Credit Alex Marcenaro
It may seem odd to describe 17 year-old as a music veteran but, given that Jack Barksdale started his professional career at age 9, the term rings true. More to the point, it’s hard to escape the impressive maturity of his musicianship and songwriting. Case in point is “Freak Show”, the latest single from his forthcoming EP Out of Order.
A carnival vibe, a la Tom Waits, permeates the song. It’s in part driven by the clarinet, piano, and fiddle that weave their way around Barksdale’s guitar. It’s also inherent in lyrics that vividly capture the tale of a man visiting a circus side show, gaping at others only to find himself the center of attention. The marriage of the colorful lyrical detail and brooding musical backdrop is intoxicating.
Barksdale and producer Mark Edgar Stuart both weigh in on the song and recording. Says Barksdale:
I co-wrote ‘Freak Show’ with Alabama singer-songwriter Matt Prater. Matt and I have a mutual friend and fellow songwriter Abe Partridge. In several of Abe’s songs, he uses chaos and dissonance as scene-setting and storytelling tools to take the audience to a new realm with him. Matt and I both picked up on the power of this technique and wanted to try it out. That was where we started.
Matt had the idea to explore a sideshow and write the song around that. From there we kept exploring the idea, trying to keep the lyrics and message tasteful but not too predictable. I think we were pretty successful in keeping the chaos at the center while still making it mean something.
As far as the recording I’m very happy with how the musical elements of the song turned out.
It’s always been tough to get the song right when I play it live, but I think everyone involved in the recording did a great job with it and really got to the essence of the song.
Danny Banks played some amazing percussion to really help set the scene and Mark Edgar Stuart (who also produced the song) played the bass and found a really great space to occupy.
We three laid the foundation and then had more and more textures layered on. Wylie Bigger on piano, Krista Wroten on violin, Jim Spake on Clarinet, and Alexis Grace singing background vocals. They all brought different flavors and helped build up the character and personality of the song.
Adds Stuart:
Songs this good make it easy to produce. Recorded inside an old battered mansion once owned by southern novelist Shelby Foote, we shared the space with ghosts. Being an old soul, wise beyond his years, Jack was perfectly at home. It was the best possible setting for a freak show…
Twangville is honored to premiere the video for “Freak Show” from Jack Barksdale’s forthcoming Out of Order.
About the author: Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.