Video 1m - Barry Thomas Goldberg "Labor Day"
Video 1l - Barry Thomas Goldberg "My Honeybee"
Video 1k - Barry Thomas Goldberg "Remember New Orleans"
Video 1j - Barry Thomas Goldberg "Come and Gone"
Video 1i- Barry Thomas Goldberg "Freedom"
Video 1h - Barry Thomas Goldberg "Propaganda"
Video 1g - Barry Thomas Goldberg "Post Tart Girl" from THE LAST GUITAR
Video 1f - Barry Thomas Goldberg "Afghanistan" from THE CREEK
Video 1e - Barry Thomas Goldberg Live at The Mad Ripple's Hootenanny - Lake Harriet
Video 1d - "Run Run Run" Dale Menten, Barry Thomas Goldberg, Arne Fogel and Gary Paulak.
Video 1a - The Batch, Blue Sky Day, The Lost Music of MidAmerica Vol II 1970-1973 "Roadside Manner"
Mini Documentary - "Saturday Afternoon at the Linden Hills Festival"
Mini-Documentary - "Magic Hour at the Midway"
Video 1b - "Making of Absolute Zero 1986" Barry Thomas Goldberg "Adelaide" Version I
Video 1c - "Making of Absolute Zero 1986" Barry Thomas Goldberg, Cliff Davies, Arne Fogel, Ed Brown & Danny Perdoux. Video taped by Lori Leder Fogel.
Video 1 - "Big Oil" - Barry Thomas Goldberg Band - Recorded live in the basement August 7, 2008 - Written by Goldberg/Paulak -
Video 2 - "Watertown" - Barry Thomas Goldberg, Directed by Jay Lee
Video 3 - "New Year's Eve" - Barry Thomas Goldberg,
Directed by Tom Lieberman
Video 4 - "Betrayed" - Music composed by Barry Thomas Goldberg,
Directed by Jay Lee
Video 5 - "The Assassination of a Bad Folk Singer" - Screenplay and
music by Barry Thomas Goldberg, Directed by Jay Lee
Video 6 - The Batch 1972 Live at Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis,
Beta video restored and taped by Michael Yonkers
Video 7 - Mapleton Memoir by Barry Thomas Goldberg, Directed by Jay Lee
Video 8 - Mid-America Music Hall of Fame Induction
Video 9 - "Wait 'Til Tomorrow" The Batch (Barry Thomas Goldberg, Gary Paulak, Arne Fogel) rehearsing for Radio Rumpus Room, July, 2008
Video 10 - Rare film footage of The Batch circa 1970.
BARRY THOMAS GOLDBERG was inducted into The MID-AMERICA MUSIC HALL OF FAME (formerly The MINNESOTA ROCK & COUNTRY HALL OF FAME) at the annual gala ceremony at The MEDINA ENTERTAINMENT CENTER (Medina, MN) on May 2, 2008.
Barry Thomas Goldberg's first recording session was with his band "The Shambles" at Dove Recording Studios in 1966. He went on to write, record and release several singles with major labels, the best known of which is "Twenty Years Ago in Speedy's Kitchen". Later in his career he formed the group "The Batch". His solo career began in 1974 with the album "Misty Flats", produced by Michael Yonkers. He did two other solo albums, "When the Night Comes" (1983) and "Absolute Zero" (1986). In the '90s Goldberg along with former Batch members, Gary Paulak, Arne Fogel, Jay Lee and new drummer Scott Homan, formed "The Ironweeds" and released one album, "Dr. Wormwood's Monkey Theatre". After sixteen years, in 2002, Goldberg released his fourth solo album "Empire Moon".
Barry Thomas Goldberg has released several critically acclaimed solo albums:
Empire Moon (2002), Cottonwood ( 2004), American Grotesque (2005), The Last Guitar (2006). He is also featured on the compilation: Candy Floss - The Lost Music of Mid-America 1967-1969 (2006). Barry Thomas Goldberg released "Mapleton Memoir" on June 12, 2007. On April 18, 2008 "The Batch - Transistor - Lost Basement Recordings 1968 - 1971" was released. On July 17, 2008 The Batch signed with the Greek label Anazitisi Records for a special limited vinyl release in Europe. The Batch "Wait 'Til Tomorrow", a beautiful special edition vinyl, was released October 30, 2008. Barry Thomas Goldberg's "The Creek", a digital CD, was released December 19, 2008 and is available at CDBaby. The Batch "Blue Sky Day - The Lost Music of Mid-America Vol. II 1970-1973" was released on June 19, 2009 and is available at CDBaby, itunes, Napster, etc. For further details, reviews and free MP3's check out Barry's website, Ironweeds.com.
