If you’re not familiar yet with Dave Barnes and his music and comedy, we are excited to introduce you today. Dave is bringing a whole lot of laughter to you, not only on this podcast, but on a brand-new comedy album, his first ever that he’s going to be releasing. And we talk about it. We also talk about Brother Pastor Phil; if you’re a big fan of his you know. He has new music plus a Christmas EP and some fun behind the scenes action on that photo shoot in the snow. We’re packing it in!
Interview Links:
Transcription:
Dave Barnes: So, I think for me, I had to realize there is a limit on these things. Kind of like, make sure you get the bit through it, make sure the story has an ending and it sort of has a, it there’s a through line. There’s a plumb line to the whole thing. It makes sense because I would just start riffing. I just sorta like bounce all over the place.
So, there is a weird discipline and sort of knowing like that it’s the point is not to get up and just play the song. Like, you know, like sure you can change the guitar part at one point or change the melody, but like, it still needs to be the song. It can’t just be like some, you know, riff on a variation on a theme.
Sarah Taylor: The one and only Dave Barnes is bringing a whole lot of laughter to you. Not only on this podcast, but on a brand-new comedy album, his first ever that he’s going to be releasing. And we talk about it. We also tell. Brother Pastor Phil, if you’re a big fan of his, you know, on his Instagram page, new music that he’s got, plus a Christmas EAP is going to share some fun behind the scenes action on that photo shoot in the snow.
If you’re not familiar yet with Dave Barnes and his music and comedy, then you may have been living under a rock, but that’s okay. We’re just going to ease you on out of there. And, uh, we are going to start by talking about what matters most to him, his wife, and kids.
Dave Barnes: So, Annie, my wife is wonderful and, uh, and it’s very much kind of the yin to my yang. Like she’s, um, she is insanely smart and wise and very tell it like it is. She’s very black and white. Like she’s, she, you know, one of my favorite things that’s really tricky about our marriage, but being sort of an entertainer slash performer, whatever you call what I do.
Um, she is always one of the things I’m so addicted to her with is, um, she just tells the truth. So, if I do a show and it wasn’t great, she’s like, yeah, not your greatest show. And there’s no anchor there’s no, uh, she’s not trying to do anything by saying that it’s just, that’s the truth. It just to her, it was like not great, but when it was good and you know, it’s good,
she’ll say that was really good. And I know. Okay. That was really good. That’s awesome. You know, so I really loved that about her. I can play her songs or ask ideas or sh you know, show her stupid videos, you know, and she’s always, like, that was funny. I’m like, oh, good. Then it’s funny. And if it’s like not your best stuff and like, duly noted, duly noted.
So, um, you know, she’s, she’s such a gift because she’s, um, she’s just very, it is what it is, which I really love about it. It’s tough, you know, it’s like, you gotta be able to sort of stomach that at the same time. But, uh, then we have three kids that are nine, seven and five and two boys and a girl, boy, girl. And, uh, you know, it’s fun.
It’s, it’s a fun, it’s like a crazy season. Somebody said it really well. You know, it’s one of the cheat codes of having Dadville as a podcast that I sort of get to sit under all this wisdom all the time, which is kind of a life hack. But you know, you hear people say this all the time, but like the first, um, you know, the first half of your life, you’re, you’re physically tired.
And then sort of like the last piece of your parenting life that is, and then sort of the next season, you’re emotionally. And so, I can feel a little bit of we’re transitioning with our nine year old and a little bit of like, it’s not so much the being tired, sleeping. It’s more like questions. I’m like, I don’t know.
I have no clue. Like how do you, or like, you know, little changes in their personalities, personality that I’m like, oh, I don’t know what to do with this. I don’t know how to deal with this, these emotions or, you know, this kind of whatever he’s dealing with in these seasons. So. Um, it’s fun, but, you know, and then having a five-year-old, there is still a little bit of like just physically chasing everybody around still.
So, it’s kind of, we’re, we’re sort of a foot in both worlds right now, which is really fun, but definitely new, you know, like I’m very unequipped for what I’m doing. Uh, which is, which is a fun, but like taxing in a lot of new ways.
Sarah Taylor: So, what you’re saying is pretty soon on Dadville, I’m going to hear a guest that is talking about maybe like aged 10 and beyond, and what to do.
Dave Barnes: We just kind of a, of like teenage I’m just like, just tell me what to do. Just I’m going to cry for a while. Hold me and then tell me it’s going to be okay. That’s really what I need right now. How old are your kids?
Sarah Taylor: Uh, I have one that just started high school.
Dave Barnes: I know. Get that outta here. Get all that out of here.
I don’t need that in my life. What does that mean?
Sarah Taylor: Man, I, I feel kind of like you, I, I tell her often. Olivia, this is your first time being a teenager, sweetheart. This is my first time parenting a teenager. She’s involved in a lot of stuff. Like she tried out for cheer. She’s doing ASB right now. I’m really just driving her places.
