Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A) My father was a singer songwriter. I spent the first few years of my life in a log home with no electricity. So our time was spent playing music together. Eventually my Dad, my two brothers and I put together a family band together and played professionally around Western Canada until I was about 17. (Rachel)
B) My mother was a classically, trained pianist, and accordion teacher. She had about 60 students a week so I was listening to music before I was even born! However, it wasn’t the keys I was interested at first, but the snare drum my Uncle gave me when I was five that caught my attention. I played the drums in numerous bands as a teenager before switching to guitar and I began writing my own songs. Influenced by artists such as Steve Earle, John Prine, Guy Clark, Jackson Browne and the Eagles, I was keenl interested in good lyrics and harmonies which I still strive for in my songs today. (Barry)
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Dirt Road Opera”?
A) We aim to broaden our fan base by continuing to perform live locally and beyond. Obviously social media is a huge part of promoting music these days. So having a more prominent presence to connect with fans that way is important! I know that we were all very eager to continue writing, recording and creating new music together. I think Dirt Road Opera Music is for people who appreciate music that’s real honest and rooted. It can be labelled Americana in the way that it blends bluegrass, country, blues, and outlaw country.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A) Tough question, there are so many! If I had to choose one though, I would say Jason Isbell at the moment. He writes songs about real life, with great melodies and musicianship. Like many good writers, he’s able to convey the way people think, feel, and deal with their lives. Inspiration comes from my personal life and others around me. When it hits, it’s important to stop whatever I’m doing and take advantage of it. If I’m lucky, it will end up as a song that I can be proud of. The rest go in the garbage can:) (Barry)
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Where The Chicory Grows.”?
A) Where the Chicory Grows tells the story of how my Grandpa and Grandma, uprooted my mom and her siblings in the 60’s and moved from Saskatchewan CA to an abandoned railroad town in British Columbia CA called Keefers. The song captures the bittersweet journey of loss, resilience, and remembrance. Inspired by the devastating loss of my family’s homestead to a forest fire in 2023, it reflects on the memories rooted in that place that so many of us loved (Rachel)
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A) Americana
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Where The Chicory Grows”?
A) Given the theme of the song, it was a challenge to not lean too heavily on the negative
aspect of losing so much. Also, digging deep through some of the memories was a bit
tough at times. But overall, the process of writing the song was fairly effortless (Rachel)
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A) If there is a message to it, I would have to say that it’s just about real life. I find it much easier to write about things that actually happen, rather than trying to make them up. My goals are to be able to touch a listener with my lyrics and hopefully they can relate to them in some way or other. (Barry)
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A) Steve Earle. I’d be hard pressed to name one of his songs I don’t like. A brilliant lyricist with a gift for great melodies. (Barry)
B) The music of James Taylor was always playing in our home growing up. I’d always imagined what it would be like to do a duet with him. (Rachel)
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A) The music industry is extremely competitive, and full of highs and lows. My advice is to power through the setbacks and the rejection, which will inevitably happen at some point. Always having a sense of where you began, and how you started is very important as well, in my opinion. (Rachel)
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A) Because I began performing at such a young age I think that I took for granted the position that I was in, and the gift that I was given. I would go back and tell my younger self to appreciate it more and take the journey more seriously. (Rachel)
B) Learn your craft inside out. Listen to writers that you admire, and try to understand how theydo it. I think it was Bob Dylan who told Robbie Robertson that the trick is to get from point A to point C without passing through B. When you understand that, you’re well on your way to becoming a great writer. Learn your instrument inside out. It will make your life so much easier. One of my biggest regrets is that I didn’t listen to my Mother when she tried to teach me how to play the piano, which would’ve been a big help to my career. (Barry)
C) Protect your hearing! (Barry)
