Local Musician Barry James Payne begins series of concerts collaborating with others
By Lisa Chester
Beginning Oct. 24 at the Bunker Performance Lounge and Café, Barry James Payne sets off on a jaunt of central Ontario performing in rural venues, London and four dates in Stratford.
Just down the road in Harrington a concert is planned featuring fan favourite recording star Emm Gryner with Payne and international star Luna Keller opening the evening. Keller is an artist from Spain that now lives in Germany coming to Canada for the first time.
“I contacted Emm because she is well connected and I know that Emm loves to support young artists and so do I, so I thought it would be a really nice combination to have Luna and Emm and I together on a show,” said Payne.
Payne first became aware of Keller during the pandemic when artists pivoted to online audiences and musician pods on the internet.
“What we were trying to do is ramp up awareness online so people were doing live shows and they were releasing music as much as they could record at home. I was in this one musician pod and Luna was a member of that pod. She contacted me and asked me if I wanted to be a guest on a show that she was running called ‘Why hasn’t everyone heard these songs?’ and we’ve been in touch ever since,” said Payne.
When Keller posted on social media that she was planning on coming to Canada, Payne learned that of all places she could have chosen, she was going to be in St. Marys, just down the road, and they swiftly planned gigs together. They will be together in Harrington, the Bunker, Utopia, London and in Dorchester with Brent Jones who recently opened for the uber talented Bob Wiseman here in Stratford.
As part of the singer/songwriter series at the Bunker, Payne, Keller and Julia Godden will each be doing a set on Oct. 30, offering an intimate opportunity to experience Keller in town.
Upon completion of the rural and London dates remain two great shows that will attract crowds. First up is the fundraiser for Shelterlink with the 35th Black Swan Coffee House reunion featuring many artists. Perhaps most fondly remembered is Perth County Conspiracy (does not exist) which could draw the likes of Cedric Smith, Terry Jones and David Woodhead along with other Conspirators. Payne will be appearing with his full band Stringbone for an afternoon of folk songs performed by special guests.
Finally, appearing at Grayson Mills on Nov. 20, Payne will be playing with his Blue Rodeo tribute band, Diamond Mine, which has caught the attention of Wiseman, founding member of Blue Rodeo who appeared in Stratford recently.
“I’m a huge fan of Blue Rodeo and to be able to sing their songs, a whole evening of their songs and play with a fantastic band and have the audience sing along to a lot of these songs is just such a great experience. We try to play venues that Blue Rodeo just never gets to so it’s a great evening for Blue Rodeo fans,” said Payne. “I was contacted in August of this year by Bob Wiseman who is a good friend of Kelly McIntosh, executive director of the Stratford Perth Museum who presented our band Diamond Mine this year. Bob receives the newsletter and when he saw the notification of the event, he contacted Kelly and asked for my contact information,” shared Payne.
Upon learning of Diamond Mine, three things came to Wiseman’s mind which he communicated to Payne in a message. First, he thought it was kind of funny. Second, he thought they must be pretty talented if they’re playing Blue Rodeo songs and third, he wondered what it would be like to jam with these guys. And jam they did.
Something else on Payne’s mind is the new mural Strike up the Band, located on Ontario Street. Two bands in which he has had the pleasure of performing, Stringbone and Rant Maggie Rant, are depicted on the record in the mural celebrating local artists.
“It’s an honour and a validation of the work that I’ve done for almost 20 years of promoting music in Stratford. I played guitar in Rant Maggie Rant for 12 years and co-managed the band. We were at a point where when we played Knox Church we would sell 450 tickets, which can be hard to do in this town unless you are of a certain stature,” said Payne.
For a complete listing of concert dates and to buy tickets, visit stringbone.ca
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