Niki Barr Band

A lot of successful musicians have to battle crowds, but few have to duck into bunkers to avoid incoming mortar fire.

That's what happened to Niki Barr last year when she and her rock band stopped in Afghanistan on a tour of military bases. "They put us all in Kevlar and helmets, and we were taken to a bunker," Ms. Barr said last week. "That was a little creepy."

At the same time, she admitted she'd do it all again.

"It was a bit thrilling (too)," she added. "It seems like life's a little too short to stay safe."

And Ms. Barr is doing it again, though she hasn't had to take cover this time around. The Niki Barr Band, whose members share a Glen Burnie home, is currently finishing up a three-week tour for Armed Forces Entertainment that's taken her to Italy, Portugal, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands - to name a few stops.

It's Ms. Barr's 11th such tour for U.S. military personnel, said her manager, Mike Marucci of Annapolis. In the past four years alone, she's been to three continents and 40 countries, he said.

"She's got a pretty impressive stamped passport," he said.

Ms. Barr, who was reached by telephone after a performance in the Netherlands, said the tours are a way to give back to the military and the troops, something she's passionate about. "Now, it's like part of our lives," she said. "The military are family for us now."

When she gets the chance, Ms. Barr said she enjoys chatting with the troops about their jobs and lives, because not everyone understands or appreciates what they're doing and the hardships they're enduring.

The pulsating anthem "Undivided" on the group's most recent recording, "Bloom," was written for the military after her tour of the Middle East, she said. "It strongly affects my music," she said of her experience touring for the troops.

Rosanne Burrus, deputy at Arlington, Va.-based Armed Forces Entertainment, praised Ms. Barr's supportive attitude and called her one of the agency's "headliners."

"She goes over for the right reasons," Ms. Burrus said. "She's just a good all-around entertainer. She engages the audience."

The Niki Barr Band's lineup has changed over the years, but current members include Ms. Barr, 25, bassist Scott Ensign, drummer B.J. Kerwin, and lead guitarist Island Styles.

Ms. Barr said she has lots of musical influences, but chief among them are '90s grunge rock icons Stone Temple Pilots, Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins.

Matt Davis, a DJ at Baltimore's 98 Rock, likes the current band and has been a fan of Ms. Barr's for years.

"I absolutely love Niki Barr's music," he said. "I think it's just a matter of time for her (to hit it big). It's not if, it's when for her."
Coming home

Ms. Barr said she plans to spend time getting re-acclimated to home when the band returns from its current tour. "You have to go through a decompression," she said.

That doesn't mean she intends to stop working, however.

The band already has several concerts lined up, including one next month at The Whiskey in Annapolis. And Ms. Barr said it's the perfect time to do some songwriting with the goal of putting out a full-length CD. She's recorded a complete album in the past, but "Bloom" is a five-song EP.

Mr. Marucci, who has managed Ms. Barr since she was a teen, said she always stays busy. He first met Ms. Barr when she was only 15, and signed her to a contract not long after that.

"She's got that charisma, the confidence," he said. "She possesses that uniqueness that when she steps into a room, you know who she is. It's that certain something that leads to greatness."
- Evening Capital Gazette

