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It has been said that Denver is the biggest small town
one will ever encounter. True Mile High natives may be
hard to come by, but chances are, there is definitely
less than six degrees between you and your garbage man.
Something that naturally comes to a town of this caliber
is a high circulation of gossip, especially among those
with a vested interest in the music scene. Duncan
Barlow, the main soul behind d. biddle, knows
this well.
“Denver has a national reputation for being a
talkative city, so if you’re a quiet band, it
serves (sometimes) to be problematic,” Barlow
says of d.biddle’s subtle but powerful place in
the current sonic landscape.
Although originally from Kentucky, Barlow had already
made quite a name for himself in the hardcore scene
in previous years before venturing to this side of things
to pursue a graduate degree in Boulder. Formerly a member
of Endpoint, Guilt, By the Grace of God, and The Lull
Account, Barlow decided to choose a whole new direction
musically, taking him to often uncharted territory for
someone with such a distinctly aggressive former life.
The mellow and graceful project that formed in 2002
and is currently known as d.biddle is about as far from
punk or hardcore as any musician could get.
“d is from Duncan, and Biddle is actually my
middle name. You see, my proper name was so heavily
associated with the hardcore scene that I was originally
in, I was worried about two things: 1. that I couldn’t
get a fair review, and 2.that younger kids that liked
my old bands would come to the show and hate it,”
Barlow says of the reasoning behind the slightly strange
moniker.
This explanation couldn’t be a better showcase
of Barlow’s genuine and sweet manner, also not
something associated with his former scene. Barlow is
a quiet individual by nature, always seemingly concerned
with other’s aural well-being. After all, when
an artist chooses to go out on a limb and cross into
a new genre, how many of them are actually concerned
with how their audience might feel? Chances are, there
are few quite like the mild-mannered Barlow. It’s
this attitude that is also perfectly encapsulated in
d. biddle’s upcoming self-titled release for Sao
Bento Music.
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Along with Jeff Davenport (bass and
percussion), Ben Desoto (drums and
flute), Jamie Smith on (guitar, vocals,
and clarinet) and Erin Roberts (trumpet
and vocal), d. biddle’s latest LP proves to be
both tempered and jarring at the same time. While Barlow’s
despairingly dazzling vocals and reckless use of his
acoustic guitar serve as the main focus for most of
the tracks, the slow influx of trumpet, clarinet, flute
and drumbeats provides the perfect sonic backdrop.
“At that point (during recording) it felt more
like a solo artist with friends backing him; however,
once we recorded we came together as a band. I think
Pall (Jenkins, producer) helped with that. He kind of
held a sonic mirror up to us and said ‘This is
what you sound like’,” Barlow says of the
culmination of the soon-to-be-released recording.
This Saturday, April 2 d. biddle with be celebrating
the release of their 2005 self-titled LP
at the Hi-Dive, located at 7 So. Broadway (10pm, 21+).
Local favorites Tin Tin and Bad Weather California will
be opening the showcase, so this show is not to miss.
www.dbiddle.com
www.saobentomusic.com
www.hi-dive.com
Bree Kutz, April 1, 2005
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