Introducing Pete Barrett.

For the past 15 years Pete Barrett has been quietly backing some of New Orleans’ biggest names, most recently credited on Silver Synthetic’s 2021 Silver Synthetic LP (Third Man Records), and on Esther Rose’s 2023 Safe to Run (New West Records). On Long Haul Sessions (Unreleased), Barrett leans on the influence of artists like JJ Cale, The Band, and Neil Young to bring to life the experience of what he calls “Livin’ On The Line”. Sometimes funny and sometimes sad, themes of heartbreak, moral and financial bankruptcy, and the unyielding lure of distraction permeate his writing, and create an expansive lyrical world that feels worn and lived-in.

Born in Virginia, Barrett grew up steeped in the sounds of the Blue Ridge Parkway and was exposed to folk, country, bluegrass, and hymnal musical traditions at an early age. At 18 he left home and began touring the American South, cutting his teeth playing to rowdy crowds, and developing a penchant for life on the road and at the bar.

Long Haul Sessions features new collaborators, including Kosta Galanopoulos (Delicate Steve, Fruitbats), Jacob Peter (Lucius), and Tyler English (Triptides, Caravan 222). By placing an emphasis on live tracking, and leaving natural artifacts and imperfections, the group has achieved something that sounds both new and familiar, like an archival pressing from a bygone era.

For fans of: Cut Worms, MJ Lenderman, Kurt Vile, Wilco, Sylvie, Orville Peck, Esther Rose, Dougie Poole, Drugdealer, Sam Evian, JJ Cale, Robert Lester Folsom, Bobby Charles, Neil Young, The Band, Tom Petty, The Grateful Dead, Blaze Foley