Rebecca Barnard

Rebecca Chirnside Barnard (born 26 December 1960) is an Australian singer, songwriter, producer and musician. She was the lead singer of the band Rebecca's Empire from 1993 to 2000, and has forged a solo career since her debut album, ''Fortified'', was released in 2006. Her second solo album, ''Everlasting'', was released in 2010. After a lengthy break of just under seven years, Barnard released her third solo album in 2017, called ''Music for Listening and Relaxation''. It is anticipated that Barnard will release her first solo jazz album in 2023, entitled T''he Night We Called It A Day''.

Barnard is a Melbourne based musician, that has a versatile musical range, delving into rock, pop, and jazz genres, and has been a constant fixture in the Australian music scene for over four decades.

Barnard has appeared on recordings by other Australian artists such as Paul Kelly, Tim Rogers, Renée Geyer, Deborah Conway, The Meanies, Warped, Stephen Cummings, TISM, You Am I, The Black Sorrows, The Fauves, Kutcha Edwards, The Audreys, Guy Pearce, plus many others.

Early years

Barnard comes from a rich musical family history. In the 1920s her grandparents Jim and Kath Barnard ran The Kath Barnard Jazz Band. Rebecca Barnard is the daughter of acclaimed Australian jazz drummer Len Barnard AM (once a member of the jazz band, Galapagos Duck) and Jane Chirnside. In 1952 The Len Barnard Jazz Band recorded Australia's first microgroove LP record and toured extensively in Australia and overseas until his death in 2005. Her uncle is Bob Barnard, who is an accomplished Australian jazz trumpet and cornet stylist. Barnard is inherently a jazz singer, and has said "''I’ve always sung jazz, that’s sort of like my first love, you know, it’s like breathing. It’s sort of effortless''." Barnard begun singing jazz in Melbourne venues when she was just 16.

Barnard was born in Melbourne, and grew up in the outer-eastern Melbourne suburb of Mooroolbark in an estate designed by Edna Walling. During her childhood, Barnard listened to Gladys Moncrieff, Fats Waller, Pinetop Smith, Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong. Barnard started playing music at 10, when her father gave her a guitar, and she started writing songs at 12. At 14, she became acquainted with Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan.

Barnard featured in the following Australian bands, ''Daktari'' (1982), ''The Escalators'' (1983-1984), ''Black Coffee (and the Beans)'' (1985), ''Way Back Five'' (1986), ''Romance Without Finance'', ''Peaceful Anticipation Social Aid and Pleasure Club'' (1990), ''Stephen Cummings Band'' (1986 and 1990–91), ''The Trees'' (a pop band with John McAll) (1990), ''Triple Peaks'' (1991), and the ''Rebecca Barnard Band'' (1992). The band ''Way Back Five'' was a "super group" that played funk and reggae covers, and consisted of Barnard, Kate Ceberano, Phil Ceberano, James Reyne and Steve Kearney (from Los Trio Ringbarkus). Barnard has indicated that Michael Hutchence (from INXS) sang with the band at one of the gigs.

During this time (1982 to 1992), Rebecca spent many years in refining her live performance and vocal skills, and was an in-demand session singer, providing vocals and backing vocals on many Australian albums (including soundtracks and guest starring with various musicians). She went on to record and tour with Stephen Cummings, where she met Shane O’Mara (guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and producer). They were married in 1989 and amicably separated in 2009.

In the late 1980s, Barnard featured on Tonight Live with Steve Vizard and The Big Gig, as part of the in-house band for the respective shows. The band ''Swinging Sidewalks'' featured on The Big Gig, was a jazz band that featured singers Kerri Simpson and Shelley Scown.

Barnard has credited the journalist Jill Singer in giving her the confidence to sing her own songs.

When songwriting became a focus, she founded the band Rebecca's Empire in 1993, initially as a duo with O'Mara. In 1994, the band included Peter Luscombe, and Bill McDonald. Michael den Elzen joined the band in 1995, when Bill McDonald left Rebecca's Empire to play with the band Frente!. The band toured extensively, supported acts such as Billy Bragg and Paul Kelly on their respective Australian tours, released three EPs and two albums (''Way of All Things'' in 1996, and ''Welcome'' in 1999) and appeared on the Triple J Hottest 100 albums three years in a row. The track "Way of All Things" was featured on the soundtrack to the Australian film Blackrock and featured on the hit television series, Good Guys Bad Guys. At this height of popularity, Barnard had her own cooking segment on Triple J called Pot of Rock. Barnard has since said of her popularity at this time, that she had "''wasted a real good opportunity to do more with the momentum that we had''".YouTube Interview, 8 April 2015
.