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'Round The Dial
1/23/09
By: Tom Hallett
Barry Thomas Goldberg
The Creek
2009
HIJ Recordings
Local alternative/folk-rock stalwart Barry Thomas Goldberg has made a name for himself among the current generation as an outspoken, fearless political commentator and a musician who can adapt to a bevy of different styles, but he has, in fact, been playing and writing his original brand of protest songs for over 4 decades. You can check out his early work (An absolute must-have for collectors of sixties-era Twin Cities bands, much of which is psychadelic-inspired garage rock that's reminiscent of artists ranging from The early Who to Buffalo Springfield to Frank Zappa And The Mothers and CCR) by visiting www.ironweeds.com or CD Baby and picking up the album The Batch: Transistor- The Lost Basement Recordings, 1968-1971.
The Creek was originally intended to capture live the raw essence of some of his most memorable past compositions, but during rehearsals, Goldberg found that he could not refrain from penning new material and making some of the boldest statements of his career. That, it turns out, is a very good thing, considering that although we've finally voted into office some apparently honest and empathetic politicians, we'll be dealing with the last administration's fall-out for decades to come.
Barry's illustrious catalog gives new credence to the old adage, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." His first songs came to fruition during the height of the Vietnam War, and today's social, political, and economic climate is a stark reflection of those tumultuous times. Goldberg was right to avoid making some grand, final statement just as the world needs his brand of raw, gutsy folk rock the most. This album is an amazing amalgam of musical approaches with a common thread- the world around us- even though the subject matter may not be exactly what the average club-going party animal might want to hear.
Goldberg's voice is a curious melding of Warren Zevon's smart-aleck howl, Elvis Costello's inscrutable, dry vocal tease, and Springsteen's devil-may-care holler. Not exactly what you'd think of when picturing a modern folk-rocker, but that's where the "alternative" derivation comes in. This isn't the stuffy, collegiate folk so common in coffee houses and on open stages, but a decidedly ballsier, more brash musical statement barely held in check by a time-wise pen. Simply put, it's music for the people made by a person, nothing more, nothing less.
Whether he's yelping indignantly about the state of the economy ("Hard Times,") musing on the effects of the real estate melt-down ("The Creek,") or growling along with gritty rhythm and sobbing slide guitars ("My Honeybee,") Goldberg undeniably makes each cut his own personal rock n' roll stump from which to impart his hard-won personal philosophies. His staunch backing band (Gary Paulak on guitar, slide, bass and backing vox, Marc Partridge on lead guitar, Jim Steinworth on organ and accordian, Gregg Kubera and Larry Hofmann on bass, and Scott Homan and Steve Thielges on drums) is obviously at home in the studio and onstage with him, and judging from the sound thrashing they give their instruments here, are in complete agreement with his earthy, pro-Democracy stance.
"Afghanistan" is ablaze with righteous anger, guitars sizzling and snare positively cracking along with a timely tale of one of the several wars the U.S. is currently involved in, and rings out a hard truth with lines like, "I wonder where I am/I must be in Afghanistan/Get me home, get me home right now/I got a wife and a child I love/I was answering freedom's call/Get me home, get me home right now..." "Propaganda" tumbles out on a funky drum beat and gleefully off-kilter keyboards, coming off like an alternate-galaxy blending of The Minutemen and The Monks.
The whole package wraps up with the outraged rant "Big Oil," (which was picked by the prestigious Brit rock mag NME as a "Best New YouTube Video" the week of its release) a self-explanatory slice of contemporary commentary that covers not only its stated topic but also homes in on many of the rotting super-structures that are supported by it.
Bottom line, Barry Thomas Goldberg is to today's fearless, all-American folk-rock movement what past heroes such as Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie were to theirs- he's just a hell of a lot louder and more world-weary than they were. A fierce, undeniable call to attention for a new generation from a guy who's been there and back and isn't ready to hang up his guitar until either he or fascism have taken leave of this planet. Available now on CD Baby.
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07/22/06 From Chris Roberts "The Local Show", The Current 89.3 —
"... it's like being transported back through a time tunnel to a period that you won't ever want to leave."
