Interview with the talented musician Danielle Barbe

I first discovered the music of Danielle Barbe (Pronounced Barb) in the summer of 2010, when it was announced she would be an opening act for "The Gracious Few" on their nationwide tour.  Normally I don't care about who an opening band is, let alone seek out their music before the show, but for some reason I found myself searching for Danielle Barbe on i-Tunes.  After listening to the 30 second samples, I was interested enough to download the full album.  It quickly became one of my favorites and I would find myself listening to it over and over during the work day.

Lisa and I saw Danielle open for "The Gracious Few" at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California.  As good as her CD is, she was that much better live.  From her captivating stage presence, to her soaring vocals, she wowed the crowd and was warmly received.  Lisa and I met Danielle after the show and were able to express our appreciation of her music, and got a CD signed.

In the summer of 2011, Lisa and I were in New York City, and saw Danielle preform at the Rockwood Music Hall.  It's a intimate little club in the lower east side, and after her one hour performance, Danielle was gracious enough to chat with us, and take a few photos with her.

She is an amazing vocalist and a very kind and fun loving individual.  She agreed to allow me to interview her, and I have posted it below.  Check out her music at www.daniellebarbe.com/


Let’s start off with a little background information. How did you get your start?

I started singing in church around the age of 6. I’d perform little songs for the holidays and my grandma, also a singer, would get me some performances in her church. I eventually joined school choir and started singing in musicals and plays. Then, my brother formed a band in high school and asked me to sing. That’s how I ended up, finally, singing rock music. I loved it so much that I never looked back…

How would you describe your music for those that haven't heard you before?

Catchy rock 'n roll. I really think my album has something for everyone, though.

Where do you draw your influences from?

When I was little, my dad put a lot of tapes in my hands. Because of him, I grew up listening to The Rolling Stones, Black Crowes, Sheryl Crow, Alanis, and a lot of other artists. I loved the male front people – like Steven Tyler, Mick Jagger, Marc Bolan… I just thought it was the coolest thing. We’d watch videos of those guys performing. I was pretty little, but I’m sure that influenced me. Nowadays I try to stay inspired. Whether it’s through music, fashion, art, anything. People are so creative! It’s pretty easy to stay inspired.

What genre of music is your least favorite?

Screamo. Sometimes I can appreciate it, but for the most part it just makes me nervous. I feel like the people are personally screaming at me. Gives me anxiety.

What music have you been listening to lately?

Lots of female artists I've loved for quite awhile and am now revisiting. A lot of Fiona Apple, Alanis, Feist, Sharon Jones, Sheryl Crow… It feels good to get back in touch with my ladies!

What is your favorite track off the album and why?

This varies from day to day. Today is an Explosive Minute day. I got into the car with one of my best friends and she was blasting it. It’s a good car jam.

What dream tour would you love to be on with any past or present bands?

Probably Foo Fighters. In my dreams, Dave Grohl is my husband. So talented and they put on an amazing live show.

The Future Mr. Danielle Barbe?

What do you feel has been your biggest break or greatest opportunity?

There have been a lot of great breaks and thankfully things just keep rolling in. I'm so grateful! Getting my song on the television show "Ghost Whisperer" and the "Vampires Suck" soundtrack was amazing. MTV picking up the video for "Ghost Town" was thrilling. And now playing Warped Tour…

Speaking of the Warped Tour, how is that going?

It was an amazing opportunity to be selected for. There were so many people at the event, out in the extreme heat, just because they love music and wanted to see bands.

How would you rate your live performance ability? Do you feel more comfortable live or in the studio?

I truly love performing live. I don’t think that could ever get old for me. I still get jitters right before, but it’s a good thing. Maybe this is weird, but I don’t want to ever get too comfortable. I’m afraid if I get too comfortable it means I’ve stopped pushing myself and stepping out of the box.

Your music seems very personal, and deals with subjects close to you. Is it difficult or scary sharing yourself in song and on stage?

It is very personal! It was incredibly scary for a long time... There are still certain moments where I feel very vulnerable writing about difficult experiences and about certain people. It's terrifying to put yourself out there! Once you take the first leap it gets easier and easier.


Why have you succeeded in an industry where so many others fail?

Perseverance. I believe that you have to have talent, but the ones who can really stick it out, and wait it out, are the ones who can make it.

What has been your favorite on stage moment?

Sharing the stage with Kevin Martin (Candlebox and The Gracious Few) was amazing. Love him! Warped Tour was very cool too. A very different experience.



What is the funniest/weirdest thing that has happened on the road?

There are a lot of great stories... One time we broke down near a small town in CA called Yreka. We couldn’t leave the van on so we were all freezing on the side of the dark road, hoping that AAA showed up. They never did. Finally the cops had to come get us and take us to a Best Western. Nobody in town could repair the van right away, so we ended up having to take a U-Haul to our next show. I’ll never forget the look on everyone’s faces when we pulled up in a U-Haul and I stepped out in my 4 inch heels and walked into the club.

What has been your favorite city to perform in and why?

Oh, I can’t pick just one! I loved Seattle and Portland. I had never been. The venues were very cool. In Seattle I got to play at Showbox, where so many well-known bands have performed in the past, and in Portland we performed in this place called The Wonder Ballroom. It really looked like an old ballroom or gym. Very unique.

What is the most unusal place you have ever played a show or made a recording?

I played a lot of funny places when I was starting out. Some grad parties… a motorcycle event… We pretty much recorded in garages. I think you have to do this kind of stuff. It teaches you how to perform under any conditions. Our old rehearsal space was in a big plant and had no air conditioning or heating. We’d have to rehearse in snowsuits in the wintertime. It was hilarious.


Check out Danielle's latest video "Wango Tango" here



If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

I feel like the industry is really changing at the moment... I'm just interested to see what happens. I'm along for the ride. I feel like artists can have a lot more control than they used to, and can do so many things independently, but we’re all just kind of figuring out what works and what doesn’t.

Where would you like to see yourself in five years as an artist? What are your long term goals?

I have to tell you that I’m very much the type of person who lives day-to-day. I’m impulsive and I like to enjoy all the little moments and I try not worry too much. I’m trying to make music that I truly believe in. I just want to keep growing as an artist and be able to do this every day. It’s a lot of work but it’s incredibly fun and rewarding.


How do you feel about file sharing or people recording your shows?

I'm fine with people recording the shows. I think it's amazing that people love the show enough to record it and take the time to upload it and share it with others. I do hope that people will buy my CD... You know, I have to make a living too. However, I'm glad it's reaching new ears everyday and that people are sharing it with others.

What is the best piece of advice you have been given?

Oh, I’ve been given a lot of good advice… A well-known singer told me to learn as much as I can, practice as much as I can, and then when I hit the stage, to just forget about it all. I feel that’s very true. You learn as much as you can until it’s ingrained in your memory and then you just let go.

If you were not a singer, what would you be doing?

I’d probably be a psychologist. That’s what I studied in college. Either that or designing. Interior design, graphic design, fashion design.. I love it all.


The video for Danielle's hit single "Ghost Town

Where would you like to visit on your next tour?

I’d love to go to the UK and play some dates.

When can fans expect new music or be able to see you on tour?

I’d say late fall. I’m always writing and working on new things, so we’ll see.

What aspect of making music excites you the most right now?

The promotion of my music is becoming very exciting. I love meeting all these new fans online and hearing their thoughts on my music.

What is your pet peeve and why?

About five minutes ago, I was wondering why so many people on Facebook badly crop someone next to them out of their profile picture and use it. I’d feel bad if I was that person’s friend and they cut half my face off.

One last question:  Rock, Paper or Scissors and why?

Paper. So I could write. Sometimes words are the best, and wisest, weapon.

Thanks to the amazing Danielle Barbe for this interview!  Check her out at www.DanielleBarbe.com and pick up her CD at iTunes

Steve Carell Visits the Daily Show

This may be one of the funniest interviews I have ever seen. Steve Carell visits "The Daily Show" to promote his film "Get Smart", and luckily for us, they don't get around to talking about the movie until the end of the interview.

Ron Burgundy Interviews Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo

Michael Emerson (Ben Linus) from "LOST" talks about Season 4

There is a very interesting article with Michael Emerson of LOST about the upcoming season 4. Not a lot of new information, but it's an interesting read and he drops hints like: "I think Ben is dead right about that. I think we can trust Ben on that one; that the people on the boat mean them no good." and "But these new characters are really intriguing and some of them are quite dangerous. It's going to be interesting."

You can read the whole interview here: http://darkufo.blogspot.com/2008/01/michael-emerson-talks-season-4.html

How not to interview a celebrity

A communications major misses her film class to interview John Cusack and mistakes him for Kevin Spacey. Ouch.

Christopher Nolan talks about "The Dark Knight"

IGN.com has released an interview they did with Christopher Nolan about "The Dark Knight". Some very interesting things in there. To read the full article, click here.

IGN: Judging from all the stills we've seen thus far, he hardly ever smiles. Do you think others have misinterpreted the character and thought he was supposed to be funny when he may actually be meant to be more ironic?

Nolan: There are different types of being funny. The sequence you've seen has a very dark sense of humor to it, I think. Very sardonic sense of humor to what he's doing and that's the way in which he's funny. And, yes, it's very easy to confuse that with a lot of smiling and a lot of laughing but what he does in the film is very difficult to capture in stills to be perfectly frank. It's one of the reasons we wanted to show this sequence as well, to get his introduction out there. It's the total package. It's the way he moves, the way he is, it's the way he inhabits the character. I'm just so excited by it. I think people will be really blown away by it.

Blogs from Iraq

Just wanted to post about a couple of writers that I really enjoy and their view of Iraq from the inside.

