Bio
Led by singer/songwriter Lincoln Barr, Seattle band Red Jacket Mine has spent the last two years perfecting its singular brand of twilit pop—equal parts soaring psychedelia, spectral Americana, and string-laden chamber rock.
Begun as a solo four-track project to satiate an overactive mind trapped in the barren hill country of southeast Missouri, arrangements have grown more ambitious and tape hiss levels have mercifully fallen, but Barr’s vivid lyrical imagery and melodic songcraft have remained constant. Joined in Seattle by fellow Missouri transplant Andy Salzman (drums), Seattle rock veteran Patrick Porter (guitar/pedal steel), and Idahoan jungle cat Ryan Chapman (bass), Barr’s dreams of Red Jacket Mine-as-real-band finally became reality, and the band set about honing its craft in a series of increasingly high-profile club gigs while Barr penned the songs that would comprise their debut studio album.
Recorded at Seattle’s Studio Litho by producer/engineer Shawn Simmons, Hello, Old Cloud delivers on the promise of Red Jacket Mine’s early recordings and impassioned live performances. Featuring an impressive array of guest musicians, including upright bassist Keith Lowe (Bill Frisell, Fiona Apple), keyboard whiz Paul Hiraga (Downpilot, Ian Moore), and renowned string arranger Eyvind Kang (Blonde Redhead, Laura Veirs), the album was released in April 2008.
The band is currently working on a follow-up with producer/contributor Ken Stringfellow (The Posies/R.E.M./Big Star).
Hi-Res Promo Shots by Seth Wonner -
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What Others Have Said…
Hello, Old Cloud reveals how much Barr has grown as a songwriter in the last five years…[his vocals] are in strong form throughout the record…I am confident that Red Jacket Mine are just getting started.
— Hugh Miller, Unfinished web zine, May 19, 2008
Hello, Old Cloud drifts along languidly, buoyed by Barr’s slightly fragile voice and intelligent lyrics. Like spiked lemonade, it’s refreshing and intoxicating.
— Barbara Mitchell, Portland Tribune, March 14, 2008
…on the cusp of releasing debut album Hello, Old Cloud, [Red Jacket Mine’s] confident orchestrations sound like they’ve been around for much longer, as do songwriter Lincoln Barr’s mature lyrics and smooth delivery.
— Seattle Metropolitan magazine, January 2008
Delicate, but not precious…[Starboard] showcases Barr’s nimble, low-key guitar playing and hushed vocals…recalls a young Scott McCaughey…a very fine thing for a newcomer.
— Kurt B. Reighley, The Stranger, June 21, 2006
I can’t get over how confident Barr’s voice sounds on Starboard…the melancholy title track stands as one of (his) best…(he) has come into his own with this strong release.
— Hugh Miller, Unfinished web zine, May 8, 2006
Whatever else you do while listening to Lincoln Barr’s songs, don’t disregard the words. This guy writes lyrics that make you think, and feel, and laugh. There’s a wonderful conversational quality to the songs, as if you’re hanging out with this wild-but-focused thinker who lets you in on his world, confiding in you, bringing you along. This guy can write.
— Dale Haskell (NOTE: Dale Haskell is a fine songwriter in his own right. Visit his site here.)
Barr proves that you don’t need fancy studio equipment to make good music…he could be on his way to becoming one of the basement world’s next lo-fi heroes.
— Hugh Miller, Unfinished web zine, Sept. 5, 2004
Barr’s vocal performance is uniquely haunting…An easy moan swoops up and down the registers with a kind of aloofness that somehow retains a very real element of enthusiasm. Listeners wonder if he is actually going to hit that one note—and then he does.
— Tony Bertram, The Capaha Arrow, Feb. 11, 2004
People working so far off the record industry radar are usually doing so for good reason, but not Barr…he flashes enough skill and sweetness to suggest that his lack of a record contract is more choice than destiny.
— Steve English, Splendid web zine, Oct. 8, 2004