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Liz Barnez: Her way, or the highway |
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Written by Glenn BurnSilver
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Wednesday, 26 April 2006 |
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Any musician looking to compete against Liz Barnez (don’t call her a singer-songwriter either—more on that later) to land a gig won’t have to work to hard. That’s not part of her nature. But few musicians can compete with Barnez when it comes to a stylistic diversity that’s the product of living in the Colorado foothills and growing up amongst the rich culture and musical tradition of New Orleans.
It’s no wonder, then, that Barnez’s music seems to drift easily across styles — through folk, rock, world influences, Cajun, blues, and a bit of R&B. While many musicians try to carve out a singular niche, Barnez finds it hard to follow one direction.
“That hasn’t worked for me, at least in terms of making music,” she said with a laugh by phone from her Rist Canyon home. “I’m not making the big bucks either because I am doing what I want musically. … I love so many different styles of music that it all seeps into mine.”
“I’d love to be touring on a national level with some regularity,” she continued. “I think there is an audience out there for a good blend of music, some silliness and something a little smarter in the music. But I am not so driven anymore toward that end. … Since I hit 40 that real competitive nature that a lot of people have in music is not a part of my makeup anymore.”
Still, Barnez has carved out a recognizable place within the local scene, performing either with her band, solo or with similarly minded female musicians.
Encouraged by her friends — and now Fort Collins residents — the Subdudes, Barnez moved to Colorado in 1988. Her Colorado residency began as just another “chick in a band,” before she settled in Rist Canyon to find her own direction. And while that direction means meandering all over the musical map, Barnez said the freedom found living in Colorado suits her needs perfectly.
“There is this weird open-mindedness out here in Colorado and Wyoming,” she said. “(People) here are still going to live the way they want to live, but you can do what you want as well. The South is fairly oppressive and oppressed. I think that’s part of it.”
That freedom has transformed that “chick in a band” to one leading her own band, playing original and inspired music. Just don’t call her a singer-songwriter, a title often heaped upon any woman with a guitar, and one that perturbs Barnez.
“I started playing in bands. I never did play the girl-with-guitar gigs when I started out in New Orleans,” she said, a touch of frustration in her voice. “When I came to Colorado I started playing with a band immediately. Then the singer-songwriter explosion happened and I got that label. Before that I was just a chick in a band. It’s more recently that this singer-songwriter label has been placed on me.”
One listen to “Revealed,” her latest album, shows that Barnez is not so easily classified.
“It’s frustrating,” she added, “I hate to be labeled.”
The Show
Liz Barnez with SONiA & disappear fear
Doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m. April 29
Sunset Event Center, 242 Linden St., Fort Collins
Tickets $15 -$17 at the door, for details, call 484-4604.
The Web site
www.lizbarnez.com
Celebrity encounter
While Barnez was recording her album at Cello Studios in Hollywood, Calif. She had a few celebrity encounters. In one, Mick Jagger walked into the studio.
“He walked in accidentally the first day and we’re like, ‘Mick, you’re in the wrong room.’ He was like, (Barnez puts on a British accent) ‘Oh, sorry. Sorry.’ He kind of floated out of the room.”
And does he show better in person than on TV or a giant video monitor? “His face. He’s old, but man, he is spry,” Barnez laughed. “He’s like a little spry guy.”
Brush with fame
Additionally, producer Don Was (who produced Bonnie Raitt—someone Barnez is frequently compared with) walked past the control room one day as Barnez’s album was being played. While Barnez hovered in the studio thinking, “Don’t notice me, don’t notice me,” He was asking, “Who’s this artist? … Why haven’t I heard of her?”
Did he get a copy of “Revealed? “No, he didn’t get one,” Barnez said, “but I need to make sure he gets one.”
Getting involved
Barnez had family directly affected by Hurricane Katrina and helped organize The Concert for the Gulf Coast on Sept. 3, 2005 at the Sunset Event Center that raised more than $40,000.
“It was the most work I’ve ever done in one week for a show,” she said. “It was one of the best feeling nights I’ve ever had.” | Only registered users can write comments.
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