La Belle Chanteuse
It
is a sort of homecoming for sultry chanteuse Jill Barber this evening as she
brings the heat to the Spatz Theatre in Halifax in support of her latest
recording Mischievous Moon. We caught up with her in between shows.
How has life on the road
treated you this year?
Life
on the road has been kind. I enjoy touring very much; every day a new city, new
audience. It's a clever way to see the world. This year I have been on tour in
France, The US, Australia and coast-to-coast here at home. Touring Canada as
much as I have has had the unusual effect of making this country feel both very
large, and somehow small at the same time.
What has audience
response been like to the live show?
With
the exception of one morale-crushing, soul destroying, poorly booked,
last-minute appearance at a late night dance club in NYC, the audience response
has been generally positive.
What can audiences
expect to experience at the Halifax concert?
The
Halifax show is a special one because I'm sharing the bill with my brother,
Matthew. It's also the final night of my Maritime Tour. Seeing as this tour
marks the 10 year anniversary of me first moving out to Halifax, I have been
celebrating with playing a retrospective of my body of work from the last 10
years. So the audience can expect to hear a few oldies, some new tunes, and
possibly a song or two from my upcoming French covers album.
What's it like to perform
with your brother?
Matt
and I are both pretty busy with our respective careers so it's a rare enough
occurrence that it feels pretty special. A few years back we toured across the
country together, calling it the Sibling Revelry Tour. That pretty much sums it
up. We've always been allies, never rivals. My brother has been a musical
mentor of mine for my whole life. He's an incredible songwriter and and amazing
big brother.Are you currently writing new material?
I am always working on new material. I have a bunch on new songs that will hopefully see the light of day soon.
What are your plans for
2013?
This
summer I recorded an album of French covers, inspired by my French studies over
the last few years. It is called Chansons and it comes out January 29th, 2013.
