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I went to Berlin and wrote songs by the canal, played shows with Veda Hille, The Burning Hell and Wax Mannequin; met many talented and warm-hearted Berliners. It is a great city. Spring Breakup now has enough material for a record, which we will aim to record in the coming months. We'll be touring in the spring.
Meanwhile, Annie Lou is playing on the Prairies this month. I'm technically living in Vancouver until December, but haven't been here much. Starting to miss the Yukon. When I get back there it will be dark and cold, but there will be those few hours of daylight when maybe the sky will be bright crisp blue and the skiing will be good, and there will be a warm woodstove and good books and potlucks and some beers with friends to be thankful for.
The Great Canadian SongQuest is taking votes to choose someone to write a song about a particular Yukon spot: voters get to decide who and where: http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/songquest/index.html I think I could do this, and I'd enjoy it, too. Pick me! Pick me!
Upcoming Shows
28 October, 2009, 9:00pm - Holy Oak, TO, with Justin Haynes and Ryan Driver
31 October, 2009, 1:00pm - Holy Oak, TO, afternoon concert, kids welcome
4 Nov 2009 - The Tranzac, TO, shared bill with Justin Haynes, Eric Chenaux and Ryan Driver
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Current Projects:
March 2009 Spring Breakup! This is a new duo with Mathias Kom of the Burning Hell - we have just recorded an album of duets; funny sad break-up songs. For reasons only Mathias understands, he decided to spend a winter in Whitehorse, and here we soon discovered we share an interest in a dark but strangely uplifting style of songwriting. We made a record in a day,”direct-to-disc”, at Old Crow Studios, with banjo, ukulele, harmonies and octaves and a delicate smattering of electronic sounds. www.myspace.com/springbreakup
Annie Lou is an all-girl old-time band consisting of Anne Louise Genest on lead vocals and guitar, me on clawhammer banjo, Lindy Jones from Haines, Alaska on stand-up bass, and Keitha Clark on fiddle. I love this band! We sing lots of harmonies and play all the greatest old dark obscure tunes we can find, plus a pile of Anne Louise’s originals, which are also great, old-fashioned and dark.
We recorded an album this winter, with guest fiddler Sammy Lind (Foghorn Duo, Dirk Powell) sitting in for a bunch of tunes. myspace.com/annielouyukon.
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March 2007
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PRESS FOR CHAMP "This sounds real good. Sounds like a record damnit!... It's really musical and lovely and rich and sounds like you're having fun more or less." --Justin Haynes, folk hero
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Exclaim!
March 2007
Champ
It’s another flawless collection of shrewd observations and wry wit from Yukon-based singer-songwriter Kim Barlow. This time, the simplicity of Barlow’s down-to-earth vocals and folk instrumentation are embellished with glistening pop touches that linger in the ears. She supplements capable claw hammer banjo playing with a variety of other instruments, including Wurlitzer, Autoharp and shivers of lovely glockenspiel. Though melodically inventive, the music tends to hang modestly back, allowing Barlow’s crafty lyrics to take centre stage. Underneath her beautiful poetic rhythm lies something deliciously, refreshingly sour — i.e., “Gingerman,” the twisted tale of a cookie man who chews off his own hands and feet in a drunken rage. “No one else can run as fast as one tough cookie with no pants,” sings Barlow, who then whistles sweetly, sounding as though frosting wouldn’t melt in her mouth. With her agreeable, unaffected voice and sly sense of humour, Barlow’s fourth full-length disc warms the spirit like a cup of rum-spiked cocoa during a tundra cold snap.(Jericho Beach)
--By Rachel Sanders
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PopMatters Music Short Takes
our brief reviews of new releases
February 26, 2007
Kim Barlow, Champ (Jericho Beach)
Singer-songwriter Kim Barlow’s latest album continues her strong collection with a gorgeous body of songs. Whether it is the simple, short, and alluring “Pony Camp” or the off-kiltered “Kay’s House”, Barlow doesn’t seem content to rely on adding layers of sound. Instead, she relies on the songs and whatever might be nearby in terms of instruments to get the songs across, as is the case with the light, breezy mid-tempo folk pop ditty “Out of Your Head” and the gentle, precious “But He Don’t”, another charmer. The album never hits a pothole when it comes to quality, even with some songs leaning towards a Celtic feeling during “Jake the Sailor”. Fans of Grey Delisle would lap up these songs immediately, although they’re often not as hushed or whispery, especially the album’s sleeper picks “Things I Miss” and the toe-tapping “Great White Nothing”. And Barlow also shines on the alt.country flavored “Out of the Woods”, which would have fit perfectly on Kathleen Edwards’ Back to Me. Definitely a winner.
—Jason MacNeil
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From The Argosy in Sackville, NB:
If you've liked the new-breed folk coming out of Canada in the last few years - championed by artists like Old Man Luedecke, Christine Fellows, and Baby Eagle, to name a few - then you are sure to love the new Kim Barlow album as well. Champ is also...appealing to the pop sensibilities of many, while retaining an earthy, natural style that is hopeful and fun.
http://www.argosy.ca/view.php?aid=39559
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