Serious Sam Barrett – The Yorkshire Rambler

I bought myself a beautiful 1976 Pioneer pl-510a turntable very recently and my first thoughts when i bought it was ‘That deserves summat old played on it’. Ok 1976 is not that long ago but it’s still long enough and that was the main way to play music for most people back then. Having had most of my vinyl stolen one Christmas eve about fifteen years ago i wasn’t sure what to play on it as my collection is pretty sparse now . I thought about playing some of my Neil Diamond as that would fit perfectly with the date it was made but I then had a call at the door by the postman (Have you noticed how late the postmen come these days?) and he had in his hand my Serious Sam Barrett vinyl E.P which he had kindly sent me, Sam not the postman. It seemed fitting that that would be the first record i should play on my new turntable (I have since been pre-occupied wondering what the first ever song played on it was, something i will never know of course). From the first track Tongue Tied Blues and it’s sliding folk/blues railroad riff and some lovely picking asking where his sweet heart has gone I was instantly hooked. Lately I have heard nu-folk, anti-folk, Homicidal-folk (My personal favourite), metal folk and yesterday came across something called Laptop-folk, wtf? What you get with Sam is folk, Pure and simple and all the better for it if you ask me. From Addingham in Yorkshire, his father is also a folk singer and his Mother a lover of the music of Guthrie, Leadbelly and Dylan so it’s no surprise he has crafted songs in that same style. However, he also has a love of 80’s Madonna records as well as Hip hop and Reggae as you will read in the interview below which he has kindly granted us. Also with Sams kind permission he has given me a couple of Mp3’s for your downloading pleasure but please if you like it buy his E.P (Preferably on Vinyl) form the links provided or from your nearest Independant record store who will either have it or can order it for you. A rising star on the folk scene in the UK and is about to embark on a UK tour, go see him play when he visits your area, offer him and his friends a place to stay if you can as their sleeping arrangements at the moment as far as i can gather is an old battered Ford Escort. For me personally it’s so refreshing to hear music like this still being made. Some people say it’s all been done before but who says music has to progress all the time? Perhaps the most perfect music has already been made and all we need to do is keep playing it and making it in that style? Enjoy.

You can buy Sams E.P from these following links

www. outofstep. co. uk -
www. jumborecords. co. uk -
www. rhythmonline. co. uk -www. normansrecords. com -
www. clear-spot. nl (Netherlands)

YCD – Hello Sam, or shall I call you serious? How’s it going?

SSB – Alright man, thanks for asking.

YCD – Ok, might as well ask you now, promoting anything right now or recently released anything?

SSB – Yea my first record finally came out in May this year. It’s called the Yorkshire Rambler EP.

YCD – So where can we get a hold of this?

SSB – It’s being distributed by cargo so any independant record shop can get it for you if you ask nicely.

YCD – So you’re from Leeds right? Do you try and make music that reflects your landscape?

SSB – Well I’m from a village called Addingham originally which is a bit North of Leeds on the southern tip of the Yorkshire Dales. I’ve lived in Leeds for about 3 years now though. Yea, The older I get the more I try and put what it means to be from Yorkshire into my music, that is really important to me.

YCD – What are the biggest obstacles you feel a folk singer like yourself faces today?

SSB – An industry that favours the bland, dull, overproduced kind of folk music that you tend to hear nowadays. That’s what pisses me off anyway.

YCD – Ok, I don’t know if you are aware but they have recently found an old law that says all musicians since time began are allowed to take any song from anyone they like from any moment in time and claim it as their own, which one are you having then? Only one mind you.

SSB – Man that’s tough, as far as non-traditional songs go I wish I’d have written “Prove It All Night.” by Bruce Springsteen. That’s a beautiful song

YCD – What’s your guilty pleasure?

SSB – I’m not guilty about any of the music I listen to that a lot of people consider crap. I really like 80s Maddonna records.

YCD – What’s your best musical experience so far and why?

SSB – Going from Nashville to New Orleans with one of my best friends was amazing. We spent about 2 days pretty much in silence because it was such a moving experience finally being there.

YCD – Who’s currently rocking your turntable?

SSB – An old Scruggs style banjo compilation on the folkways label. A bunch of hicks on that record like the Stanley brothers and stuff. It’s ace.

YCD – What band/artist would you most like to play with?

SSB – I really like playing songs with my friends Mike Rossiter and David Broad. They inspire me more than anyone else who’s around nowadays to be honest. The only new music I really like is Hip Hop and Reggae. To me, that’s the only stuff that has the power and sincerity that old blues and folk records had.

YCD – What are your hopes and fears for you in the future, musically?

SSB – I hope to break even and keep travelling around playing songs to people. I only fear that one day I won’t be able to do that any more.

YCD – What did you think the last time you looked in the mirror?

SSB – I’m a greaseball.

YCD – You have a sound that is not dissimilar to the likes of Guthrie, Leadbelly and that depression era. Is this the kind of music you were brought up with?

SSB – Well yea, my Dad is a folk singer too and my Mum loves Woody and Dylan and Leadbelly. I’m a lucky man to have had such an amazing musical upbringing. My parents introduced me to loads of obscure folk music as a child.

YCD – And finally, are you working on anything at the moment? Tours, new albums etc?

SSB – Yup Myself, David Broad and Mike Rossiter are doing a UK tour in early November so check the myspace for the shows on that. I also have a new EP of Yorkshire songs coming out pretty soon. It’s going to be 3 traditional Yorkshire songs and also a song I wrote about growing up around here. I really wanted to make a record that is about where I’m from and the music from here so I’m really exited about it. It’s coming out on an awesome new label started by the guys who currently run Art Goes Pop called Yadig?. It’s sort of a DIY label with a folk/country/roots feel and I’m really happy to be a part of it because it looks really exiting.

YCD – Many thanks for the interview and we here at you crazy dreamers wish you all the best for the future.

SSB – Thank you for having me man, much appreciated.