The Barr Brothers Preview New Material During Empire State Excursion with Guests Stuart Bogie, Feist and More

Credit: Lucas Samuels 

This past weekend, The Barr Brothers participated in a series of live performances centered around new material composed for an impending album. The sequence of Empire State concerts picked up on Thursday, Nov. 14, at the Mercury Lounge in Manhattan and again the following evening, Friday, Nov. 15, when the band was joined by a special guest, Stuart Bogie. Shows and sit-ins continued throughout the weekend.

For Bogie’s appearance during The Barr Brothers’ Friday night gig, he cascaded saxophone over a rendition of “Come in the Water” and the new tune “Northern Stars and Battle Scars.” Tapping into the motif above, the Brothers and their guests, Bogie, opening act La Force and Fiest, stepped in for the night’s debut of Anohni and the Johnsons’ “Another World.”

Fiest’s concert arrival could have been predicted after staffing the merch table during Thursday night’s stand. Both Feist and La Force, whose given name is Ariel Engle, have served as Broken Social Scene singers as well.

The Barr Brother’s New York state tour continued on Saturday outside the city at Woodstock, N.Y.’s Levon Helm Studios. Meanwhile, the previous night’s collaborator, Bogie, stayed local, turning up at New York’s Brooklyn Bowl with his old band, Antibalas. 

After the band’s latest appearances, they will take time away from the stage, returning on Dec. 10 for a series of California shows centered around the continued duo format. For tickets and more information, visit the band’s official website.