With a beautiful folk voice and a concept behind every guitar note, Del Barber sings parables without preaching or political teaching, just pure stories of real people. Having come all the way from Canada, Del was a pleasure to meet on Brighton Beach and one of the loveliest people we have had the pleasure to interview. Del was catching up with us prior to his support slot with Billy Bragg at The Great Escape, and is certainly one to look out for in the future!

Jam: So living in Manitoba, Canada is it like permanently living in the film ‘In to the Wild?’

Del: It’s a little bit like that, well my life is any way.

Jam: How so?

Del: Well I’m so used to living in a landscape where there are not a lot of people, and I spend most of my time fishing and hunting in the northern part of the province.

Jam: Is that how you find the time to write?

Del: Yeah a lot of it is from there, I live in more of an agricultural zone, there’s not many houses, it’s mainly prairie and farm land. We farm wheat, it’s like the bread basket of the world or that’s what they tell you, it’s propaganda at school right. But it’s a bit of both, there’s a very serious wilderness culture of people always heading for the woods whether it’s for food or whatever then there’s a massive agricultural zone. We do have a major city in Manitoba though, there are about 700,000 people so it’s not that big but that’s a good thing I guess!

Jam: Yeah true! I love your biography video on YouTube; it really sets the scene and your story. How come you decided to do that?

Del: Well especially as a song writer, I feel like a lot of song writers are writing their bios in the third person, so del barber does this and is this. So I thought I wanted to say “this is who I am, give a little introduction”, it’s probably a bit wanky I guess!

Jam: Oh no, it’s brilliant! On your ‘Headwaters’ EP, you said it was “parables and hymns” explain more about that.

Del: Well parables and hymns is mostly character driven stuff. I try to write about different characters I’ve met and trying to tell their stories, and making political statements about the world through characters. I think that’s why parables work really well, because you’re allowed to say something through another voice and it doesn’t feel preachy and you’re allowed to make your own opinions about it. It doesn’t lay out a perfectly straight path, it just presents ideas in a very soft way.

Jam: Well talking about stories, you know us Brits love a good story! That’s why Kings of Leon have been such a success over here. What are your thoughts about that?

Del: Yeah stories for sure. I want there to be a narrative in my songs, I want there to be a narrative that’s accessible. I really worry about indie music for example because it’s so ultra poetic and artsy. I think it can work really well but that’s not for me, it’s not my primary mode of communication. I don’t want to work on a mystery, I want to work on actual people that you feel like you’ve known, for example my song ‘The Waitress’ is a good example.

Jam: Yes The Waitress! It reminds me of Bob Dylan, and how he writes a story condensed into a 4 minute song.

Del: Yeah he’s an artist we all have to be influenced by whether you like him or not. I certainly am influenced by him, I still look at his records and song writing as a sincerely definite influence.

Jam: Talking about writing, who are your favourite authors? Gigslutz were thinking Charles Bolowski has to be one?

Del: Well I’m really in to post-modern western authors like Cormac McCarthy, he’s really dark and I don’t think my song writing is all that dark but I really thing McCarthy is my top tier guy. I did a degree is philosophy, so I’m always reading about philosophy and trying to incorporate it in my writing and making it accessible.

Jam: You were in to Buddhism weren’t you?

Del: I was for a short time, I don’t know where I’m at on it now. I’ve spent time moving between faiths, testing them out and finding out what they’re all about because it’s a confusing world you know, and I am trying to reckon with religion.

Jam: Have you read the book ‘The Magic’ by Rhonda Byrne?

Del: I have not, what’s it about?

Jam: It’s all about gratitude, you may like it. It’s brilliant, I’m reading it now. So it’s all about being thankful every day and receiving it back. Devotional material and a path commitment!

Jam: So Del, any guilty pleasures we should know about?

Del: For sure…

Jam: Who? Or what?!

Del: Well I don’t feel too guilty about it but my management and agency make me feel guilty about it! I kind of disappear when I’m home, I’m absolutely obsessed with fly fishing. It’s only guilty because I spend too much time doing it and I cant be got hold of when I’m doing it, I just turn my phone off and it’s really good for my head.

Jam: Do you enjoy the balance between home and the music industry?

Del: Yeah, I bring my fishing rod everywhere. Actually this trip is the only time I haven’t brought it. I feel really naked! My other guilty pleasure is killing time with stupid IPhone Games, that’s an embarrassing one.

Jam: Gooden! What’s your favourite game?

Del: Anything involving a motorcycle. And I love playing scrabble against my family, actually I’m playing against my mum in Canada right now! Slightly geeky moments I guess.

Jam: Ah I love scrabble! Leading on from guilty pleasures, any secrets I should know about?

Del: Life secrets or scrabble secrets?

Jam: Urm.. Life secrets please!

Del: Well I guess you know all the scrabble secrets and cheats!  My biggest secret is not having too much hunger. You’ve got to be hungry in this industry but you’ve also got to be grateful for what you’ve got as well. And somehow find some space for gratitude like you were saying. It can all disappear so quick, you can’t spend all your time pining after the next thing you’ve got to relish in the people you’re around and not hope that some big gig or something will happen in your life to change that. With this industry, it’s like everybody trains you to think you don’t have enough yet and I mean hell I’m making a living playing and writing songs. It’s ridiculous. I really am! I wish I could be home more as well but that’s a natural right.

Jam: Yes that’s the best attitude to have! It’s not very common these days. Thank you so much for meeting me Del….

Del: Thank you for giving me the time, it’s good for me to go for a walk as well!