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The Barr Brothers Credit Backstage Fire for Bringing Band Together

The Barr BrothersAndre Guerette

In life, major mishaps often trigger surprising opportunities. Case in point, if it wasn't for a backstage fire, Brad and Andrew Barr may have never moved to Montreal, hooked up with a classically trained harpist, and revealed a folksier side on the Barr Brothers' excellent eponymous debut.

During a recent tour stop in Toronto, the band sat down at Saving Grace, one of the city's hippest brunch spots, to break bread with Spinner. (And we know it's hip 'cause we spotted hipster poster boy Michael Cera enjoying a late breakfast.)

While waiting for our Eggs Benedict, the Barr Brothers reflected on that fateful Montreal gig.

Back in 2004, when brothers Brad and Andrew Barr were members of the Boston-based avant-rock trio the Slip, a cigarette butt recklessly tossed into a backstage garbage can produced some unintentional pyrotechnics.

"We were doing a sort of Squarepusher-version of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah.' It was a pivotal moment, when the crowd was singing along, and all of a sudden, smoke starts billowing out of the back of the club," drummer Andrew Barr told Spinner.

With sprinklers raining down, the band grabbed their gear and joined fans on the rain-slicked street. In the midst of the chaos, Andrew made a love connection.

"I'd seen this waitress earlier that night, and lucky for me she was forced out on the street," Andrew joked. "It was raining out, so I gave her my sweatshirt and I got a phone number in exchange."

Andrew fell hard for Meghan Clinton (now the band's current co-manager). A year later, when he decided to move to Montreal, his brother tagged along.

Watch the Barr Brothers Perform 'Lord I Just Can't Keep From Cryin''

In Montreal, guitarist and vocalist Brad Barr answered an ad on Craigslist and unwittingly moved next door to his soon-to-be muse.

At the time, classical harpist Sarah Pagé was studying music at Montreal's McGill University. She practiced eight hours a day and the music that drifted through the walls inspired Brad to pick up his guitar and pen the most intimate songs of his career.

"I had the good fortune to move next door to Sarah," he said. "I would listen through the wall, while she practiced. Sometimes it was just warm-up scales, but her touched just moved me."

"I actually stole music from her through the wall, but something mystical happened because when I went back to play it for her, she couldn't tell; she seemed to have some sort of amnesia," he joked.

When Pagé and the boys hooked up with multi-instrumentalist Andrés Vial, the Barr Brothers were born.

Three years later, the band have emerged with a stellar debut that bridges acoustic folk ('Begger in the Morning,' 'Clouds') with full-on blues stompers ('Lord, I just Can't Keep From Crying'), and all and all points in between.

The record is garnering praise from fans and critics alike, but Brad Barr won't take credit. He said that even when the band sequestered in their makeshift home studio in the basement boiler room, he never intended to make a record. Instead, he chalks it all up to fate.

"We didn't know we were making a record. It was just an experiment," he said. "We all met randomly and it happened really naturally. Now it feels we were doing what we came to Montreal to do."

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auramac

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October 27 2011 at 12:06 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
lilyfoys

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October 27 2011 at 2:34 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to lilyfoys's comment
beverlyamy1

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October 27 2011 at 12:55 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply