aaron Barnhart

Aaron Barnhart has a unique style and passion for music that is a product of a diverse musical background. Growing up in the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia instilled in Aaron a love for nature and the outdoors. As a child, his house was filled with music. His mother is a talented singer and radio personality, and his father is a pianist and drummer. During those early years the house was always resonating with the music of Pink Floyd and Dan Fogelberg, not to mention jazz giants like Miles Davis and Benny Goodman. His parents were not content that Aaron only have a rural upbringing. Piano lessons became a staple at the age of 5. Aaron studied classical music in his formative years and developed a passion for Beethoven and Mozart; but something was missing. As Aaron became a teenager he fell in love with rock and roll. The sounds of Led Zeppelin and Nirvana quickened his pulse. Aaron began playing and singing in rock bands and quickly became noticed as a powerful singer and performer. He played in several bands through high school that recorded original music and had impressive local followings. It was at this point that Aaron new he needed to continue his studies of music to take his songwriting and playing to the next level.
His always-supportive parents agreed to help send him to the Berklee College of Music. It was here that Aaron developed his compositional and playing skills at one of the finest music schools in the country. Aaron also began a lifelong passion for electronic music and music technology. He graduated with a Bachelors degree in Music Production and Engineering, and left to take a job teaching at Full Sail University in Orlando Florida.
Aaron would develop his skills as and engineer and teacher while at Full Sail. It was also here that Aaron forged a lifelong friendship with his manager and President of Bonded Records, David McKenna. David was Aaron’s student at Full Sail and the friendship they developed would lead to Aaron signing to Bonded records and completing his present album “Missing Pieces”. At the Time, Aaron played with an Orlando based band called Foundation. Foundation played numerous shows in the southeast and headlined at the House of Blues and Hard Rock Live in Orlando. Within Foundation, Aaron explored the rock styles of his upbringing. Powerful guitar lines and intense vocal performances were a standard. But Aaron longed to expand his musical palette and incorporate the sounds of synthesizers and samples. Artistic differences and a desire for change led Aaron to leave Orlando and pursue a Masters Degree in music at the University of Oregon.
At the University of Oregon Aaron expanded his horizons by working with computer music and dance. Although technology became a big part of his sound at this time, he always had a passion for live performance and improvisation. Aaron worked closely with the Dance department and created several engaging and unique works that incorporated movement, video, live performance and electronic music. Oregon is a beautiful place and his time there was unique and engaging, but he decided to move to San Francisco upon graduation. San Fran was short lived, however, as Aarons sights had always been on Los Angeles. In the summer of 2007, he moved to Los Angeles and began working for KORG. KORG is a manufacturer of keyboards and recording equipment. Aaron traveled all over the west coast demonstrating and teaching people how to use KORG instruments. During this time Aaron was introduced to a talented songwriter name Trina Harmon. Aaron had written a song entitled “ Missing Pieces “ that had gotten the attention of his manager Dave McKenna. David suggested that Aaron write with Trina and see what happened. The result was the final version of “Missing Pieces” that appears on Aaron’s album. From that songwriting session, Trina suggested Aaron play the song for Producer Stuart Brawley. Brawly had worked with the likes of Don Henley, Lenka and many other high profile artists. Stuart heard the song and agreed to produce and record it at his recording studio. This collaboration led to working with Stuart on an entire album. Aaron collaborated with several songwriters and wrote over 20 songs. It was this whirlwind time that led to the completion of Aaron’s finest musical work to date. The album would be entitled “Missing Pieces” and was signed to Bonded records.
Aaron’s musical journey has led him across the country and through many different musical incarnations. After years of searching, Aaron has found a sound that comes from his soul and reflects the sum of his life experience. His music has a sincerity and sheer musicality that is refreshing to the modern music scene. Soaring melodies and captivating performances grab the hearts and minds of those who listen. Look for Aaron to release “Missing Pieces “ this spring and began touring the US in support of the album.