Rebecca Barnard

Rebecca Barnard
Rebecca Barnard singing at Royal Theatre, Canberra, in December 2011
Background information
Born	(1960-12-26) 26 December 1960
Occupation(s)	Musician, singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar
Associated acts	Rebecca's Empire

Rebecca Barnard (born Rebecca Chirnside Barnard on 26 December 1960) is a Melbourne-based Australian singer, songwriter and musician. She was the lead singer of the band Rebecca's Empire from 1994 to 2000, and has forged a solo career since her debut album, Fortified, was released in 2006. Her second solo album, Everlasting, was released in 2010. In July 2014, Barnard indicated that she was recording a third album, and was hoping for it to be released by Christmas of that year - but to date this album has not yet surfaced. ^[1] Barnard has a versatile musical range, delving into rock, pop, and jazz genres.

Rebecca Barnard is the daughter of acclaimed Australian jazz drummer Len Barnard AM (once a member of the jazz band, Galapagos Duck). Her uncle is Bob Barnard, who is an accomplished Australian jazz trumpet and cornet stylist.

Barnard grew up in the outer-eastern Melbourne suburb of Mooroolbark, and during her childhood listened to Gladys Moncrieff, Fats Waller, Pinetop Smith, Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong. At 14, she became acquainted with Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan.

Barnard featured in the following Australian bands The Escalators (1982-1984), Black Coffee (and the Beans) (1985), Wayback 5 (1986), Romance Without Finance, Peaceful Anticipation Social Aid and Pleasure Club (1990), Stephen Cummings Band (1986 and 1990–91), Triple Peaks (1991), and the Rebecca Barnard Band (1992).

When songwriting became a focus, she founded the band Rebecca’s Empire. The band toured extensively, supported Billy Bragg on his Australian tour, released three EPs and two albums (Way of All Things in 1996, and Welcome in 1999) and appeared on the Triple J Hottest 100 albums three years in a row.^[2] At this height of popularity, Barnard had her own cooking segment on Triple J called Pot of Rock. Barnard has since said of her popularity at this time, that she had "wasted a real good opportunity to do more with the momentum that we had". ^[3]

Rebecca’s Empire formally disbanded in June 2000 when the duties of being a mother took priority (Barnard gave birth to a son, Harry, in 1996) and due to conflict between herself and Shane O'Mara (guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and producer of the band, but also Rebecca Barnard's partner at this time). ^[4]

Barnard also appeared on recordings by other Australian artists such as Paul Kelly, Tim Rogers, Renée Geyer, Deborah Conway, The Meanies, Warped, Stephen Cummings, TISM, You Am I, The Black Sorrows and The Audreys.

Solo career

She has recorded two solo albums, namely Fortified (2006)^[5] and Everlasting (2010). Barnard is known for her personal and heartfelt lyrics.^[6] Both her albums are on her own record label, Ladybird and distributed by Shock Records.

Fortified (2006)

Fortified (2006)

Fortified was co-produced by Barnard and her then partner, Shane O'Mara, and recorded at their home studio Yikesville. Fortified featured various Melbourne musicians such as Lisa Miller (backing vocals), Tim Rogers (backing vocals), Peter Jones (drums), Michael Barker of the John Butler Trio (drums) and Snout’s Ross McLennan (bass). The album contains tracks penned by Barnard and co-writers including Dr. Rosemary Milne, who created the lyrics to the theme of Play School, on the song called I Hurt (a track about the dark side of love). Fortified features one cover song, the Bob Dylan song Boots of Spanish Leather. The album is led with the exuberant track, Keep Smiling - a song that deals with a long-standing relationship (either family or a friend) and the feeling of being so close, disassociated, and feeling out of control as you get older ("who would have guessed, we would be such a mess...down the track").

