Barry Sides: News

Here is a great story about my friend Tom Leadon and the new Mudcrutch Album
- Barry Sides

MUDCRUTCH by Warren Zanes

Mudcrutch broke up some 35 years ago, just another regional band that had moved to LA in hopes of making it in the music business. And when they did break up, the world didn't notice or care. It was just another beautiful day in Los Angeles, and no one was going to give it back in the name of Mudcrutch. The band didn't leave any full-length recordings behind them or release any singles that made a dent. So, yeah, why? And why now? It really is a fair question. And Tom Petty has what is perhaps the most reasonable answer a musician can offer: "I guess I started thinking that we left some music back there, and it was time to go and get it."

This meant making a few phone calls. Two Mudcrutch members, Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, had already heard mention of the idea. Granted, they had some doubt as to whether Tom Petty would actually follow through on it - it was a weird one, this idea--but they'd been following his lead for a couple decades now with pretty solid results. Wait it out, they figured. Then Petty called Randall Marsh and Tom Leadon to run the idea past them. That's when it started to get real. Petty was going to put Mudcrutch back together to make their debut recording.

Before we go on, let's consider what we're talking about here. As everyone knows, bands reform all the time. Jimmy Page reformed Led Zeppelin just recently. Eric Clapton reformed Cream. So wouldn't it follow that Tom Petty would reform . . . Mudcrutch? May the gods remember Tom Petty as a guy that kept us guessing.

Back to Randall Marsh and Tom Leadon. Now, Leadon has been giving guitar lessons for the past several years. Marsh plays in bar bands. They'd both done what they could to get something going on a bigger scale, but nothing took in any kind of lasting way. Over the years they'd had opportunities to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers play. More to the point, Marsh and Leadon had watched it all go down. Being gentlemen, they were glad for their old friends from Gainesville. But there's another side to it--not envy, but something like a sliver of melancholy that comes when you're having a good conversation with someone at the 7-11, where you get your coffee each morning, and suddenly you hear your old bandmates on the radio, playing another one of their top ten hits. What do you do? You get your coffee and you go to work. But show me the man who wouldn't have a couple feelings.

So Petty has the idea and makes the calls. They all find a time they can get together. Tom Leadon and Randall Marsh come into town and stay at Tom Petty's house in Malibu. The Heartbreaker crew builds a recording studio in the band's rehearsal space. It happened fast. And, without a doubt, this was not guaranteed to work. None of it. But it did. All of it.

The self-titled Mudcrutch debut is a revelation. For all the great unknown bands that never deserved to die, Mudcrutch has rolled back the stone and sauntered out into the daylight like they had this on their calendars. Recorded live, no overdubs, Mudcrutch is the sound of a five-piece band playing together. There's a purity to it. Petty wanted it that way: "I made a commitment at the beginning of the project that I wanted this to be Mudcrutch, done as it was back in the day. I really wanted it to be that band."

That band had a few folks stepping up to take the lead vocals. That band might have a song written by Tom Leadon or Benmont Tench or Mike Campbell. That band had Tom Petty on bass. That band mixed bluegrass tunes into their set. And it all happens again on Mudcrutch.

Perhaps most striking is the way in which Tom Leadon, brother of former Eagle and Flying Burrito Brother Bernie Leadon, emerges as a remarkably sympathetic partner and foil to both Petty and Campbell. Top to bottom, Leadon and Campbell are in one of the most interesting conversations on guitar since the Rolling Stones made Some Girls. Whether egging each other on in songs like "Bootleg Flyer" or wrapping their parts around one another"s on the album's stunning centerpiece, "Crystal River," the two players sound throughout like a connection is being made. For Petty, Leadon brings something equally powerful - and it's the sound of a harmony singer with whom Petty grew up singing.

"Tom Leadon and I were together when we learned to sing. We were very young. He was probably fourteen, and I was sixteen. We lived close to each other. There was a city park between our houses where we'd go and hang out when we weren't at one another's houses. We'd just sit around and sing, trying to learn harmonies and stuff, playing our guitars. And Tom is a natural harmony singer. There's a sweetness and vulnerability in his voice that I like."

Petty and Leadon share lead vocal duty on the beautiful album opener, "Shady Grove," a song from the 18th century that is a staple to the bluegrass songbag. As Petty tells it, "Mudcrutch used to learn bluegrass songs on acoustic instruments then play them in our sets using electric instruments. I always thought it was a sound I didn't hear too much. You hear it on "Shady Grove" but also on "June Apple," where you've got Benmont's Hammond organ playing bluegrass. It's an unconventional approach but a sound that was pretty unique to Mudcrutch back in the day."

