Bands
Little Barrie
In a culture that celebrates excess it takes a true visionary to strip things back to the core energy. Little Barrie has that
vision. Coming from a great tradition of less-is-more expression that has marked out all of the defining musical developments;
they are worthy of a place alongside the true mavericks in the history of popular music.
Meet Little Barrie, a trio whose entire ethos has lying at its heart a stripped-to-the-bone rootsy groove. Little Barrie
consists of Barrie Cadogan (guitar and vocals), Billy Skinner (drums) and Lewis Wharton (bass). Together the trio fuses
numerous influences, boiling them down to a core sound that evades simple categorisation and avoids mere historical naval
gazing.
The band have just finished recording their second album "Stand Your Ground" which is due for release in early October 2006.
Russell Simins of the Blues Explosion played drums on most of the album due to original drummer, vocalist (Wayne Fullwood)
leaving the band just prior to recording the bulk of the album in Brooklyn, NYC with Dan 'the Automator'. The recordings were
completed back home in the UK with Mike Pelanconi at the desk.
"We Are Little Barrie," their 13-song strong debut, was recorded with Edwyn himself at the controls and even playing on a
couple of songs. Edwyn declares Little Barrie as: "astonishingly mature in their references and ability... Barrie himself is
really quite inspirational, probably the best guitarist of his generation." Continues Edwyn, "In fact on my last album I'd
got into contemporary cut and paste studio techniques and hung up my guitar, but Barrie's inspired me to start playing again.
Not only because of his ability but also because of his absolute commitment to playing which is almost palpable. His
knowledge of guitar music is encyclopaedic."
Little wonder then that when Morrissey's usual guitarist Alain Whyte was taken ill Mozzer recruited Barrie's talents at the
twelfth hour for his Summer 2004 tour.
Fashioned from the heart of rock'n'roll, funk and the blues "We Are Little Barrie" finds the band drawing deep into
themselves to capture an authenticity that is absent in most contemporary bands. And as a result they've discovered a rich
vein of emotional and passionate booty.
"We're not worried about being the latest thing. We're just about having the fire and the passion. Follow your own thing and
eventually people will come round - that's what we believe," explains Barrie. At last, a band to believe in.
