STEPH BARKER OF BABY BULLDOG
Hi Steph and thanks for taking the time out to speak with us at Musicology and congratulations on the new EP Rodney.
A record can be a lifetime worth of experiences concentrated and refined into a body of work that encompasses many years and phases in life. Other times it is a snap shot, a brief period in time crystallized into a record covering a specific epoch. Was it a case of either / or for Rodney ?
Yes, absolutely! Rodney is a snapshot of time in my life surrounding a specific relationship. For me, this EP covers a recent breakup, an engagement. The journey from dark to light. “Lonely” is the description, it’s how I felt many times throughout this long distance situation. “Everyone But Me” is the process of seeing this person move on, via my feed. “In The Morning” is about everyday life after the fact, the routine and how many times I didn’t want to get out of bed at all. “Work On things” is about the madness I felt while balancing a long distance relationship and life on the road. “I Rly Rly Like U” is the start of the light, it’s the bubbly feelings of having a crush, being able to be in like again. “Rodney” is the hero of it all, my car. My car was the biggest light from the darkness, and represented the true end of that relationship and the beginning my new found independence.
As a drummer for a number of other artists including Miya Folick, Coast Modern, Kate Nash, in what ways has your time with them in crossed over and influenced your own personal project as Baby Bulldog?
It has inspired me so much! Not only have I had the pleasure of working with amazing artists that I admire, I’ve also gotten to learn so many stage tricks and tips that made putting my own live show together much easier. As a touring drummer, I oftentimes have to run tracks in Ableton, thus it was my top choice when it came time to produce Baby Bulldog and run my own tracks. I already knew the process and the equipment I’d need. I also see performing in a whole new light, having to take the reins as a front person is no small task but the artists I’ve worked with make it look so easy!
How did you pair the instrumentation and sound for each track so that it in some way mirrored the sentiment that you were expressing considering that the tracks all explore a little something different?
I actually kind of did the opposite for these songs, that tends to be my writing process. I usually start with the instrumentation, just creating a vibe and world to live in. Once that has been established, I freestyle lyrics and melody. It becomes clear to me pretty quick what direction a song will take once I start freestyling, my subconscious is a place I’ve learned to trust, haha!
What were some of the challenges in putting this EP together and conversely what were some of the greatest surprises you experienced through the writing / recording process for Rodney?
A major challenge was the production process. I had written many of these songs but then completely changed my producing and mixing approach. I was changing up my studio, and also touring quite a bit so I wasn’t home. It was killing me. I was so anxious to dive in and add all this newness I had learned but it took a minute for me to finally have the time. This whole project is a real time documentation of me learning how to produce and mix, and that’s been the best surprise. I can actually hear and feel the difference from this EP to my last one. It’s opened up a whole new world for me and I absolutely love it.
In terms of the writing and lyrical content, was there an overarching narrative and voice that you were looking to create or was it a very sub conscious process and took which organic process it desired?
I knew that I had A LOT of feelings I needed to process. So, I let my subconscious decide exactly which ones needed to come out by freestyling and then I just had to fine tune the message with the right words. Many of the main hooks just came blurting out during freestyles, which is the blessing of writing when your feelings are most ripe. Even if in reality, you want to crawl in a hole, haha!
Having performed with so many amazing artists over the years, has there been any words of wisdom spoken to you that really resonated with you and in-turn altered the way you approach your craft?
Definitely! Luke from Coast Modern told me something I will never forget. It’s what made me take the plunge into my own solo project, and it is what I continue to say to myself as I ride this wave. When he told me this, I had never written a full song, I had no idea how to produce or use recording equipment. I just knew I had it in me, a well of creativity just sitting, trying to find a way to pour out. He told me to just start, just start making music, release it and create your own universe, your own sound. If you do that, you can’t go wrong. So that’s what I did. I stopped comparing myself to others, stopped telling myself I’m not good enough because I don’t know as much as other people making music. None of that matters. No one can be you, and if you stay true to you, then hey, people can love it or hate it, but it’s out there and it’s unique. That is my quest for Baby Bulldog. Just be me.
You have spent your fair share of time on the road touring and performing and having played a huge number of shows, can you share with us a particular gig and what made it so memorable for you?
I’d have to say the most memorable gig for me was the entire Made of Bricks tour with Kate Nash. It was my first bus tour and it was my first time touring the UK and EU. I will never forget how it all started. She had tweeted that she was looking for a new drummer, and a Coast Modern fan actually tagged me in the tweet, so I emailed her. About a week later, I get an email from her management and then I’m on the phone, talking to Kate Nash! I was losing my mind, she hired me based on that phone call. I learned about 26 or so songs in a week and then was on a flight, starting the tour. I not only got to experience the venue scene out there but we played several festivals to some of the largest crowds I had ever played to! After this tour was also when the break up happened, and it was the trigger for all of the Rodney songs. So, this was a monumental time in my life for sure.
Lastly, on a philosophical level, what does music give you that nothing else does?
Music gives me purpose. It gives me the freedom to be me and speak to the world in a language that makes sense to me. I often think about a “Plan B”, right, that’s what people expect when you say you are pursuing music, they ask what your Plan B is. I don’t have one, I’ve never had one. This is also not a dig against anyone that does! It’s more to say, we all have a path and even when times continue to be tough, and unrelenting, deep down I know that music is my path.
