Tools
w/Tom Heinl
Fri July 9, Neumo's, 9:30 pm, $10/$12.
"I think that has a lot more to do with people just being sick of Ryan Adams than it has to do with me," drawls Bobby Bare Jr., audibly fidgeting with his guitar. Bare is preparing for sound check at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio, changing guitar strings and chatting about the recent spate of press comparing him to alt-country's most notorious crossover star. It's a comparison I've also made in print, albeit not as quite as bluntly as Jane magazine's recent declaration that Bare is "just like Ryan Adams, only talented."
Bare's observation has plenty of validity--it's not hard to dislike Ryan Adams these days, and such comparisons are easily facilitated by the fact that both men negotiate their creativity along the slippery slope between alternative country, classic rock, and carefully crafted pop. But Bare has two distinct advantages over the petulant golden boy: His ego is much more in check and he isn't afraid to share the spotlight with the diverse and talented group of musicians that surround him.
The current lineup of Bare's Young Criminal's Starvation League includes Trailer Bride bassist Daryl White as well as former Jesus Lizard/current Tomahawk guitarist Duane Denison, a musician whose history and musical muscle take up plenty of space on stage. The cast of contributors on his latest release, From the End of Your Leash (Bloodshot), includes such respected figures as folk-pop legend Andrew Bird, Lambchop's Paul Birch, and Palace mastermind Will Oldham. And although he's been temporarily hijacked from Bare by Austin art punks ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, preternaturally talented percussionist Doni Schroader is also a longtime collaborator.
As impressive as the supporting cast may be, none of this would matter if it weren't for Bare's continuous development as an intrinsically talented singer and songwriter. Beginning with the pre-adolescent collaborations with his father (beloved country maverick Bobby Bare), through his major-label signing and two records with '90s indie rock band Bare Jr., to the last two releases with the Young Criminals on Bloodshot, the 38-year-old Nashville native has exhibited a natural gift for seamlessly blending black comedy, violent tragedy, and a refreshing sense of straightforward compassion for the freaks and fuck-ups of the world--the latter of which is no doubt self-reflective as well. "I AM a fuck-up," he laughs. "Perhaps I'm justifying it. 'I don't want to be that motherfucker' [from the closing track on the new record] is something I say all the time. At one time or another someone's been that motherfucker in someone's life... and I'm just trying not to be that person."
That uneven endeavor to avoid disappointing one's friends and lovers could easily be viewed as the unifying theme of From the End of Your Leash. Whether he's confessing to murdering his valentine, lamenting words he forgot to say to an exiting girlfriend, or humorously sketching himself as an earnest canine protagonist on "Adorable Beast," it's clear that Bare spends a lot of time feeling remorseful about his actions. Such sentiments remain more self-depreciating than self-pitying, though, and coalesce impressively with "Motherfucker," a grandiose hard-rock departure that leaves Bare wrestling with what sounds like half a dozen distortion pedals and wondering, "When the devil needs help, why does he always call me?"
Truth be told, Bare's perpetually touring lifestyle undoubtedly induces more than a little self-destructive behavior, despite the fact that he's recently married and has a baby on the way this November. "There's vomit on the side of my minivan right now from the first My Morning Jacket show we did a week ago," he sighs. "It was their Big Lebowski theme party with 3,000 people in [My Morning Jacket's] hometown. I drank way too many White Russians, ended up on a three-hour ride home, vomiting on the side of the van. Alcohol's not my friend."
As the strains of sound check start to break up our conversation, I ask Bare if he's proud of his new album, and the humility of the answer he gives could swiftly put the Adams comparisons to rest. "The people who play on the record are the last people you should ask," he answers. "There's listening to the album and then there's performing, and the two should never mix."
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