(Candy Floss - The Lost Music of Mid-America 1967-1969)
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A true-blue American from the bottom of his heart and a born romantic in his soul, Goldberg consistently delivers delicious, mostly (sadly) unnoticed contributions to the world around him, among them albums like Mapleton Memoirs—which is chock full of hard-hitting lines like this one from "Main Street,” a stand-out among the 11 other excellent tracks on this album: "Sweet redemption wants to dance/You don't ask why/The ferris wheel and flashing light/The carnival of life...the clown found salvation with the priest/It's the time between the wars, say goodbye to peace/On Main Street." Superb stuff and highly recommended. Check Barry out at www.myspace.com/BarryThomasGoldberg or www.ironweeds.com Don't say I didn't tellya a couple dozen times now!!
That's it for this time out, pals o' mine. Keep your shades on, your feet on the ground and your dreams in the clouds- until we meet again, make yer own damn news.
If you have local/regional or print-worthy national music news, gigs, events, CD's you'd like to see mentioned in this space, send replies with the header "TOMMY CAN YOU HEAR ME?" to: tommy@reveillemag.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or just turn up your mic to "11" and give me a shout—hell, it worked for The Who between England and France, and that's in the Guiness Book Of World Records!!
—from the Magazine Reveille, Round the Dial: by Tom Hallett ____________________________________________________________
December/January 2005/06Published in Geneva, Switzerland J:Mag
Quotes from the magazine article:
"... The raw poetry of rebellious rockers."
"... Barry's words strike at the heart of America's collective unconscious."
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SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2005
THIS WEEK'S FINDS
week of Sept. 4-10
"Remember New Orleans" - Barry Thomas Goldberg
Not even the world-weary Goldberg, who already sounded like he'd seen it all before, has seen anything like what happened here in the U.S. last week. To my ears, he hits an appropriate combination of sobriety and passion on this simple, ragged, emotional tribute to a devastated city. It's mostly a subdued acoustic guitar and Goldberg's effective Waits-via-Springsteen voice, but there are some subtle instrumental homages added along the way--a quietly menacing piano below (can't have New Orleans music without piano), sad strings above (striking me as a conscious nod to Randy Newman), and even a slowed-down "City of New Orleans"-ish harmonica flourish. The song is available via Goldberg's web site. The veteran singer/songwriter has furthermore decided to contribute the profits from his three CDs to the American Red Cross, to assist the massive relief effort. Thanks again to visitor Paul for the head's up.
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Barry Thomas Goldberg
The gruff but lovable Goldberg cuts an unusual 21st-century figure: an old-school Midwestern rock'n'roller who has managed to maintain a youthful sort of defiance and edginess; from the depths of his vivid, cigarette-stained voice comes a sound you just don't hear from 20-something indie rockers. Scroll through the site's willfully unpolished layout (don't forget to go to page two and three as well) and you'll eventually come across a dozen or so full-length MP3s. Honestly, it's hard to tell, they're spread out willy-nilly down the page, in and around lots of text and graphics. Included among them are two former TWF picks, "American Grotesque" and "Remember New Orleans". The latest upload, "Break Away," from his 2007 CD Mapleton Memoir, sounds like another worthy song. Thanks to visitor Paul for cluing me in to Goldberg in the first place, and keeping me posted on his comings and goings. - Fingertips.com
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"American Grotesque" - Barry Thomas Goldberg
Straightforward old-school rock with a vibrant edge. Goldberg is a singer/songwriter in his fifties who's been kicking around the Minneapolis music scene for a couple of decades; his age and experience blaze through this simultaneously good-natured and apocalyptic song. Goldberg's deep, cigarette-stained voice brings the late Warren Zevon to mind, but there's an added Graham Parker-like snap and snarl to his delivery and something Dylanesque about the whole carnival-like enterprise, with its cavalcade of characters and situations set to a rollicking 3/4 beat. "American Grotesque" is the title track of Goldberg's most recent CD, released earlier this year. The MP3 is available on Goldberg's web site. Thanks to visitor Paul for the suggestion.
Fingertips.com
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HOMIES ALONE: THE FIRST (OF HOPEFULLY MANY MORE TO COME) LOCAL MUSIC-ONLY MIXES
JIM WALSH - CITY PAGES - ONLINE
Filed under: Weekly 20
1. "Remember New Orleans," Barry Thomas Goldberg. I could have picked half a dozen of the songs from cantankerous roots- rocker Goldberg's latest The Last Guitar, but this one wails with an urgency that suggests it was written in the same moment as Kanye West's infamous blurt. I also heart "Lily Of The Field" and "Post Tart Girl" and "Miss USA," and, hell, suffice to say that the whole thing is good medicine for anyone disappointed by Devils & Dust or anyone who has ever hoped Curtiss A would get his shit together enough to make a record as angry, funny, and rockin' as his rants. Now then, why isn't B.T. Goldberg famous?
