Bio : The Barr Brothers

The Barr Brothers are a family affair—but the ties go beyond the fraternal bond between singer/guitarist Brad and his drumming brother Andrew. Upon settling in their adopted home of Montreal in the mid-2000s, the Rhode Island-reared Barrs have been at the centre of an expansive musical community, welcoming in collaborators from near and far to elevate their earthy roots-rock serenades into transcendental spirituals. Their sound—a forged-in-the-fire concoction of sub-conscious melodies, classic-rock groove, indie grit, dirt road folk, sweaty soul, jazz-guitar picking, and West African desert blues—feels at once timeless yet of the moment. They’re a group that hits you on all levels—mind, body, and soul—through songs that teem with trance-inducing textures, heart-racing rhythms, and restless emotion.

Since releasing their 2011 self-titled debut (a Juno Award nominee for Adult Alternative Album of the Year and a long-list selection for the Polaris Music Prize), The Barr Brothers have been welcomed onto international festival bills, the Late Show With David Letterman stage, and the playlists of taste-making radio stations like NPR, SiriusXM, KCRW, and KEXP. And thanks to their impassioned, improvisatory live performances, they received tour invites from peers like My Morning Jacket, The War on Drugs, and Feist (for whom Andrew also serves as a drummer—that is, when he’s not being asked to sit in with Mumford & Sons as well). But throughout their career, the Barrs have continued to broaden their musician vision in step with their growing audience. Their second release, 2014’s Sleeping Operator was certified Gold in Canada in 2023, thanks to the enduring popularity of breakthrough single “Even the Darkness Has Arms,” which has surpassed 110-plus million streams on Spotify. That album earned the Barrs another Adult Alternative Juno Award nomination and a pair of Felix Awards in Quebec for Producer and Concert of the Year (Anglophone). They would pick up another win in the latter category and a third Juno nomination with 2017’s Queen of the Breakers, which showcased the brothers’ multifaceted musicality by placing a greater emphasis on hypnotic jams and experiments with brass and strings.

The Barr Brothers capped the 2010s with full-album performances of their first three records in multiple cities alongside an all-star cast of guests that included Richard Reed Parry, Laurel Sprengelmeyer (a.k.a. Little Scream), Land of Talk’s Liz Powell, and Jesse Mac Cormack. Following an extended break, the Barrs returned to support Parry and Sprengelmeyer on the rousing 2024 single “Live That Way Forever” from the soundtrack to the critically acclaimed film The Iron Claw. And that song’s anthemic classic-rock spirit served as a fitting prelude to the Barrs ’long-simmering 2025 release, Let it Hiss, which sees the brothers returning to their plug ‘n ’play DIY home-studio roots and peeling out for parts unknown.