23 - Peterborough, ON, The Spill
September 26 - Ottawa, ON, The Rainbow
September 27 - Montreal, ON, Centre St-Ambroise
October 15 - London, ON, CHRW "Live in-studio" performance
October 17 - London, ON, Grooves Records "Instore performance
October 17 - London, ON, London Music Club
November 21 - London, ON, London Music Club
December 19 - London, ON, London Music Club
Hey there Barry, hope you are well. I'm listening to Roy on the Radio in England at the moment and he is playing another song from your album. This time it's Killing Town. It seems that he likes your songs as much as I do. Have a relaxed evening. Cheers LB
Sounds good here! Hello from Finland! I am humbled an honored to announce my new cd featuring Alejandro Escovedo, Mark Lanegan, Steve Berlin (los lobos), Chris and Carla from the Walkabouts, Peter Case, Scott McCaughey (YFF, REM)and Jim Roth (built to spill). CD has liner notes by Biographer Charles R. Cross (BackStreets-Springsteen...Heavier than Heaven-Cobain...Roomful of Mirrors-Hendrix...etc. Also I have finally put "Passing Thru" on my site as well for you to hear...this is the one with Eddie Vedder, Victoria Williams, and Carla Torgerson trading verses with me...it has not been availablé for a long time, and I also have it on i-tunes, etunes, amazon and rhapsody.
hey Barry, i've had a chance to listen to some of the songs from your record and they sound as amazing as i figured they would! looking forward to getting my hands on a copy and hope to hear you play again really soon. craig
Online Now!
