Dave Barnes keeps things fresh at WorkPlay

Dave Barnes. Photo by LeAnn Mueller.

Dave Barnes’ name shows up on Birmingham calendars frequently enough that I’ve joked more than once that he should live here. He’s becoming a regular at WorkPlay, where he’ll again play tonight. I caught up with Barnes in the weeks before this sold-out show and were able to gain insight into the joys and challenges of playing certain cities so often.

Birmingham Box Set: You’ve been doing this for years now, and have self-released quite a few CDs. As you’ve switched to the label Razor & Tie, what has changed for you?

Dave Barnes: I think just kind of mass distribution. The biggest reason that we thought it would be the best was just finally a chance to get out and let everybody that we could possibly get it out to, to do that. It’s been really cool because places that we haven’t been able to reach before we’re able to do now. Kind of just having more fire power.

BBS: How’d you settle on this particular label?

DB: I think for me, they kind of made the most sense with what I was trying to sort of do in my career. They were very—they just got it. They were very cool, very understanding when I sort of gave them the vision for what I was trying to do. [They] didn’t sort of put up a fight, they weren’t like, “Well these are the visions we have.”

…That made it much, much easier because I had kind of gotten to a point in my career where I wasn’t interested in doing the label thing. When they came along, I was like this could be cool. This could be a cool opportunity to do something I’ve never done and had some reach.

They were like, “We just want to fund you. We have some ideas and things but we just want to be a part of what you’re already doing.”

BBS: How have your career and sound grown and changed over the years?

DB: It’s kind of like anything you do a whole lot, you just get better at it, thank goodness—or at least I hope I have [laughs]. That’s kind of up for debate. I’ve just seen myself grow much more confident in my writing and my singing and my playing. It’s kind of like any muscle you use a lot. It gets stronger. I think confidence is the biggest thing. I feel like I kind of know what I’m doing now.

BBS: How did you choose which songs to include on the recent EP You, the Night and the Candlelight?

DB: We really wanted to put songs, to put kind of, as weird as it sounds, a love song EP out. Those were songs, couple of ‘em we noticed people really gravitated toward and also a couple that I haven’t put out that these sort of embody the thing that we’re going for. That, and then “My Girl,” it’s one of my favorite songs ever, of all time. I thought it would just be cool to put something that I didn’t write. I’ve never really done a cover song before.

BBS: You’ve played in Birmingham frequently over the years. Are there challenges inherent to revisiting a place so often? Does it affect your set list?

DB: Absolutely. That’s a really, really, really good question. It’s just the truth. You’re always sorting that battle of how to keep something new and fresh and interesting. It’s absolutely on the forefront of what I’m thinking about when I play those kinds of venues. The greatest thing is that people have been around for a while, which is awesome. People have seen the show, which is awesome.

… You have to be on your game. What did we do last time? Do we remember the set list, how we approached everything? It’s a challenge. It’s a good challenge.

BBS: So how varied is your set from show to show?

DB: I tend to kind of stick with a sort of similar set list every night just because we’re really trying to get the songs down. We haven’t really played these songs enough to feel like this is completely locked in. So for me, we’re like let’s get these rocking and once we get these … we’ll start playing some new songs.

It’s the first tour of my life when I’ve been playing for longer than I think I am. There have definitely been tours where I’m like, man, we need another song. Anybody got anything? It’s the first tour I’ve ever done when I’m like, man, I’ve got to learn to play less. … It’s hysterical, that’s just never been a problem, playing too long. In a great way, I’m like, man this is a good problem to start to have.

… You realize you’re playing for people, especially on sort of week nights, you’re playing for people who have jobs. You don’t want to get selfish by getting to that place where it’s like, hey guys, we’ve got more songs stick around., but you also want to make sure people got what they came for.

Dave Barnes returns to Birmingham with Gabe Dixon Band and Erick Baker for a 9 p.m. show tonight at WorkPlay. But if you didn’t act early, you’ll have to listen to Barnes’ albums to pass the time; this show is sold out!