Dave Barnes fulfills Ryman Auditorium dream
Dave Barnes is a man of many talents — and if you stand too close, he might just karate chop you in the stomach.
That’s what the “God Gave Me You” songwriter did on his slapstick YouTube skit, "Dave Barnes: Karate Lessons," that he released a couple of years ago to promote an album. Most recently he released a new series, "Dave Barnes: Cowboy School," where he “taught” a friend how to ride a horse, build a fire and “lasso a lady.” The off-the-wall videos have become something of a sensation, scoring tens of thousands of YouTube views.
Barnes makes people laugh for fun. To pay the bills, the Grammy-nominated Nashvillian pens chart-topping country songs.
Coming off success in the Christian music world, his new album “Carry On, San Vicente” adds a heavy dose of his '70s-rock influences.
“I’m so thankful that I live in Nashville,” Barnes said. “I don’t think I could pull this career off anywhere else, but I’ve been able to Frankenstein this music career together to make it work.”
The native South Carolinian, who moved to Music City in 2000, will bring “a smattering” of songs that span his 14-album career to Ryman Auditorium Saturday.
What does it mean to you to play Ryman Auditorium?
DB: It was one of those things that wasn’t on my radar forever. Only the greats played there. It wasn’t something mere mortals got to do. I think that’s like one of the coolest things about the way music changes. I remember seeing Coldplay there. And, back in the day, I felt like that those tours weren’t open to the unsigned and independents. Where music was, it was hard to get that kind of crowd if you weren’t on a major label. It’s one of the things that’s been fun about the last five years, is that all of a sudden you have guys like Ben Rector and Drew Holcomb and some of our friends that are starting to play there. Five or 10 years ago, that was hard to do because that room was sort of reserved for people doing the major label thing. Now days it’s fun because that gate is opened a little more.
How did you find out you had the gig?
DB: I had a conversation with my manager about a year ago after our last Christmas show and I said, ‘I’ve always wanted to play there.’ And he said, "Let me put some feelers out." Then he called me back with a couple of dates. After I stopped wheezing and singing praise and worship songs in the car — I kind of didn’t believe him — I called him back and said, "This isn’t some kind of elaborate hoax where you fire me?" It’s so cool.
What can people expect from you show at Ryman Auditorium?
DB: I’ve been laughing to myself in my brain, "It’s like a greatest hits set without a hit." I don’t know if there’s such a thing, but that’s what it feels like. I feel like there’s going to be a lot of people who have been listening for a long time, and we’ve really tried to put together a set that really does span the whole career. It’s the whole thing. Again, that’s what’s fun about playing music, you go, "What the type of set I want?" Then you go find the songs. That’s what’s fun about having so many songs.
Your career is so diverse. Will you talk about the wide swings in your music?
DB: Someone said, "Do you realize that, including your EP, you have 14 albums?" I was like, "Oh my gosh, at what point does the government send me a letter and say, 'We’ve appreciated your music but we feel like this is probably enough. Quit, we’ll send you a $100 if you’ll stop.'" It’s crazy to think about ...I think you can gauge my albums by what I was listening to at the time. The majority of my albums are pretty diverse album to album and within themselves.
What does “Carry On, San Vicente” say about what you’ve been listening to?
DB: It’s my tip of the hat to 1970s and Laurel Canyon and The Eagles and Jackson Browne. I was watching The Eagles documentary about a year ago and their first greatest hits record might be the most seminal record of my musical upbringing.
CW: What speaks to you from that time period and how did you try to recreate it?
DB: I just listened to some Eagles songs, and it really is this beautiful genius simplicity to me. They’re so memorable and they’re so fun to play. So many of them are just so straight ahead, but once you start staring at them closely you realize how well-knit they are. So much work went into them makes them so durable. I didn’t want a bunch of overdubs. I thought maybe it would be fun for me to try my hand at that world without the skill-set of the band. It was going to be an EP, but when I sat down more and more songs kept coming.
Getting done with “Carry On, San Vicente,” it was a selfish project to do because I’ll always look back on it with fondness, and I’m so glad that I did it.
If You Go:
What: Dave Barnes with Lucie Silvas and The Shadowboxers
Where: Ryman Auditorium, 116 Fifth Ave., North
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Tickets: $25-$37 at ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000.