If the country part of the Mudcrutch aesthetic emerges most conspicuously on the band's cover of Dave Dudley's classic "Six Days on the Road," Petty originals including the gorgeous "Orphan of the Storm" and "House of Stone" and Leadon's "Queen of the Go-Go Girls" all reveal the band's musical connection to the first groups who were bringing country into the rock and roll context. Petty explains:

"Early on with Mudcrutch, Tom Leadon gave us a big dose of what would come to be called country rock. It's hard to imagine a time before that music got big with groups like the Eagles, but when we were first doing it it was very fresh, very new. Tom's brother Bernie was in the Flying Burrito Brothers and, before that, this group with Gene Clark [of the Byrds] and Doug Dillard called Dillard and Clark. We tried to assimilate it all as best we knew how. In fact, we tried to play the real country bars at one point. We auditioned at one place - and the guy actually liked us - but we were told, 'You know I like the way you sound, but looking the way you look, I wouldn't feel good about having you in here'."

No matter all the musical ingredients thrown in the Mudcrutch caldron, Mudcrutch is ultimately about a band sound, a sound that was just too good to leave back there. A few members came and went [see below for Petty's personal rundown on the band's history], but the key factors in the Mudcrutch chemistry are best represented in this lineup. Randall Marsh is a drummer who moves easily between the band's many territories, whether the up-tempo groove of the infectious "Topanga Cowgirl," the shuffle on what surely ranks as one of Petty's most perfect ballads, "Oh, Maria," or the pure energy of Campbell/Petty co-write "Bootleg Flyer." Benmont Tench is Benmont Tench - and like Campbell, he sounds like he's having a busman's holiday like no other. Frankly, his contribution, "This Is a Good Street," will be enough reason for many people to buy this recording. Like his writing for other artists, the song is a short sharp thing, built smart, balancing the pathos with a humor all its own.

It was all a strange idea. Too strange to be categorized as a mid-life crisis and absolutely too strange to be viewed as a career move. And, as Petty is quite willing to admit, it could have been an awkward high school reunion. But Petty is a man whose instincts have taken him to some interesting parties. I see no reason not to follow him when he goes, wherever he goes.

TP on Mudcrutch History

Let me tell you how it went: Mudcrutch, when it first existed, was simply the Epics with a new name. That was probably 1968 or 1969. The lineup included Dickie Underwood on the drums, Rodney Rucker as lead singer, Ricky Rucker on the guitar, me on bass, and Tom Leadon on guitar. Then, very quickly, by late 1969 or early 1970, everybody left but me and Leadon. So we joined up with Jim Lenehan, who was going to be the lead singer. That version of the band didn't really work because there were only three of us. We played a coffee house or two, but that was it.

Then we ran into Randall Marsh, who had a roommate named Mike Campbell. That was quite a package deal. By, I think, '72, Tom Leadon left and moved out to California. Of course Jim Lenehan had already left - I think he only stayed for two months or so. He wasn't there very long at all.
Now Benmont comes on the scene, I think, a few shows before Leadon left. But he would go back and forth to college. While Ben was in school we played as a three-piece for a while. We were always waiting on Benmont.

Then we met Danny Roberts, and he came in - sometime in late '72 or early '73 - and was with the band, on guitar and bass, until we came out to California. We came to California in April of '74. Danny stuck around for a few months, maybe a little longer while we were out there and then just split. He didn't think we were going to make it. He left, and we never heard from him again until recently.

So then we had another version of the band, with just Mike, Randall, Benmont, and myself. Then, two months before the band breaks up, we brought in a fellow to play the bass. We decided I'd switch over to the guitar, and Charlie Souza came in - and he was there only for a couple months before the band called it a day.

Top 40 releases of 2007
Johan Annetorp – Rootsy Magazine (Sweden) www.rootsy.nu/

1. Mark Olson - The Salvation Blues ( Hacktone/ Rykodisc )
2. Joe Henry - Civilians ( Anti )
3. Nathan Holscher - Even The Hills ( Self Released/ Hemifrån )
4. Linda Thompson - Versatile Heart ( Rounder )
5. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand ( Rounder )
6. Malcolm Holcombe - Not Forgotten ( Munich )
7. Peter Case - Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John ( Yep Roc )
8. Paul Curreri - The Velvet Rut ( Tin Angel )
9. Richard Hawley - Lady's Bridge ( Mute )
10. The Bench Connection - Around the House In 80 Days ( 50/50 Recordings )
11. Patty Griffin - Children Running Through ( Ato Records )
12. Eleni Mandell - Miracle Of Five ( Zedtone/ V2 )
13. Rich McCulley - Cerro Gordo ( Self Released )
14. Rickie Lee Jones - The Sermon On Exposition Boulevard ( New West )
15. Levon Helm - Dirt Farmer ( Vanguard )
16. Anders F Rönnblom - Underground Vol. 1 ( F - Records )
17. Nick Lowe - At My Age ( Proper )
18. Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests Of... ( V2 )
19. P.J O' Connell - Careful ( Clang )
20. Adam Hood - Different Groove ( Little Dog )
21. Kelly Willis - Translated From Love ( Rykodisc )
22. Jim White - Transnormal Skiperoo ( Luaka Bop/ V2 )
23. Richmond Fontaine - Thirteen Cities ( Decor )
24. Beaver Nelson - Exiting Opportunity ( Freedom )
25. Tommy Womack - There, I Said It ( Cedar Creek )
26. Justin Currie - What Is Love For ( Rykodisc )
27. Loudon Wainwright III - Strange Weirdos ( Concord )
28. Brett Dennen - So Much More ( Dualtone )
29. Jacob Golden - Revenge Songs ( Sawtooth )
30. Lucinda Williams - West ( Lost Highway )
31. Tom Brosseau - Cavalier ( Fat Cat )
32. Robert Wyatt - Comicopera ( Domino )
33. J.J Grey & Mofro - Country Ghetto ( Alligator )
34. Steve Earle - Washington Square Serenade ( New West )
35. Over The Rhine - The Trumpet Child ( Great Speckled Dog )
36. Barry Sides - Broken Hearts Broken Strings ( Flying Pig )
37. Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger ( Lost Highway )
38. Basia Bulat - Oh, My Darling ( Rough Trade )
39. Steve Forbert - Strange Names & New Sensations ( 429 Records )
40. Jeb Loy Nicholls - Days Are Mighty ( Tuition )

