I drove to the Mission District in San Francisco and met producer Michael Winger at his place, Sound Arts Recording Studio. We were gearing up to record our first HearYa Session with Joey Barro, lead singer of The Antiques.

After dinner and a few beers, Caleb and Matt from Banter Records strolled in and said that Joey was still recording some solo stuff with Tim Bluhm of The Mother Hips and Jackie Greene at Bluhm’s studio down the street. Would we like to join them? Yes we would.

We got the grand tour of the studio space, met Bluhm and Jackie (both really great guys), then headed back to Winger’s studio with Joey in tow. We were told in advance that there was a chance that Tim and Jackie would head back to join in the session, but they had other plans. Hopefully we’ll get ‘em next time.

Barro was still eager to join and his presence was all that was needed. Each track was recorded in one take. For your listening pleasure, Barro shares acoustic, solo performances of “Gun Shy” from the Antiques’ 2006 release, Nicknames and Natives and several other unreleased solo tracks. Joey is a gifted songwriter that carefully chooses each word in his soulful, delicate songs. His compelling lyrics keep you listening to these tracks again and again and you’ll find something new to love each time.

It was a really great night. It was the first of many sessions we hope to have with emerging artists flying under the radar. Michael Winger is a real pro and the only downfall of the night was my video recording. I guess I underestimated the lighting requirements for the new camcorder. If you look real hard, you can see hands moving and maybe a headstock lurking in the shadows.

Joey Barro - Gun Shy (Watch the Video)
Joey Barro - I Know My Ocean (Watch the Video)
Joey Barro - World Gone Small (Watch the Video)
Joey Barro - Old Records and Ghosts (Watch the Video)

Joey Barro - I Know My Ocean Video