red jacket mine » Ancient History

Ancient History

For the die-hard fans and the morbid ambulance-chasers among you, here are some details on my feebly-recorded but not-entirely-without-merit early four-track dispatches, with accompanying press clippings—and a few mp3s, just so you know you’re not missing much!

The Daylight Moon (CD-R)

released December 2003
Attempt #2, with much better results. Its reach has earned comparisons to the White Album, but its grasp is another story, unfortunately. Still, a good ‘ol four-track pop record, with quite a few winners. Also notable as the first occasion of Andy Salzman’s continuing involvement with Red Jacket Mine.

1. Loose Articles
2. You’re Just a Wire mp3
3. Sixty-Eight & Static
4. Saturday
5. My Favorite Pet
6. The Advent
7. Batter Up
8. Armistice Day

9. Can’t Stand It When It Rains
10. Arthur Miller’s Plays
11. Out of My Head
12. Cartographer Burns
13. Quiet Time for the Collins Kid
14. For a Rainbow mp3
15. Remain Silent
16. True Currency mp3

Review - Red Jacket Mine - The Daylight Moon

Splendid (http://www.splendidezine.com) - Oct. 8, 2004

by Steve English

Red Jacket Mine’s Lincoln Barr is an independent rock renaissance man: He writes, sings, and plays all the instruments (save for a couple of drum tracks) on his songs, records, produces and manufactures his own records, and even makes his own cover art. This guy’s so DIY he makes Ian MacKaye look like Seymour Stein.

People working so far off the record industry radar are usually doing so for good reason, but not Barr. Throughout this set of pleasant Beatlesque pop, he flashes enough skill and sweetness to suggest that his lack of a record contract is more choice than destiny. The arrangements are rather good, his sense of melody is solid, and the singing (especially on the rootsy “Out of My Head”) sounds an awful lot like Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy gone pop/rock. And he’s certainly mad about the Fab: “Saturday” is a reverb-drenched acoustic pop ditty that references Rubber Soul. The only stumbling block is the lyrics, which, while often serviceable, aren’t quite up to snuff — but with a little help from a friend (preferably of the professional songwriter kind), Barr’s lovely pop could soar. And no matter what the hardcore indie kids think, there’s no shame in asking for a hand; remember, even John Lennon had a co-writer.

(Thanks to the folks at Splendid for permission to reproduce this review. - LB)

Review - Red Jacket Mine - The Daylight Moon

Unfinished web zine (http://www.liepaper.com) - Sept. 5, 2004

by Hugh Miller

With The Daylight Moon, his second self released album, Lincoln Barr proves that you don’t need fancy studio equipment to make good music. Although the 16 tracks of TDM were crafted by Barr on a standard four track recorder, the sound quality is above average, and he has managed to create a diverse collection of songs. Barr’s music is influenced by the pop sensibility of artists such as The Beatles & The Decemberists, as well as the DIY attitude of Elliott Smith & Guided By Voices. The songs are full of hooks and the lyrics are very well written. It might have helped to exclude a few songs, but this is a surprisingly consistent release. If Barr can keep cranking out beautiful songs like “Saturday” and find the right producer to help refine his work, then he could be on his way to becoming one of the basement world’s next lo-fi heroes.

(Many thanks to Hugh at Unfinished for kind permission to reproduce this review. - LB)

Red Jacket Mine makes good music here at home

The Capaha Arrow, Cape Girardeau, MO - Feb. 11, 2004

by Doc Bertram

Local talent is something we can all take pride in, and there is much pride to be had in “The Daylight Moon,” the sophomore effort by Red Jacket Mine, a one-man-band staffed by Southeast’s own Lincoln Barr.
Recorded entirely on a four-track machine in his own home, Barr’s CD gives us more of what savvy listeners crave: hip, thoughtful, carefully crafted music. “The Daylight Moon” is Red Jacket Mine’s follow-up to 2003’s “Mice and the Bad Angel.” The new album shows growth, passion and a wit that few can match.

He’s been compared to a cross between the Beatles (circa 1966) and Elvis Costello (without the Attractions), and shaded with hints of Guided by Voices and couple other indie bands, but in easily acceptable doses that never eclipse his own sound and undeniable talent.

Barr experiments with great musical elements deemed dangerous by other, less adventurous artists. An atonal, whispery musical intro and two instrumental interludes are just some of what makes the album exciting, original and ingenious. Other points of merit are the different styles the album exhibits. Rock, folk, rockabilly, country, slow and lazy love melodies and a couple of angular and angst-tinged pieces can all be heard. This variety is a look into the mind of a man who knows good music, and who has the ability to build a catalog of quality originals on a number of admired musical traditions.

Barr is a talented musician and contributed all the production, vocals, lyrics and instrumentation excluding percussion on some songs. 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.

Tracks like the infectiously catchy “You’re a Wire” (sic), “Batter Up” and the surprisingly funky “Out of My Head” make you ask why Red Jacket Mine isn’t on the radio. Other songs like the hypnotic “Can’t Stand It When It Rains” and the ethereal “Remain Silent” instill an awe and respect for Barr, a man who writes and performs at a level far beyond his age.

A sharp style permeates the entire album, from the simple, yellow cover to the poetic track titles on the back; and I must express my delight in the grooved, mock 45 look of the discs. “Daylight” has all the bells and whistles of a high-priced disc from a highly paid band, but a certain charm and sincerity is earned from the home-business aspect of Red Jacket Mine. It makes you glad you’re supporting good, local music.

