Red Jacket Mine

Hey PDX pals,

We’re coming back your way this Saturday, May 14, playing Backspace downtown with our longtime buddies Chris Robley & the Fear of Heights. Michael Sheridan of National Flower will open the show with a solo set. Music starts at 10pm and it’s an all-ages show. All the details:

Saturday, May 14
Backspace – 115 NW 5th Avenue, Portland, OR 97209
CHRIS ROBLEY & THE FEAR OF HEIGHTS
Red Jacket Mine
Michael Sheridan
10pm – $5 – all ages

With any luck, we’ll be able to keep this every-month-or-two pace up for a while…no more year-long droughts, deal?

See you in the Rose City,

RJM

We’re honored to join our brothers-by-marriage Stag (featuring someone you might recognize on guitar) for their quarterly Rock & Roll Circus at Shoreline’s finest dive bar, Darrell’s Tavern, this Saturday, April 16. Music starts at 9pm and RJM is up first – we’ve got more new tunes and surprises in store.

As usual, it’s a killer lineup:

Saturday, April 16
Darrell’s Tavern - 18041 Aurora Avenue North
Thee Sgt. Major III
Tom Price Desert Classic
Stag
Shelby Earl
Red Jacket Mine
+ set-change jams from DJ A.O.R.
9pm – $8

Arrive early for a new photo exhibit from Niffer Calderwood, and stay late for all the Hamm’s you can handle!

See you in Shoreline!

xo

RJM

We’re delighted to open for Yep Roc recording artist and Crown Prince of New Zealand Liam Finn on Tuesday, March 29 at The Crocodile.

Liam is the son of Neil Finn (Crowded House/Split Enz), nephew of Tim Finn (Split Enz), and a damn fine songwriter in his own right – one need look no further than his debut long-player I’ll Be Lightning (and the follow-up EP, Champagne in Seashells) for ample evidence of his talents.

We open the show at 8pm, and Quebecois indie-rockers The Luyas play the middle slot. All the details:

Tuesday, March 29
The Crocodile – 2200 2nd Avenue
LIAM FINN
The Luyas
Red Jacket Mine
$12 adv (buy tickets)
8pm

Once again, our pal Jeff Conlin (of The Satellite 4) will join us on Hammond organ and other keyed delights, and we’ve got more juiced-up new songs to share.

Join us, won’t you?

xo

RJM

Glad tidings, friends!

After nearly a five-month absence (!), Red Jacket Mine is ready to take the stage again. On Friday, February 4, we’re very happy to announce that we’ll be opening for Pasadena’s own Apex Manor (featuring Ross Flournoy, née the Broken West) at Ballard’s beloved Tractor Tavern. Local champs Spanish for 100 will open the show, and we take the stage second at 10pm. (Advance tickets are recommended.)

KEXP has been spinning the new Apex Manor record (The Year of Magical Drinking) like crazy, and with good reason – it’s terrific. We’re thrilled to be a part of this great show – and even more thrilled to debut a bunch of new material for you all!

That’s right – we’ve emerged from our wander in the wintry wilderness with a bushel of new songs, sporting a new sound: leaner, more rhythmic, equal parts pop and soul – but distinctly RJM.

But wait, there’s more! We’ve invited a special guest, keyboardist Jeff Conlin (of Seattle’s instrumental soul combo par excellence, the Satellite 4) to help us bring this new sound to life. Those who caught Jeff sitting in with us during last March’s Hard Rock residency can attest that he’s a remarkable musician, and we’re delighted to have him on board for this show.

Finally, some less-ecstatic news: after nearly five years of brilliant service, our good friend and musical brother Patrick Porter is leaving Red Jacket Mine to focus on his own band, Explone, who’ve been steadily gaining steam since the release of last year’s excellent Dreamers/Lovers. The split is entirely amicable and we wish Patrick (and Explone) the absolute best rock and life have to offer. Andy, Matt, and I are grateful for the time we got to spend making music with Patrick, and you don’t have to know much about the band to recognize that his contributions have been invaluable.

We’re extremely excited about forging a new path for Red Jacket Mine in 2011, and February 4′s Tractor show seems an auspicious way to begin. Please, join us for a preview of what’s in store (and an all-around killer rock show). As always, thanks so much for listening.

xo

LB

2010 was, without a doubt, Red Jacket Mine’s best year yet – full of sweaty rock shows, career-firsts, challenges risen above, and great music shared with friends old and new. Please accept this as a small token of our appreciation for your continued love & support:

Lincoln & Patrick duo at the Triple Door, September 20, 2010

Intro – 22 Rose Petal Place
Nightcrawler
So Long, Radiant Flower
It’s Different for Girls (Joe Jackson cover)
Lying Out Loud (unreleased)
Stay Golden
Download the full show (.ZIP file, 43MB)

Recorded live at Seattle’s esteemed Triple Door, Patrick and Lincoln do their “Porter & Barrfunkel” routine in front of a full house of kind folks eagerly anticipating Mr. Jason Falkner and his fantastic tourmates, the 88. A highlight of the year for us, to be sure, and we’re happy to share it with you. Special thanks to Triple Door FOH Christian Heilman for providing the beautiful recording.

