Page 12 - Black Velvet Magazine Issue 106

BV106 pg10-15 Kris Barras Band.qxp_BV106 pg12 02/05/2022 21:39 Page 3

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also gave me a chance to sit down and write, sing those songs and have that connection with and maybe find some comfort in them and it
and it gave me a different perspective on things. the people there and that is what I am looking might make them feel better too.”
I think a lot of people did a lot of soul searching forward to getting back to the most.”
and it made some people see things in a differ- ooking closer at the song ‘These Voices’,
ent way and see what things actually matter and here is a strong argument that many of Lin which Kris sings about doubt, we ask
kind of reevaluate things. Tthe songs on ‘Death Valley Paradise’ if he would tell us more about the doubts which
“So, it definitely gave me a different per- contain something of a bleak element to them. he experienced during this time.
spective and also a different motivation for life, In their own words, ‘Dead Horses’ delves into “I’ve always been very career-driven and al-
so now we are coming out of it, I’m just super- broken relationships, ‘Long Gone’ is a tale of let- ways had to have some kind of career motiva-
pumped to get the album out there, get back ting go, ‘These Voices’ is about “that inner voice tion; I’ve always been like that. And I’ve put
touring and get back to doing what I love.” that is always telling you that you can't do things everything into my music career and gave up
Kris tells us more about the importance of and dragging you down," something Kris says everything for it and put my life on hold, so to
being able to release his new music at this time. has been “quite prevalent in my life over the past speak, to do it, so to then not be able to do it for
“I’ve put my blood, sweat and tears into this year” and so long and to
album, so I just want to get it out and if I could ‘Chaos’ not know when
have released it last year I would have”, he tells documents was just, ‘Fuck, I’m 36. Well, you might be
Black Velvet. “I just wanted to get it out as soon his mental able to do it
as possible”. health “II was 34 at the time. We’ve again, because,
He continues, “I’m immensely proud of it. I struggles. lost so much time and I was sat there let’s face it,
really do feel it’s my best album to date. I feel “I don’t music was one of
like I was able to just let loose on it. There were ever set out thinking, ‘Shit, I’m meant to be a mil- the last things to
no restrictions, not having to conform to any kind and say I’m come back, you
of, you know, ‘It’s gotta be blues, tone this going to lionaire by now!’” - Kris Barras had people in a
down’. I could just be unleashed with this album write a load football stadium
and not worry about it being bluesy enough of songs before they were
which I have had to do on previous albums. that are going to be like this. I just write songs allowed in a concert hall, so I just didn’t know.
Again, I could just be unleashed and if I wanted as and when they happen based on what I’m “Yes, it looks like we are getting through it
to do a crazy guitar solo I could do a crazy guitar feeling and that’s how they come out. I think now and everything is going to be OK, touch
solo. If I wanted to use a chord progression that whether you put a negative or positive label on wood, but ‘These Voices’ and that doubt, I think
was a bit more out there, I could. So, yeah, I’m anything, they are all things which affect every- everyone has it in some way, shape or form.
just excited to get it out there and start the next one. Broken relationships, suffering in the pan- Whether or not it’s on a big or small scale, it’s
chapter.” demic, all this kind of stuff; it’s stuff which affects just about dealing with that and keeping an end
everyone, so I think most people are able to re- goal in sight, keeping focussed and not let the
he events of the last 18 months have late to that kind of thing, but I certainly didn’t set niggling voices put you off from doing what you
Tdefinitely had a significant impact on Kris out in a calculated way to write these songs, I want to do.”
as an individual. He tells Black Velvet, “The thing just write songs and whatever comes out comes Having raised the subject of this difficult time
is with the band, I’ve always tried to appreciate out. It’s kinda like a therapeutic method and cop- in his life we ask Kris if he can tell us a little more
everything and always tried to take everything ing mechanism and so if it’s negative, it’s nega- about how he got through it and whether there
in and we have had new opportunities come up tive, but I think it is all stuff that people can relate was anything or anyone who offered inspiration
and chances to go to all these amazing places to and experience. I mean, who hasn’t had a to him to help achieve this.
