Barnaby Hazen
The entire life of Barnaby Hazen has been dedicated to music and songwriting. Even though he is most known as the lead singer of the hard rock band Babelshack, he is also the author of the twice-award-winning novel Misfortunes of T-Funk, which is occasionally based on his experiences as a professional musician.
He is now residing in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he is shooting a music video to promote the recently released album Babelshack Theater: Volume 1. The band’s primary inspirations range from Hooverphonic and Mudhoney to Goldfrapp and Duke Ellington. Most of the album was created in a trailer. “It’s primarily a solo project, although for the tracks “Edible Product” and “Strange to Say,” I included a few Babelshack members and a former college audio coach.” says, Barnaby
The song “Edible Product” from the new album “BabelShack Theater volume 1” is about plummeting from a tremendous height in one’s life, such as in romance or another comparable circumstance. For instance, “So it goes from December to May” is the opposite of the May to December romance—what occurs during the other months of such a thing. The Rite of Passage by Richard Wright served as the inspiration for the film “Into the Wrong Hands.” Wright is one of my favorite authors, and this book is brutal, covering foster care, racism in the early 20th century, and all the existentialism I’m accustomed to from Wright, except that this is meant for kids, so it cuts a little harder. Another song, “Into the Wrong Hands,” is dedicated to Johnny, the main character, and it’s addressed directly to him
After a break with Babelshack Theater, Barnaby Hazen is back in the studio. He’s ventured into EDM territory here, blending trippy guitar and funk/rock bass sounds over a heavy cadence of dance beats and hypnotic keys. The sound is influenced by many different eras and musical movements, but Hazen’s brutally personal lyrics and melodies make Babelshack Theater: Volume 1 a distinctly original musical endeavor.
A solo electronic music project called Babelshack Theater Volume 1 was published on November 20, 2022. Hazen was the founder and longtime frontman of the hard-edged rock group Babelshack. Additionally, he has performed as a sideman (on both bass and guitar) with a number of New Mexico bands, including Kevin Wood (of Seattle’s initial grunge group, Malfunkshun), Katie p, Angela Pope, and others
Babelshack Theater: Volume 1 is influenced by a wide range of historical periods and musical movements, but Hazen’s harrowingly personal lyrics paired with luscious melodies take the album into unexplored, intensely engaging terrain. Hazen believes that by making Dweezil Zappa’s Reward Music the sole initial platform for record promotion, he would be able to forge a closer bond with the project’s audience.
For more information about Barnaby Hazen, and his newly released album, “Babelshack Theater Volume 1,” click the links below.
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