Gainesville Florida – Friday October 26
Barry Sides and Mark Leadon rock Ti Amo’s.

The Ninth Annual Gram Parsons Festival was held this past Friday night in Gainesville Florida. As usual the festival featured an array of Florida veteran musicians including Tampa Bays Tommy McCoy, Tallahassee’s Mark Leadon, and Gainesville stalwarts Ned Stewart, Monica Leadon Cooper, and Barry Sides.

After the Parsons Festival, Mark Leadon joined Barry Sides on stage at Ti Amo’s Restaurant and Bar for a lively set of whiskey charged tunes which included several Flying Burrito Brother and Eagle classics. Leadon, the younger brother of former Eagle Bernie Leadon, was in great form nailing his older brothers Eagle licks note for note. Older brother Bernie was also a member of Parsons Flying Burrito Brothers. Mark Leadon is a great musician in his own right and has released two highly acclaimed bluegrass albums, Blue and Lonesome and Borderlines. Says Sides’ “Mark and I have been pals for close to thirty years. He even reminded me that he and I had planned to put a band together back in the Seventies but he moved to Tallahassee. We had so much fun playing together tonight. Mark is a wonderful player and a great showman. I’m not sure who enjoyed it more, us or the crowd” It was a tie.

Note: Listen to Mark Leadon at www.mleadon.com

Here is a little Tom Petty story that appeared in the Gainesville Sun

In my garage sits a 300-pound slab of cement. What makes this particular slab noteworthy is that there are five names scrawled on it. The five who inscribed their names in this little 300-pound piece of rock and roll history are; Tom Petty, Benmont Tench, Howie Epstein, Mike Campbell, and Stan Lynch.
My idea was a simple one. Pulling it off was not so simple. Back in 1991, I had the idea of putting together a kind of a Gainesville Walk of Fame. The basic idea was to get hand prints and signatures of the famed and infamous who had hailed from and/or who lived in Gainesville. There were many. Gainesville had two Eagles, Bernie Leadon and Don Felder. We had Bo Diddley, and at that time we still had River Phoenix. We have had Stephen Stills, two members of the Motels, Jeff and Marty Jourard. There were others but who we really had at the top of our cities Who's Who list was Tom Petty and Heartbreakers - Stan Lynch, Benmont Tench, and Mike Campbell. In 1991 TP & the Heartbreakers were rock and roll royalty.
I contacted my friend Sadie Darnell who is Tom's first cousin. With Sadie's help the ball began to roll. I guess word got out about a Gainesville Walk of Fame and I received a letter from lawyers representing the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I was informed that I could not use "Walk of Fame" or, if I did, that I would be sued. I called them in LA and told them that that was great news as I felt the publicity would be great and would only help my project. I never heard from them again.
You can only imagine the hoops one would have to jump through in order to pull something like this off. Somehow I jumped through all the right hoops and on Saturday afternoon October 26th, just hours before their appearance here in Gainesville, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers strolled into a standing room only conference room at the University Center Hotel. The room was filled with Gainesville dignitaries, guests, family and media from all over the planet. Tom and the band were each given their Keys to the City, and proclamations were made.
Having never done a Walk of Fame, I had no idea how to do the cement slab. I hired a friend of mine who was in construction. He had told me it would be no problem. Easy as making cement, he had assured me.
When the time came, a giant slab of wet cement was rolled into the conference room. The band circled the slab. The band and I looked down at the cement slab and looked at each other with a "This doesn't look just right" kind of look. The slab of cement was actually a slab of construction concrete complete with rocks and gravel. It was also still rather wet - or wetter than it needed to be at that point. But, being that the six of us were in show business, well, we knew the show must go on. Tommy asked me what I wanted him to do. "Well, I guess you need to put your hands in it and then sign it," I said. He gave me a half smile half smirk and sank his hand into the wet concrete. The room filed with flash bulbs and applause but when he pulled his hands out the hand prints began to fill in with wet concrete. I received another priceless Petty look. "Now what" he asked. "Do it deeper and hold it longer", I said. At that point my old pal Stan Lynch elbows me and says, "Great advice Barry, this is going well, don't you think?" So Petty puts his hand back into the concrete, leans into it and hold his hands there for way longer than he had wanted to. And although not as pretty as the one in Hollywood it worked. I handed Tommy a stick to sign his name with, and the rest of the band followed. Although not perfect it was great promotion and I believe the band enjoyed it.
That night just before the show started, I was sitting in the audience. Someone came up to me and said Tom wants to see you. I said Tom who? They said Tom Petty. I was taken backstage and to his dressing room. There I was, sitting with Tom Petty, his first wife Jane, and Stan Lynch. Tom said he wanted to thank me for what I had done and that it really meant a lot to him and the band. We talked a bit, took some pictures together and wished each other luck.
We never did do a Gainesville Walk of Fame. It became too political. Where to put it? Who pays for it? Plus, being that the slab was made from concrete and not smooth cement, as nice as it is it could look better. So it lives in my garage. It is my 300-pound piece of Rock and Roll history. The State of Florida borrowed it for several years for their 50 years of Florida Rock and Roll exhibit. They insured it for $10,000. Part of me wished they would have broken it as I could have used the money. But you just can't buy such great Rock and Roll memories

