Kim Barlow has relaunched her musical life in Nova Scotia after many years in the Yukon and a recent parenting hiatus. Creative and eccentric writer of songs, skillful on guitar and clawhammer banjo, Barlow has recorded six albums of her own work and many collaborations. Her newest recording, How to Let Go features some of the East Coast’s best: Mark Adam on drums, Nicholas D'Amato on bass, special guests including Old Man Luedecke, and strong new songs about domestic minutiae, the larger picture, and a wild slant on some traditional Maritime tunes. It was nominated for a 2019 Nova Scotia Music Award for Folk Recording of the Year, and Barlow has joined the Coax Records label, founded by Rae Spoon in Victoria BC.
Collaborations include duo Spring Breakup, with Mathias Kom of the Burning Hell and stringband Ida Red, a foot-stomping collective started with Gaspereau songster Heather Kelday. Accolades include Juno nominations for her album Gingerbread, and with stringband Annie Lou. Barlow is rapidly gaining momentum with her new projects in the Annapolis Valley. Watch for her - teaching banjo and ukulele in Canning and Wolfville; hosting Friday old-time sessions at the hall in Kingsport; or gigging solo, with Ida Red, and other musical companions around the Maritimes.
Kim Barlow Band Stage Plot & Tech Rider
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Reviews for How To Let Go and the single, Whitehorse:
“The Yukon’s loss was Nova Scotia’s gain when songwriter Kim Barlow decided to pack up her banjo and move back home after two decades of living and playing music out of Whitehorse.” Her "songs are full of observational life and joyous whimsy” - Stephen Cooke, Chronical Herald
How To Let Go is the new album from Nova Scotia singer/songwriter Kim Barlow. Long a fixture on the Canadian indie folk scene, the thirteen tracks show that Barlow has lost none of her creative prowess. The album rewards the listener with wonderfully diverse songs, that explore the intersection between traditional and progressive folk in a way that envelops the listener in a sonic landscape deep in aural influences, musical nuance and imagination. Barlow delivers an album that is a testament to the continual relevancy of folk as an artform. This album is a definite must have. floorshimezipperboots.com
"Seriously everyone you need to check out @kimbarlow77 ‘s new single and get ready for so much more. Legit not had this off repeat tonight" - MusicOfTheFuture
Featured on the AltRoot Top Ten http://www.thealternateroot.com/topten101018.html
Whitehorse is a brilliantly eccentric take on folk songwriting. Starting off with an almost dreamlike keyboard, the song quickly opens up to Barlow’s confessional vocals. But what starts off as a sparse, intimate affair quickly builds to a glorious cinematic landscape. Percussion and hand claps echo the “I’m galloping home, on my own white horse” refrain, building with each repetition. What started off as a small musical universe quickly reveals itself to be filled with melodic colour. Kim Barlow has taken slices from multiple genres and created an idiosyncratic tressure. liveinlimbo.com
…a biographical road trip that gradually builds in percussive energy as it clips along. This tune's been stuck in my head all week. - someparty.ca
photo credit: Bruce Dienes
photo credit: Ruth Borgfjord
Kim Barlow & Justin Haynes: Photo by Jeff Dreves
photo by Corey Isnor
More reviews:
Kim Barlow with Justin Haynes’ Camden: "It's beautiful! [Barlow’s voice] sounds strong and frail all at once! It goes really close to the bone.” - Composer Martin Arnold, Toronto ON
Spring Breakup’s It’s Not You, It’s Me “There are no weak songs here...and many leave the world slightly altered when they’re done. Kom, who also leads the Burning Hell, dispenses his pearls (“the world is my oyster, but I’m allergic to shellfish”) in a drooping deep baritone, while Barlow’s lightly rusted soprano seems just right for songs about what happens after you’re pushed beyond your limit and your dead horse is still dead. Buy this record.” - Globe and Mail
Champ: “Who says the Canadian music scene has to be centred around Montreal and Toronto? With Champ, Yukon-based singer/songwriter Kim Barlow has bucked trends and intuition, releasing an inspired album...that competes with the best of them.” Chronicle Herald, Halifax
Champ: “Kim Barlow is a great Canadian talent. ...Barlow sets herself apart from the hordes of folk singer-songwriters by managing to combine traditional elements such as banjo and fingerpicked guitar, with more contemporary techniques and structures. Her music is often sparse, letting the imperfections of her voice shine through and create an incredibly personal listening experience. Overall, Barlow’s charmingly sincere album will appeal to more than just fans of folk music and will warm many a frozen heart.” FFWD, Calgary
luckyburden: “…Barlow’s luckyburden disc, which features songs written about the denizens of a former silver mining town in the Yukon, is one of the best folk concept albums since Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska.” -Georgia Straight, Vancouver
Humminah: “... is the most heavily played CD to come into our office this year." - Pierre Guerin, Artistic Director, Winnipeg Folk Festival 1999.