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A child of the '60s rocking at 50
by Chris Roberts, Minnesota Public Radio
March 15, 2005
Barry Thomas Goldberg. Several times he's tried to leave rock music, but his need to have a voice always brings him back. (MPR photo/Chris Roberts)
Most 50-something musicians have left their rock and roll past behind them. But Barry Thomas Goldberg is still immersed in it. Goldberg's new CD is called "American Grotesque." It's full of biting social commentary and songs of dissent.
Minneapolis, Minn. — It would be convenient if everything you needed to know about Barry Thomas Goldberg could be found in his spot-on impression of Jack Benny. He reverts to Benny when asked how old he is.
"I'm 39. Now cut that out," he says. "Oh, Rochester!"
The 50-something Goldberg's fixation on Hollywood legends comes from his upbringing, but it doesn't fully explain his ability to craft the raw, wounded songs of an American outcast.
Goldberg is a Minneapolis native who, as a kid, suffered from chronic bronchitis. He and his mother roamed the country looking for more climate-friendly communities. Once, she got a job as a waitress at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas.
"So I used to sit around and watch Dean Martin rehearse, and Frank Sinatra, and I'd go to shows at the Sands," he says. "And that's why I'm a normal guy."
Taking a drag
Goldberg says he learned his manners from the movies, and considered Robert Mitchum a father figure. After he and his mom moved back to Minneapolis, Goldberg launched his songwriting career by quitting high school and getting a job at Dove Studios in Bloomington, a bubblegum music factory in the '60s.
For the next two decades or more he was in and out the local music scene, touring the Midwest, signing record deals but seeing nothing come from them. He's tried acting and screenwriting, and even had a brief stint as a columnist for an underground newspaper. But Goldberg realizes now he was running away from who he really is, a rocker.
As the '90s progressed, and after being hospitalized for months with a near-fatal infection, Goldberg began to shed the entertainer in him and embraced the artist.
"I just decided if I'm going to write a song, it has to mean something," he says. "It just has to be meaningful. It has to do with compassion, and to say something like a poet, that has different levels that can be read in different ways and may change your life. A line may change a person's life."
Goldberg's new CD, "American Grotesque," is in part his running commentary on the state of modern America. His snarl of a voice sounds like cigarettes and whiskey, part Warren Zevon, part Nick Cave.
On the CD, Goldberg alludes to his opposition to the war in Iraq. It's something most songwriters from younger generations won't touch, even if they feel the same way. The protest or anti-war song as an idiom may die with the baby boomers, but Goldberg says it's totally applicable now.
Best of Barry
"Maybe because we've seen a 10-year war, that tragically just destroyed lives, changed all of our lives, just like this war is gonna change so many people's lives," he says.
While Goldberg makes no bones about his position against the war, he says he not a Bush-hater.
"I like the guy. I like cowboys. I like John Wayne."
In fact, Goldberg has his own explanation as to why songwriters, artists, and even the population at large have been relatively quiet lately about the war.
"We don't know," he says. "Bush could be right about all of this. We could be wrong. Freedom. You know, maybe this is all about freedom. I could be wrong. But I've been through this before. It's just a big Machiavellian game. I've seen it. I've lived through it."
He may get a band together later this summer and play a few dates, but he's mainly content to record his songs in the studio, then release his world view to the world.
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July 18, 2007 - Wednesday
Mapleton Memoir on Electric Fetus Local Top Ten
Electric Fetus One Stop
July 11, 2007
8. Barry Thomas Goldberg – Mapleton Memoir
Barry Thomas Goldberg is a Minnesota music veteran who began his career as a local songwriter. He is best known for penning the tune "Twenty Years Ago in Speedy's Kitchen" by T.C. Atlantic. Involved with Dove Recording Studios in the 1960's, Goldberg joined the ranks of local legends Arne Fogel, Gary Paulak, and Michael Yonkers. In 2006, Goldberg helped with the release of Candy Floss: The Lost Music of Mid America, a compilation of songs from Dove Studios and that era. Since 1974, he has been recording and releasing solo albums that highlight his outspoken political views and poetic way with words. Goldberg's latest, Mapleton Memoir, is a musical tribute to his late mother, who passed away in 2006. "I was displeased with my prose writing [and] the obvious choice was to write her memoir as a musical album," he says. The result is a beautifully crafted, limited edition album that includes a ten-page booklet of photos and lyrics, "tracing one family's journey through time in pursuit of the elusive American dream." Goldberg's sound has been compared to the likes of Bob Dylan (circa 1970), Woody Guthrie, and Tom Waits."
