Where Seattlest Interviews Barton Carroll

I was reading how this record that’s coming out was recorded before your last record. What’s the story there?

[laughs] It was recorded before the last record was released. The album released previous to this album was recorded in 2001. Five years later it was to be released, but by that time this one was already done. It was a very strange coincidence, but pretty much the week that I finished the new album, a record company from Alabama called me and said that they’d like to release Love and War, which was at that point three or four years old. I had just finished the new album. I sent them everything I had [recorded] and they wanted this new record, but I kind of wanted to shop it around a bit. I figured well, they’ll release Love and War and we'll see how that goes. That’s how it worked out. But, it was a strange place to be as a songwriter. I had a new record done but it wasn’t the one coming out—the old one was.

Sounds like one of those weird recording industry things.

Yeah. I think it’s the kind of thing that happens all the time, but not quite in as long of a stretch of time. Like, Love and War came out five years after it was recorded, this one comes out two years later. The intervals are getting smaller. I’m hoping the next one will come out within a year or 18 months after this one. To make it even more confusing, I had a record out before the first two, as well, that will be offered as a free download with this new album. The new album, you can download the first of three, so you’ll get one and three together. I don’t know, it’s kind of like I keep making these records and record companies keep turning them down, and then finally one hits...

How old is that first one?

1999 is when I recorded that one.

And how is The Lost One different from Love and War?

I think it’s a lot more listenable, honestly. Some people may disagree with me. I think my writing has gotten sharper. The better you get at it, the more you know what to leave out. The arrangements are similar, but I think they’re stronger. The lyrical content is more to the point. The recording is far better, because I recorded the first one myself. I think there was a sort of charm [to that], but I didn’t really know what I was doing. The new album was recorded by the wonderful Martin Feveyear, a Seattle producer. I think I worked out some of the kinks, and I’ve gotten to be a bit more precise as a writer and a musician.

You’re about to set off on a tour….are you playing a lot of places you’ve played before? Anywhere you're particularly looking forward to playing?

I always look forward to going to New York for a lot of reasons, and I always look forward to going to the southeast because that’s where I grew up. I kind of look forward to all of them. I haven’t played in San Francisco as a solo artist before. I’ve played there with bands, but that should be fun. It can be a surprise sometimes. Your best show can be in some small town somewhere. I always remember having a fun time in a small town. On the last tour, I think Lubbock, Texas, was such a good time. So that was a surprise. I look forward to all of them. I’ve been to most of the areas I’m going to this time.

Yeah, and you're closing at Eddie’s Attic [in Atlanta]. That’s a great venue.

Yeah, I’m looking forward to that. I’ve never played there before.

It’s a great room. It’s very quiet, it’s almost like a theater.

Yeah that’s what I’ve heard. I’ve been knocking on their door for a while now and haven’t been able to coordinate a show. I’m actually going to be playing open mic there, just to kind of get my foot in the door. We’ll see how it goes.

Right on, so now I’ll let you make your plea with reasons why people should come see you on Saturday night. And, go:

Well, I’ll be naked. [laughs] I’ll have a great five-piece band with me. Usually I play solo, but I’ll have a great band with me this time. I’ll have a bass player, drummer, steel guitar player, rhythm guitar player. It’s rare that I actually play with a band. I’ll only be doing it in Bellingham, Seattle and Portland. So there’s kind of a banal reason or, I guess, a safe reason they should come see me. I won’t get into how great I am.

Barton Carroll CD Release Party with special guests Burning Rivers, Facts About Funerals // Sunset Tavern // Saturday // 10 PM, $7

(photo courtesy Skybucket Records)