Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
With their second full-length release Barn Burning create soundscapes that are both stark and expansive through which singer Anthony Loffredio drifts, a contemplative and angst-ridden Nomad. Musically the sound is a blend of alt-country, folk and post-rock and is truly unique.
The album was recorded in a large, remote house in the middle of winter and the music has seemingly absorbed it’s desolate ambience and communicates it perfectly. The instrumentation is minimalist but also has a widescreen feel that creates a vast landscape, unsettling but still. Occasionally this serenity is violated by a storm of crashing guitars and Loffredio’s brooding vocal becomes an anguished wail, as during ‘The Final Days of Our Better Days’.
‘Crossing The Rubicon’ is the highlight, and is the best example of the bands ability to create a framework for a song that is otherworldly but that is also tethered by a rural earthiness. The sense of detachment is helped in no small part by the voice of Loffredio, which conveys yearning and anxiety in equal measure. If Interpol had teamed up with Iron & Wine and Talk Talk and decamped to Nashville to re-recorded the latter’s seminal ‘Spirit of Eden’ the result may well sound similar to ‘Werner Ghost truck’. Given the right circumstances, it could itself become a landmark album but for now it remains a pure and desolate masterpiece.
-Richard Stokoe
- LOSINGTODAY Magazine
Discography
"Weatheredbound" (2003, Catamount Records)
"Choir Practice EP" (2006, Self-Released)
"Werner Ghost Truck" (2007, Tarnished Records)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Barn Burning is a band that had its beginnings in 2001 in Anthony Loffredio’s
living room at 175 Jewett St. in Providence, RI. After a series of shows and a bit
of early local recognition the band hunkered down to record their debut release
Weatheredbound with Robert Fisher of The Willard Grant Conspiracy taking part in
much of the production work and moral support. The record was released by Catamount
Records in 2003 and received much critical acclaim allowing the band to tour and
establish a small national following. Since then Barn Burning has seen itself go
through many changes in both lineup and musical sound. Real life is hard to live
when you’re doing the touring musician thing, band members realize they have to
work, eat and raise their children. All the coming and going, breaking down and
rebuilding have led Barn Burning to its most current, and longest standing roster,
which along with Anthony Loffredio (vocals, acoustic/electric guitars, harmonica)
includes James Toomey (drums, percussion, toy instruments), James Merida (bass,
keyboard, vocals), and Kate Conroy (violin, vocals). The changes have only helped
to expand and strengthen the sound and the band’s resolve to keep touring and doing
most everything involved on their own.
On Barn Burning’s second full-length release, Werner Ghost Truck, (released on
Tarnished Records) the band explores a darker and more diverse landscape. The
record was primarily recorded at The Estate by Jim Reynolds (who has also worked w/
Jason Anderson, Tigersaw, and Casey Dienel) in a big empty house in the middle of
winter. Reynolds, who is the caretaker for this estate, and time not being much of
an issue, allowed Barn Burning to experiment and explore during the whole of the
recording process. Werner Ghost Truck is filled with the sound of empty rooms, cold
stairwells and shortwave radio frequencies. Some of the songs on the record are
almost three years old while others were worked out as the tape was rolling in the
studio. The song “Long Dark Room” was actually written in a long dark room and
sounds much like its title. “Friendship Fails You” features the rumbling baritone
guest vocals of the above mentioned Robert Fisher. “Put the Drunks Drivers on The
Guest List” was written when Anthony had broken his hand and encompasses much of
what you will find in the band’s sound; whispered, quiet finger-picking exploding
into loud guitars and distorted violins then dying back down again into whispers.
This time around Barn Burning is much louder yet also considerably quieter than it
has ever been. Werner Ghost Truck is a journey through different soundscapes,
moods, and stark images.
Barn Burning will be touring Werner Ghost Truck for most of 2007
hoping to expand on the success of their first record. Weatheredbound received
favorable reviews from Harp Magazine, Village Voice, No Depression, Providence
Phoenix and many others. It made many local music critics Top 10 lists and received
national airplay on college radio reaching #7 on KEXP’s (Seattle, WA) Americana
play chart.
Barn Burning have spent a good amount of time on the road, booking
their own dates, and playing over three hundred shows. They have toured all
over America performing with such bands as Magnolia Electric Co., Slobberbone,
Anders Parker, Will Johnson, Early Day Miners, Richard Buckner, Caitlin Cary, Two
Dollar Pistols, Clem Snide, Akron/Family, Ester Drang, Okkervil River, Cub Country,
Mick Turner, Willard Grant Conspiracy, Andrew Bird, Pinetop Seven and a host of
others.
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