I have been dying to tell people about the Mudcrutch Reunion but was sworn to secrecy. Now that it has hit the streets I feel that it is okay to spread the word about Tom Petty graciously reuniting his old Mudcrutch band mates to record an album of both old and new material. The record is scheduled to be released in 2008.

My connection to Mudcrutch is through my friend Tom Leadon. I am so excited for him and all the guys and can’t wait to hear the record. Here is a short story from the Tennessean newspaper in Nashville.

The epic return of Mudcrutch is coming in 2008. The Tennessean newspaper publicly and unofficially announced a new album by Mudcrutch with the following article:
Nashville's Leadon reunites with Petty on album and film
By BEVERLY KEEL
Nashville musician Tom Leadon recently reunited with his former bandmate and childhood friend Tom Petty.
The Toms were in a Gainesville, Fla., band called Mudcrutch - a precursor to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - with Mike Campbell and Randall Marsh. (The Toms were actually in an earlier band called the Epics.)
In August, Petty got Mudcrutch back together.
"It was just entirely unexpected," Tom Leadon says. "It was like a dream, the whole thing. Tom couldn't have been nicer. It was great to hang out with him again."
Our Tom, who teaches guitar at Jan Williams School of Music and Theater in Brentwood, stayed with Petty in Malibu, Calif., while Mudcrutch recorded with keyboardist Benmont Tench.
They recorded 18 old and new songs for an album that will be released in early 2008.
"We would play and then we would just talk about the old days," says Tom, who left the band in 1972, two years before Petty moved to L.A. to pursue his dreams. "We were all best friends.
"We hope to have enough interest in Mudcrutch that we are able to do to it again," he says.
Next month, Tom Leadon (the brother of former Eagles member Bernie Leadon) can also be seen in the Petty documentary Runnin' Down a Dream, which was directed by Peter Bogdanovich.

Drop D Tuning
I have had quite a few people ask me about the chords on some of my songs, or rather the full sound of the chords on some of my songs. I use a lot of open or alternative tunings with the Drop D tuning being my favorite.
Three songs on my new record are in Drop D. They are; Don’t Want Love, Caroline, and Your Ghost.
The reason I use the Drop D tuning is that it gives your guitar a fullness that you just can not get in standard tuning. It also allows your C, G, A, and E chords to be played differently which I feel ads to the color of your song.
Drop D tuning is one of the easiest alternative guitar tunings because only the lowest string is different from the standard guitar tuning.
To D tune your guitar, all we need to do is retune the 6th string from E to D: D A D G B E
1. Tune your guitar in standard tuning.
2. Play the 4th (D string) and 6th string together and turn the tuning key of the E string counter clockwise until you are 1 note lower.
Drop D tuning makes it possible to add a nice deep bass to D chords. Play around with it. Think James Taylor, The Beatles Dear Prudence, Neil Young Old Man and so much more…
Have fun and email if you have any questions

I want to thank all of you from outside of the United States for coming to my website and for listening to my music. I am amazed by the all the different people from all over the world who are visiting me here.
Thank you so very much,

Barry Sides

List of Top Countries Outside of the US:

Germany, Japan, Brazil, Italy, Canada, Austria, Netherlands, Norway, Russian Republic, Poland, Sweden, Thailand, Belgium, Spain, Argentina, Czech Republic, France, Romania, Greece, Korea (South), Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Turkey.

