What we're up to!

After a great long run with the Barrel Flash project, our dear friend Priscilla Thomas is reducing her musical commitments to spend more time out-of-state and in family pursuits. We will miss Priscilla dearly! Julia Brown (vocals) and Ross Johnson (vocals/guitar) are actively pursuing a collaborator (or two) toward several goals:

LIVE PERFORMANCE. We have a strong reputation - and  enthusiasm for - original material and loving recreations of songs that are eclectic and engaging— ranging from old English/Irish ballads to fully unexpected rock covers to delicate folky/blues/roots. We're known for everything from "Hard Times Come Again No More" to "Teenage Dirtbag" and anything in between.

NEW SONGWRITING and DEVELOPMENT.  We are dedicated to creating new songs in collaboration as a band. We are currently active in new song writing, and create our arrangements and harmonies together. If you have your own ideas/songs that you'd like to develop as a group, we'd love to work on those as well!

ABOUT US: Barrel Flash is a vocal harmony-focused endeavor, with tasteful backing by acoustic and electric guitars, harmonica, sometimes fiddle, and a particular interest in storytelling. Ross plays guitars and harp and sings, and Julia sings, sometimes plays piano, and helps with much of the arrangement. We are also often joined by the amazing Cam Fassett on fiddle and mandolin.

What we're looking for:
Vocals: We crave a third voice to blend with Julia's soprano and Ross mid baritone/low tenor. Our close and consistent harmony is a hallmark of our band and one of the things that gets us bookings. We aspire to continue that with a three part harmony approach, often with one or two people singing lead.

Instruments: We seek additional instrument(s) in our mix for both live performance and recording. We're particularly interested in someone who plays bass (electric or standup) or guitar, to compliment Ross' guitar playing. The instrumentation serves primarily as a nice sonic foundation for the voices. We'd also be open to a keyboard player with a similar sensibility. If you're a percussionist and interested in our style, we'd love to meet you, too!

Time commitment: We aim to rehearse/collaborate about once a week in the evenings. We are working people outside of this project and aren't aiming to turn this group into a full-time job. We're aiming to book 2-3 gigs per month, but obviously that varies based on availability. Generally we book in the Twin Cities or within an hour or two out at most. Sometimes we play on our own and sometimes we share bills with our friends - we'd love to meet and collaborate with your people as well! We also hope to get back in the studio and do some recording in the next couple of years. 

If you are interested in learning more, feel free to click around the website and see our videos from our album release, or find our album on any streaming and see if you like what we do. If you can see yourself fitting into this mix and making music with us, we'd love to talk more and set up a time to try playing together. We are not looking to simply replace Priscilla (that's impossible) - we are ready to become a different sort of band in collaboration with you, your sound, your ideas, and your creative impulses.

 

We're a welcoming and inclusive group and not limited to a specific age, background, gender, or life experience. We're LGBTQIA+ -friendly folks, and would expect you to be as well!

If you're interested: Tell us a bit about your experience and aspirations. An audio/video sample would be great if you have one. 

Email us at barrelfashband@gmail.com and we'll be in touch shortly.