Rebecca's Empire formally disbanded in June 2000 when the duties of being a mother took priority (Barnard gave birth to her son with O'Mara, Harry, on 29 January 1996) and due to conflict between herself and Shane O'Mara . During this time and post 2000, many Australian bands recorded their albums in O'Mara and Barnard's home studio called "Yikesville".

Barnard indicated that she suffered writer's block from 2000 to 2005, and hence the hiatus between Rebecca's Empire ending and her solo career commencing.

Barnard has been credited in providing the means for singer Vika Bull, in starting her musical career, when one of the backing vocalists in Barnard's band lost her voice, Vika Bull (who was a receptionist at Platinum Studios (Melbourne)), volunteered to fill the space.

Solo career

She has recorded three solo albums, namely ''Fortified'' (2006), ''Everlasting'' (2010), and after a lengthy hiatus, the album ''Music for Listening and Relaxation'' (2017). Barnard is known for her personal and heartfelt lyrics. Her first two albums are on her own record label, Ladybird and distributed by Shock Records.

In 2022, it was announced that Barnard would be releasing her first album of jazz standards entitled ''The Night We Called It A Day'', which has been produced and arranged by Barnard's friend Monique diMattina.

None of Rebecca's solo albums have charted on the Australian ARIA charts - it has been difficult for a performer like Rebecca Barnard to gain exposure for her original work, due to limitations of promotional budgets and lack of airplay. She also cites agism in the music industry as a factor for the lack of exposure "''It is an ageist industry especially if you’re a woman. I’m doing the best stuff I’ve ever done now but you just do it because it feels good and that’s what you do.''”

Fortified (2006)

''Fortified'' was co-produced by Barnard and her then partner, Shane O'Mara, and recorded at their home studio Yikesville. Barnard commenced writing material for the album in 2003. ''Fortified'' featured various Melbourne musicians such as Lisa Miller (backing vocals), Tim Rogers (backing vocals), Peter Jones (drums), Michael Barker of the John Butler Trio (drums) and Snout's Ross McLennan (bass). The album contains tracks penned by Barnard and co-writers including Dr. Rosemary Milne, who created the lyrics to the theme of Play School, on the song called ''I Hurt'' (a track about the dark side of love). ''Fortified'' features one cover song, the Bob Dylan song Boots of Spanish Leather. The album is led with the exuberant track, ''Keep Smiling'' - a song that deals with a long-standing relationship (either family or a friend) and the feeling of being so close, disassociated, and feeling out of control as you get older ("who would have guessed, we would be such a mess...down the track").

Track listing
# "Keep Smiling" – 5:06
# "Little Boy" – 4:11
# "Fortified" – 4:31
# "Nobody Breaks This Heart" – 3:53
# "Sirens" – 3:33
# "Such A Bore" – 3:58
# "The Moon" – 3:05
# "I Hurt" – 4:42
# "As Free As You Can Be"– 4:50
# "Husbands"– 4:05
# "Boots of Spanish Leather"– 5:57

Everlasting (2010)

The emotive ''Everlasting'' was recorded in New York City, and mixed at Tony Bennett's studio in Englewood New Jersey, during a two-week stint of recording in 2008, with the help of jazz pianist Barney McAll, a long-time friend of Barnard and the first album without the assistance of Shane O'Mara. Rebecca Barnard co-produced this album with Barney McAll, which deals with issues of loss and love. The track ''Everlasting'' deals with the death of her father, jazz musician, Len Barnard. ''Everlasting'' includes some mature pop songs infused with jazz, such as ''Born in a Shirt'' (a Russian metaphor for being born lucky). The tracks were all written by Barnard, except the track ''Seasong'' which is cover of a track by Robert Wyatt. The album was predominantly promoted by Barnard herself due to the lack of a promotional budget. ''Everlasting'' was made with the assistance of a VicARTS grant. Rebecca has said "''How incredible that we live in a society, where most of us are to be free to be. The government giving a 49-year-old woman money to write and record music. There are thousands of women out there deserving of this. Women that struggle with the constant dilemma of creativity versus motherhood, hormonal weirdness, ageing parents, trying to be everything to everyone''." The album received favourable reviews upon its release.

''Everlasting'' was also the ABC Radio "disc of the week" (week starting 21 June 2010), where the album received some airplay. The ABC Radio review of the album indicated that ''Everlasting'' was "''sultry, sassy and even a little bit sexy, Rebecca captures the sound of a woman on top of her game''."