An interview with Americana Graffiti May 2007

I recently sat down with singer songwriter Barry Sides to discuss his new album Broken Hearts Broken Strings

AG: I love the title of your record, Broken Hearts Broken Strings. Where did that come from?

BARRY: I went back and forth on the title of this thing. It drove me crazy for awhile. The title of a record is like naming a child. You don’t want to blow it. I wanted something that explained the record to someone, anyone picking it up. Give them a clue as to what it is about. So I finally settled on Broken Hearts Broken Strings.

AG: Do you recall any of the other titles you considered?

BARRY: Yea. One was Still Standing. Don’t Want Love was another. Your Ghost. Really any one of those would have been fine. At some point you just have to choose one. There are deadlines you know.

AG: The record is about broken hearts, the loss of love and heartache.

BARRY: Yes but there’s more there.

AG: So what was going on when you wrote these songs? Where were you in your life?

BARRY: It’s pretty obvious from listening to the record that I was writing from a very dark place. I think that is when I am at my best, as far as writing anyway. I think you see that in a lot of poetry and in songs. There is a very deep place that pain can take you to. It is haunting and it is also very seductive. It is where the secrets live, where truth resides. Some call it the dark side, the shadow side. If you can go there and live through it can be an amazing experience.

AG: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?

BARRY: Exactly.

AG: So what was going on that sent you there?

BARRY: Life in general I suppose. It was a combination of many things really. A thing that many of us go through, so in that respect it was nothing unique to the human experience. Mostly loss I guess.

AG: Loss of?

BARRY: Self? Loss of friends, family, lovers? Direction?

AG: Specifically?

BARRY: I don’t know that the specifics really matter to anyone but me. But they are in the songs.

AG: Okay. Lets talk about the songs. Broken Hearts Broken Strings. Where did that come from?

BARRY: I am always amazed by where some of my songs come from. Over time I have really learned to pay attention. You have to be willing to listen when the song angels, the muse, whisper something in you ear. I had a 1970 VW bus that was always breaking down. I mean every other day. It had broken down this one morning and I had called AAA to get it towed once again. They told me that I had used up all my tows for the year! (laughs) Who knew right? So I’m on the side of the road working on my bus and I just start singing out loud “I’m breaking down again” Then I stated thinking about the parallels in my life between my bus breaking down and my heart always being broken. Both of them always breaking down. So some of the lines like (sings) “Is there no end to this road? How many times can one heart be towed? I wish there was a AAA, for hearts that breakdown along the way” Those lines came to me while working on my bus.

AG: Do you still have the bus?

BARRY: No. But I still have the broken heart.

AG: Honestly? Is your heart still broken?

BARRY: Not really. I mean it’s scarred. It is always a little broken I guess, but it mends. Time does heal.

AG: Your writing, compared to your first record, really seems to have developed. Do you feel you have improved?

BARRY: I would certainly hope so. Yea I think so. I would think any writer no matter what that writers platform is would want to improve. But then again it is not a contest. I do feel that I approach songwriting much more as a craft than I once did. I feel like I get it now. That I understand that there are certain fundamentals, that there is an actual craft and a degree of dedication to that craft. But at the same time as I say there are fundamentals, there are no real rules. I think rules are a trap. So although there may be structure you also need not always adhere to that structure. I guess the most important thing I have learned about my writing is how to cut away the fat. How to not overuse words. How to rewrite, to edit, and to trim. I just want to get to the meat. I don’t want the bone or the fat. Just the meat. It took me a long time for some reason to figure that out. I think there is a lot of meat on this new record and very little if any fat.

AG: Who do you like? Who are writers, who as you say just give the meat?

BARRY: There are so many. My god. I guess the one that fits my example best would be Henley. To me there is no one who is better at the craft of songwriting, the actual craft, than Don Henley. You will never ever find one word in his songs that should not be there. No waste. None what so ever. I am not saying that he is the best songwriter on the planet although one could argue that point, but I do believe him to be the finest craftsman. Towns Van Zandt is another. Simple and to the core. Lucinda Williams. She kills me. Her use of language, her use of words, is so simple yet so complete. Where Henley is more of an intellectual writer, a real wordsmith, Lucinda just writes in everyday tongue. Really there are too many to mention but those three come to mind.

AG: What is your songwriting process? Do you have a routine you follow?

BARRY: Not really. Again I think some of those things, rules, and routines can really be a trap and can handcuff you. I do try to write something everyday. Not always a song but something on paper. I’ll write a line, a verse, an idea, a story, a poem, a shopping list. Like playing guitar, or sex (laughs) I try to keep my hand in it everyday.

AG: Which come first, the words or the music?