Every once in a while I come across a real talented entertainer who hasn't quite made the top tier to become a household name. One such entertainer is Niki Barr. She has been gaining recognition along the East Coast and in certain venues. Niki has just recorded and released a full length album titled LUSH. It features some really hard hitting power pop music.
For LUSH, Niki brought together some rather good musicians. Michael Sauri, formerly of Fighting Gravity, is the lead guitarist for Niki's band. Nate Brown played with the band Everything and is Niki's drummer. Andy Waldeck had his own band, Earth To Andy, before signing on as the bass player for Niki.
Niki helped write the songs on the album. Sharing the writing credits on the album with her are Butch Walker, Bruce Brody, Eric Scott, The Matrix and Matthew Girrard.
Some of the songs on the album are ballads; others are more of an edgy pop styling. There are 12songs in all. The album has a run time of a little over 52 minutes.
Wasted Time is the first track. It starts out with an almost Ramones styled guitar riff. Then it moves into a hot pop grind. Niki's vocals are distinct, showing that she is definitely in control.
Nothing At All is one of the ballad songs that I mentioned earlier. It has some light pop background music. It shows that Niki isn't just one of those posers who try to throw junk together and call it power pop. Niki can actually carry a song, whether is be fast and furious or slow and steady.
In fact, one of the press releases for Niki goes after some of the current pop icons. It quotes a Washington Post article that said “Avril Lavigne could learn a thing or two from Barr, including how to actually play an instrument and rock the house.”
That in itself is a little harsh, but when you listen to LUSH, you will want more of Niki, including wanting to go see her perform live. But most of her current concert schedule has her in Virginia , Maryland and the Washington D.C. area. She is based in Maryland , so that makes sense. Niki does have one concert scheduled in August of 2005 at the Tribeca Rock Club in New York . There are a lot of top acts who play that venue, so Niki is in good company.
Holiday starts out slow then builds to a steady pace. Leave It Alone is about my favorite song on the album. It deals with not wanting someone knowing about her past. It has some cool music, with Niki being a little bit in–your-face about prior life experiences.
Used To Be Me starts out as another ballad styled song. It begins slow and builds into a steady pace with the chorus. The song has an awesome guitar riff at the end of each chorus. Sooner Or Later might just remind you of power pop music from a decade or so ago. It has some intense energy with great vocals by Niki and hot music.
Listening to the chorus of So Far Away made me think of some of the slower songs from Heart. Getaway has a smoky, taut guitar riff to start it out.
If there is one album to add to your “gotta have” list for power pop music, then LUSH should be it. Niki Barr has a great voice, fantastic energy and a band that makes her music really stand out.
Niki has short clips of songs from LUSH available on her web site. You can also order a Limited Edition copy of LUSH with a bunch of extras. The Niki Barr web site can be found at www.nikibarr.com .
- Bruce Von Stiers

“I’m gonna hit hot, gonna make an impression,” says Niki Barr on “Wasted Time,” the first track and single of her new album. Barr’s goals are clear, and from the sound of it, it seems as if she should make an impression with Lush.

While it’s not wholly groundbreaking, Lush shows that Barr not only is comfortable in both her own skin and at the helm of a rock band, but also has the potential to infiltrate pop-rock radio.

Although she hasn’t reached the top of the charts yet, Barr comes through like a veteran with strong vocals and driving choruses that never falter. While Avril Lavigne or even Ashlee Simpson would be easy comparisons, - Barr comes across as more like Monique Powell of the now-defunct ska-punk band Save Ferris or The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde with her snarly-yet-super-smooth delivery.

Lush has it’s fair share of power-rock ballads that begin with acoustic guitar strumming and escalate to driving rock choruses (“Memories of Last Year,” “So Far Away”), but the tracks that really stand out show versatility. Barr and the band sound much like the 90s alternative-pop-rock band Better Than Ezra on “Holiday,” which has a catchy, heartfelt chorus that lingers after jangly guitars fade away. The album’s real centerpiece is “Used To Be,” where Barr’s vocals are truly showcased with her simple-yet-satisfying songwriting.

Barr and her band get a bit more playful scatting and bopping basslines. “My Breathing Heart” begins with guitar strums like Radiohead’s “Karma Police,” then leaks into a straightforward rock chorus while “Sooner Or Later” is more rock-driven and “Leave It Alone”’s catchy chorus could fit well on today’s pop-rock charts

On a surprisingly quiet track -“Inside Looking Out”- Barr shows she can really perform with a bare-bones piano song. The slow song is built on piano and string arrangements and fits in the album despite its lack of guitars.

“It is a record that says everything I wanted to say, but was afraid to say,” says Barr in the liner notes of Lush’s special edition. Lush could also be considered an album where Barr performs her brand of pop-rock the way she has wanted to play - simple songs that are both versatile yet straightforward rock’n’roll.

