Barry Sides: Home
A Tale of Two Toms
I spent Sunday with the Leadon family here in Gainesville. We swam, played guitars by the pool, and ate some great range free chicken. Mark Leadon was visiting from Tallahassee and was here to rehearse with his sister Monica for a show that they are doing in Gainesville this fall sometime. It is always great to see Mark. I may enlist him to play with me at this year Gram Parsons Festival which is held in Gainesville normally in late October or early November.
We have all been following Tom Leadon’s journey with his “new- old” band Mudcrutch, which also features ex- Gainesvillians …Tom Petty, Benmont Tench, Mike Campbell and Randall Marsh. Mark told me that his brother Tom sat in with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers this past Wednesday night in Atlanta. Apparently Tom (Leadon) went to see the boys perform in Atlanta and Tom (Petty) invited Tom (Leadon) to sit in. From what I was told, the Two Toms along with Benmont, Mike, and the rest of the Heartbreakers, brought the house down as Tom and Tom performed a few songs off of the newly released Mudcrutch album. How cool is that?! I can’t wait to see Tommy later this summer and am looking forward to hearing some great stories!
On a side note…To all my friends and fans…You really owe it to yourselves to go out right now and buy the Mudcrutch record. It will remind you of why we all started playing and listening in the first place. Oh yea…It couldn’t hurt to also pick up a copy or two of my newest record!!!
Happy summer…
Barry
Hey...Bo Diddley
I was saddened to hear that my old friend and rock and roll legend, Bo Diddley had passed away. I was driving when I heard the news of Bo's death. I pulled my car off of the road and sat in silence while what I had just heard on my car radio began to sink in. "Bo is dead"? I thought…"Legends don't die…do they"? It was as if I had just been told that Superman had been killed, or that there was no Santa Clause.
So I sat in my car in the Gainesville heat and imagined a world without Bo Diddley. It seemed to me that it was now a lesser world, at least at that moment in time.
Living in Gainesville Florida, one got used to seeing Bo Diddley from time to time. Not at one of the many benefit concerts he played here year after year, but most often you could see Bo Diddley somewhere in town in one his old rebuilt cars, an old truck, and or even in an old fire engine or refurbished customized hearse. Bo liked to rebuild things.
If you were a traveling person, you would no doubt run into Bo Diddley from time to time at the Gainesville airport. Bo traveled a lot.
I tried to recall that last time I had seen Bo but couldn't really put my finger on when that had been. But while sitting alone in my car, in the 90 plus degree Gainesville heat, I began to reflect on some of the many times that I had seen Bo Diddley.
"I need to call John…" I thought to myself. "I wonder if John has heard about Bo". I was thinking about my friend John Hammond.
Some years ago I had with some friends, booked John Hammond into a small club in Gainesville. On a whim I called out to Bo's house and invited Bo and his family to come to show as my guest. About thirty minutes before the show was to begin Bo Diddley came in with his wife Kay and a small group of friends. Bo was seated at a large table upfront and center right in front of the small stage. It was a small venue and there was no missing Bo Diddley. Dressed all in black, Bo Diddley sat and held court as fans stopped by his table to say hello and to perhaps retrieve an autograph.
"Hey John…there's some guy downstairs who says he would like to say hello". John shot me a "Not now Barry…I'm getting ready to perform…" look. "Yea… Maybe after your show…" I shot back.
"Ladies and gentlemen…please give a warm Gainesville welcome to…John Hammond"
John walked onto the stage, took his seat on his stool, and just about fell off of his stool as he looked down and saw Bo Diddley sitting there smiling just a few feet away. I stood off to the side of stage and smiled a "I tried to tell ya John" smirk while John looked at me with a "Why didn't you tell me Bo was the crowd" look.
John opened his set with Bo Diddley's "Who do you Love" John is an amazing player but I had never seen him play any better than he did that night. He was inspired. He was playing for all of us but he was performing for Bo Diddley. Toward the end of Johns set I handed John a note that said "Bo would love to sit in with you" John brought Bo onstage and the crowd was treated to an acoustic set of impromptu tunes by none other than Bo Diddley and John Hammond.
The next day John and I drove out to Bo's house and spent the afternoon playing music, talking, and enjoying a batch of Bo Diddley Gumbo. Bo knows Gumbo.
So sitting in the mid day heat I sat and thought about Bo Diddley. I was lucky enough too had known him a little bit. I had visited his house several times and had been fortunate enough too had performed with him on three or four different occasions.
So I sat there in the mid day heat and thought about Bo Diddley.
Bo is dead? Damn it.
Rest in peace Bo…Thanks for all the music…
Barry
BARRY SIDES NEW RECORD IN THE WORKS
I am taking a well deserved break from performing live and am beginning to work on my next recording project. I will however play a few dates here and there and will post them as the come up.
I have begun the process of putting together my next record. This can be a very long road but each new journey begins with the first step. I have a handful of finished new songs and am working on writing new ones all the time. It is a strange process and is one that can not be forced or manipulated. They will come. The trick is being open enough to hear them when they are whispered into your ear by the song angels.
I am still in the process of deciding which way to go musically. Will I record with a full band like I did with my last one “Broken Hearts Broken Strings”? Or will I go more in the direction of my first record “Slippin’ Away” and do a more acoustic based album? As of now I am leaning towards the latter. In my head I am hearing mandolins, fiddles, and a stand up bass.
I have spoken to several different producers and am looking at a few different studios. Again this is all part of the process.
In a perfect world I would like to begin recording sometime this winter. We shall see…
Barry Sides
BARRY SIDES BROKEN HEARTS BROKEN STRINGS
Listen for free and find out why so many people are calling Barry Sides "Broken Hearts Broken Strings" one of the best releases of 2007. Go to the Listen & Lyrics page and listen to the entire album for free! You can also listen to songs from his first album Barry Sides "Slippin' Away" and read lyrics from songs not yet recorded.
Barry Sides new album "Broken Hearts Broken Strings" named one of the Best Releases of 2007 along with Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle and Levon Helm
"Barry Sides is at his best, writing melodies that quickly become addictive. His lyrics are written with razorblade sharpness, and are not far from the great singing poets like Bob Dylan and Towns Van Zandt"
- Rootsy Magazine Sweden
