Asbury Park may only be 1.6 square miles, but this city sure does have room for good. The Barrbarians, which consists of The Barrs — Adel, Bassam, and Yasser (along with Aric Gautier, and Benjamin Bryer), is a newly minted (as of 2016) rock ‘n’ roll band. They bring a straight-up rock sound with tinges of that nasty, dirty low end that has made outfits like Queens of the Stone Age so successful.
We recently talked to the band as they get set to open for Michale Graves, former lead singer of The Misfits at The Wonder Bar.
Who Are The Barrbarians (Band Members & What Instruments They Play): Adel Barr: Bass & Vocals, Aric Gautier: Drums & Percussions, Bassam Barr: Guitar & Vocals, Benjamin Bryer: Guitar & Vocals, Yasser Barr: Guitar & Vocals.
We became a band in (the year): 2016
We’re Based Out Of: Asbury Park, NJ
You’ve Seen Us Perform in Other Bands Such As: Our drummer Aric played with NJ Bloodline for a year.
Our Sound Has to Been Likened to: Queens of The Stone Age,The Misfits, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, and The Gorillas.
Our biggest musical influences: Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Chuck Berry, Black Sabbath, Queens of the Stone Age, Incubus.
Any New Music Coming Out?: We have added five new songs since recording The Barrbarians, and plan on recording those and possibly more for a 2018 album.
Cool/Famous Bands We’ve Performed With Before: We look forward to playing with Michale Graves (former lead singer of The Misfits) on September 21st at Wonder Bar in Asbury.
You dropped a self-titled record in March of 2017. If someone were to listen to you for the first time, and you were to recommend a song to them to check in order to really get what the band was all about — what song would it be and why?
“Sunday Driver” because its the song we believe showcases our versatility. We get to have some fun playing a song where everyone brings their own style in to the mix. Written by Bass (like the fish not the instrument), this track has a little bit of everything and is the most requested song during live shows, fans can’t help but dance, sway, and bob their heads as soon as the first guitar is strummed, and are sucked in by the time the rest of the band and vocals join in.
Bass’ vocals and guitar playing, unravel a melody that transitions with a funk-driven groove to a head banging, rhythmic thrash that brings you back down to a catchy verse that redefines the way you will look at rock ‘n’ roll.
What’s been your favorite moment as a member of the band? What’s been the craziest?
Favorite Moment: Our first show. more specifically the shot of jameson we downed before going on.
Craziest moment: That would be when 3 out of 5 of us were sick with the flu, toughed it out, and put on one of our best shows.
For those who may have never seen you live — what can they expect from a Barbarrians show?
You can expect an old fashioned, head banging rock experience. we bring a variety of genres to life with our own unique styles. a genre to genre bouncing joyride backed by chest pounding, bass-driven drums & beats to riffs created by a wall of 3 guitarists that stay independent yet synchronized…expect your appetite for whiskey to skyrocket.
What do you love about being in the Barrbarians?
The energy we bring for our live shows and the effort we maintain in rehearsals.
What do you guys have planned for the rest of 2017?
We’d like to get a music video done before the end of the year, but other than that just staying busy in the local music scene , and looking and acting way too young for our age.
