Photo by Julia Bookinakis-Harper
After amassing critical acclaim and a cult following in his native California, Anton Barbeau spent several years exploring stone circles and sipping tea in England and currently drinks his coffee in Berlin. In recent years he has toured the UK with Julian Cope, and shared the stage and/or studio with the likes of Robyn Hitchcock, Weezer, Stornoway, The Bevis Frond, and even a reformed Bay City Rollers.
Some of the songs for Barbeau’s new LP, Magic Act, were written for a third album for Three Minute Tease, his UK-based band with former Soft Boys/Egyptians Andy Metcalfe and Morris Windsor. A sudden case of “artistic differences” meant a change in course and Barbeau found himself making a solo record all in multiple countries with all sorts of people. Colin Moulding from XTC played bass on one track, Martin Gordon from Sparks on another. Karla Kane from the Corner Laughers sent vocal tracks via Dropbox, while Allyson Seconds and Larry Tagg did tracking in Barbeau’s dad’s house in Sacramento.
“You’ve got to start out or end up in the same room at some point, hopefully,” he explained. “It’s important for me to have that ‘in the room’ connection with the people I make music with, but this record was made as much online as anywhere.”
Magic Act starts with “High Noon,” a song that asks the question “Did the CIA really kill the Virgin Mary by sending her on a suicide mission to the moon?” A question that needed asking, we say!
Magic Act is slated for a March 4 release on Mystery Lawn Records.
