No one would blame you for feeling unsettled by Barton Carroll’s music.
On his new album, “The Lost One,” the Seattle singer-songwriter deals in such dark, squirm-inducing topics as murder, obsession and loss with the shadow-laden poetry of film noir.
The child of academics and a plumber by trade, 34-year-old Carroll has played sideman to some of rock’s and folk’s best names, including Eric Bachmann (Crooked Fingers, Archers of Loaf), Azure Ray, Dolorean and Micah P. Hinson.
But as he proves on “The Lost One,” his own songwriting demands attention beyond the crush of steel guitar and upright bass he’s lent to others.
We spoke with Carroll in advance of his set at the Hi-Dive tonight about his music, his North Carolina roots and the creative myopia of self-obsession.
Q: How did you first meet Eric Bachmann?A: The short answer is that the T-shirt guy (for Archers of Loaf) fell through and they needed someone. I’d met Eric before so I quit my job at Blockbuster Music and we just hit it off right away. We’ve been friends ever since.
Q: I’m sure you’re glad you did that since you ended up playing with him in Crooked Fingers.A: Now that I look back, it was a life-changing moment. Eric’s been an invaluable friend and a major musical influence. The world of music is small, and I know we eventually would have met, but that’s different than traveling for weeks in a van with someone.
Q: I know Eric lives in Denver so I’m guessing you’ve played here before.A: I have . . . in Crooked Fingers and I played there about a year and a half ago.
Q: How different is it playing solo, as you are on this tour, from with a full band as you did at your recent CD release show in Seattle?A: I’m used to playing alone, but I definitely miss having the sonic qualities of a band. It’s a lot to ask people to listen to 45 minutes or an hour of just a few instruments, so my songs are narrative and lyrically driven. My favorite people to see are guys like Richard Thompson and Bruce Springsteen whose shows are a good two hours long. You get both full-band stuff and a little bit of them by themselves.
Q: Your music has been described as a mix of the mountain songs you grew up with in North Carolina and the melodic sensibilities of Alex Chilton. What’s the kinship between those influences?A: You know, the guitar I still play the most is the guitar my dad played in his bluegrass band, so bluegrass and mountain music went into my being whether I liked it or not. Then as an adolescent I got really into punk rock and subversive music and was a straight-edge kid, sort of moving against the conservative South. As I got older I saw how the two came together.
Q: How so?A: The straightforwardness of bluegrass and country and the working-class sensibility of those kinds of music has something in common with punk. Neither are very abstract. Look at all the punk rockers wearing Johnny Cash T-shirts. And Alex Chilton’s influence is in that certain sweet vulnerability that I relate to. It’s pop music, but nobody wrote darker songs than Alex Chilton. And he was a Southerner.
Q: Some reviews note the darkness in your music, but there’s wry humor in there, as well.A: My first two records were that way. I thought there was humor, but it was sardonic to the point where nobody would laugh out loud unless it was some kind of maniacal cackle. Eric actually pointed that out years ago by saying, “You have a sense of humor but it’s not in your music. You’re overlooking a major part of your personality.” So I incorporated that into the new record and it opened up a lot more emotional language.
Q: You wanted to be a bit more balanced?A: If you’re going to be completely grave all the time, after a while it’s hard to take you seriously because you’re not incorporating all there is in life. Some self-absorbed artists forget that. We’re so busy dragging the audience into our pain and psychic tantrums that we lose sight of it.
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com
Barton Carroll
Indie folk. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway, with Widowers and Hollyfelds. Tonight. 8, $6. 720-570-4500 or hi-dive.com
