Oh Susanna – Planet S

MATTHEW BARBER AND OH SUSANNA
Co-headlining tour promises fun, friendship and folk

Saskatoon’s City Magazine
Live Previews
by Chris Morin
Thursday June 2, 03:09 pm

Bacon and eggs. Bert and Ernie. Rye and coke.

What’s the common denominator, you ask? Well, how about the fact that so many things are made better by having a sidekick of equal importance? (Oh, just shut up and go with it — it’s the best analogy we could think of!)

Canadian indie rockers Matthew Barber and Oh Susanna (aka Suzie Ungerleider) certainly think so — and they’re putting their music where their mouths are, witha co-headlining jaunt that they’ve saucily called the “He Said, She Said” tour. Along the way, audiences can expect to see the duo collaborating on each other’s songs as well as flying solo, says Ungerleider, who’s excited to begin the adventure.

“Maybe we’ll fight or get on each other’s nerves, but I think it’ll it be great,” she says with a laugh. “We’re getting together next week to rehearse some songs, so we can play together. It’s going to be a really stripped-down and intimate show — [Barber’s] going to play solo, and I’m just bringing a pedal steel player.”

“I’m a fan of her music,” adds Barber. “We don’t know each other that well but we really get along, and there’s enough common ground in our music and the stuff we like that it’ll make for a really good tour — and there’ll be a consistent evening of music for the people who come out.”

In support of the tour, both Ungerleider and Barber are releasing their sixth full-length albums. Oh Susanna’s album, Soon The Birds, is a collection of laidback, folkie-acoustic gems that sparkle like jewellery. Musically, the album is aperfectly acceptable collection of singer/songwriter fare, but it’s Ungerleider’s vocals that set it apart, pushing compelling stories about spousal abuse and war widows.

“I’m always trying to capture a little slice of people’s lives in my songs,” says Ungerleider. “Maybe some of my friends are wary of me, because if I hear an interesting story I might file it away for later for a song. I guess I’m a bit of a voyeur and I like to imagine what other people are like, and then explore that in music. It also gives me insight into myself and what’s important to me.

“I wrote one song about my aunt and uncle, who I was really close to. My aunt got cancer and was dying, and I thought I would write a tribute song to them about their lives together and what it would be like to be in that situation.”

In contrast, Barber describes his latest album as “uplifting,” with an emphasis on relationship lyrics. Musically, he has more in common with indie country and bluegrass, but there are still plenty of folk elements in his songs.

“It’s a bit of a departure for me in the sense that I recorded everything myself at home and played all the instruments,” he says. “I guess it was an homage to Paul McCartney’s first solo album. It was something I always wanted to do, use the old rickety gear I’ve been collecting for the past few years. I play a few instruments but I’ve never played drums or bass on an album before — I’ve always brought in other people for that.

“It’s as much of a solo project that you can get, which is the main reason why I left it self-titled. I was having trouble naming it, and it was probably about as appropriate of an album to self-title as it gets. It was fun but I don’t think I’ll make the next one like that,” laughs Barber.

Overall, Ungerleider thinks that — along with the fun of playing together and entertaining audiences across the country — the best part about a co-headlining tour such as this is the possibility of future partnerships.

“That comes out of these tours,” she says. “You get to know each other, and I think that’s why these are such fun things to do. When you do your own tour, you come home and nothing is really that different, but when you do these co-headlining tours you get these ideas and inspiration.

“Anything could happen.”