Lush could be the CD that gets Niki Barr the airplay she deserves.
- The Star Democrat

Niki Barr pranced onto the stage rocking hard and never stopped throughout her entire set. This could be a metaphor for her life because at age 22 she is already in the process of starting a clothing line, is supported by a strong street team made up of dedicated fans, has tons of merchandise including a full-length CD and a music video on DVD. Her sound is solid and so is her look. Niki has already performed in Japan, Alaska, Singapore, and Europe and then in December she will begin her tour through the U.K., Hawaii, Greece, Italy and Spain.

The key to enjoying Niki Barr is to attend one of her live performances. She propagates her creative energy out to the crowd in a palpable way with her powerful stage presence, passionate demeanor and magnetic personality. She flies around the stage with her Stratocaster hitting serious power chords, up and down, making it look so fun you wish you could do it yourself. At one point, she even jumped onto the drummer’s stage level, which was elevated…

In fact, every member of her band has great stage presence and they clearly enjoy playing Niki’s tunes and could often be seen mouthing the words enthusiastically for the fun of it. The bass player was rocking so hard I thought he might hurt himself.

Niki Barr is a true performer with real star quality and an amazing vocal range. She’s cute as a nymph, but mighty as an ox-physically and vocally. She hides behind her straight black spiky hair as it falls into her eyes, looking a bit like Chrissy Hynde. But her smile is brilliant and puts the cherry on the cake of her high-octane performance. She’s very professional in her demeanor, yet also sincere without overdoing any of it.

The song ‘Nothing at All’ was very guitar-centric with three electric guitars going at once. All the songs Niki performed from her new record were hot. For the encore, they played a phat rendition of Led Zepplin’s The Ocean complete with all the hooks and Niki played riffs while her eyes were fixated clearly on her audience.

This young lady—I have no doubt- will go very far considering her already-mature talent, obvious skill and pop sensibilities. She may be 22 but she plays guitar like she’s been practicing for 20 years. Unbelievable. Check it out: www.nikibarr.com (Niki has a lot of shows coming up!)
- ERadio Biz

By Mike Jewsbury


As the Thursday night lagged on, the stage was switched and Nate Brown, Niki Barr’s drummer, took to his set and started to lay down his beats. On his heels were lead guitarist Island Styles, guitarist Frank Silver, and bassist, Scott Ensign who all started into some riffs. Last on stage was Niki who jumped right into her first single from Lush, ‘Wasted Time”. Imagine three gladiators in a five-foot-three capsule and that’s the energy and intensity of Niki Barr. I had a glimpse of it during our interview with her passionate answers and her speed at correcting me when I misspoke the name of one of her tracks (I called “My Breathing Heart”, “My Breaking Heart” by mistake). Niki’s street clothes had been replaced by red pants, a black button-down with a black and red tie hanging around her neck. Her short hair that had been tied back earlier was now scattered across her face and off flying with every move she made.

The band didn’t rest for the first few songs, blowing through tracks from Lush such as “Sooner or Later”, “Leave it Alone”, and “Holiday” before Niki decided to address the crowd. Her stage presence and audience command is strong, but understandable as she’s been playing live since she was 15. The music itself is of brilliant design. The drums, lead guitar and vocals attain a unique partnership with the two rhythm guitars and bass filling in the holes without being obtrusive. It’s also obvious that drummer Nate has the mission to start and set the tone for most songs, which is uncommon for newer, singer-named bands that must revolve around its star. Although the star, Niki can become just a member of the band as she moves upstage-left to jam with Frank and Scott. Meanwhile, Nate is on his drum riser, upstage and centered, while Island wears a path up and down stage right.

Niki’s voice is one that needs to be experienced live to understand it’s power and potential. With so many voices being produced on CD, it’s refreshing, and amazing, to hear this young, small framed woman fill up a cavernous venue with her strong, warm vocals. Most impressive are her ballads, notably “My Breathing Heart”, where you know Niki is singing from her soul. Although the song calls for that well known loud belting sound, Barr has the control that so many other artists lack, and instead of plugging your ears, you’re drawn to move with the audience(except for the one girl that did the kick-hop move ALL night. You know it…you hop and kick with the left foot and then hop and kick with your right foot, meanwhile your arms flail back and forth)

Ending the night with a one song encore of Led Zepplin’s “The Ocean” (and the only cover) the Niki Barr experience was over with a woosh. The full, strong sound of the band that had filled the venue for an eleven song set was gone (taking into consideration the inevitable concert tinnitus), leaving many in awe. And while the CD is good, it just doesn’t compare to the live sound that this band of five can produce.