Dave Barnes: Yeah, yeah. Yes. Yep. I kind of love that a little bit right now. I’m sure it gets old, but, and granted we’re not doing a million things, but, but my boys are both playing soccer. Our daughter is just starting to get into like dance and some of that stuff. And I don’t know, it’s like, there’s something kind of weird and we’re not super busy, which is a big deal.
I have to be clear about that. Like, I know a lot of families have a lot more stuff going on than we do, but. I don’t know I’m going to season, I’m like, it’s just kinda fun taking the boys to soccer and sitting and watching them play. And you know, we’re not crate, it’s not hit sort of critical mass to where we’re like having to, okay, you got to go in the, you know, we’re not quite there yet, but we’re in a season where I’m like, I don’t, I don’t know. I don’t, I thought I would dread this and it’s kinda like, no, it’s kind of like, I just take my little lawn chair and bring a book. And I’m like that there’s worse things in life, you know?
Like you hear so many parents that are like, oh, we’re just, and I’m like, I don’t know. And I’m. There’s going to be a point where I’m like, this is too much, but right now I’m like, it’s kind of fun. You know.
Sarah Taylor: I heard from, I don’t, I don’t know who I heard it from, but it’s rung true. Like your kids, or they’re better able to open up in the car.
Yes. Maybe it’s the lack of eye contact.
Dave Barnes: It is that they say for, for men and boys, it is a thousand percent that it’s something about, you’re both looking the same direction. So, you, you don’t, you know, There’s not the sort of intimidating or whatever it is, where you’re like staring at each other. Yeah. I find that to be true.
Sarah Taylor: Yeah. And so that’s what I try to reframe when I’m tired of driving, which is every day, I just try to tell myself, like, no, this is your time. And you actually just did a podcast recently. You and John on Dadville with Jeremy Camp. And he was talking about that whole working on being present. I mean, he has a song.
Dave Barnes: Yeah, that to me, I think so much out of friend, I was just having coffee with this morning about this. He said, you know, the definition to me of joy is being able to be present, you know? And I think that’s really true. I think to me, there’s no greater, um, sobering thought that then that my kids will be gone someday. They will move out of the house. That sounds really like, nah, but it’s just true. And so, you know, another one of my friends was going through this parenting seminar and the first thing this guy does, like you load up the website, and the first thing it does is it makes you do the math on how old your kids are.
And then it shows you how many days you have until they leave. And it’s just so sobering because you just kind of, it’s like this real wake up call to like, you know, like you you’re driving around, you know, Seattle. Yeah. Yeah. And so you’re going, when am I going to start? But that’s one way to think about it. But the other way, in our best days, we’re thinking about, it’s like, gosh, I’m getting to spend more time with my kid who one day will be living, not in our house anymore. And horrible countdown. Isn’t it. I can’t remember the guy. He’s you, you would know his name. He’s like a really, well-known sort of, um, Dad youth pastor, guy, and Chris and them.
I did an event with him and his sweetest guy ever. I’m blanking on his name, but isn’t that amazing? Like, it’s the first thing you do because he’s like, okay folks, like quick, quick dose of reality before we sort of plunge into parenting stuff. But I think that’s really helped.
Sarah Taylor: For anyone else who hasn’t yet discovered Dave’s podcast with his buddy John McGlaughlin called Dadville . It’s one of the best things online.
Dave Barnes: Oh, that’s so kind.
Sarah Taylor: Oh, are you kidding me? Like avid listener rate and review, subscribe and repeat. Let’s talk about, you could do that on your own, but the addition of your buddy, John who lives across the street makes it 10 times.
Dave Barnes: Yeah, that hurts.
But I agree. Um, like to Dave, we’re wildly uninterested, 10% of you goes about a hundred percent of the way.
Sarah Taylor: You know what I mean?
Dave Barnes: You guys have to know, you know, it, it, I love it. I agree with you. First of all, a thousand percent, you know, John, John is such a wonderful yin to my yang, also in our friendship. John is much more, he’s much more thoughtful and, and he would tell you, we laugh about this all the time.
Like our personalities are so different because he’s so much more thoughtful. He’s more, he’s slower to speak. He’s quicker to listen. He’s basically a better Christian than I am, but he’s a great, we have so much fun because I’m so high energy, speed. You know, I’m like the road runner, uh, which is fun in some contexts.
And I think in an interview can be really great but could also be tricky where he is so much more like he brings the questions. He brings me sort of prep for interviews. I always tell him this. I’m like, dude, these are so thoughtful. Like they’re so great. And so, he’s really in, he’s just, he is absolutely one of the funniest people I know.
And that’s, that’s another thing that’s really fun is you just kind of never know what he’s gonna say. I have to like, take a pause because I’m like you jerk. Um, but yeah, it’s funny. When I had the idea to do the podcast, one of my dear friends got him, Seth Phil pot. I was kinda telling him about it. And I was like, I just don’t know what to do with it.
It’s called Dadville. And he was like, dude, why, why would you not ask John to do this with, you know, Oh, my gosh. And so immediately, John and I were hanging, I was like, dude, would you do this? And thankfully he’s, he was up for it. But, um, I just didn’t want to do it by myself. I knew myself enough to know, like this could get really one color, like very monochromatic and things that I’m interested in, what I want to talk about.
