Kim Barlow is an enduring presence in the Canadian indie-folk scene. An eccentric songwriter, skillful on guitar, clawhammer banjo, and sometimes cello, she’s recorded six albums of her own work, earned two Juno nominations, and has collaborations on the go at all times. Her newest band is Ida Red, a foot-stomping collective started with Gaspereau songster Heather Kelday. Having left her long-time Yukon home and relocated to Nova Scotia, Barlow finds herself back where she came from. With twin toddlers in the house, she is on hiatus from the touring circuit, but is rapidly gaining momentum with her new projects in the Annapolis Valley. Watch for her - teaching banjo and ukulele at home in Canning and at Moe’s Music Place in Windsor; hosting the Friday old-time sessions at the Canning Legion; or gigging solo, with Ida Red, and other musical companions around the province. AHC: What has this journey, this life in music been like for you, the highs and the lows, and what life lessons do you feel you've picked up along the way? Kim: Life in music feels like a healthy way to spend my days, when I get to. I notice when I go for a stretch without playing and singing, I get irritable. Life lessons: The ego aspects of music-making, ie being in front of people and being the center of attention, are not as healthy and I am relieved not to be struggling with those problems as much anymore; partly because I’m not on stage as much right now, (which is giving me distance and perspective) and partly because I am getting better at being generous on stage, instead of being needy or just afraid. AHC: What first drew you to music and what was your early musical environment like growing up? Were there pivotal songs for you then that just floored you the moment you heard them? Kim: I listened to records in my bedroom when I was little - the Pinocchio soundtrack, over and over; lots of Disney, which is culturally loaded, yes, and very clever and well-written. I sang and sang. Then there was a long stretch during which I did not connect strongly with much of what I was hearing, which was a combo of classical guitar and top 40. Luckily Michael Jackson happened, and some Motown made it into my rural Nova Scotian isolation. Then in first year university, studying classical guitar, I was given a mixtape with Simon and Garfunkle and Joni Mitchell on it. I connected immediately with the intimacy and roughness of acoustic guitar, and lyrics that reflected my own, complicated feelings! And harmonies! AHC: Do you remember the first song that you ever wrote? Kim: The first song I played for anyone was a rejection song. I loved pining for dudes. Can still remember the tune: terrible! AHC: Who are some of your musical inspirations? Kim: As aforementioned, Simon & Garfunkle, Joni, also John Prine for his straightforwardness. And Veda Hille! Lately, old-time banjo players like Dirk Powell, Roscoe Holcomb, Fred Cockeram. Also Justin Haynes, a guitarist from Toronto I used to tour with. AHC: What do you think makes for a good song, as you're writing and composing, is there a sudden moment when you know you've found the right mix, the perfect angle of light, so to speak? Kim: When I’m writing there is sometimes a moment when I get momentum and the ideas flow steadily. Plenty more where it’s just a slog. It changes all the time. Lately I am working on not laboring so much. AHC: Do you consider music to be a type of healing art, the perfect vehicle through which to translate a feeling, a state of rupture, hope lost and regained? As a listener of music I have this impression, I wonder, as the artist, the creator, do you have this feeling about the power of song? Kim: I try to avoid writing “therapy songs” - just telling the story of my pain to get it out of me. But pain or problems can be taken and re-shaped into something interesting and universal in a song, and that can be powerful. I wrote a concept album called luckyburden, about a mining town in the Yukon. I found it was a great exercise in distancing myself from the songs, but still making them relevant and intimate. AHC: What are your favorite on-tour, on-the-road memories? Kim: One thing I miss about touring is being backstage at festivals and getting to hear great musicians from the wings, and even meet some of them. John Prine, Mavis Staples, Taj Majal, Dirk Powell, KD Lang, Lucinda Williams, Michelle Shocked and so many more. I also love playing those magical shows where the sound is good, the band is locked in, and the audience connects - so exciting and so addictive when all the factors converge and make a moment of beauty. AHC: Do you have any words of advice for young musicians and singer-songwriters out there who are trying to find their voice and their way in this world? Kim: Ooh, I am full of advice! First, be prepared to work really hard. Make good art! Don’t fall for the singer-songwriter myth that everything you have to say is worthy and deserves to be heard - there are a lot of singer-songwriters now, doing that, and it’s boring. Find your unique voice, but also think about what your audience would like to hear and be intentional about that. It doesn’t mean you have compromised yourself as an artist. We are lucky we get to do something we love every day, but the trade-offs, especially at the start, may include sleeping on couches or dirty sheets with someone’s used earplugs under the pillow - Ew; long drives, not enough sleep; being disconnected from your community, strained family relationships; crap pay, grouchy sound people and stressed-out presenters. Generally, a total lack of security and routine. Don’t get mad at your record label for not promoting you hard enough, or your manager/agent for not getting you the good gigs, or the granting agencies for not giving you a grant. It’s not useful to complain and feel hard-done-by and it makes you sound like an entitled whiner. If some part of your team isn’t working, find a way to fix it or move on. Or consider that they are probably doing their best and everyone in this “industry” is stretched to their limits. Music-making for a living is in an awkward stage right now. If it’s making you unhappy, consider getting a different job. AHC: Do you have any new projects in motion you'd like to tell people about? Kim: I’ve got a band called Ida Red which is a blast. My bandmate Heather Kelday is a powerhouse and a delight to work with. We have standup bass and fiddle/mando, and play oldtime tunes and originals. It’s been lots of fun getting out and playing for my new community in the Annapolis Valley. Also, I just started recording with Mark Adam, a percussion professor at Acadia University. He’s a brilliant drummer and has a studio in the Gaspereau Valley called The Woods. Hoping to make a full-length recording of my own songs with him in the coming year. AHC: In a world that is moving faster and faster, for better or worse, I think that really good, tried and true music helps orient us to our times, slows us down and brings us back to ourselves. Folk music is a great example of this. When you set out to write an album of songs, how much does 'where the world is' in its current moment, culturally, politically, otherwise, influence the kinds of stories you set out to tell? Kim: Lately, I worry about the world more than I ever have. I have an almost grown-up kid, and two new ones, twins who are 3. I cry about Syria, I get furious with Trudeau, I periodically look at the interactive online maps that show where flooding will occur as sea levels rise. I canvassed my neighborhood with a municipal council candidate. This is all working its way into my new songs. I try to be subtle about it and not too preachy, make it fun! and not depressing. My eldest has an exciting, hopeful outlook on his future and I make him give me pep talks all the time. I hope my songs can be motivating, and good. That is all. For more visit www.kimbarlow.ca/
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