BARRY: It varies. Sometimes both together but I guess the words come to me first most of the time. The idea. Normally what happens is I will hear it in my head. The words or the beginning anyway along with the tune. Once that happens that is when I will sit and write it down and work toward turning what I have heard in my head into a song.

AG: You hear the melody and the words?

BARRY: Yes. Most times I don’t realize that that is what is happening. I will literally sing or say the lyric or phrase out loud. Like the song I Hate This, from the record. I remember walking in my house and blurting out “I hate this…pretending it does not hurt” Actually singing it. So I went…well that’s cool. What is that? So I sit down and write it down. So I have the first line “I hate this, pretending it does not hurt” Then I have to ask myself what the fuck am I talking about. What hurts? And in this case I was talking about hating that my girlfriend had dumped me and at least in public acting like it didn’t hurt when actually it really did hurt. So then I have a beginning, a thought, somewhere to take it. So I think okay, I am now going to write a song about hating the fact that I am no longer with my woman and I am not pleased about that situation at all. You know how when people ask you “Hey…how are you and so and so doing. How are you” and you say “Oh I’m fine” Well bullshit! You’re not fine…you hate it! So that is how my song I Hate This came about.

AG: So you have your first line of the song. How do you know where to take it?

BARRY: Well you don’t always. That is the hard part. But in this case it came out very quickly because I was really feeling exactly what I was writing. There was no poetic license needed in this one. I was living it. I was hating it. So after I had the line “I hate this, pretending it does not hurt” I just blurted out the next line which was “Acting like I don’t want back up your skirt” (Laughs)

AG: That’s a great line!

BARRY: Yea. It really is because it is so damn truthful. And what makes it so great is that most people would feel that, but would not be willing to say it, so when they hear someone say something they would feel but would not have the balls to say themselves, they go “Fuck yes” Yea. It is a great line. Those are the kind of lines that when I write them down I literally look up into the heavens and say thank you. Those come to you from the angels.

AG: You believe your angels, or your muse, gave you a line about getting back up some woman’s skirt?

BARRY: Absolutely. I remember hearing Dave Mathew’s song Crash the first time. He has this line something like (sings) “Lift up your dress and show your world to me” I went nuts! I was floored! I was like what a great lyric! If only I could write a lyric like that! It just said so much. Lift up your dress and show your world to me! Christ! So when I wrote (sings) “Acting like I don’t want back up your skirt” I thought back to then. It felt good. It felt real good.

AG: It’s not Shakespeare.

BARRY: No. It’s not Shakespeare. Its rock and roll!

AG: Do you write on guitar or piano?

BARRY: I tend to write on acoustic guitar although I do also use the piano to write. I wrote the music for Memphis Morning Rain on the piano. I also wrote Big Blue House from my first record on the piano. Those are two that come to mind. But normally I sit with my old Guild acoustic when I write.

AG: You mentioned writing the music for Memphis Morning Rain on the piano yet you recorded it on guitar? Did you write the lyrics and music separately?

BARRY: Actually on that one I did write them separately which is unusual for me.

AG: Which came first?

BARRY: The rooster! (laughs) Sorry. I wrote the lyrics first. My mom was in the hospital in Memphis. It was New Years Eve and I was so blue. My girl had dumped me but I still held on to some hope, and I missed her dearly, and my mom was dying. I would sleep in my moms hospital room and my bed faced this big window. Mom was asleep and I was watching Dick Clark in Times Square. At midnight I looked out my window and it was raining really hard and I just said out loud “Memphis morning rain” I rang for the nurse and ask her to watch mom and I went in the stairwell with my guitar and wrote Memphis Morning Rain. So I actually did have music for it. When I got back to Gainesville I was sitting at my piano and I came up with this nice melody. I really liked it. I started singing and discovered it worked perfectly for Memphis Morning Rain.

AG: Do you remember the old music you had first used?

BARRY: It was just a simple blues. I liked the piano version more because it starts with a minor chord which sets it up better. It is a sad song after all so the minor worked well.

AG: But you didn’t record it using piano?

BARRY: No. I wanted to and I still think it works better as a piano song. Oddly enough the studio didn’t have a piano which was actually my fault. My lyric and chord sheets that I had given my producer Jeff Sims didn’t ask for a piano. It was assumed they were all guitar songs. I would have assumed the same thing.

AG: You don’t use the piano on stage?

BARRY: Rarely. I’m a guitar guy. I would like to but they are a bitch to haul around.

AG: The musicianship on your record is really something. How did you get hooked up with Stan Lynch and Ronny Cates?

BARRY: I had known Stan for a really long time. I think we met…I think it was right after Petty and the Heartbreakers released Damn the Torpedoes which was I think around 1979 or 1980? The band had gotten really big by then. Refugee was all over the radio. Stan and I hit it off pretty quick. We’ve been friends a long time. I really like his dad too. Stan senior is major cool. I didn’t meet Ronny Cates until it was decided to do the record at his studio.

AG: Were you aware of Ronny’s work in Petra?