And even the way that I conduct a conversation. And so, he’s been so great because he had such a wonderful different perspective and, you know, kind of how he thinks about things is such a necessary part. You know, experience.
Sarah Taylor: One of my favorite parts about it is when you get so excited that you can’t talk or that you, yeah, it’s actually my favorite.
Um, I think. But you giggle, but you’re still trying to get your final.
Dave Barnes: I’m really working on bummed, trying so hard. I’m really trying to be, I’m trying to be diligent in a good steward of my giggle when weird thing to say.
Sarah Taylor: When you have a guest that you are. Ultra-excited about, give me your top three where it was just like, you’re like, how am I going to keep it?
Dave Barnes: That’s what a great question. Um, okay. I would say obviously Matthew McConaughey was a big one. Um, that was really, really fun. And, you know, John and I laugh, like you just never know, you know, this, like, you know, this a lot better than I do. You never know what somebody is going to be like, so you can be hyped about the interview, but that may be their 10th interview.
So, they may be wonderful, but they’re just, they’re tired. You know, I’ve talked about the same thing, the intense, or, you know, just catch you on a bad day or they’re not a great interview, you know, like wonderful person, terrible interview. And so we, you know, these people, we get really hyped for, we always joke, you know how you know this again?
This is your world, not mine, but you know, in the first like 10 seconds, you’re like, this is going to be great or okay, it’s going to be, it’s gonna be good. We’ll we’ll get the, and so when, when Matthew popped on, like within, we were like game on, like, this is going to be so great. He was so present really fun.
Also. He said my name twice, which sounds weird to say out loud as a man, but first comment John had at the end when you guys were just taking a moment, like he logged off and you’re like, that just happened.
Sarah Taylor: Say what John said.
Dave Barnes: Oh yeah. He said, did you notice that he, he said your name? It’s okay.
He didn’t say mine at all. And I was like, well, then I’ve won. I’ve won the day. And now Matthew is going to be my best friend ever. And we’re going to play halo online together Sunday. So he would be, he would be up there. You know, I am such a fan of John mark comer. I don’t know if you know who he is. Um, he wrote ruthless elimination of hurry.
I’m actually reading his new book cause he’s going to be on next week called tell no lies, I think is what it’s called. But I just think he’s stud. I just think theologically, I love what he’s doing and how he thinks. So I was so excited to have him on, uh, like I said, he’s beyond next week, which I’m just excited about.
Um, so he was another one that I was like really excited about. And then, you know, I think maybe the third one that we both got the most excited about was guy named. Harrison Scott Key, who it’s an author who I think is just absolutely hysterical. And he’s got a book called, is it biggest man alive or world’s biggest man, something like that, but it was one of those books.
It’s hard for me. It’s in my opinion, it’s hard to make someone laugh with the written word, like audible laughter. Giggle giggle or like, I laughed in my head. But he is so funny. Uh world’s biggest, man, that’s it. And, uh, and then he has another book after that. He’s just so into, we were both like, we loved that book, and we were like, it’s going to be fun to see what he’s like in person.
And he was so, so great. And then there’s a million, you know, that we’re like, can we have pros on it’s really fun? Like, you know, like psychologists or therapists or stuff does, you know, but I would say the three that I was probably the most like hyped for were probably those.
Sarah Taylor: Um, let’s talk about maybe some of the comedians that you had on and talk about your comedy album.
Dave Barnes: Um, I should have added him. Nate was, yeah, he was great.
Sarah Taylor: How fun it must be to be able to like peel back a layer of the way that they create bits and the way they view comedy and who their influences are. And then the fact that, you know, that’s something that you is this your first comedy album that you’re going to be released?
Dave Barnes: Oh, yeah. Remind me, it’s something about you. Listen to it?
Sarah Taylor: I did. I mean,
Dave Barnes: oh gosh. Oh, I love first person. That’s professionally listen really is, is a big moment. Yeah. Yeah.
Sarah Taylor: I listened to the whole thing, and I loved it and I,
Dave Barnes: Are you being sweet right now?
Sarah Taylor: I promise you. I know right now, in fact, the whole time, I was just like where these, where are you in the moment when you’re doing like neti pot
Dave Barnes: …and that he padded today, if at any point there’s some, uh, drainage and explicable drainage, which is a great heavy metal band name. I love their second album. Um,
I had never, I’d never Nettie potted in my life. A few years ago, anybody mind I was hanging out with a buddy and like my allergy situation was out of control. He’s like, uh, and you should, uh, you haven’t ever done the neti pot. And I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa. Drug free since ‘ 83 is that we tell is five. So this three and four year old, that was a tough little run for me. I was, you know…
Sarah Taylor: When in those moments are you thinking this might be a bit, this is something to?
Dave Barnes: Well, you know, it’s weird. This is such a bizarre thing to say out loud, everything is a potential bit in my brain. Everything, almost anything can be made funny if you just sort of spin it right. Or find that weird, I mean, obviously, well, no, I think that’s true. I really think almost anything can be a bit. Um, yeah. So, I think there’s all. Yeah. And I have, you know, I have a note, like anybody does on my phone where I’m like, something happens and I’m immediately like in traffic trying not to die.