The musicians on the album (apart from Barnard and Barney McAll) include Matt Darriau (he plays a clarinet solo on the song ''You Are Loved''), drummer Dan Rieser (ex-band member from Marcy Playground and drummer for Norah Jones), jazz musician Jonathan Maron on bass (from the band Groove Collective), and cellist Rufus Cappadocia.

Track listing
# "Born in a Shirt" – 4:58
# "Age 14" – 5:37
# "Everlasting" – 4:51
# "Fall and Walk" – 4:35
# "Give Way" – 5:25
# "Own Time" – 4:27
# "Closer to You" – 3:14
# "Seasong" – 3:09
# "Little Ruffy"– 3:16
# "You Are Loved"– 4:30

Music for Listening and Relaxation (2017)

The album was released on iTunes on 9 April 2017, and available on music streaming websites such as Tidal and Spotify, with the album being officially launched in Melbourne on 8 July 2017.

For this album, Barnard collaborated with Michael den Elzen, (who previously played bass with Rebecca's Empire on their 1996 album, ''Way of All Things''). The album was recorded in den Elzen's studio in Central Victoria, called Waldemar's Studio. The album was a true collaboration between Rebecca and Michael, as they play all the instruments on the album. Rebecca on vocals, guitar, kalimba, percussion and keyboards, whilst Michael plays guitars, bass, drums, percussion, cello, double bass, keyboard, banjo, mandolin, tzoura, chimes vocal, and also undertook the field recording of the Australian bush, which features heavily on the album.

Barnard has indicated that the album was inspired by ''"the power of nature, love, the fragile beauty of planet Earth"'', and that this is reflected in the lyrics.

The title ''Music for Listening and Relaxation'' was inspired by an old record cover Barnard found in an opportunity shop in the Blue Mountains. Barnard indicated that the title ''"seemed to encapsulate the mood of the songs we were writing at the time, and our obsession with nature photographer Michael K Morcombe."''

Barnard has indicated that in retrospect she should have called the album 'Music for Listening', "''because some people seriously have thought it's a new age meditation record. Or I should have called it 'Music for Listening while Driving''."

Barnard indicated that many of the tracks on the album focused on the fate of the world, where "Golden Hour" is about nature, "Black Coral" about aging and young girls, and "Crash and Burn" being inspired by Australian Greens founder Bob Brown – where Barnard was inspired by a quote of his "If it goes, it's gone forever" – Barnard said, "(It) just stuck in my mind, so you know, it is a bit negative.".

Track listing
(All songs by Rebecca Barnard and Michael den Elzen)
# "Everything We Knew" – 5:56
# "Golden Hour" – 8:29
# "Crash and Burn" – 5:34
# "Sound Your Heart Makes" – 5:20
# "All at Sea" – 4:24
# "Black Coral" – 7:24
# "Generations" – 2:32
# "Smoking Gun" – 4:42
# "Flash A New Love" – 4:46
# "Melancholia"– 6:49

Soundtracks and Other Appearances

In 1986, Rebecca Barnard provided vocals to the songs "The Moon" and "Detective Love" on the motion picture soundtrack to Jamezee's Changing Name – Do You "Speak My Language?"album.

In 1995, Rebcca's Empire contributed to a compilation jazz and blues album called "Up All Night", with a song written by O'Mara and Stephen Cummings called "One Step".

In 2002, Rebecca Barnard contributed to the album "The Women at the Well" - an album featuring Australian female artists covering Paul Kelly songs. Rebecca's contribution was the song "She's Rare".

In 2013, Rebecca Barnard contributed to "The Boy Castaways" movie soundtrack with the song "I Know Where You're Going". The film featured Paul Capsis, Tim Rogers and Megan Washington. The film was directed by Michael Kantor.

In 2016, Rebecca Barnard featured on the tracks "Now That Our Babies Have Grown" a duet with Paul Kelly and on the track "The Children" as part of the Pesky Bones project. This project features different Australian artists singing in diverse styles. The project was established by the Boom Crash Opera founder Peter Farnan (with all songs written by him).

Touring

Rebecca Barnard is known for her warm personality and humour, and she couples this with her emotive performances. She tours frequently (particularly in Melbourne), but also takes part in various music festivals and gigs throughout Australia.

Due to her jazz background, Rebecca Barnard also performs jazz - both solo and with various bands, singing a selection of jazz standards.

During 2011 and 2012, Barnard teamed with up with fellow Australian singers Monique Brumby and Kerri Simpson, performing the show "Sheilas of the '70s" (a tribute to female singers of that decade), where the show included comic dialogue and songs by Kate Bush, Donna Summer, Suzi Quatro, Melanie

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