Album Notes

Between The Carolinas (Hey burner! Records), the debut album by Phil Barry, is a haunted batch of folk-rock road songs. Written and recorded on a beat up 1977 Guild D-25 acoustic guitar, the songs breathe hazy memories from too much time spent gone. Phil got his start touring and recording with Michigan rock band Knee Deep Shag. In 2005, after four albums and thousands of shows Phil took a full time position playing guitar for Warner Bros. recording artist Rachael Yamagata. With Rachael he toured Europe and the States including extended tours with Ryan Adams and Ray Lamontagne. Phil currently splits his time between The Corn Fed Girls, solo work and teaching guitar in Michigan.

Press:

Hard to believe this is a self-released disc only available as a CD-R...?!? Though this is Phil Barry's debut album, he is no newcomer to the world of music. Barry was previously in the band Knee Deep Shag before accepting a position playing guitar for Rachael Yamagata. But our guess is that in the future Between the Carolinas will be what most listeners will remember as their introduction to Phil's music. Anyone who ever loved the music of pure pop artists like Teenage Fanclub, Alex Chilton, and The Pernice Brothers will almost certainly fall in love with this man's music the first time they hear it. His songs are soft and smooth and driven by the gentle strumming of an acoustic guitar. The gliding melodies are incredibly effective...and Barry is one of those guys with a voice so good it'll make you squirm. Several of Phil's songs have already been licensed for television shows...so our guess is that it won't be long before some savvy record label snaps this guy up. Killer cuts include "Crying Shame," "Between the Carolinas," "Never Gonna Be Your Man," and "Mercury." Recommended. (Rating: 5++)
BABYSUE

“Moody folk tunes…recommended for a late night drive.”
musesmuse.com

“Some very catchy tunes…hook-laden, very accessible, well-produced music.”
WYCE Music Journal

“Between the Carolinas is a musical monograph of the midwest itself; a faded portrait from the interpersonal journeys of identity, love and loss.”
Ty Sassaman, Harvard University, Ed.M., recording artist, author, scoundrel/raconteur

Band:

Jeff Moehle (of Knee Deep Shag) - drums/percussion, bass, engineering
Ira Cohen (of the Corn Fed Girls) - harmony vocals
Mike Fuerst (of the Corn Fed Girls) - bass, violin
Martin Klemm - mixing, mastering, engineering
Phil Barry - vocals, guitars, engineering

Recorded at:

Chez Luna, Kalamazoo
Quarter Point Studios, Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo Recording Company, Kalamazoo