“The Daylight Moon” is available at all Red Jacket Mine shows, and can also be ordered in-person should you happen to run into Barr on campus. If you like smart, cleverly written songs that gel with one another while maintaining their own individual personalities on a hip, beautifully designed album, “Daylight” will be one of the wisest purchases of the year.
Barr will be performing Friday at Grace Café on Broadway at 7:30 p.m.

Mice & the Bad Angel (CD-R)

released August 2003
My first foray into the world of home recording and DIY album-making, with mixed results…recorded entirely on my Tascam 424mkIII with one Shure SM58, and it shows. “Monotone” featured heavily in the RJM live sets well into 2006, though, and several others here probably could have. Happily out-of-print, I’m pleased to say…

1. Stars Smiling in the Socket of Your Eye
2. Nazi Backpack
3. Monotone mp3
4. Running in Place
5. Napoleon Jaundice Candy
6. You Were Right
7. Open Parachute + Fly
8. King of Mullets
9. Blowin’ It
10. Loose Tooth

“You Can’t Touch Me Cuz I’m Calloused and I’m Ugly.”

Mice & The Bad Angel is a treasure chest of musical composition and 60s-derivation jam-packed with quirky lyrics and catchy melodies. Its hard not to sing the words to “You Were Right” and, on the comical instrumental “Napoleon Jaundice Candy,” to wish you were in a cartoon riding the wackiest horse on the planet. The recording quality and mixing aren’t the greatest, but the quality in songwriting and performance overcome that obstacle. Lincoln Barr and Casio have a way with creating a mood to fit with each song. Whether it be the fuzzy background noise in “Loose Tooth” and in “You Were Right,” arguably the two best songs on the album, or the three-part harmony in the opening track “Stars Smiling in the Socket of Your Eye,” this album is fun and full of surprises while maintaining its composure as a serious effort. It’s hard not to think of The Velvet Underground, The Beatles, Buffalo Springfield, and other late 60s bands, but the foundation is laid down by Barr’s thick vocals, originality, and sense of humor. Only one track seems less than memorable, “Open Parachute + Fly,” despite a wonderful 24 second intro.

— David Z. Holland

City of Roses spotlights Southeast students

The Capaha Arrow, Cape Girardeau, MO - Sept. 23, 2003
(NOTE: Half of this review is devoted to Doc Bertram. Visit his site here.)

by Dustin Michael

In a world where playing a three-chord progression that passes for “Brown-Eyed Girl” crowns you a campus prince, creating a decent original tune makes you a musical god.
Tremble, mortals, for in our midst are two guys who’ve each cranked out an entire CD of fresh, original material, complete with a unique, identifiable vocal style. Before you check them out at the City of Roses Music Festival this weekend, better bone up on the works of your ruling deities.

First up, “Life So Far,” a collection of textured tunes chronicling the folk adventures of Doc Bertram. By the end of the opening track, it’s clear Bertram is like that bastard at the party who broke out the acoustic and swooped up all the chicks—only a little more sincere and a lot smarter.

While he’s an admitted Bob Dylan fanatic, Bertram manages to avoid the pitfall into which legions of his fellow folkies have fallen ‹ sounding just like Bob Dylan ‹ and comes through with a sound Dylan fans will appreciate and Dylan haters won’t mind. He writes laid-back songs on subjects that speak to us all: love, travel, the magic of a state fair and not being able to tell the difference between a dress and a gown. There is a touching, human tone that rings through each track. Bertram’s cold-lemonade tenor rings refreshingly in the sweetly clever love song, “Outta My League,” while he unsheathes his razor wit and hacks away on the diabolical, “Get Over You (The Revenge Song).”
But perhaps what carries “Life So Far” best is Bertram’s modest, unassuming persona, which at all times shines through as fearless, relaxed and unashamed.

Also notably fearless is one-man musical dynamo Lincoln Barr, frontman for Red Jacket Mine. That band’s new release, “Mice and the Bad Angel,” is a rare and dazzling musical marvel. In an amazing feat of creative and technical flexibility (and for lack of bandmates), Barr wrote, performed and engineered all the tracks on the album, piling on layers of sound one at a time right down to the backup vocals, where he harmonizes with himself. Even more amazing ‹ it sounds great.

Influenced by the Beatles, Guided by Voices, Elvis Costello and Wilco, Barr aims for a pop-based sound where his infectiously catchy melodies serve as a petrie dish for his lyrical experiments. “Mice and the Bad Angel” abounds with instrumental brilliance, too. One track, “Napoleon Jaundice Candy,” is a bouncing guitar romp through a musical landscape almost entirely of Barr’s own creation. From the soaring electricity on “Open Parachute & Fly” to the soft majesty of “Blowing It,” the range of Barr’s musicianship is astounding, and a perfect balance for his artful verses. The priceless, southeast Missouri bar-inspired “King of Mullets,” is a gem to be mounted in the class ring of anyone’s CD collection.
Go listen to both these dudes downtown at the gazebo Saturday night from 8 to 10, Bertram first. Learn their names now, because you’ll hear them again.

And just to warn you, if Barr and Bertram show up at the party with guitar cases, you can bet you won’t be leaving with the girl you spent all night chatting up.
You might go home with a couple new CDs, though.