OUT TODAY: Barbaro’s Spellbinding New Album About the Winter

LISTEN HERE VIA STORYSOUND RECORDS

Headline Tour Kicks Off November 1st including stops in New York City, Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago and more

 

Today, Barbaro releases About the Winter, their debut album for StorySound Records. Comprised of Kyle Shelstad (vocals and guitar), Rachel Calvert (vocals and fiddle), and Jason Wells (vocals and bass), the Minneapolis-based trio presents a diverse and captivating reinterpretation of roots music orthodoxy.

Listen to About the Winter Here

As the band explains, About the Winter reveals “the sacred transfiguration of our many personal and musical influences into something greater than the sum of its parts.” Barbaro's compositions prioritize texture and expression over technical virtuosity. The band collaboratively crafts unforgettable experiences, whether they be emotional powerhouses, instances of profound clarity, or surrendering to beauty in the midst of daunting challenges.

An expansive vision of pastoral Americana comes into focus across About the Winter, beginning with lead single “Gardens,” which pairs Shelstad’s vulnerable and urgent vocal with the refined, slow-blooming instrumental interplay of his bandmates. Atwood called it “a spellbinding moment of raw emotion and wonder.” Exploring themes of uncertainty and desire, album opener “Apples to Apples” reflects on love and longing, offering a deeper insight into the simmering, ethereal textures that awaits listeners across the LP.

Barbaro — named after the beloved, tragically euthanized Kentucky Derby champion horse — recorded About the Winter during the winter of 2022 with Brian Joseph (Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens, yMusic) at his The Hive studio, a refurbished barn outside of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Joseph played a pivotal role in the album, engineering, mixing, and co-producing the album with Shelstad. As the band cites electronic musician Jon Hopkins as a particular influence, Joseph helped them craft a distinctive, enveloping sonic landscape that combined their acoustic instruments with a rich bed of synthetic sound. 

Shelstad founded Babaro as a duo in 2017 alongside Isaac Sammis, who, before departing the band after the birth of his second child, played on the sessions for About the Winter. Calvert joined at the end of 2017, and, after some shuffling of musicians, Wells arrived in early 2019. Although coming from an almost exclusively classical music background, Wells was intrigued by what he heard in Barbaro and was sold immediately after his first gig with them. Calvert, who also comes from a classical background, likens the band’s approach, through the song dynamics and their musical interactions, to playing in a classical quartet. Using their individual backgrounds they have now created their unique and progressive sound. 

This fall, Barbaro will take their music on the road throughout the United States on a headlining tour, culminating in a hometown performance on December 1 at the Cedar Cultural Center. The full routing can be found below and ticketing information can be found here.

 

About the Winter Tracklist

Apples to Apples

Gardens

The Lil Sweaters

Subtle Hints

Honey, for

One X One

Subpoena Colada

All My Friends

Let’s Talk About the Winter

Ike’s Farewell

 

Barbaro Tour Dates

Wed Nov 1      Des Moines, IA XBK

Thu Nov 2       St. Louis, MO               Off Broadway

Fri Nov 3         Nashville, TN               The Basement

Sat Nov 4       Atlanta, GA                  Eddies Attic

Sun Nov 5       Asheville, NC               The Outpost

Tue Nov 7       Philadelphia, PA          MilkBoy Philly

Wed Nov 8      New York, NY             Mercury Lounge

Thu Nov 9       Boston, MA                 Cafe 939

Fri Nov 10       Albany, NY                  The Linda

Sat Nov 11      Burlington, VT              Radio Bean

Tue Nov 14     Toronto, CAN              Monarch

Wed Nov 15    Pittsburgh, PA            Club Cafe

Thu Nov 16    Kalamazoo, MI  Bell’s

Fri Nov 17       Chicago, IL                  Judson & Moore

Sat Nov 18      Chicago, IL                  Judson & Moore

Fri Dec 1        Minneapolis, MN          Cedar Cultural Center

 

Connect with Barbaro:

Instagram // Twitter // YouTube // Website

 

For more information please contact:

Matt Hanks - mhanks@shorefire.com

Rachel Jacobs - rjacobs@shorefire.com