Cause I’m like, don’t forget this this little moment. So, it kind of everything is, but you know, you, you know, those moments, you know, when you’re like, oh yeah, okay, that’s going to happen. You know, you, you, you trip in public or, you know, somebody, you shoot spaghetti, whatever it is through your nose. And you’re like, okay, this is, has to be talked about.
So, I kind of keep a running list of things and, uh, those slowly, as, you know, sorta just kind of turn into little bits and then you’re like, oh, okay. I have some, I may have something here, you know, which is really fun and weird to workshop, but fun to sort of like once you land it, you know.
Sarah Taylor: Fascinates me that comedians like yourself are able to do is like, you’ve got the cadence of your routine that you’re going to do, you know. where you’re going to get the big laughs and all that, but I’m sure every show must be different. And to be able to also be relaxed enough to react to when something spontaneously happens in the audience, but then get back to the cadence of your bit. Like that blows my mind.
Dave Barnes: Well, you know, I don’t do it enough to, you know, there are people who are really professional at it. I feel like I have a hobby. I’m a hobbyist. But the thing that is so fun to me is because you know, so much of mine changes every night. That’s what, when I’m doing that, I enjoy it changing. I don’t like for it to stay the same.
I mean, you have to have certain points, like you want the joke to hit at the right place, but I can riff so much that, like I’m adding things. I’ll never forget. One of the, one of the most helpful things that my manager at the time who was a big encourager to get me to do this, um, I’d done four or five of the shows that he had seen. And he was like, Stick to the bits. He’s like, it’s really funny. And I love that you’re riffing, but they’re really funny. Just like, let the bits be the bits. Cause I would add little things cause I was getting bored or because I was like, oh, I can make this funnier. And I’m just garnish, garnish, garnish, garnish spice, spice, spice.
And at some point it’s not fried chicken. Yeah. It’s like, you know, you’ve turned it into a cake or something and people are like, well, this, I just really want the fried chicken. So I think that was a weird analogy. Um, but I think, but I’m hungry, so maybe it worked. Um, so I think for me, I had to realize there is a limit on these things. Kind of like, make sure you get the bit through it, make sure the story has an ending and it sort of, it has a, it, it, there’s a through line. There’s a plumb line to the whole thing that makes sense, because I would just start riffing. I just sorta like bounce all over the place. And so there is a weird discipline and sorta know, unlike now it’s the point is not to get up and just play the song.
Like, you know, like sure you can change the guitar part at one point or change the melody, but like, it still needs to be the song. It can’t just be like some, you know, riff on a variation on a theme.
Sarah Taylor: I, you and I share something in common, which I call help I’m talking and I can’t shut up. It’s like, Oh, my gosh.
Dave Barnes: It’s so true. My therapist was one of the most helpful things anyone has ever told me in my life, my, my wife and I were in marriage, like in marriage counseling once. And the guy said, he’s like, okay, Dave, so he said any, here’s the things that are gonna help you. He’s like Dave, here’s, what’s going to help you just make your point and be quiet.
Just please just make your point and then stop talking. And I was. Okay, but he’s like, no, no. See that’s where you just say, okay. And then you stop. And I was like, okay. He’s like good. Way to go. And it is unbelievably helpful. It is the hardest thing that I really think in my life it’s one of the hardest thing to do is I’ll say, babe, this is what I need.
If you could do this or, this would matter a lot to me. To just like, let it go, let it go get up. It’s so hard because my brain is like, oh, we have a million other things to say and you know, and then have you even thought about this? You could say this too. And I’m like, Nope, we’re not. We’re just going to walk out of the room quietly and peacefully and let that information sit.
It’s so hard.
Sarah Taylor: Before we get to your new music. Brother pastor Phil is, you were saying, I think I heard this with, um, Corey man, with your interview with him. You don’t want to do brother, pastor Phil too much because you’re afraid you might turn into him.
Dave Barnes: No, it’s true. He lives, he’s always swimming in my, in my soul somewhere. Just waiting for purchase to try to gain purchase to slowly overtake. Hey, y’all it’s me, brother, pastor fail a good bottom your music. And, uh, I get, I know I got, I’m doing something different. My hair I’m trying to bite my bangs. It makes me look younger. Don’t y’all don’t lie to me. Don’t lie to me. Lessen my good friend, brother, Dave Barnes is saying he may want to do a shirt with my vintage on it with my face on it.
Just those shirts to sell concerts, maybe this little cartoon on my face. I don’t know. And he wants to know if y’all want to put it on. And I said, surely don’t nobody won’t tap it. Just be the ugliest thing in the world and make sure it be so big and have to my chin to get tucked into your pants and about fights and so big.
Anyway, y’all let him know if y’all want to picture a shirt with a picture of me on it. He can sell it as little concert gathering venue. Merchandise… is the easiest thing that I do, which is terrifying because it means he’s just. Is it my time? I’m like, no, you need to go away. You need to leave me alone. I enjoy doing that character so much.
