Doing the DUO -- Barry and Jesse

I love playing with the band. It is thrilling when we are able to get our quartet together in the studio or on stage. But there is something equally exhilarating about playing these songs with one other, deeply musical, highly skilled collaborator – Jesse Miller. Jesse and I have known each other for decades after playing on a softball team together in the 80’s and 90’s (Warren Street All-Stars). But when we started playing music together around 10 years ago something instantly clicked. Our musical sensibilities jibed. Our voices found an easy blend. And our guitar styles meshed in a kind of interlocking counterpoint that feels so satisfying and true to the songs. Jesse can play kick-ass flashy guitar licks, but he saves those for the right moment and approaches each song by finding the simplest, most appropriate parts that enhance the message and feel of the song. It’s subtle, tuneful, tasteful. And his voice has surprising range and texture. He considers himself primarily a guitarist, but his voice also has a sensitivity that finds the right sound, the right part, the way to artfully enhance each song.

We blend. After years of playing together there is an ease and calm that I can bring to the songs when it is just the duo, settling in like we are sitting in the living room. I’m looking forward to Sunday when we get to invite others into the living room at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Collective in Red Hook.