MP: Anyone who has ever gotten to know Renee, knows that she has an “old country soul”! Her family all loved the classics and were deeply rooted in real county. What were some ways in which you had to come together? So you two were sort of the odd couple, you having lived a good amount of your life coming in from the casual side of music to help someone so young and setting herself down the path early. RRX: You started out by helping a friend fill sets, a then-teenager named Renee Lussier. Of all of my experiences involving music, that is the one I’d never trade. I still think of him often, when playing the classics. Al would always find little ways to make things sound just a little better. Al would laugh at times mentioning “that the hair on his arms was standing up”, when we hit it just right. Al, his brother Bruce and I, would sit in his music room and play “old country”, harmonizing and singing our hearts out. It was never about getting paid, or winning an award. MP: Wow, thank you for asking this! Al was the guy who molded my view of music. What was Al like, for those that didn’t know him? I don’t think people realize the bonds that form, and how important they are to the music that comes out. I was in a band (sort of) that lost its drummer, and it’s devastating on a number of fronts. RRX: You suffered the unexpected loss of a band member in Lost Cantina, Al Lamica. For those of us who recognize that connection, there is no better feeling, and you’re hooked for life to performing. Whether cranking out a country anthem like “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” or “Outsiders”, or belting out “The Dance” by Garth, there’s a connection with the audience that goes beyond just music. MP: I certainly can’t speak for every country singer, but for me, it’s always been about friendships. Maybe the blues-hounds drink the best whisky and the punk rockers trash the hotel rooms – what do the country folks do? RRX: You’ve played in bands like Lost Cantina and Big Sky Country, and I’ve seen video of you guys rocking out in front of an overpass, and, so, when I think of different music genres, I get different visuals. Nothing more complimentary than watching people show some emotion while you’re performing! As performers, it’s our job to tell the story. Most popular tunes tell a story to the folks listening. Mainly from that fact that it’s so much easier to relate to lyrics. Yes, I do think having some “life experience” can make you a better performer.
I bought a guitar, but never really started playing that until last year, but always sang with friends and family. There’s so much to be said of the energy of youth, but do you think your having lived a little gave you an edge in maybe your work ethic when it came time to pursue music?
Before that you were playing, but just for fun, campfires, stuff like that. RRX: Mark, you got your start seriously pursuing music when you were in your mid-forties. I sit with Mark and we discuss who gets the next beer. But chance would have it grow into something that would bring us all just a little bit of warmth. Mark Pierre spent most of his life (his life of music) playing an acoustic around the fire, in his cups maybe, in his feels definitely. And okay, maybe we just get drunk now and cover bar tunes, but still it is a long tradition.
#The bartunes band full
Whether it was to celebrate a full belly, or ward off the dark that could easily bring threats to their lives, our earliest ancestors gathered around a campfire and brought rhythm and melody to productive use. Music essentially started around the campfire.
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