BarlowGirl

By Julie Cook Hess

Chicago is known for nurturing and giving birth to great musical talent. Among the many great bands that have sprung up from the Windy City are Chevelle, Smashing Pumpkins, and more recently Ok Go and Fall Out Boy. The three Barlow sisters Alyssa, Becca and Lauren are no exception to Chi-town’s musical magic. In 2005, they were able to reach a wider audience when one of their songs was offered as the iTunes free download of the week.  A lot has happened since then for talented three-some.

In this feature interview with the group, they open up about the struggles of being women in a male-dominated business, the positives of being in family band and their beloved hometown.

JH: Your song “Let Go” was the iTunes free download of the week for September 27, 2005.  Did that have a noticeable impact for getting your name and sound out to more people?
BG: We think it definitely helped open some doors. iTunes is such a great outlet for new music, so we’re sure it helped broaden our audience.
 
JH:  I know you’ve probably been asked this a zillion times, but what are the advantages and disadvantages of being in a band with your sisters? There must be an increased level of trust with family.
BG: There are so many advantages—you have this support team with you constantly and no matter where you go, home is always kind of with you. We are each other’s best friends. As far as disadvantages go, we have to always work through everything because there’s no getting away from each other. Nothing can be swept under the rug, because we all have to go home with each other!
 
JH:  What’s the funniest thing that’s happened on the road?
BG: Before we got signed, Becca was pretty shy in front of people. Once, we were playing at an outdoor festival and this clown walked up on stage and put a giant balloon-hat on Becca’s head. She was in the middle of the song and obviously couldn’t take it off. We all thought it was hilarious, but she just mortified.
 
JH:  What was your best performance experience?
BG: The first time we went to Europe, we were all very nervous because everyone told us that people were incredibly honest and would tell us exactly what they thought. We were playing at Flevo festival and before we started about 5,000 kids left. We were really sad and worried, but about 15 minutes into our set, a HUGE crowd was starting to gather. Then, they all started singing this song to us. The festival promoter told us that it was their way of telling us that they accepted us and loved us. That was a great moment and it still stays with us today.  
 
JH:  There aren’t many all-women bands and I mean ‘band’ in the truest sense of the word, as in group of musicians, not just a group of singers (a la ‘boy bands’). Do you find that not many people take you as seriously as musicians and songwriters just because of gender? Has being a group of women ever worked in your favor?
BG: In the beginning, it was very intimidating being an all-girl group. So we decided to start practicing 40 hours a week so that people wouldn’t say, “Yeah you’re pretty good…for girls.” We wanted to be able to keep up with any band out there. And being an all-girl band definitely has it’s advantages—a lot of guy bands say they have a hard time standing out because there’s so many of them, but we never have that problem!
 
JH:  Who are some of your musical influences?
BG: We were raised on the Beatles, the Mama’s and the Papa’s, James Taylor and all that great old music. We later got into DC Talk, Amy Grant, Jazz, Broadway and Big Band, but we always love the oldies.
 
JH:  How do you stay motivated when you are tempted to throw in the towel?
BG: Our mom has actually been a huge motivator. She’s such a strong woman of faith and always seems to be in tune if something is wrong with us. She has encouraged us so many times when we’ve been ready to call it quits.
 
JH: What kind of equipment do you use?
BG: Alyssa—Fender Mustang bass, JP Deluxe; Becca—Fender custom-shop Telecaster, Gretsch Sparkle Jet mother-of-pearl, Marshall 1957 Plexi Head and 1960 Cab; Lauren—Truth drum kit, Zildjian cymbals, DW hardware. And we all use Shure mics, earpieces, etc…
 
JH:  Being from suburban Chicago, what do you think of that cool fountain of faces that spits water on the on-lookers? Also, what’s up with that giant Millennium Plaza bean? By the way, Chicago is one of my favorite places to visit (my father-in-law is from there). What’s your favorite thing about the Land of Lincoln?
BG: We love that part of town! We always take our friends to see the fountain and the Millennium Plaza bean. Downtown Chicago is our favorite thing about the Land of Lincoln. And, that it is our home.
 
JH:  It must have been flattering to have been immortalized in the Superchic[k] song “Barlow Girls”. Have you ever toured with them?
BG: We’ve never toured with them but always wanted to. Hopefully sometime in the near future it will work out.
 
JH: Lastly, do you have any brothers or is it just you gals? You ladies are sort of like the female Chevelle.
BG: We have one older brother. He and his wife have 3 kids.  Other than that, it’s just us girls!

To learn more about this group, visit: www.barlowgirl.com

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