Although she’s “indie” and “young”, Barr obviously surrounded herself with the right people that help draw the best performance out of her. Some have called Niki the new Joan Jett. Niki’s here to let people know that her name isn’t Joan and that it’s due time for a new female led rock experience that will inspire, entertain and in this one guy’s opinion, just needs to be heard by the masses to be accepted.

- RadioMojo

Young rocker Niki Barr to light up the
holidays for troops in Middle East

Armed Forces Entertainment takes Niki Barr on fourth overseas tour

Young rocker Niki Barr knows what it takes to rock the troops. Embarking on her fourth Armed Forces Entertainment tour since 2002, Barr brings her powerful stage presence and original lyrics to military bases in Southwest Asia Dec. 16th through Jan. 9th.
“Rocking around the Christmas tree will take on a new meaning for the troops stationed in the Middle East,” said Captain Jesse Davidson with the U.S. Marine Corps, who is circuit manager for the Southwest Asia region for Armed Forces Entertainment.
Introducing her first full-length record, “Lush”, produced by Jim Ebert with songs co-written by rock recording legend Butch Walker, Barr will deliver an unforgettable show to those who are fighting for freedom.
“I want to bring those men and women original, American rock,” said Barr. “I know firsthand that many of them have been away from the states for so long, and what a better present to get during the holidays than a real piece of American culture.”
Based in Denton, Maryland, Barr has been writing, playing and performing rock-and-roll since she was 15. Her list of accomplishments is as long as those who are twice her age. (She’s 22.) From appearing on MTV’s Advance Warning radio program when she was 17 to recently working with such well-known songwriters/producers as The Matrix’s Liz Phair and Christina Aguilera; Wizardz of Oz’s Ricky Martin and Avril Lavigne; Mathew Gerrard and Stephen Lironi, Barr’s talent is being noticed worldwide.
“We continue to invite her back on tour because GI’s keep asking for her,” said Davidson. “She puts on an incredible show—and most of all she really wants to be there to perform. It’s like you put her on stage and bam, she’s lighting the stage on fire.”
-more-

Flattered to be likened to women rock legends Joan Jett and Chrissie Hynde Barr believes she is finding her own voice and identity. “Niki and her band play rock-n-roll, pure and simple. She is not part of any late developing trend and is certainly not the type to hop on any bandwagon. The only concern she has is writing good songs and knocking out audiences with stellar live performances,” said Mike Marucci, Barr’s manager.
Personable and down-to-earth, Barr’s intent with this Armed Forces Entertainment tour to the Middle East is pure and simple; “The troops better be ready to rock!”
Armed Forces Entertainment is a military command operation that through the Department of Defense and its various military branches provides entertainment to U.S. troops stationed overseas with priority given to those in contingency operations and remote and isolated locations. Founded in 1951 Armed Forces Entertainment brings a touch of home to more than 500,000 troops annually, embracing the best of Americana that stretches across all genres of entertainment. Visit www.armedforcesentertainment.com for more information.
To learn more about Niki Barr, visit www.nikibarr.com.

- Armed Forces Entertainment Network

NIKI BARR ENTERTAINS TROOPS – TOURS WORLD WITH EV®/DYNACORD® EQUIPMENT
Hard-rocking Barr Performs for U.S. Troops Around the Globe

“Our stuff gets thrown into the back of trucks and all kinds of military land and air cargo vehicles. The EV/Dynacord equipment has yet to dent or anything. It’s amazing.”
– Niki Barr

Burnsville, MN (October 31, 2005): Electro-Voice® and Dynacord® are proud to announce that 22-year-old vocalist/guitarist Niki Barr is once again preparing to tour the world with Electro-Voice and Dynacord professional audio equipment.