BARRY: Not really but I became very aware when I saw all his Grammy’s lined up at the studio!

AG: Do you know how many Grammy’s Ronny has?

BARRY: Before or after I lifted one? I think I counted five? (Laughs) Ronny was great to work with. He’s a real nice guy. He has a great ear and is a hell of a guitar and bass player.

AG: Your first album Slippin’ Away was a solo project. What made you decide to record with a band?

BARRY: I guess in some ways the songs dictated it, maybe even demanded it. I don’t know. I actually had thought about recording it as a solo record but I’m not sure those same songs would have been on a solo record. Some would have though. I also had a different producer on this record.

AG: Jeff Sims produced it, is that correct?

BARRY: Yea. I was shopping producers. I had produced the first one which was easy because it was just me. Anyway I talked to Jeff and he got real excited about working with me which made me get excited about working with him. I had recorded a demo of songs I was thinking about recording and I gave Jeff the demo. I guess he heard something in the songs calling for more than just voice and guitar.

AG: Did Jeff suggest the players or did you bring them in.

BARRY: It was total Jeff. Jeff and Stan (Lynch) are like brothers and I’m close to both of them. Jeff had told Stan that he was going to produce my record and Stan asked if I wanted some help. You see I would never had asked Stan to work on my record so I thought it was very righteous for Stanly to come forward like that. Very cool. So Jeff said that what we should do is to have Stan be my drummer and to have Ronny (Cates) be my bass player and to just go in and record the songs live which is what we did.

AG: So its Stan on drums, Ronny playing bass. Was that it?

BARRY: No no. Jeff played guitar on every track and Ronny and Stan both played guitars as well. Stan did the percussions too. I played guitar, did the vocals of course and played harmonica. It was weird because it took me a bit to get used to playing with the other guys. I play solo so it was all a little odd to me. I learned, or tried to learn, a lot about time. I’m sure I frustrated Stan at the beginning. I know I did. But he was gracious. He took his time with me. He knew I would get it eventually. They were using click tracks and I wasn’t hearing any in my head phones and didn’t know enough to ask for them. Once they were in I was fine but Jeff really ended up doing a lot of my rhythm stuff which I was happy about because he in a human metronome.

AG: Did they keep any of your guitar?

BARRY: Oh yea sure. I think Jeff ended up doubling my parts on acoustic.

AG: Did you play any electric guitar?

BARRY: Well there was really no need with these guys around but I did play lead on Letters from Diane. It turned out nice. I was happy with it. You see Stan and Ronny played so many different guitar parts on these songs. It was great. Both of them are on six and twelve string electrics, baritone, high string, and then Jeff was doubling my part on a big Gibson Jumbo I think. So there were plenty of guitar players. My services were not required.

AG: Did you want to play more guitar?

BARRY: Not really. I remember at one point I was getting kind of anxious just watching these guys do all the playing and Stan pulled me aside and said “Hey look dude, your job is done. You wrote the tunes, you sing em…relax” So I did. It was a good lesson. You know, I mean Jeff, Stan, and Ronny have thousands of hours in the studio and I was like on number six (laughs) so I was pretty much going to do what ever the hell they directed me to do. It may not have been my first rodeo but it was my first time on anything other than a dime store pony.

AG: Did they have any say or did they give you any direction as far as your songs or your arrangements?

BARRY: Actually they didn’t. I felt good about that. They trusted the songs. The songs were good. They were really good well put together songs. I think that Stan backed that up by telling me that my job was done. Yea. We played em’ pretty much how I brought em’ in. Ronny liked them too. He really liked my phrasing on a lot of my stuff.

AG: So they were recorded just as you wrote them?

BARRY: Within the framework of how I brought them in. Yes. But they did take on a new feel with them all of a sudden having a rhythm section behind them. My monster finally had a heart beat. They brought them to life. Listen to He Left Her. I didn’t write it with the feel it has on the record. That feel was dictated by Stan’s drums, his slap, and the backbeat. Once that was established we just slid in under it. To me it’s his drums that make that song. I mean it still lyrically tells the story I wanted to tell but it is the drums on He Left Her that sets up the whole thing. Or on Don’t Want Love. I had not written it to have that ending that it has on the record. All of that just happened in the studio which was fantastic because we were actually creating not just shadowing what I had written. When we came to the end of the song, when I had sung the last line, instead of resolving and ending it we just kept going. We had hit a grove and none of us wanted it to stop so we just kept playing. It wasn’t planned at all which I love. We just continued to grove on the melody for quite some time so instead of this three minute song we have this very cool five minute song with the last minute and a half or so just being instrumental. Listen it to with headphones. There is some very cool shit going down. The drums and bass just kill me on Don’t Want Love. Then there’s all this cool guitar stuff going on as well. Its wonderful. Another one was Caroline. I played it for the guys and Stan went off with an acoustic guitar and comes back and says “What if we did this” And it’s this beautiful guitar part. My original part had no balls. I was just strumming it which worked fine but what Stan brought in was so much better.

