Genre: Rock and Pop

Lou Barrett’s MNotez Interview:

• MNotez: How long have you been a musician? What age did you begin?
  • Lou Barrett: I think I was 13 or 14 when I started my first band but I’d been singing at home and in school since I was about 4 years old!

• MNotez: What motivated you to start playing music?
  • Lou Barrett: I don’t believe I ever needed to be motivated to play. It always seemed just a natural extension of being, I thought everyone sang when I was a child.

• MNotez: Who were your musical influences, idols, or bands growing up that have helped mold you into the musician you are today? Or helped mold the music that you play?
  • Lou Barrett: Well for sure, The Beatles, However as a child I sang in a Gregorian choir and I feel that early training helped me developing and maintaining a good sense of pitch, and a love for harmonies. I was Also Influenced by the British blues groups such as Humble Pie and John Mayall as well as the Motown Artists, I’ve always love the passion and emotion of The Motown artists. They also imparted a touch of class and style into their stage performances.

• MNotez: What’s the greatest concert you’ve ever been to?
  • Lou Barrett: Umm That would be a toss up Between The Beatles 1965 show at Shea Stadium Or The Who’s first and last shows (official last show at Shea Stadium) The first Who show was at the R.K.O. Theater in Manhattan, On that bill were The Who, Cream, The Young Rascals, Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper & The Blues Project, and Lou Rawles, And there may have been a few other acts as well.

• MNotez: What’s the greatest concert you’ve ever been to?
  • Lou Barrett: Umm That would be a toss up Between The Beatles 1965 show at Shea Stadium Or The Who’s first and last shows (official last show at Shea Stadium) The first Who show was at the R.K.O. Theater in Manhattan, On that bill were The Who, Cream, The Young Rascals, Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper & The Blues Project, and Lou Rawles, And there may have been a few other acts as well.

• MNotez: If you could play with any other musician or band… who would it be? (past or present)
  • Lou Barrett: I would have loved to be part of a Beatles studio session. The level of inventiveness and creativity must have been off the scale, I would have loved to have worked with George Martin, He was definitely the genius behind The Beatles sound and musical direction. Second runner up would be Pink Floyd And The Eagles.

• MNotez: What’s the ultimate goal you want your music to achieve, or for you to achieve in your career as a musician? Any particular message you wish to send?
  • Lou Barrett: I believe I have already achieved The respect and admiration of my peers and That means a lot to me. And I have very loyal and Supportive fans and admirers. So I’ve accomplished a lot of my goals. I’m Still Rocking At 59 years old And I still haven’t purchased a Rocking chair to do so, LOL I would love for people, who hear my music, to feel just a little bit better for having done so and help in a very small way to make life on this big blue marble a little bit nicer and more tolerable.

• MNotez: You took a little break from your music to raise a family… how do you think that break changed you once you came back? Are you a different kind of musician now?
  • Lou Barrett: I feel it has and I believe I am a better musician for it. The times I grew up in were a much more simple time (excluding the horrors of the Vietnam fiasco)Today the issues are very complex, and the solutions even more complicated. I needed to address some of these issues just as a living and feeling individual, and as I was finding my voice, I found the normal avenues of expression were shutting down. So I gave expression to my feelings and concerns thru my music. Thankfully an artist can still express a contrary point of view. I also feel the tech revolution has empowered me in ways I could never imagine as a youth. Just the ability to record a song at home and edit the lyric on the computer and then to download the lyrics and music to a small media storage device, that I can keep on my key chain, and then down load them to my producers computer is really incredible, not to mention a real time saver. (gives me more time to create and rehearse, and go to my friends shows)

• MNotez: Out of all your songs… do you have a favorite? What is it? And why?
  • Lou Barrett: Well I’m a push over for a newborn. So I’m really pleased with “Always” oh! And I’m going to give you guys a scoop. I’m starting rehearsals in two weeks to prepare piano arrangements and backing instruments for “Just Do The Best That You Can” And “Always” the arrangements are being written by my former band mate and very good friend, Mr. John Hampden Who is a Master of composition and the keyboard. So you heard it here first, Right from the horse’s mouth. LOL

• MNotez: How do you believe the internet helps the music industry or you as a musician?
  • Lou Barrett: Oh yeah! Who would have thought that I could post a song on a site and have it heard all around the world instantaneously and then have that same song uploaded by another musician in a location I have never been to and add new parts to this original work and then repost it to the site in a new form as a result of that collaborative effort. And the ability to network with past associates and attend their shows as a result is just great.

• MNotez: You were apart of one of the greatest era’s of music to ever exist… the 60’s… what was that like? Have you taken anything from that era that still remains in your music today?
  • Lou Barrett: Well for a good part of the 60’s I’ll have to evoke my 5th Amendment Rights so as not to incriminate myself LOL, But that being said, I actually learned my craft from some of the finest musicians and Mentors on the planet. Attention to detail, hard work, practice practice practice, write what you know and care about, And don’t be afraid to take risks, Be your own person, And most of all HAVE FUN !!!! “If it feels good do it!” LOL Love, Peace And Rock And Roll !

• MNotez: Do you believe the turbulence of the times now days relate to back in the day? Think it has rekindled the whole music industry as it has for you personally?
  • Lou Barrett: Sadly not enough so. While love songs are nice and necessary. We need more voices to form a chorus of protest against the ills and evils of our times. Especially the slow erosion of our personal freedoms and the runaway greed which gives rise to global aggression and financial chaos. I’ve tried to add my voice to that growing chorus. “The Patriot Song” is a good example of that. AS well as “It’s A Sign Of The Times”. Back in the day it was popular to be unpopular and it was incorrect to be politically correct. It was more important to be morally correct. And taking a stand on issues not being so concerned with financial enrichment.

• MNotez: Anything else you wish to say about yourself or your music?
  • Lou Barrett: I would like to thank every one who I have had the pleasure of performing with over the years, as well as my teachers and mentors for their patience and their tolerance, And most of all my fans, on and off line, here and around the world, for your kind support and encouragement, it really makes it all worth while, Last but not least I’d like to thank the staff at MuzicNotez.com for providing me with this opportunity to share my thoughts with my friends on MuzicNotez ! To You All I wish You Peace !