A long-time supporter of EV and Dynacord manufactured products; Niki has been working non-stop on albums, videos, and touring the globe through the (AFE) Armed Forces Entertainment. In this role, Barr is the next generation of performers who sees her job as something beyond that of typical performer.

In an enlightening interview, Niki spoke extensively with EV PR representatives about her music and touring experiences, as well as her thoughts on gear. We thank her for the time she spent with us.

EV PR: “With such a rigid touring schedule – literally around the world – how well did the Electro-Voice and Dynacord equipment fare?”

Niki Barr: The Dynacord PowerMate mixer, EV Sx Series loudspeakers, and EV wired and wireless mics have flown with us around the world. We’re only allowed a certain amount of equipment and it has to meet a weight requirement. That’s what’s great about your equipment – it’s incredibly powerful and compact – which is a real necessity for us. We’ve got the perfect system for the job! It sounded great! And none of it has gone down; we’ve had minimal problems, which is rare considering that we play in so many different kinds of places. Specifically, I love the EV mics (especially the N/D967) – they really accentuate my voice – it’s become part of my signature!

The equipment is very road-worthy. Our stuff gets thrown into the back of trucks and all kinds of military land and air cargo vehicles. It has yet to dent or anything. It’s amazing. And I treat my stuff like $#^%... “

EV PR: “Tell us about your relationship with Armed Forces Entertainment.”

Niki Barr: “It all started with playing at a base in Alaska, which went really well. Following the success of that, the Armed Forces Entertainment put us on a 60-day tour, which eventually brought us to military bases in Japan and Singapore where I was able to experience the beginning of the war.

Following that first large tour, we did a 48-day stint through Germany, Belgium, and the U.K. We even played some places off base, for military and civilian personnel which really put us in front of some diverse audiences. - Pro Audio Group EV/Telex

I had the chance to catch the Niki Barr Band open for the Cult a few months back and they were an outstanding live band. They played with the confidence and intensity of a headliner, not the caution and tentativeness of a local band opening for an international act. However, when I heard their previous releases, Lush and Go, I was disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, but it lacked so much of what made their live set so good.

A lot has changed since those releases though and their new EP, Bloom finds the emphasis move from Niki Barr to band. This is the first time that all four members have contributed in all stages of the process and it shows. They've taken a harder approach this time and while songs like "Undivided" and "Alone" can tread a little too heavily in alt metal territory, they also have more edge and texture and that brings this album a little bit closer to their live show. On these first two tracks, they've tried to solidify their sound within the boundaries of rock music, making execution their strength rather than pushing the boundaries.

Things get a little more interesting after that though. "So Cruel" deals more in dissonance and sees the band stretching out a bit. "Burn" has a vaudeville feel that builds in intensity (and weird, creepy energy) until it begins to break apart, but it never does and that's the mark of a band that's onto something good. In a vague way, it reminds me of the trial sequence for The Wall (which is one of the few things Roger Waters did right on that album). "Drowsy" splits the difference between the more straightforward tracks and the tangents of the experiments, ending on a strong note. The doors are now open to experimentation and, despite not stepping all the way through them; the band is clearly on the right path to the Niki Barr Band sound.

Bloom is a solid set of songs. The vocals are richer, the music sharper and the band is more cohesive and focused. They sound better as individual musicians and better as a unit and strong production gives them a bigger, crunchier sound. As good as they were live a few months ago; I have even higher hopes now.

Catch the Niki Barr Band performing the new material at their CD release show on May 24th at the 8X10 in Baltimore. - Bob Vinyl (rnrnonsense.toomanyvoices.com)

On Monday, November 12, 2007, The Cult played Rams Head Live in Baltimore and it was an even that was sponsored by Jagermeister, and as part of the Jager themed night, the show was opened by a Jager sponsored/supported local act, and the lucky act for this tour was none other than The Niki Barr Band!

