Ex-Tull guitarist Barre in spotlight with own band
It can’t be easy to be a guitar hero in a band most often associated with flute. That was Martin Barre’s position in his 43-year stretch with Jethro Tull. After playing frontman Ian Anderson’s songs for nearly a half century, he’ll be playing some of his own at the Regattabar in a sold-out show tomorrow.
“I’ve written a few songs in the past, and, of course, a lot of instrumentals,” he said. “The awkward part was the lyrics. Those never came naturally to me. The good thing is that I’m fresh to it, so I’m not going through the drudgery of having to dig songs out of the ground. I’m a new songwriter, so I still find it fresh and invigorating to come up with ideas.”
Anderson officially pulled the plug on Jethro Tull a few years ago (while still using the name in his solo-band tours), but Barre has since blossomed as a frontman. His latest CD, “Back to Steel,” has the diversity and the melodic touch of a vintage Tull album, with an extra dose of his oft-overlooked guitar. Since there’s no flute, his new band (singer/guitarist Dan Crisp, bassist Alan Thomson and ex-Jeff Beck drummer Jonathan Joseph) isn’t a clone of the Tull sound.
“I play the flute myself, and I take one on the road with me — but I haven’t used it once. Same with keyboards. We don’t have those either. But there’s a way around it, when two guitars can pretty much cover everything.”
His set list is a mix of new originals, surprise covers (from blues standards to neo-prog heroes Porcupine Tree) and plenty of Tull — though in most cases, it’s the deep-cut fan favorites that Tull rarely played live.
“That was very frustrating. I used to sit down with Ian and work out the set lists, but once his voice started deteriorating, we were so restricted in which songs we could play live. So it became the same catalog of songs on every tour, and I can’t work like that.”
One song he won’t be playing is “Aqualung,” Jethro Tull’s greatest hit.
“I’m sure everybody would go crazy if I played it, but I want to see them won over in more subtle ways. That would be a cheap shot. It is a great song and I will play it — but not yet.”
Barre and Anderson are still estranged, so don’t expect any full reunions. But Barre does have a surprise planned for next year: He’ll be doing a 50th anniversary tour that will bring back some of the classic-era Tull members. Anderson won’t be involved, but Barre has pulled in original drummer Clive Bunker and others he won’t name as yet “since the ink still needs to dry.”
One thing Barre never did in 43 years with Tull was utter a single word onstage.
“I had to work hard at getting comfortable with that, but I’ve gotten to really enjoy talking to an audience. And I truly believe that you need to give an audience more than just the music: As serious as you are about the playing, you need to have a little jollity and humor in there. Because to do a live show, you’ve got to be alive.”