We Want Barbara Kessler To Be On Stage With Peter Gabriel
January 10, 2011 No CommentsSometimes when you’ve known someone, it’s actually harder rather than easier to introduce them – and that is certainly the case with lovely and talented Barbara Kessler. She’s an immensely talented and accomplished singer songwriter, who is both humble and assertive, who gives back to her community with musical events in her barn, hosting local open mic nights, acting in regional theater. I’m going to stop gushing… Here’s the introduction. And a video with her and her youngest daughter on stage at a local theater. You can make up your own mind about the positive feminine, mature and artistic role model that Barbara is to the local community. And in return, we’d love to see her wish come true to be on stage with Peter Gabriel.
Barbara Kessler
Home-base: Hopkinton, MA
Where do you find your writing inspiration: Listening to inspiring music, of all genres; taking “time out” to read or do something I love; getting away for a weekend (or even a day!); making myself pick up the guitar and just play it to see what it has to say; sitting down at the piano too
Do you write to find lyrics or music riffs first? Hmmmmm – usually I write with guitar and improvise singing phrases along with chord riffs/changes.Thinking about this makes me realize I truly don’t make the time to write as often as I probably would like, mostly out of fear of failure I suppose. Although as a mom now, I generally can soothe myself fairly easily out of such fears, but they still haunt me after all these years!
First gig you ever played: Cover gig – Tiffany’s Wine and Cheese Emporium in Commack NY, sometime after High School
Songwriter gig – some little room in either Santa Fe NM or Seattle, WA probably – I lived in both places for a while in the late 80′s.
Favorite song/most inspirational song as a kid: Oh wow I don’t remember one favorite! My older sister had a great collection of pop 45′s and was always listening to the radio when I was a really little kid, and then when she went to college she brought home a bunch of great singer-songwriter LP’s. I loved Jackson Browne, and Dan Fogelberg, Carly Simon, James Taylor, and harmonizing with all the great singer-songwriter groups of the 70′s like Eagles, and America, and Fleetwood Mac. I loved Queen too, and Aerosmith, Bad Company, and Steely Dan… FM radio was great back then and I loved being exposed to such a variety of great songs and bands. It was a huge inspiration to me in the days long before iPods – I would hole up in my room by myself for hours listening, and then when I got a stereo, started buying my own albums.
First song you learned to play: Mr. Bojangles
Artist you’d most like to be on stage with: Peter Gabriel
Things you are juggling: Working on recording a new CD, my two growing girls (now 14 and almost 9!), recording/producing/mentoring young songwriters in our barn studio, collaborating on occasional tracks with other producers/writers for TV, finding time to stay in balance – yoga, meditation, working with other women to both learn and share how to do so!
Biggest challenge about being an independent musician: Focus and self-motivation. Completion! I’m an Aries, and therefore have lots of “start-up” energy for songs, ideas, projects… Am intending to become a better and better “finisher!”
Best thing about being an independent musician: I have made a living (though sometimes at part-time wages) doing what I love for more than 2 decades. That puts me among the happiest people on this planet. I get how lucky I am – I appreciate that so much.
Gear you use: I play a Martin J40 M with a Fishman blender system pick up. I record at home with Pro Tools, and our studio has become a foster home for some of our talented and generous friends’ gear that would otherwise be collecting dust: a Neumann U67, Genelec studio monitors, a Hamilton baby grand piano, Focusrite Dual mic-pres…
Dream gear?: I have found that I am really a one-guitar kind of gal. I do play my Telecaster sometimes when recording, and I would love to collect guitars and amps just to have them to play around with when we record or host our “barn jams.” I also would love a new pro 88-key keyboard – I have some friends who work at Kurzweil, so maybe I can make that dream come true sometime soon-ish 
Anything else you’d like to add? Thanks, It’s been a fun diversion! Now, back to work…