"Our military has increasing moral authority in Iraq, but the same cannot be said for our government at home. In fact, it’s in moral deficit because many Iraqis are increasingly frightened we will abandon them to genocide. The Iraqis I speak with couldn’t care less what is said from Washington but large numbers of them pay close attention to what some Marine Gunny says, or what American battalion commanders all over Iraq say. Some of our commanders could probably run for local offices in Iraq, and win. To say there has been no political progress in Iraq in 2007 is patently absurd, completely wrong and dangerously dismissive of the significant changes and improvements happening all across Iraq. Whether or not Americans are seeing it on the nightly news or reading it in their local papers, Iraqis are actively writing their children’s history."

http://michaelyon-online.com/wp/three-marks-on-the-horizon.htm

From the NY Daily News:

I have seen the horror
Al Qaeda is guilty of monstrosities in Iraq - no matter what anyone says
MICHAEL YON
Sunday, August 5th 2007, 4:00 AM

Amid all this talk of timetables for the War in Iraq, blurred as they are by a strange lemming-like compulsion to declare the "surge" strategy a failure almost before it actually began, one deadline looms larger with each passing day: It's time for a reckoning with the truth.

The problem is that almost none of those who have cast themselves as truth-tellers have the requisite credibility for the job. The one man who does was told he had only until September to evaluate progress.

I'm not suggesting that I make a worthy substitute for the commanding general, David Petraeus, on this or any subject, but since December of 2004, I have spent roughly a 1½ years on the battlefields of Iraq.

I've traveled alongside American Army and Marines and British forces, from Basra to Mosul and just about anywhere of note in between.

When it comes to Iraq, being there matters because of the massive disconnect between what most Americans think they know about Iraq, and what is actually going on there.

The current controversy about the extent to which Al Qaeda is a threat to peace in Iraq is a case in point. Questions about which group calling itself an offshoot of Al Qaeda is really an offshoot of Al Qaeda is a distraction masquerading as a debate.
Al Qaeda is in Iraq, intentionally inflaming sectarian hostilities, deliberately pushing for full scale civil war. They do this by launching attacks against Shia, Sunni, Kurds and coalition forces. To ensure the attacks provoke counterattacks, they make them particularly gruesome.

Five weeks ago, I came into a village near Baqubah with American and Iraqi soldiers. Al Qaeda had openly stated Baqubah was their worldwide headquarters — indeed, Al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed just a short drive away.
Behind the village was a palm grove. I stood there, amid the crushing stench of death, and photographed the remains of decapitated children and murdered adults. I can still smell the rotting corpses of those children.

Clearly, not every terrorist in Iraq is Al Qaeda, but it is Al Qaeda that has been intentionally, openly, brazenly trying to stoke a civil war. As Al Qaeda is now being chased out of regions it once held without serious challenge, their tactics are tinged with desperation.

This may be the greatest miscalculation they've made in their otherwise sophisticated battle for the hearts and minds of locals, and it is one we must exploit.

In fact, some Sunni insurgents who formerly were allies of Al Qaeda have turned on them simply because Al Qaeda has proven it will murder anyone — and in the most horrible ways. One of these groups is called the 1920 Revolution Brigade, which turned on Al Qaeda and joined forces with the U.S.

On July 16, I was with American Army forces, Iraqi Army forces and 1920 fighters when together they went off to hunt Al Qaeda. The 1920s guys were in front of us. They got hit by a bomb that was almost certainly planted by terrorists. A major gunfight ensued.

Anyone who says Al Qaeda is not one of the primary problems in Iraq is simply ignorant of the facts.

I, like everyone else, will have to wait for September's report from Gen. Petraeus before making more definitive judgments. But I know for certain that three things are different in Iraq now from any other time I've seen it.

1. Iraqis are uniting across sectarian lines to drive Al Qaeda in all its disguises out of Iraq, and they are empowered by the success they are having, each one creating a ripple effect of active citizenship.

2. The Iraqi Army is much more capable now than it was in 2005. It is not ready to go it alone, but if we keep working, that day will come.

3. Gen. Petraeus is running the show. Petraeus may well prove to be to counterinsurgency warfare what Patton was to tank battles with Rommel, or what Churchill was to the Nazis.

And yes, in case there is any room for question, Al Qaeda still is a serious problem in Iraq, one that can be defeated. Until we do, real and lasting security will elude both the Iraqis and us.

Yon is a former Special Forces soldier who later became a writer and a photographer. His work appears in the Weekly Standard, the National Review and on www.michaelyon-online.com

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This is from Michael Totten www.michaeltotten.com who interviews an Iraqi interpreter for the U.S. military who must cover his entire face at all times for fear of retaliation against himself and his family from Mahdi Army militiamen and Al Qaeda terrorists.

"MJT: What is the worst thing you have ever seen in this country.

Hammer: 60 guys from Al Qaeda kidnapped an interpreter’s sister. She had a baby boy, six months old. They raped her, all 60 guys. Then they cut her to pieces and threw her in the river. They left the six month baby boy to sleep in her blood.

We found him on a big farm south of Baghdad. All that was left was his legs and his shoes. The dogs ate him.

I don’t want this for my family.

These people are like animals who came from another planet."

Quite possibly the worst interview of all time