And it’s so fun to see people laugh, because I think, you know, if you, if you grew up in the south and especially in sort of Chris and him and the church there, you know, everybody just knew that guy. And, uh, and so it’s fun because everybody, you know, I just get the funniest messages about him that I think yeah. And I know if I started Instagram from, no, I would follow my Instagram anymore. I’m like, oh, I know how this goes. I know exactly how this math goes. So that’s exactly why I don’t write out bullet points I have now. Yeah. It’s gotten to where it’s too much because I’ll just, I, I, again, you know, I’ll just riff into oblivion or I’ll sort of like follow some weird chain of the minute thing is,
could you really have to like, stick the landing, like there’s gotta be a intro middle outro and be done. And, um, I mean, Annie will laugh cause I’ll come downstairs and it looks like a random marathon. She’s like, oh, you didn’t pass little video. I’m like, yeah, like I’m going to shower real quick. I’ll be back down.
I mean, it’s just so it’s so active. So many things are happening and like I’m physically engaged. My mind is mil, you know, shooting off into the, into the, you know, sunset. So I have to like really things down. And what I’ll do is I’ll kind of have a few things it’s like, you would think it is like, I have a few things I don’t want to say, and then I’ll start going.
I’m like, oh, that’s funny. I should add that. And then I add that and then I’m like, oh, that’s not as fun. Okay. Cross that off. And then, you know where the first, probably five of those, it was pretty like wham. Bam. Thank you ma’am cause it was like, and then, but it was like the more I started to like sound.
So, we get into the character or like, you know, he had a little more of a storyline, they were people, and there were things that were like now things and people, I was like, oh, okay. I got to sort of think about that and what, you know, so it just, and so then it became like, all right, I got to workshop this a little bit.
So, I’d like, do one. Oh, okay. Don’t do that. Or I’ve said that before, whatever. So, um, so it does become like, I have little bullet points. I’ll kind of hang them on the wall and then once I kind of get it down, it’s it’s off to the races, but I kind of have to figure out like how they fit and where we’re, if they’re funny or not, you know.
Sarah Taylor: How many, I mean, you can’t just watch it.
Dave Barnes: Well, that’s my hope that that helps the algorithm a lot. Yes.
Sarah Taylor: And then you have to read the comments to see if somebody else’s favorite part was your favorite part. Just it’s a whole, it’s a whole thing. Let’s talk about this new album Notes from Paris, Paris Avenue, not Paris, France. They, you go see a lot of confusion about that.
Dave Barnes: My kids actually, yesterday came in to the, my studio here, I’m sitting in and one of them brought that up.
My daughter, she was like, so not Paris, but like our street as a great she’s like, okay, well, why did you call it that as a babe? Cause I wrote these, you know, songs here and notes, like a music note and she’s like, oh. Oh, that’s that’s good. I was like, see,
Sarah Taylor: no one else is going to get that.
Dave Barnes: Oh, no, no, no, no.
Sarah Taylor: I mean you, your wife, maybe John, maybe a couple other people, your manager.
Dave Barnes: Yeah. After I explain it, he’s like, oh yeah, that’s good. See, it’s just layers, baby. It’s the layers to the onion. It’s got to keep peeling.
Sarah Taylor: You made this commitment to write a song a month. That’s adventure.
Dave Barnes: It it’s, it’s a lot bolder than I thought it was. Cause, you know, I write a lot of songs, so I was like, this can’t be that hard, but I think it changes when, you know, people like people are gonna hear them soon because they don’t get a chance to, to sit and stew or like kind of age, like a fine wine or whatever.
It’s like, you write that thing and maybe a month later it’s out there living its life in the world, you know? So that was tricky because I was like, okay, I gotta really make sure that these things all sound good. And our. Uh, up to the standard, you know. Like everything, it’s just such a high T it’s such a fast turnaround.
So, um, so thankfully it worked, you know, I, I kind of was like, I’ll just do it until I don’t want to do anymore. I was like, well, I don’t want to do it anymore. Let sooner than I thought I would. Um, cause I have friends that have like really done it for a while, which is really incredible. And I think, you know, one of the nuances, like so much about music, I write by myself, you know, and some of them I wrote with others, but that’s just a trickier thing.
Cause it’s not. Oh, we’ll just get friends in and we’ll get some songs done. It’s like, you know, it’s like, I’m staring at the clock by myself going like, okay, do I have something for next month or two months away? Or what, what have I got that I could work on? Uh, but the good part of it was is, you know, it is kind of fun writing songs in a vacuum where you’re not having to worry about, does it fit to the theme of the rest of the song?
So the name of the record is this, does it work with that? Or, you know, musically, especially for me Zim, so all over the place. Um, Sort of genre wise, you know, or stylistically. It just didn’t have to make sense. Like it was like, oh, just write you like this folk song. Great. Right. This little blue grassy thing.