around the world and I’ve always tried to absorb broken relationship or been in a situation like “For me, it was just when I could start to see
it all and take it all in. I appreciate I’ve had a rel- that or who hasn’t suffered because of the pan- things moving again”, he explains. “When I had
atively quick rise and things were moving really, demic in some way, shape or form I think it’s all the album recorded and when stuff started hap-
really quickly and I think, even with the best in- stuff people can relate to.” pening with that, I guess I’m just one of these
tentions of taking it all in, you kinda get caught kind of people who needs a purpose. I’m no
up in the whirlwind a bit. ris has been very open about how the good at sitting still. I never have been, I’m like a
“So, when the pandemic hit and all that is Kfallout of COVID-19 has impacted him little ADHD kid. I’ve got to be doing something
taken away and suddenly the rise isn’t going and as an individual and so, having mentioned the all the time and sitting down watching Netflix in
you’re not doing anything and you’re not playing, writing process as therapeutic and a coping my pants, while it was fun for a week or two,
it makes you realise how much you love doing mechanism, we ask if he can tell us more about after that I was just, ‘Fuck, I’m 36. Well, I was 34
it. I had to literally sit there at one point and go how creating ‘Death Valley Paradise’ has helped at the time. We’ve lost so much time and I was
‘Fuck! Am I going to have to find a new career? him. sat there thinking, ‘Shit, I’m meant to be a mil-
Is music ever going to come back?’ Because, at “As Bob Hoskins used to say, it’s good to lionaire by now!’”
the end of the day, the only way musicians at my talk, it’s a way of communicating and expressing Howling with laughter at the last comment,
level, and really, anyone unless they are at su- and processing your thoughts and putting it into he adds, “Instead, I’m sitting there with no
perstar level, can make any money is by touring words rather than just letting it stew in your money at all! That’s me, personally. I’ve always
- and if you can’t tour you can’t make any mind.” been driven, from an early age. Driven by having
money. And I remember sitting down and think- That said, Kris admits it’s inevitable we are a career and always keeping myself busy and
ing ‘What am I going to do? Do I start to retrain seeing more and more of this kind of subject striving to get better and make myself better.
[for MMA]? Is there something else?’ but there matter coming from the music of our favourite And that was how I started the pandemic, but
was nothing else that I wanted to do. My past artists. “I’m not sure it’s a new thing,” he says, then, when I hit that darker period, I did find it
life was all left behind, I was completely out of “I’m pretty sure there are plenty of songs hard to pull myself out.
the fight game. I’d sold all my shares in the gyms through time which deal with this kind of thing, “So, when we got the album done and
and I had no ties to any of that and so I had to but I think it’s a good thing. The world is slowly things started moving again and we were doing
reevaluate everything. And that was quite a waking up and realising we all have these prob- videos and started getting things back out there,
scary experience and pretty depressing be- lems; we all suffer from time to time. It’s not a doing a couple of festivals last summer, I got a
cause I couldn’t do something which I love so taboo subject anymore, I think that is a good taste for the old life again. It gave me the moti-
much. thing, talking about these things. vation I needed to get through it. Everyone is dif-
“When we came back and did the tour sup- “I’ve never wanted to use these things as ferent and everyone has different motivating
porting Black Stone Cherry, touring huge ven- any kind of excuse. I’m not that kind of guy, but factors and not everyone would be as fortunate
ues, playing Planet Rockstock in November and I think the songs are relatable and reflective of as I was to be able to pull myself through just by
then we had our headline Christmas show in my mood at the time. You know, I’m in a nice, having some physical motivators, as it were. If I
Torquay, it was just the best. Having that feeling positive mind frame currently as I have been for have something physical it makes me feel better
back, I can’t even put it into words. Because the the majority of my life. I’ve never experienced mentally.”
only reason I do this is to play live. Recording any kind of depression or anxiety before the
songs is ok, I enjoy it... I like writing songs, but I pandemic, it was the first time I had experienced ne of the songs with a positive spin is
do it because I want to play them to people. I anything like that or suffered with anything like O‘My Parade’, one of the clear highlights
don’t do it so someone can listen to them on that so, for me, it was a new experience and it’s of ‘Death Valley Paradise’, described as the
Spotify. I don’t do it for that reason, that is a con- good to come through and look forward to the band’s calling card and protest song which Kris
sequence. It’s because I want to step on stage, future and I hope others can listen to the songs had, prior to our conversation, described as, ‘It
KRIS BARRAS BAND