Bobby Bare Jr. Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Mar 9th 2010 7:34PM by Amber Giavanni King
Comments

Don't be fooled by his spacey demeanor: When it comes to music, Bobby Bare Jr. means business. A true-blue born-and-bred Nashville musician, Bare has been performing since childhood, even earning a Grammy nomination for a duet with his father, country legend Bobby Bare, at age 6. Growing up in a musical family that celebrated country music influenced Bare the younger, and he eventually found his calling making post-rock with a hint of country and soul. Constantly collaborating with a variety of different musicians, he mainly records with his band, Young Criminals Starvation League, whose lineup varies with any given performance. With a live album, an EP and three full-length albums under his belt, he has created his own musical identity not only within the industry but within his family. Life has been good to Bobby by allowing him to build a career doing something he loves, and not even evil elves can bring him down.

How would you describe your sound?

My music is Southern and it rocks, but it's not Southern rock -- kind of like how R.E.M. is from Georgia and plays rock music, but they're not a Southern-rock band. Honestly, I'm a bad judge of my own music. Everything I think is good, people don't get, and music that I think is just OK, everyone loves.

How did the Young Criminals Starvation League form?

There's about 40 people in Nashville that can, at any moment, show up and play gigs. It's just me and people that I know from other bands.

What are your musical influences?

Shel Silverstein, Neil Young, my dad, Oingo Boing, Devo -- 'Uncontrollable Urge' is one of the greatest songs ever -- and the Smiths.

How did you come up with calling your band the Young Criminals Starvation League?

I just made it up. It's like bands playing different towns, always on the road, they have no money and they drink beer for free. It's like a group of bandits that travel across the country.

What's your biggest vice?

Pizza and Jack & Coke. Fast food.

What's in your festival survival kit?

Baby powder. In the summertime, you're playing a festival and it's burning up, you're hot, you can just dump some down the back of your shirt, and even the back of your pants, and it just sets you free. It helps a lot. Also, lots of water.

Who was your first celeb crush?

Elton John, I was obsessed with. I was about 7 or 6 when 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' came out and it just blew up my universe.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

Soft rock. The songs and the arrangements are great; it's the lyrics that are horrible.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

I was playing in a baseball stage in Oklahoma on a metal stage. It was 100 degrees. I thought I was having some kind of allergic reaction with my feet, but it turns out the metal melted my socks. So I had to dance around a lot.

What was it like coming from a musical family?

It was great, knowing that it is possible to do music for a living. I get a lot from them creatively.

Who did you last see in concert?

Dr. Dog in Bloomington, Indiana.

I read that you're afraid of elves. What's up with that?

They're creepy little dudes. They live in your imagination, always hiding behind bushes.

Amber Giavanni King is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.