Great. Right. This funky thing. Great. There was no like, well, this is not going to make sense, which is ironic. Cause then putting them all together, I was like, Have I just sort of backed myself into a corner? But you know, I think it still sorta works. Okay. Uh, but you know, again, that’s, that’s definitely about 2021 is it music, you know, it’s really a playlist culture now, so people are sort of okay with like, yeah, I don’t care if they make sense in a row. You know, I just made my little playlist and it’s got everything from, you know, like Florida Georgia line to Nellie to, you know, uh, some really random, you know, one-off rap song, you know, whatever is happening there that just don’t think people care as much anymore.
Sarah Taylor: You know, what’s one of the most recent ones or one of the ones you’re most excited about on there.
Dave Barnes: I’m always really excited when things are diverse. I think that’s always something I love about putting bodies of workout is that, um, you know, songs like only good will come of this, which is to me, kind of feels like bluegrassy is up against, you know, the Lord. Uh, ain’t let me down lately. That’s probably honestly my favorite on the, on the album, just because it feels so different and fun, but, um, I really love G, I don’t get to do a lot of duets. And so, but, but you know, it’s hard cause you always, I mean, you know, this artist held by this all the time, but it really is like picking your favorite kid.
You know, I like them all for different reasons. You know?
Sarah Taylor: Like there’s been the first to give June it’s official like theme song.
Dave Barnes: I doubt it there’s gotta be a million of those. Um, but maybe not. I dunno. I w one of my dreams in life is to just sing background vocals for like a woman. Like I just love, I love there’s something so fun to me about the way my voice sounds.
I always love the way it sounds behind a woman’s voice because it’s so different. It’s so Husky and kind of, it’s kind of got its own little thing. Sometimes it’s terrible in context, but I always I’ve always loved that. And so, you know, I wrote that song with Kelsea Ballerini and, uh, Josh Kerr and who’s a really good friend of mine, and, and so, it was supposed to be a girl for Kelsey in a record, a couple of records go and she ended up not recording it, but I always loved it. And so my, the demo I had was her singing. It, it wasn’t a guy scene. It was her. So I just wore it out. And so I was like, how could I put this out? That I could put it out?
And I was like, well, I think if I just changed where maybe saying the second verse and then had like a background vocal thing. It could still be a song that’s like mine. So when Susie agreed to do it, it was like heaven. Cause I was like, oh, this is like the backdoor way of putting this out where I’m not singing it, but I’m singing enough of it that it’s like, you know, it’s a duet.
So that one is still probably, you know, I probably listen to that when, and, and up there with the most, just because it’s, it doesn’t feel like me so much in some weird ways, you know?
Sarah Taylor: I feel like you nailed it on the music video for lording. Let me down lately, because I think a lot of people dance that way to your music in the comfort of their own home, while they’re doing chores or safe place in their safe place where no one can see, like that’s what your music does to people they’re just kind of free and stuff.
And so you captured that in a music video.
Dave Barnes: It’s a, it’s, I, this is a really weird thing to say into a microphone. Right here I’m trying to push through and make you like sit it. But I sweated so much. So I apologize to Annie when she watched the video, I was like, we’ve had a good run, but this may be where you’re like, yeah, let’s do my, I’m done with this. I’m done with this and who this guy is. We, we, when they, when they sent me the edit, they emailed back and said, are there any moments where I’m not sweating that much?
I mean, I just was like, had, I just like ran to the studio. Am I sweating so much? And the guy literally emailed me back and he’s like, dude, there’s like three cars. Like, I don’t know, 10 seconds of footage where it doesn’t look like you just took a shower.
I was just like, ah, but I think that’s also what makes it so wonderful. So I was like, you know what? You take your lumps, you know? But, um, yeah, we, I mean, I had so much fun, you know, the other thing that needs to be said about that is we recorded it in a hot yoga. Which was it, so it wasn’t on like that?
Like they had, you know, we’ve ran into the girl was like, we turned the AC on, but when we got there it was like warm. And I was like, oh, this, um, I’m so hosed. I’m in so much trouble right now because we walked in it was like in the eighties, in the room. And of course the AC was on his head, but I was like, and I saw the footage and I was like, oh, that’s just so disturbing and kind of wonderful, you know. Uh, which what great humor isn’t both of those things at the same time. Anyway, I’m glad you back.
Sarah Taylor: Is there anything that I didn’t cover with new music, new comedy album that you want to tell?
Dave Barnes: Well, I’ll tell you one thing. I am excited about that, that, um, I’m excited. We can finally talk about it. We’ve got a Christmas EAP coming out too in the fall. Uh, that is, I’m so proud of. I did it all myself and,
yeah. I love Christmas music. Anybody that, that listened to me knows that. Cause I’ve, I’ve got, you know, a couple of albums out, but it was so funny. I released the two Christmas albums, I think 2009, 2011, like fast, really fast. Like it was like, first one came out and then two years later had a whole other album come out.
The thing that I love the most about releasing Christmas Eve is writing it. Like I love to write Christmas. In fact, it’s funny this year, there’s other people, Ingrid Michaelson is releasing a song that I wrote with her, um, that Zoe de Chanel is on, which is fun. And to do that with them. And then Dan and Shay, I wrote a couple songs with their, um, the, you know, Christmas.
