Monday Exposure: The Barnkickers

The Barnkickers are a big favourite in the uke community; winning UkeWarehouse’s video contest and receiving nominations for Ukulele Video of the Year and UU’s Undies. The group is father and daughter duo Steve and Amanda – the Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus of the ukulele – and they have just released their first album Up Before Noon.

I got in touch with Barnkicker Steve to discuss familial music making, ukuleles and manatee lettuce.

There aren’t many father/daughter duos out there. What sort of dynamic is there between you?

I think we have a pretty typical father daughter relationship. We are very close, but of course there are times we don’t agree and that can extend to our musical endeavors at times. We do have a lot of interests in common and we share a similar dry sense of humor. Amanda and I don’t really get to spend as much time together as we’d like and we both have pretty busy lives these days. She has her act together to a much greater degree than I did when I was her age, that’s for sure!

Is one of you in charge?

Is any father really “in charge” of their seventeen year old daughter? Joking aside, it’s hard to stop being “Dad” and become just a collaborator, but luckily we have similar ideas and tastes when it comes to music. I’m more or less “in charge” during the recording process, but things like arranging songs and making videos are more of a joint effort. When recording Amanda’s songs, I try to get ideas from her and compliment her performance when I add the other instruments.

How is it different from playing with non-family members?

There is a comfort level between us that makes it very easy to work together. We can voice our opinions or doubts without worrying about what the other person thinks. We also take a great deal of pride in one another’s talent. There is something special about family members performing music together and I’m glad I have the opportunity to do so.

What differences are there between yours and Amanda’s songs?

My songs often sound like they were written a generation ago. I enjoy writing new songs that sound like old standards and I’m always looking for a catchy hook or a clever lyric. Amanda’s influences are more contemporary and there is often a touch of angst in her lyrics which are much more enigmatic than mine. You could say my influences start at The Beatles and work backward while her start at the same point and go forward.

Do you ever write songs together?

Not really, although we bounce ideas off of each other and offer suggestions. The four songs of Amanda’s that you hear on the CD are entirely her compositions. I basically just added the guitar and bass parts.

The combination of ukulele and double bass works incredibly well. Why do you think that is?

Since they are both plucked string instruments the sound blends together nicely, yet because of the different ranges they never get in each others way. It’s sort of like the left and right hands of a piano. There is actually a third ingredient in there too: all of our songs include acoustic guitar which sits right in between the uke and the bass. Those three instruments from the basis of our arrangements with snare drum and solo instruments added later.

‘Father Knows Best’. A trace of sarcasm there, no?

Yes, but good-natured sarcasm. That’s one the few songs I’ve written that is based on true experiences. When Amanda knows she’s right about something it can be hard to convince her otherwise and that song references some of the silly disagreements we’ve had over the years. The chorus is inspired by the time we went canoeing and she ate a piece of floating vegetation to prove to me that it was a type of lettuce that the manatees ate. She wound up drinking all of our water and eating all of the food we brought to soothe her burning throat, all to prove her father wrong.

What’s your pre-Barnkickers musical history?

I attended Berklee College of Music and I earned my living as a professional bassist for many years. I still gig regularly on both acoustic and electric bass and I suspect a few eyebrows were raised when I started showing up around town with a ukulele, but I’m hooked on them! Amanda started playing clarinet in middle school and more recently started playing guitar and ukulele. She has been singing all her life and The Barnkickers is really an extension of the musical home videos we used to make together when she was a little girl.

What’s in your ukulele collection?

On the Barnkickers CD I used my Ohana CK-50G which was my first nice ukulele and I recently acquired a vintage Martin 1-T tenor uke that’s in mint condition. I also have a vintage Kay soprano, a Hilo soprano, a concert Flea, an Ohana CK-70RB and a vintage Harmony baritone. Amanda has a Bushman Jenny Concert uke which she used to record her songs on the CD and she also has an Kala electric/acoustic tenor that we won in the Uke Warehouse video contest. In general Amanda and I prefer concert and tenor sized ukuleles and we keep them tuned GCEA with a high G. I’m pretty sure my next uke will be a banjolele.

What are your plans for the rest of this year?

Although we have a CD release party scheduled later this month, I’m afraid there won’t be too many live performances from The Barnkickers this year. Amanda will graduate from high school in May and she has been accepted into the music program at the college she was hoping to attend. She will also be joining the army reserve band and completing her basic training over the summer. We’re both still writing music and we will be contributing a new original song to a compilation CD I am currently producing as a fundraising project for a not-for-profit organization. It’s going to feature a great selection of uke-based artists and I think it will be a big hit in the ukulele community. I also have plans to promote The Barnkickers CD as well, so between these two projects you should be hearing more from The Barnkickers throughout the year.

Up Before Noon is out now. You can buy the downloads on DigStation and the CD on CD Baby