Everlasting (2010)

Everlasting (2010)

The emotive Everlasting was recorded in New York City, and mixed at Tony Bennett's studio in Englewood New Jersey, during a two-week stint of recording in 2008, with the help of jazz pianist Barney McAll, a long-time friend of Barnard and the first album without the assistance of Shane O'Mara. Rebecca Barnard co-produced this album with Barney McAll, which deals with issues of loss and love. The track Everlasting deals with the death of her father, jazz musician, Len Barnard. Everlasting includes some mature pop songs infused with jazz, such as Born In A Shirt (a Russian metaphor for being born lucky).^[7] The tracks were all written by Barnard, except the track Seasong which is cover of a track by Robert Wyatt. The album was predominantly promoted by Barnard herself due to the lack of a promotional budget.^[8] Everlasting was made with the assistance of a VicARTS grant. Rebecca has said "How incredible that we live in a society, where most of us are to be free to be. The government giving a 49-year-old woman money to write and record music. There are thousands of women out there deserving of this. Women that struggle with the constant dilemma of creativity versus motherhood, hormonal weirdness, ageing parents, trying to be everything to everyone."^[9] The album received favourable reviews upon its release.^[10]

Everlasting was also the ABC Radio "disc of the week" (week starting 21 June 2010), where the album received some airplay. The ABC Radio review of the album indicated that Everlasting was "sultry, sassy and even a little bit sexy, Rebecca captures the sound of a woman on top of her game." ^[11]

The musicians on the album (apart from Barnard and Barney McAll) include Matt Darriau (he plays a clarinet solo on the song You Are Loved), drummer Dan Rieser (ex-band member from Marcy Playground and drummer for Norah Jones), jazz musician Jonathan Maron on bass (from the band Groove Collective), and cellist Rufus Cappadocia. ^{[12] [13]}

Soundtracks and Other Appearances

In 2013, Rebecca Barnard contributed to "The Boy Castaways" movie soundtrack with the song "I Know Where You're Going". The film featured Paul Capsis, Tim Rogers and Megan Washington. The film was directed by Michael Kantor.

In 2016, Rebecca Barnard featured on the tracks "Now That Our Babies Have Grown" a duet with Paul Kelly and on the track "The Children" as part of the Pesky Bones project. This project features different Australian artists singing in diverse styles. The project was established by the Boom Crash Opera founder Peter Farnan (with all songs written by him).

Touring

Rebecca Barnard is known for her warm personality and humour, and she couples this with her emotive performances. She tours frequently (particularly in Melbourne), but also takes part in various festivals and gigs throughout Australia.

Due to her jazz background, Rebecca Barnard also performs jazz - both solo and with the band "Rebecca & The Romantics", singing a selection of jazz standards.

During 2011 and 2012, Barnard teamed with up with fellow Australian singers Monique Brumby and Kerri Simpson, performing the show "Sheilas of the '70s" (a tribute to female singers of that decade), where the show included comic dialogue and songs by Kate Bush, Donna Summer, Suzi Quatro, Melanie, Blondie and Fleetwood Mac. ^[14]

Television Appearances and Radio

Rebecca Barnard has appeared on RocKwiz (an Australian music focussed TV show) in 2005, 2006 and 2009. She has also appeared on another music oriented music quiz show, Spicks and Specks in 2009. In 1998, Barnard appeared on the Good News Week show, hosted by Paul McDermott.

Barnard has appeared regularly on radio station 774 ABC Melbourne co-hosting with Derek Guille, and up until the end of 2013 was as a regular on another 3RRR’s The Word with Tracee Huchinson. ^[15]

Literature

In 2015, Barnard submitted a piece of writing to the book From the Heart: A Collection from Women of Letters, as part of Women of Letters series curated by Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuire. The book was published on 18 November 2015. ^[16]

Philanthropy

Barnard has been a much loved figure of the Melbourne music community, where she runs songwriting workshops for girls in the Melbourne western suburbs.^[17]

She is a founding member of the Mirabel Foundation, which works to assist children who have been orphaned and abandoned due to parental drug use.^[18]

Barnard also conducts songwriting workshops with intellectually disabled adults in Ballarat (who have recently formed a band, the Funky Turtles) and at the Footscray Community Arts Centre with a Sudanese Choir.^[19]

Rebecca Barnard is a regular performer at the annual Sacred Heart Mission of St Kilda fundraiser concert in Melbourne. ^[1]

In 2011, Rebecca Barnard released a CD and download single called "A Mother Weeps" (with the Models Super Orchestra), featuring Cal McAlpine (drums), Mark Ferrie (bass), Billy Miller (lead guitar/harmony), Sean Kelly (rhythm guitar/harmony), Andrew Duffield (piano/harmony) and Jack Howard (trumpet/harmony). All profits of the single went to Cancer research. The motivation of the single, was due to the death of Gabby Larkin that died at the age of 16 from an extremely rare and aggressive form of cancer.