Front woman Niki Barr is a charismatic singer/songwriter and don’t let her small demeanor fool you...she has a shy presence offstage and a very girl next door quality to her, but onstage, Niki Barr is a powerful singer that almost glows while she’s exuding all of her energy via her music while on stage, and whether she’s strumming her guitar or singing, she’s pouring her heart into her performance and you really can’t fake that!

The bands set this particular night was very short...there was 4 or 5 songs total played, and this particular set was a more balls out, straight up rock n roll set than your average Niki Barr set and they even played a brand new song that was probably the heaviest thing I’ve ever heard them do and the song itself was both heavy, music wise and vibe wise!
It’s easy to just focus on Niki while she’s onstage, but her backing band, which is comprised of Island Styles (guitar), Scott Ensign (Bass) andBJ Kerwin (Drums) are equally as impressive onstage...Scott’s presence on stage is larger than life and he adds alot to the bands show, both physically and musically because he’s constantly bouncing all over that stage and he’s really the type of guy that belongs on a larger stage! I can’t ignore the guitar playing of Island Styles either..he fills in the gaps of Niki’s rhythm playing with added strength and he’s got an interesting style that’s not quite pop, but just flexible enough that he can probably fit in with any form of music and he adds alot to the music as well!
The bands first single, “Wasted Time�, which is a song co-written with songwriter phenom, Butch Walker, is as catchy as anything on rock radio today, and I remember the first time I heard that song, I thought, wow, that song is a hit...this was the song that seemed to get the crowd going the most, and I give the Niki Barr band credit..this was an opening slot for The Cult, and the crowd was there to see The Cult, so any opening band on that stage had to deal with that, and the Niki Barr band played a short but power-pop filled set that let the crowd know exactly what the band is all about! When The Cult came on later that night, lead singer Ian Astbury commented that the Niki Barr band was the best local opening band they had on this entire tour, and that was a major compliment coming from a band like The Cult who’s been around forever and seen everything!
To check out music and show dates for the Niki Barr Band, go to: www.myspace.com/nikibarr - Bob Suehs (SEN Baltimore Magazine)

"I have been following the career of Niki Barr for a while. I reviewed her last album, Lush, which really kicked ass. Now Niki is back with something that shows her music has even more intensity than before.

The new album is a five song EP titled Bloom. It is being described as Niki’s first true “band” effort. In fact, the EP is labeled as the Niki Barr Band instead of just Niki Barr. The members of this band are BJ Kerwin on drums, Island Styles on guitar and Scott Ensign on bass. Niki does the killer vocals, smoking guitars and hot key work on the album.

Undivided is the first track. It has an interesting, almost Middle Eastern sound at first. Then it kicks into a killer gunner style of head banging guitar. From there Niki cranks out her hot and harsh vocals. The song has a bit of Iron Maiden meets Jon Bon Jovi with some other tough rock music thrown in. There is a really good video for the song that is helping promoting the band’s upcoming DVD. The video shows some US troops in the Middle East rocking out to the song. This video was filmed during the band’s third stint on the Armed Forces Entertainment Tour.

Alone has a steady pace, with sometimes aching vocals by Niki.

Kicking the mode back to hard rock ballad, Niki and the guys come in steady with a tough song called So Cruel.

Burn has an almost circus, pop sound to it. You might almost be expecting an “oomph pah pah” as part of the lyrics in this one. But then at the end the guitar kicks into a solid heavy rock style.

The EP ends with a hard hitting, definite head banging piece called Drowsy. Niki has some killer vocals backed by smoking guitar.

In a way it’s hard to compare Niki to other female rockers. She at times sounds a bit like Pat Benatar, but mostly has a harder edge. Her guitar playing puts her on the same level of Nancy Wilson of Heart. Niki’s intensity matches any of her contemporaries, either male or female. And with BJ, Island and Scott backing her, the Niki Barr Band has become a rock music force to be reckoned with.

Bloom is out now. You can get it through CD Baby or other online or traditional music outlets. And the EP is also available on the band’s web site. The tracks from Bloom can be heard on the site as well. The site is www.nikibarr.com." - Bruce Von Stiers