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If you're around on Thursday, December 10th, we are playing a show at Mario's Keller Bar. I don't know if you've been there, but it's a very cool place. It's a comfortable space, the room sounds great and they have a stellar beer selection.
Also, we will be playing ALL NIGHT! We'll play some funky, bluesy, and soulful music. We'll project live video onto a 9 ft screen. We'll play some older material that hasn't been heard in awhile, as well as some brand new songs that've never been heard. All bets are off!! We'd love it if you'd come down and listen/party with us!
I was going to go camping over the weekend, but this is definitely NOT camping weather. So me and some friends went to check out Dueling Pianos. Those guys are amazing - they can play just about any song that's been on the radio between 1950 and 2005.
Speaking of music, I wanted to let you know about a show we have @ Station 4 on Friday, October 16th. We are debuting a project called Sonic Transformations. It is a series of audio-visual performance pieces. The first one is called "AN OBJECT TO CRAVE". It features live music and visuals based on a short story about life, love, loss, fantasy, obsession and death.
Another group of mine, The Magnetrons, which plays an exciting and innovative Livetronica set (i.e. STS9, Disco Biscuits, The Histronic) will also be playing. The night will be full of creative, interesting, high-energy music, good drinks and good times.
Here's the info:
Blood Root Mother - "An Object to Crave" w/ The Magnetrons & Thought Thieves Friday, October 16th Station 4 201 E 4th St St Paul, MN 55101 9pm / $5 / 18+
I just wanted to stop by to say hello and give you a little update on what Blood Root Mother is up to! We will be recording an EP of new music in August, and we recently finished recording a live DVD. The DVD is currently unreleased and I actually just saw it for the first time a few days ago. It features the last two performances with Tony Ellis still alive, and some footage from the tribute show we played on the night of his funeral.
There are some cool covers, as well as some NEW music that will be on our upcoming EP. We're very excited about the new music and we'd like to share a sneak peak with you. Here's a video of a new tune called Run Bobby Run:
Blood Root Mother will be playing at Trocaderos in Minneapolis on Friday, June 26th. I cannot stress enough how awesome this show will be!! We're playing with three of the sweetest local rock bands: Claret, Niobium and Casanatra. If you haven't heard these guys, check them out immediately! Please come to this show!!
I recommend stopping by during happy hour for two for one drinks along with free buffet, which is delicious. We'll be hanging out at Trocs all night, so come by and chill/party with us :)
Again, here's the event info:
Friday, June 26th Trocaderos 107 3rd Ave N Minneapolis, MN 18+ // $6 // 8pm
Please come out and support some great local music!! Music starts at 9:30pm, we should go on around midnight. Invite your friends, pile into a car (or a party bus), and together we will make this one of the highlights of the summer :)
I am obviously begging you to drop me from your Myspace Friends, as I am profoundly abusing the purpose of this message board in repulsive fashion! If you have any sense of decency (senator,) please drop me before I post again!
Check out our newest mixtape officially hosted by a Major Artist! Just click the cover to download all the Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes for free at www.coast2coastmixtapes.com!
Artists click below to submit your music to be considered for the next Coast 2 Coast Mixtape hosted by a Major Artist!
Check out our newest mixtape officially hosted by a Major Artist! Just click the cover to download all the Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes for free at www.coast2coastmixtapes.com!
Artists click below to submit your music to be considered for the next Coast 2 Coast Mixtape hosted by a Major Artist!
Check out our newest mixtape officially hosted by a Major Artist! Just click the cover to download all the Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes for free at www.coast2coastmixtapes.com!
Artists click below to submit your music to be considered for the next Coast 2 Coast Mixtape hosted by a Major Artist!
Since you seem to have good taste in music and live around the cities, I wanted to let you know about our show next Thursday, February 26th. We will be burning down the house at Trocaderos Nightclub in Minneapolis (107 3rd Ave N). If you've been there before, I don't have to tell you it's one of the best venues in the Twin Cities - classy atmosphere, great drinks, and the sound is always fantastic. We're gonna be recording live for a DVD, and this is definitely gonna be the coolest show we've done yet. So COME ON DOWN! The show is 18+, it starts at 9pm, and the cover is a mere $5.
Hope to see you there!
Peace, Elliot
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed." -Albert Einstein
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