We’re pleased to report that our autumnal downtime has borne an abundance of creative fruit , and we’re eager to share this cornucopia of new songs with you. We think you’ll like where things are headed – stay tuned for show announcements very soon.

In the meantime, enjoy your holidays, and thanks as always for listening.

xo

RJM

Hipstamatic photo by Brian Saunders – thanks, Brizz!

Saturday’s REVERBfest show at Hattie’s Hat was a damn fine time – thanks to all who squeezed into Aunt Harriet’s Room and dug on the new tunes. Erin K. Thompson called them “sweet and crooning songs of the type young ladies swoon for, including one completely wasted dancing girl in the audience who was celebrating her 21st birthday,” while Travis Hay provided this expanded account:

After witnessing that much rock the acoustic set by Lincoln Barr of Red Jacket Mine at Hattie’s Hat provided a nice pallet (sic) cleanser. During “Showponies” a group of audience members provided Barr with some unplanned percussive accompaniment by hitting a table with their fists and clanging a glass of water with a knife. It was a charming and spontaneous moment that went over well in Hattie’s cozy back room. Earlier during Barr’s set a drunken female heckler shouted out that she’d never have the balls to get on stage and sing. He playfully sniped back by saying “I’m actually pretty sure you don’t have any balls at all.” Thankfully that comment shut her up because hearing Red Jacket Mine songs stripped down to their bare essentials is something that should go uninterrupted.

I wouldn’t really call her a heckler; despite her obvious inebriation, she was quite nice, and good fun to have in the audience. So thanks to her, and Travis & Erin from the Weekly for listening.

Next up, a couple of solo gigs at my favorite West Seattle haunt, Shadowland, with a couple of special guests. On Saturday, October 23, my good buddy Jake London will share the stage, and on Saturday, November 20, I’ll be joined by my good friend Brian Saunders. We’re cooking up special collaborations for both, and the shows are absolutely free, so please join us.

Now, back to work on the next batch of RJM jams (with playoff baseball on mute, naturally). Feeling more excited & inspired than I have in ages…thanks as always for listening.

xo

LB

Hey folks,

I’m playing a solo set at 7pm this Saturday, October 9 at Hattie’s Hat in Ballard, as a part of Seattle Weekly‘s annual REVERBfest extravaganza. Wristbands are just $15 ($10 if you’re under 21), and available at all participating clubs, with over 60 local bands playing throughout the day. I call it a bargain – if not quite the best I’ve ever had, then a damn fine one.

Litsa Dremousis had some kind words to say:

Only a deeply talented or incredibly stupid band would enter the studio for their sophomore effort and record the whole thing live to tape in six days with the Posies’ legendary Ken Stringfellow producing. Red Jacket Mine, the four-piece outfit helmed by singer/songwriter Lincoln Barr, did just that last year, and the results place them squarely in the former category. Lovers Lookout builds on the momentum of Red Jacket Mine’s debut, Hello Old Cloud, and Barr has more chops than a butcher.

More than a butcher! Thanks, Litsa. Anyway, Saturday is going to be a hoot and I’d love to see you all there. Expect new songs and surprises.

xo

LB

Patrick and I are honored and excited to support power-pop maestro (and sideman/session player for the likes of Beck, Air, and even Sir Paul McCartney!) Jason Falkner at his first Northwest performance in ages – Monday, September 20 at Seattle’s Triple Door.

This is our first show at the beautiful downtown venue, and we couldn’t be happier to share it with Mr. Falkner, whose work we’ve admired for years. L.A. rockers The 88 play the middle slot.

Tickets for this ALL-AGES show are $12 and available online. Doors open at 5:30 for dinner (mmm…Wild Ginger) and we open the show at 7:30pm sharp. We hope you all can join us!

xo

LB

Greetings!

We’ve been away for a bit, but are very excited to return to the stage this Friday, September 10 at the Hard Rock Cafe, along with our friends Nathan Wade & the Dark Pioneers and Lost Dogma.

This show will be special in at least three ways:

1) It’s our friend Toby’s birthday. (Toby sings for Lost Dogma.)

2) It’s the CD release party for Nathan Wade & the Dark Pioneers’ tremendous new platter, The Gospel of Rust (currently in rotation on KEXP!).

and last, but certainly not least…

3) It’s the hometown debut of our brand-new bass player, Matthew Cunningham!

The show starts at 9pm and Red Jacket Mine plays first. Tickets are $8 in advance and $12 at the door, so get ‘em early on TicketWeb and save some money for beer.

It’ll be great to be back at the Hard Rock for the first time since our March residency shows – please, join us!

xo

RJM