Biography
Singer/songwriter Tim Barry, now based in Richmond, Virginia, first gained notice as the frontman of Avail, the aggressive hardcore band that emerged from the underground in the early 1990s. Raised primarily in Reston, a suburb outside D.C., he channeled his teenage energy through 1980s punk, speed metal, and the nearby Dischord scene before later embracing his parents’ collections of folk, country, and classical music. Beginning in 1991, Barry led Avail through six studio albums, concluding with Front Porch Stories in 2002, while the group toured relentlessly worldwide and cultivated a devoted following.
In the mid-2000s the politically conscious artist shifted to solo work that moved away from Avail’s loud-hard-fast punk approach and adopted a stripped-down, Woody Guthrie-inspired folk style, connected only by his own gruff voice and brash delivery. In 2005 he recorded guitar-and-vocal demos solely for personal use and friends, planning nothing beyond burning CD-Rs to offset tour costs. One friend, moved by the songs’ honesty, persuaded Barry to issue the eight tracks unchanged as Laurel Street Demo 2005 on the German label Dancing in the Dark.
While Avail completed two full U.S. tours, Barry took two weeks in 2006 to record a proper album with various friends and relatives contributing. Drawing from his blue-collar background in Richmond—where he often rode freight trains and lingered by the James River—he released the candid, country-tinged Rivanna Junction in November 2006 through Suburban Home Records. He switched to Chunksaah Records for Manchester in 2008, then saw 28th & Stonewall reach number 11 on Billboard’s Americana/Folk Albums chart in 2010. Subsequent releases included 40 Miler in 2013, the live set Raising Hell & Living Cheap: Live in Richmond, and the studio album Lost & Rootless the following year. Barry’s High on 95 appeared in 2017, still shaped by his immediate surroundings and daily life.
In the mid-2000s the politically conscious artist shifted to solo work that moved away from Avail’s loud-hard-fast punk approach and adopted a stripped-down, Woody Guthrie-inspired folk style, connected only by his own gruff voice and brash delivery. In 2005 he recorded guitar-and-vocal demos solely for personal use and friends, planning nothing beyond burning CD-Rs to offset tour costs. One friend, moved by the songs’ honesty, persuaded Barry to issue the eight tracks unchanged as Laurel Street Demo 2005 on the German label Dancing in the Dark.
While Avail completed two full U.S. tours, Barry took two weeks in 2006 to record a proper album with various friends and relatives contributing. Drawing from his blue-collar background in Richmond—where he often rode freight trains and lingered by the James River—he released the candid, country-tinged Rivanna Junction in November 2006 through Suburban Home Records. He switched to Chunksaah Records for Manchester in 2008, then saw 28th & Stonewall reach number 11 on Billboard’s Americana/Folk Albums chart in 2010. Subsequent releases included 40 Miler in 2013, the live set Raising Hell & Living Cheap: Live in Richmond, and the studio album Lost & Rootless the following year. Barry’s High on 95 appeared in 2017, still shaped by his immediate surroundings and daily life.
Albums