I just love, I love to write Christmas songs. So I just was, one of the, this is weird quirk about me, but in December, all I try to write as Christmas music. So just a stock pilot, or even start ideas and just kind of keep them. So, you know, there’s been years of me sort of doing that. And so when I realized that I think it’s time it’s okay for me to release music again. Like I looked at Harry Connick and he released one every decade, and I released one every two years.
I was like, Hey, we got to slow this train way, the heck down. So, and I do Christmas shows like we do a big Christmas show here in Nashville every year. And until. I just, I couldn’t wait to do it. And finally, I sat with managers. They’re like, no, I think it’s been enough time, you can release more music. And so I was so excited to do that. So we’ll, we’ll have some new Christmas music out, uh, here in a couple months, which I’m excited about too.
Sarah Taylor: What is it about that season that just unlocks so much?
Dave Barnes: You know, I think I have a really big sentimental, you know, part of me. I really love, um, the style is a big part of what I love about songwriting.
Honestly. I think one of the most powerful things about music is its ability to make us remember or to feel feeling, our old feelings again, which obviously got to be really, really tricky. I can be tricky too, but, um, and so I think Christmas is maybe the most potent version of that in music. It is to me like, you know, the songs that can be 60, 70 years old, you can hear and it just to elicit such a strong response, you know? Um, so I feel that way about Christmas. Yes. Not mine. Like, you know, you put on Nat king Cole and I’ve suddenly feel a very it’s it’s, it’s the quickest way to an emotion to me is Christmas music, you know? And so when, when, and I think that, and then just sort of logistically why I love it as a songwriter is I say this all the time, it is to me, you know, songwriting is such a weird thing to do because it’s, it’s always a moving target. You know, you, you, you, you’re trying to hit this thing that you never quite know where it’s there until you’ve done it. And then you’re like, oh, I think we nailed it, but you can do that 20 times in a row before you get a good one.
Christmas music is the most, it’s the quickest, like when you write a Christmas song, you know, immediately if it works or not, and I love that about that. Like, it’s not something where you’re kind of like, we’ll pull, you know, we’ll play it for 10 people and see how everybody feels like you, you pretty much know even just yourself.
Like, I think we nailed what we were trying to do because it’s such a target, you know. It’s such an established genre of music. Like, you know, that made me feel like Christmas or it didn’t, you know? And so I think too, it’s just a relief to ride it because it’s the, it’s one of the few things, one of the few genres you can write for as a songwriter that, you know, at the end, like it’s like mowing a yard.
You’re like we mowed a yard. I can see its mode. I feel good because I see that something got done today. Christmas music is like, I wrote that, and I know it worked now I can go inside and eat and feel like I accomplished something. You know, it’s a very quick to me, I think that’s why I like it is it feels like, no, we, we nailed it.
High five. Let’s move on. You know.
Sarah Taylor: What is one of the songs that when you hear it, like the season has started for you? Like, I’ll give you an example. A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed Brandon Heath who I know, you know, and, um, that was a good…
Dave Barnes: Oh, I love him. Not a lot of people know this, you know, Brandon and I went to college.
Sarah Taylor: Aye. Aye. That was somewhere in my notes. Yeah. I love that. Okay. So he said that the, the moment for him is watching national Lampoon’s Christmas vacation with Chevy chase up in Clark, up in the attic and the real start and Charles spirit of Christmas comes on. So you can’t use that one. Brandon took it.
Dave Barnes: You know, it’s it’s for me, the song. There are a couple of songs. I know this it’s, this is not like a really sweet song, but it always feels like it. But it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas ironically, or maybe not ironically, it was trying to be, it. It is. The first shot across the bow for me, I’m like, yup. Uh, but the one that probably gets me the most, every single time is Tennessee Christmas by Amy Grant.
That’s the one that just, I’m like, okay, it’s go time. Let’s do it. Uh, and there’s a million movies and, you know, there’s… one of the things that I remember so fondly growing up is we always, my dad being a pastor, we always hosted the church at our house because we lived in this tiny 8,000 person, Mississippi town.
And so, you know, we would always have this, um, we’d always have the church come over to the barns and hang out. And I just remember as a kid, it was like the little extreme extrovert in me was just like the most exciting moment of the year, because it was all these people were coming over, my friends are going to be there and that was Christmas. So it was, you know, that was to me, like as a kid, I remember thinking like, okay, This is Christmastime because this has happened. And now that means all these things are about to happen. And so those, those songs to me, kind of make me feel that same way.
And there’s, you know, now with our kids, there’s a million, you know, you know that so well, there’s a million things you sort of realized they’re doing and you’re sort of living through them because you see it in them. So, you know, all those things sort of coalesced into that sort of first entry moment of Christmas, you know?
Sarah Taylor: So the EPS is called…?
Dave Barnes: the EP is called a… Yeah. So, I think it’s called, um, we’re calling it. I think, I don’t know what it’s called. You just asked me that. And I’m like, have we even decided what it’s called yet? I don’t think we’ve decided what it’s called yet. It’s called goodtimesatChristmasYeahman.com.
