Barry Sides an Introduction to Songwriting

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GAINESVILLE, FL-  Join Flying Pig recording artist Barry Sides on Saturday, May 8^th at 2:00p.m., as he performs songs from his albums “Slippin' Away” and “Broken Hearts Broken Strings”

Sides will also discuss his songwriting process and will share stories about his songs and where they came from. Past  library presentations have been well attended so get there early. A short question and answer session will follow his presentation.

"I have a hand full of new songs and others I am trying to finish. I can't wait to get back in the studio", says Sides about the announcement to record a new record for Flying Pig records in 2010.

Saturday, May 8^th,  2:00PM -  Tower Road Branch

SW 75th Street, Gainesville, FL, 32607-3401

352-333-2840

EVENT WEBSITE

 BARRY SIDES OFFICIAL WEBSITE:

http://www.barrysides.com

REVIEW:

“Broken Hearts Broken Strings” screams for attention and Barry Sides raises himself high above the average as a songwriter, in a genre that is very overcrowded.

This is extremely good music and if you think highly of the music of Bob Dylan, Steve Earl, or Tom Petty, make sure you do not miss this pearl.

Johan Annetorp _ Rootsy Magazine

Biography:

Born in Memphis and raised in Chicago, Sides grew up hearing his mother and her sisters singing and playing southern spirituals and what was then called hillbilly music.  He accredits growing up in Chicago for the dual influences on his music and states “I had the best of both worlds. I was exposed to the music and cultures of the North and the South.”

Barry Sides grew up near Biddy Mulligan’s,  an Irish blues bar that showed performances from the likes of Muddy Waters, BB King, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, Hound Dog Taylor, Otis Rush, James Cotton and dozens of others.  Biddy’s is where Barry first met Buddy Guy and Junior Wells.

Barry headed for the sunshine state in 1976 and settled in the sleepy college town of Gainesville, Florida and soon discovered that Gainesville had quite a musical family tree. Bernie Leadon who was in the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Eagles was from Gainesville. So were fellow Eagle Don Felder, Tom Petty and Heartbreakers Stan Lynch, Benmont Tench, Mike Campbell and Ron Blair, Stephen Stills, members of Blackfoot, and rock and roll pioneer and another dear friend Bo Diddley. This little town has produced some amazing talent. Gainesville boasts nine Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members. But for each one who has made it to the top there are dozens of amazing local players here who haven’t.

It didn’t take him long to start carving my initials into Gainesville’s musical family tree. He began playing the local bars, pubs and clubs as a solo act.  His first big show in Gainesville was with John Hartford and Gamble Rogers in 1977.

Sides continued to play on and off throughout the 80s and in 1989 he got a call from a promoter who asked if he would like to open for George Thorogood. Opening for George Thorogood in front of about 6,000 people was the bands first gig which soon led to opening acts for Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, Paul Schaffer, BB King, John Mayall, and Johnny Winter. 

2001 marked the year he decided to record his first CD. The night of 9/11 I wrote a song called Slippin’ Away. “There’s war on the TV, I’m on my own, there’s bills on the table, right next to the phone.” You can listen to "Slippin' Away" on his website. The years of 2003 and 2004 were tough ones. Sides got divorced, his mother was diagnosed with cancer, and the woman he had been seeing left him.

Later in 2004, Florida was hit with four hurricanes within a six week period. During this time Sides sat in his apartment and wrote songs for six weeks. He states reflections about this time are described as ” I had a lot of stuff to get out and my muse was in those hurricanes. It was an amazingly creative six weeks. Most of the songs were about Diane who was the woman who had left me. The woman who had broken my heart. “ 

Sides eventually went into the studio with a pocket full of new songs and released the album in 2006.

Sides recently started playing again with bass player Kenny Shore and continues to perform locally in Gainesville and the surrounding areas.