Rising artist Lockwood Barr chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about her new single “Already Gone.”
Where did you find the inspiration for your latest release Already Gone?
The idea started with one of my co-writers. He was seeing this girl and they weren’t going out very long before they broke up. We took reality and turned it into a song. And honestly, I think the sense of knowing something is over but not being able to rip the Band-Aid off is a pretty universal relationship concept.
How does this new song display the growth in your music that you have honed in throughout the pandemic?
I started taking a lot more risks with my songwriting during the pandemic because that’s all I could do. I couldn’t tour, but I could experiment with my own artistic vibe. So, that’s exactly what I did. I had fun; I took risks. I tried writing songs that felt like a 180-degree shift from my past releases just because.
And, it felt amazing! I ended up diving deeper into the blues and rock genres and finding a grittier way to tell my stories. I’ve always had a rocky, smoky voice, and I feel like I got to create new music that really embraced that part of me. Of course, the banjo still had to be included in all of this. I definitely still consider the music I’m putting out to be Country Music, but it’s leaning more towards the southern rock, soul part of the genre. It’s been an extremely productive and artistically fulfilling year, even within a global pandemic.
You are using the song to also shine a spotlight on the “Keep Tahoe Blue” campaign. What is this campaign and what inspired your passion for preserving the Lake Tahoe area?
“Keep Tahoe Blue” (KTB) has always been part of my life as I grew up around Lake Tahoe. From skiing to camping to hiking, Tahoe is a huge part of the adventurous person I grew up to be. KTB is the reason I grew up enjoying pristine nature and blue Tahoe water, and they continue fighting the good fight for future generations. And now, in the age of raging wildfires, they are expanding their efforts to help prevent and mitigate these fires to save these historic lands and the lives that flourish on them.
My own brother-in-law’s 4th generation cabin was lost to a wildfire in the California Sierras last year. And another family friend’s full-time home in the Hualapai mountains was about 20 feet from the same fate just last month. I am proud to support this amazing organization, and I am grateful for the timely and necessary work they have taken on. God Bless “Keep Tahoe Blue.”
You have never feared work as an activist alongside your recording career. Tell us about your suicide awareness and prevention work in the San Francisco area.
There is no room for fear when it comes to the cause of preventing death by suicide. Growing up on the water of the San Francisco Bay, this is a cause that chose me. The Golden Gate Bridge was not only this glamorous and iconic structure in our backyard, it was also easily accessible with only a 4-foot-high railing. I knew someone who jumped to their death off the bridge every single year of high school.
My sophomore year, it was actually the mom of a classmate. And my senior year, it was a childhood friend I’d known since kindergarten. So, 17-year-old me stomped into my local town council and demanded a resolution for a suicide barrier. And, I’ve never looked back. It will always be a cause for me.
In recent years, I’ve had the privilege of lobbying for better mental health legislation to state lawmakers here in Tennessee with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Now in the wake of the pandemic, we are seeing a huge surge in depression and suicide. We must always fight for mental health.
You were quick to embrace live-streaming and even landed on Pollstar’s Top 12 Live Streams Chart in 2020. How have your fans embraced this new performance format and will you continue even though the venues are opening up again?
My fans have been incredible! I was absolutely blown away by their support and loyalty as I tried to navigate through the world of strictly online and televised shows. My stage banter took on a new rhythm as I learned to live without live reactions and embrace the reactions and song requests that came via Facebook comments and other online messaging. When I think back to the Pollstar ranking, I tear up.
The online streaming world became extremely saturated with shows during the pandemic, but my fans followed me and cut out time for me. They got me that ranking. I’m also extremely grateful for the new listeners who took a chance on me. Who would have thought a global pandemic would provide much interaction with music lovers. As grateful as I am for this past season, I am so ready for my #hotvaxsummer and getting back on the road to live audiences.
As a woman in the country music industry, you’ve seen firsthand the fight for inclusivity and equal play in that genre for women and people of color. Have you seen a change in Nashville and what do you want to see as a next step in that movement?
The one, or perhaps only, thing I remember from my high school economics class is that “change is sticky.” In other words, fundamental and lasting change takes time, but I can definitely tell that we are going in the right direction.
First of all, there seem to be more platforms for women thanks to trailblazing industry execs like Leslie Fram and Kate Hyman. In addition to expanded platforms, it seems that music listeners are embracing different types of women.
The women in country music today are perhaps the most diverse crew in the genre’s history. We all have unique stories to tell, and our own unique ways to tell those stories.
It seems that not only is the world taking notice, but the world is ready for it. It’s a year where Ashley McBryde and Kelsea Ballerini are successfully coexisting and flourishing on the same stage. So, do we still have a ways to go? Absolutely. The fight is only just beginning. But, we are moving in the right direction. Life is good. I’m proud to be part of this girl-power generation.
If you could record a duet with anyone, who would you choose and why?
My dream scenario is to form a girl group with Bonnie Raitt and Sheryl Crow. They are the musical goddesses who truly allowed me to embrace myself and my sound growing up. They have deep, gritty, soulful voices, and they fearlessly sing about both their strength and their vulnerability.
To learn more about Lockwood Barr, check out her official website.