AG: So their experience really helped take your songs further than you had expected them to go?

BARRY: Well I didn’t know what to expect but absolutely. Without a doubt. But you see that is what they were there for. I wanted humans doing my songs with me I didn’t want a drum machine, a metronome, just something to keep time. No I wanted flesh and bones, emotions, soul and spirit. I mean come on we’re talking about guys who have sold 30-40 million records. They’re not just mailing it in.

AG: Were you intimidated by working with Stan and Ronny?

BARRY: Not really. I was more excited than intimidated. I mean it’s not rocket science. The hardest thing for me was getting used to playing as a group as opposed to playing solo.

AG: Are you currently playing with a band or are you going out solo?

BARRY: Mostly solo. Most of the players I want are so busy doing other projects that it is hard to get a working band together. I really would like to be playing more with a band. I think I am much better with a band. I can only do so much alone, you know?

AG: I’ve seen your solo show and it is very good. You do more solo than most do with a band.

BARRY: That’s very kind and I know what you are trying to say. You’re right. I don’t just sit and play one guitar all night. I use an acoustic, an electric, a Dobro, my harmonicas. I try to mix it up. I have a lot of colors on my pallet. But I love playing with a band. I can just do more with a band. But I do love playing alone as well.

AG: So what are you working on now?

BARRY: I’m working on a lot of different things. I’m writing. I’m always writing. I guess like an actor by the time the movie comes out you’re already working on your next one.

AG: So you’re working on your next record?

BARRY: I’m always working on my next record.

AG: Will it be with a band again or will it be another solo project?

BARRY: I don’t know yet. I have a lot of new songs. Some I’m really excited about. Some I hear me doing with a band and some I hear as a solo thing. I do think as of right now anyway that it will probably be a more acoustic based record. I hear a lot of mandolin, maybe fiddles; I have a sound in my head that I might try to get on record.

AG: The songs on Broken Hearts Broken Strings are pretty much about loss and love. What are you writing about currently?

BARRY: Well, there’s really only two things in rock and roll to write about and that’s girls and cars and I don’t give a shit about cars (laughs) I don’t know. There’s one called If the Whiskey Don’t Kill Me that I like a lot. Another called Long Neck Day. I guess I’m writing about drinking (laughs) there’s some more love stuff. One called Fool for Love. I would like to re record Riverboat Wheels from my first record and add fiddles and stuff. I have a beautiful song that people really like when I play it live called Careful What you Wish For. I can’t wait to record that one. I would like to write some stuff about the war and how wrong it is that we are there. I don’t know. Records seem to write themselves. I really won’t know until I get there. And that’s the fun of it all. Getting there.

The long anticipated new album Barry Sides Broken Hearts Broken Strings is now available.

Broken Hearts Broken Strings offers 11 new Barry Sides originals and features an all-star band including Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Member and former Tom Petty drummer Stan Lynch, and Multi-Grammy winning bassist Ronny Cates. Joining Sides, Lynch and Cates is guitarist and producer Jeff Sims.

Broken Hearts Broken Strings is a departure from Sides critically acclaimed first release "Slippin' Away" which was an all acoustic solo album.

Explains Sides..."I had talked to Jeff Sims about producing my new record. I gave Jeff a demo of songs I had written on acoustic guitar or piano with all intention of recording another solo acoustic record. Jeff loved the songs and shared them with Stan Lynch. Stan liked them as well and asked Jeff if there was anything he could do to help out. The next thing I knew I was in the studio with Stan as my drummer, Ronny Cates as my bass player, and Jeff as my guitar player."

"These guys took my simple little songs and just added so much color and life to them."

The majority of the record was recorded over two days at the Rec Room Recording Studio in Gainesville Florida.

Sides..." We did 11 songs in two days. We worked it hard. Real hard. Jeff had done a lot of advance work getting everything ready so when it was time, we just went in and made music."

"We pretty much played the songs live. I would teach them one at a time to Stan and Ronny and the three of us would go in and play it. Then we would sit in the control room and listen. Jeff, Stan, Ronny and I would then decide what else to put on top of what we had just recorded."

Sides continues: "I have known Stan Lynch for a very long time but had no idea he was such a great guitar player. I mean he just blew me away! On just about every song Stan and Ronny play 6 and 12 string electric guitars, acoustic guitars, and baritone guitar. Ronny's bass strings sound as thick as phone poles! Then on every tune Sims jumps on a jumbo acoustic and just becomes like this strumming machine...Jeff is a rhythm monster! It was beautiful. We had a ball. To be recording my songs with such old friends really made it special.

"Stan went in on his own and did all the percussions and some backup vocals. Then I went in and re-cut my vocals and added harmonicas."

"I am very proud of the way this record turned out and am just so grateful to have been able to work with Stan, Ronny and Jeff."