In the latest episode of Inside Out w/ Turner & Seth, the dynamic duo gives us an introduction to super producer David Barbe, who has produced Drive-By Truckers, Son Volt, and more. Turner and Seth take us across the country to the early 1980’s in Athens, Georgia — a burgeoning scene that spawned the likes of R.E.M., The B-52’s, Vic Chestnutt, Widespread Panic, and eventually younger acts such as Perpetual Groove, The Whigs, and many more.
Barbe came up with bands like punk-rock outfit Mercyland, and eventually was recruited by Bob Mould of Hüsker Dü to form Sugar. Mould and producer John Keane (who has produced almost all of Widespread Panic’s albums, along with R.E.M. and Indigo Girls, among others) convinced Barbe to work in the studio, kicking off his producing/engineering career. Outside of working regularly with Drive-By Truckers, Son Volt, Jerry Joseph, Deerhunter, K.D. Lang, and R.E.M., Barbe has assisted in creating and heading one of the best music industry business programs in the country at the University of Georgia.
The Music Business Certificate Program (check out information about the program here) brings in students from all over the country. In the past, young people used to head exclusively to Los Angeles, New York, or Nashville to start their careers in the industry; now there is a program designed specifically for students to gain the knowledge needed to advance in the music industry. The program itself touts many notable guest lecturer, such as David Macias of Thirty Tigers Management, Bob Moczydlowsky (managing director of Techstars Music), Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers, Bradford Cox from Deerhunter, Jason Isbell’s manager Tracey Thomas, and many more, which positions it as one of the top music business schools.
Barbe goes on to discuss the program and how it has become a leader in the education of up-and-coming music industry people, stating “Music and the business of it changes so rapidly. If you teach on a model, you can’t teach on the same model from 2010 because it was all downloads. You realize that everything is changing constantly. There is always something.”
The podcast also featured a brief interview with Patterson Hood, who discussed the Drive-By Truckers latest album American Band. In his interview, Hood discusses the album’s overt dissection of the current political climate in America, noting “It’s so easy to generalize things….you know, life is political. You can’t live your life without inter-relating to politics. I consider everything we write, on some level, to be both political and personal….we are in a pretty intense moment in time as a society and culture. You write what you feel, and that certainly affected the songs.”
Listen to the David Barbe interview via Soundcloud:
Upcoming episodes of Inside Out w/ Turner & Seth will feature interviews with Phish’s Jon Fishman, Marcus King, The Main Squeeze, and many more. Stay tuned!
**For more Inside Out With Turner And Seth episodes, head to their SoundCloud, iTunes, or Stitcher page. You can also email the podcast producers here to submit feedback which may be incorporated into future episodes!**
You can check out past episodes of Live For Live Music Presents: Inside Out with Turner and Seth podcast below:
The Zipper Club Brings Their Punk Universe To Shaky Knees Festival
Jen Hartswick Recounts Her Pinky Swear With Christian McBride, A Fateful Call From Trey
Dirty Heads Frontman Jared Watson Talks Weed, Colors, Addiction, And More
Widespread Panic’s John “JoJo” Hermann Tells Studio Stories And More
Jason Crosby Talks Impromptu Performances With Prince And Bruce Springsteen
Col. Bruce Hampton Discusses Upcoming Star-Studded 70th Birthday Blowout
Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin Goes Back To His Roots
Big Gigantic’s Dominic Lalli And Jeremy Salken Discuss Their Careers In EDM
Benny Bloom & Tom Hamilton Get Us Excited For Fool’s Paradise
Al Schnier & Jim Loughlin Talk All Things moe.
Umphrey’s McGee Engineer Chris Mitchell Discusses How He Captures The Band’s Unique Sound
Chris Kuroda Talks Evolution From Early Phish To MSG
Brendan Bayliss Talks New Umphrey’s McGee Album, Career Highlights
Jefferson Waful Talks Umphrey’s, Collaborating With Chris Kuroda
UM’s Brendan Bayliss Talks Band Origins, Meeting Steve Miller & More