Evan Barber: Until the Thunder
As a lifelong Georgian, hailing from the Flint River city of Albany – the birthplace of Ray Charles, Evan Barber frames his debut solo release, Until the Thunder, around anecdotes culminated from growing up in an area that has seen its fair share of triumphs and failures. The landscape is beautiful and there is an undeniable Southern pride, but its history harbors a shame that hangs heavy like the sultry summer air. Into this album, Barber weaves those themes along with the inspiration he draws from Drive-By Trucker’s frontman Patterson Hood’s “duality of the Southern Thing.”
Until the Thunder is a departure from the albums Barber is used to making. His previous work has been with a full touring band, the Dead Gamblers. Bronze (2014) and Evan Barber and the Dead Gamblers (2010) are albums that were played live on the road long before recording in the studio. "Those songs were always written with the band in mind and were road tested therefore evolved into what they were so 99% of the time that’s exactly what came through in the studio," Barber notes. "Whereas the songs for the new record are from a way more personal frame of mind...these songs represent an almost entirely new style of songwriting for me, which allows the end result to be completely honest and meaningful in ways I feel like I’ve fallen short of expressing in the past. I felt that I finally had the freedom to write and express exactly what was on my mind.” With the pandemic, Barber didn’t have that luxury; there were no full band tours to work out the newest material before cutting an album. So, Evan took that time off of the road to create what he called the “live in a room” approach to recording. There is a richness that is captured in these recordings by allowing the energy of the moment to take Barber where it will. The imperfections weren’t removed with overdubs or overproduction. Barber chose prolific over perfect which allowed for a more creative and productive process. Until the Thunder truly captures the Americana spirit.
The lead off tracks evoke a familiar feeling of young relationships, being away from home, and family time together. “Tape” tackles the hardships of nurturing a relationship while spending so much time on the road. And then ultimately seeing it come to an end.
“Dreams weigh heavy on your mind / Make you question all the ways you spend your time / Running from what’s already changed / Seems a simpler step than to allow your mind to be rearranged”
The second track, “Young,” is a melancholy waltz about a fresh and evolving relationship that bears the brunt of the road life; while the following track, “N. Florida,” is a lighthearted trip down memory lane. Barber sings about family vacation road trips with vivid, reminiscent imagery.
“There’s cracks along the interstate / Signs for all your fishing bait / The Chevron up on 98 sells peanuts by the pound / They’re the best peanuts around”
Maybe its growing up in the same region that lends to the sound of Barber’s voice or the writing style and imagery, but I sense Tom Petty vibes in many of these tracks.
Turning to more character driven folk stories, Barber gives us “Jesus and the Kid.” It’s a catchy tune with clever, wry lyrics and an upbeat tempo. Taking a feather out of the caps of John Prine or Hayes Carll, it’s a tongue-in-cheek glimpse at profound life topics.
“The kid said, can you really walk on water / Jesus said, why don’t you take a break / I’ve been listening to your mama and your daddy / Their thoughts are almost more than I can take / Eve said, Adam you can call me crazy / But there’s a snake walking and talking at my feet / It’s been a while since we sat down to lunch so / Maybe I just need a bite to eat / And them apples there are looking pretty sweet”
Evan has writing and guitar credits for all songs on Until the Thunder. The rest of the team is made up of: Bobby Morrison on drums, guitar, banjo, and ukulele; Hannah Morrison contributes vocals; Anthony Valentine on bass; Ambrose Lockerman with organ and vocals; Bill Brown on piano. The album was engineered and produced by Ambrose Lockerman with additional producer credits going to Evan Barber and Bobby Morrison.
There’s a vibrancy in this album that is best captured by recording it live. Barber shed the skin he has developed over the last ten plus years of road-worn songwriting and touring with a full band. That result is an honest-to-goodness look at his life, the characters in it, and the situations that have brought him this far. Until the Thunder is available everywhere April 22.
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