Teaching

Barnard is a part-time music teacher at Northern College of The Arts and Technology (NCAT) in Melbourne, in 2015 (as the part of the course) some of the participants have the opportunity with performing live gigs with Barnard. The hands on course promises to develop skills in songwriting, recording, rehearsal techniques, performance, stagecraft, vocal techniques and more - all under the guidance of Barnard. ^[20]

Barnard also has a residence at the Caravan Club in Oakleigh (a suburb of Melbourne) with the "Rebecca Barnard & Billy Millers Sing-a-long", where participants are encouraged to sing, both for fun and theruaputic purposes. ^[21]

Discography

Solo Albums

Albums with Rebecca's Empire

Collaborations

Rebecca has appeared on the following artists/various albums:

• 1988 - Harem Scarem, Lo & Behold - backing vocals.
• 1988 - Stephen Cummings, A New Kind Of Blue - harmony vocals.
• 1991 - Stephen Cummings, Good Humour - backing vocals.
• 1992 - Stephen Cummings, Unguided Tour - backing vocals.
• 1992 - Chris Wilson, Landlocked - backing vocals.
• 1992 - Stephen Cummings, Lovetown - harmony vocals (some harmonies).
• 1993 - Kate Ceberano, Kate Ceberano & Friends - backing vocals.
• 1994 - Stephen Cummings, Falling Swinger - backing vocals.
• 1994 - The Black Sorrows, Lucky Charm - backing vocals on the track Down To The Sea.
• 1995 - Dave Graney 'n' the Coral Snakes, The Soft 'N' Sexy Sound - backing vocals.
• 1997 - Dave Graney 'n' the Coral Snakes, The Devil Drives - backing vocals.
• 1998 - Paul Kelly, Words and Music - duet with Paul Kelly on She Answers The Sun (Lazybones).
• 1996 - Four Hours Sleep, More of Her - vocals on When I First Met You (with David McComb).
• 1998 - RRRewind In The Chapel - lead vocals singing the Divinyls "Sleeping Beauty" and AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long".
• 1999 - Stephen Cummings, Spiritual Bum - backing vocals.
• 2001 - Deborah Conway, PC. The Songs Of Patsy Cline - backing vocals.
• 2001 - Stephen Cummings, Skeleton Key - harmony vocals.
• 2001 - Snout, Managing Good Looks - backing vocals on Kickin' Up A Racket and Prince of Plainsong.
• 2002 - The Women at the Well - lead vocals on the Paul Kelly song She's Rare.
• 2002 - Icecream Hands, vocals on Broken UFO album.
• 2003 - Stephen Cummings, Firecracker - provides backing vocals.
• 2003 - Barb Waters, Rosa Duet - "Wipe Away My Tears" - vocals with Lisa Miller and Barb Waters.
• 2005 - Stephen Cummings, Love-O-Meter - backing vocals.
• 2005 - Tim Rogers, Dirty Ron/Ghost Songs - Backing vocals on I's Rather Be Krund and Social Pages.
• 2006 - The Audreys, Between Last Night and Us - Vocals on "Pale Dress".
• 2006 - RocKwiz Duets, duet with Tim Rogers on Stop Draggin' My Heart Around (live).
• 2006 - You Am I, Convicts - backing vocals.
• 2007 - Stephen Cummings, Space Travel - backing vocals.
• 2007 - RocKwiz Duets Vol.2 - It's A Long Way to the Top - duet with Kutcha Edwards (live).
• 2012 - Tim Rogers, Rogers Sings Rogerstein - additional vocals on "Out Of Our Tiny Lil Minds' & 'The FJ Holden'.
• 2016 - Pesky Bones project, "The Children" and "Now That Our Babies Have Grown" duetting with Paul Kelly.

References