For immediate release

OTTAWA, January 25, 2012 – After a tremendously successful appearance on the Late Night Show with David Letterman early this month, NAC Presents is pleased to have added a special stop in Ottawa for The Barr Brothers on their current Canadian tour! On Saturday, March 3^rd, the Montreal –based quartet will transform the intimate NAC Fourth Stage into their own universe of delicate pop melodies mixed with growling delta blues riffs heightened by an eclectic array of  experimental instruments. The magical complicity between brothers Andrew and Brad Barr joined by talented harpist Sarah Page and multi-instrumentalist Andres Vial results in a wide-ranging mix of beautiful folk, gut-busting blues and African rhythms that will leave fans wanting more! Tickets to this incredible performance are on sale on Ticketmaster.ca or at the NAC Box Office as of 10 a.m. tomorrow.

How it all started…
Andrew and Brad Barr had spent most of the previous decade criss-crossing North America, playing music with their spirited, improv-based rock trio, The Slip. In spring 2004, the brothers were touring in Canada with an experimental rock band when a fire broke out in the Montreal club where they were performing. This is where they met Meghan Clinton, now the band’s' co-manager. She suggested that the brothers relocate to Montreal. One year later, Brad and Andrew Barr were living in Montreal.

In his first apartment in the new city, Brad shared an adjoining wall with Sarah Page, a classically trained harpist from Montreal with a propensity for the experimental. As tender and visceral as she is virtuosic, her melodies would seep through the cracks of the wall and into the music Brad was writing. From this nebulous relationship, a friendship developed and the brothers, with Sarah, began recording and performing around Montreal. Soon, their friend and multi-instrumentalist Andres Vial was brought in to lend his wide array of expertise to the outfit, playing keyboards, bass, vibes, percussion, and singing. They called themselves The Barr Brothers. With Brad's songs setting the context for the agile imaginations of the other musicians, a unique sound was born, one reliant on interwoven string arrangements, wide open spaces, and a multitude of musical traditions.
Their eponymous debut album reads like a dusty journal of a traveler at the crossroads of good and evil. Hushed Americana and future-primitive delta blues clear the path for West African polyrhythms and classical motifs. It’s all tied together by the commitment to the sources of the styles and their inherent connections to each other.

The Barr Brothers warmed the crowd with sensually strummed harp strings that accompanied an eruption of broken hearted lyrics. -Daily Star, UK

The Barr Brothers performs in the National Arts Centre’s Fourth Stage on Saturday, March 3^rd, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 7:00. Tickets are $19.

Groups of 10 or more save 15% to 20% off regular ticket prices; to reserve your seats, call 613-947-7000, ext. 634 or e-mail grp@nac-cna.ca.

Tickets are available for purchase:

• In person at the NAC Box Office
• At all Ticketmaster outlets
• By telephone from Ticketmaster, 1-888-991-2787 (ARTS) new!  
• Online through the Ticketmaster link on the NAC’s website (www.nac-cna.ca)
• A service charge applies on all purchases made through Ticketmaster

 NAC Presents upcoming concerts

 FEBRUARY

10-11     Jill Barber $27 (Fourth Stage)-SOLD OUT!
11           Sam Roberts Band $36 + (Southam Hall)
18           Geggie Jazz Series : Phil Dwyer, Chet Doxas and Jim Doxas $30 (Fourth Stage)

MARCH
 
2              Les Vendredis de la chanson francophone: Kyssi Wète $20 (Fourth Stage)
3              The Barr Brothers $19 (Fourth Stage)
16           Peter Elkas $25 (Fourth Stage)
17           Geggie Jazz Series:  Joel Frahm, Mian Rager and John Fraboni $30 (Fourth Stage)
22           Emilie-Claire Barlow $33 (Studio)
22          David Myles $23 (Fourth Stage)
23-24     The Sadies $28 (Studio)

APRIL

13           Les Vendredis de la chanson francophone: Les Surveillantes $20 (Fourth Stage)
21:          Geggie Jazz Series : Pat Labarbera, Josh Rager and Nick Fraser $30 (Fourth Stage)
28:          Brandi Disterheft $25 (Fourth Stage)

MAY

3              Dan Hill $40 (Fourth Stage)
25           Les Vendredis de la chanson francophone: Tricia Foster $20 (Fourth Stage)
26           Geggie Jazz Series : Joe Sullivan, Lorne Lofsky, Richard Irwin $30 (Fourth Stage)

JUNE
 
15-16     Gordon Lightfoot $65 (Southam Hall)
20-23     7 Doigts de la main-PSY $35 + (Theatre)

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For more information, please contact:
Marie-Chantale Labbé-Jacques
Associate Marketing and Communication Officer
National Arts Centre
613-947-7000 ext. 526; e-mail: mclabbe@nac-cna.ca
or visit the NAC website at www.nac-cna.ca