Um, I don’t, I don’t know that we’ve decided yet. Um, I think actually hold on. Do it, this could take 20 minutes. It could just be me doing this over and over going. Hold on. No, wait, no, wait. It is, I think he may be called. I wish it would snow, cause that’s the name of the song. I’ll tell you sidebar. That has nothing to do with anything.
One of the most proud things I’ve ever. I was so proud of the artist’s brain and me it’s we got a big snow here randomly last, last winter. We have a cabin little place out in Leaper’s fork, which is kind of like by Franklin has really pretty little place that we have. We go to it’s really great.
Um, we are going to sled there cause it’s got these huge Hills. So me and my best friend and his family are going out there and he’s a photographer, amazing photographer. And as we were driving out, I was like, dadgummit, uh, no I’m going to do this Christmas CP. It’s snowing. I hate photo shoots with like a deep, passionate hatred, uh, hate them, but I was like, You know, we actually get Micah to do this photo shoot.
And so we did the sledding that day and I was like, Hey man. And he was looking at me cause he knew what I was going to ask. I was like, Can we do a photo shoot tomorrow? And he’s like, yes, I am ready. And so we went out and I was so, but so like my manager, I saved the email cause I didn’t tell him, I just, you, it was my best buddy.
Took his stuff. We should get the shoot. Great, beautiful. This is all happening. And. And I emailed him the next day. I was like, Hey guys, Mike and I did a photo shoot for the Christmas things. We got some great shots. We got it. And they email back. He’s like, this is the most responsible any of our artists have ever been.
Yeah, take that kind of initiative on their own. He was like, I’m so proud of you. And I literally felt like a five-year old kid and my dad was like way to hit a home run. So then I just kind of say the email. I was like, I’ve never felt so seen and encouraged in my life is that moment. Responsible any of our artists.
I just was like, oh, I needed that so bad. My little love…
Sarah Taylor: So that’s what we’re going to see on the cover of the EPS?
Dave Barnes: So, so all of that. So that’s 10 minutes of me basically telling you, I think we decided because of the snow that is going to be called, I wish it was snow. That could have taken two seconds, but I decided to take you around the barn for a little dance.
Sarah Taylor: I really, because it’s so visual. I love everything you just did. And now everyone that sees that cover art when they’re streaming it on Spotify, like they know the backstory on it. So the 30 minute backstory do they, they made it this far.
Dave Barnes: Tushay.
Sarah Taylor: Wait till the end guys. Wait until the end. It got some good for ya. We got, we’re going to release the title that we think.
Dave Barnes: Yeah. We’re not even sure about still after all this. Yeah.
Sarah Taylor: Um, okay. And then the comedy album is something about being an idiot. What’s it called?
Dave Barnes: I think it’s called It’s Hard Being An Idiot.
Sarah Taylor: It’s Hard Being An Idiot.
Dave Barnes: …because I kind of, I knew I needed it to not be even possibly close to a music title, and cause I just didn’t want people to be like… another two second story. I played, when I did my stand-up shows, I thought we had very clearly communicated to fans it was just stand up. No music show up in Denver.
I walk out and immediately realized these people do not know that. I could just feel it like the force. I just knew. Oh yeah. These people are, cause it was kind of this. You could just feel it sold out room, but 300 people. And so I started the in and I told them, I was like, Hey guys, you know, it was, you know, above was kind of fine once he started laughing, but it was fine.
Well, and I knew, especially knew it when I got back and they, and they did encore cause I was like, oh, they think I’m… so I had to let the Encore die and I buy left and I got some just scathing emails, like, oh, people were so mad. Like you duped us. And a couple of people actually had to give money back to a couple.
One was a youth director. But most of the people are just like, Hey man, thought it was a music show, ended up being great. Just a little bummed. Cause we, but really funny, fun night. And I quickly, I responded to all of them. I was like, hey, what we found out was that the venue had just, they, they, they, they were great, they were like, hey, we kind of dropped the ball. Like they promoted. I think with me holding a guitar, it was a whole thing. So, it, you know. But I just knew, so that burnt me. Like I learned a very valuable lesson that, so I was like, this needs to be something that people are not going to click on and be like, let’s listen to some songs.
So, here’s hoping.
Sarah Taylor: Like bold font, comedy only.
Dave Barnes: Me burning a guitar cracked in half. Yes. And people laugh with the snow. Okay.
Sarah Taylor: So, we got the comedy album, we got notes from Paris. Man, you’ve been busy. And then of course, Dadville. Dadville, to hear it all, it’s all there. And then of course, to follow your Instagram for Brother Pastor Phil.
Dave Barnes: Yeah. He’s there. Yeah. We’re going to be posting more videos. The five had a conversation with, with management and they were like, hey, people seem to like these videos, if you sweat. That’s not exactly what it said, but that’s what I took from it.
Sarah Taylor: And there you have it. I hope you laughed as much as I did. Our thanks to Corey Mann, from what else with Corey Mann for setting up this interview, thank you to Scott Karow, our wonderful producer with Terra Firma. Of course, a huge thank you to Northwest University for sponsoring the Passion Meets Purpose podcast, and I will see you in 2 weeks.
