Music courses through the veins of local musician Alex Barber.
For this week’s edition of People of Collingwood we spoke with Barber, 31, songwriter and musician.
Q: Did you grow up in Collingwood?
A: I did. I went to Admiral Collingwood and Collingwood Collegiate Institute.
(Admiral) had a really good music program. I picked up the trumpet there, because it had the least amount of notes. It had three notes, so I thought it would be easy.
In my first year of high school, I kept the trumpet for an art credit. After that, I started taking music and computers classes. Later, I took a co-op program as well and I helped teach the music and computers program.
From there, I left and went to Fanshawe College for music industry arts. It was a two-year program. It went by really fast and I learned a lot and met a lot of cool people. I started some bands there in London.
I graduated in 2014. I stayed in London for almost 10 years, playing music. It’s where I learned to sing, perform and record.
Q: When did you first know you had a love for music?
A: As a kid, I got my first electric guitar in grade six. For me, music was just a way to escape and have my own thing. There’s camaraderie when you’re with a group of friends in a band.
In elementary school, I was mostly into old punk rock music. Later, I became more interested in classic rock.
The going-your-own-way aspect of music was appealing to me as a kid. Guitar is the (instrument) I lean toward, but I also play drums and bass. I love all of it.
Q: Where does your music stand right now?
A: I do write songs, but I don’t release them as often as I should. I’m always working on things. My Achilles heel is I have good taste in music, so a lot of the music I listen to is better than the songs I write. I get to a point where I learn from songwriting and the songs are fine, but I don’t think it’s as good as the artists that inspire me.
We’re our own worst critics. It’s something I need to get better at; being less precious about my material. Writing is definitely my passion. I feel the most fulfilled when I’m writing a song.
(Performing) covers is a way for me to make money and get my name out there. People perk up when they hear songs they know so I’ve just rolled with that.
This is my fifth year of being a full-time musician and it’s been a busy summer. During COVID, I moved back home to Collingwood in 2020 and started building a network from scratch.
Q: Do you have any hobbies outside of music?
A: Music is pretty much my life at this point. (laughs) I think, if you want to do music, it kind of has to be. You can’t really have a plan B because you’ll end up just giving up.
With music, it can be really challenging to break through. If you’re not doing it all the time, you’re not really going to get anywhere.
My priority this year was to play as many local shows as I could. Last year I spent a lot of time driving and it was fine, but a little taxing. It’s gas money, it’s your time.
Now, I’m at a point where I’m so busy. This last week and over the long weekend, I played six nights in a row which is the most I’ve ever done back-to-back.
Once a year I go to Algonquin Park with my old friends from college on a portage trip, which is coming up in two weeks. I am the guy who always brings the guitar and a Bluetooth speaker.
Q: What are your future dreams with music? Where do you hope it takes you?
A: I’ve always told myself I would travel and see the world, but do it while I was working on tour.
I don’t want to do that with just cover songs, so my goal over the next five years is to have sets of my own material; songs that are strong enough and people enjoy them.
Releasing music and building demand online is a goal as well. I’d like to move toward more ticketed shows.
I love music.
Q: Is there anything else you want people in Collingwood to know about you?
A: I love being back in Collingwood. Coming from a city that’s primarily a student city like London, I’m liking the quieter, chill atmosphere of Collingwood. The first year I came back and there were no in-person shows, I spent a lot of time on my bike, biking around Collingwood.
If I wasn’t working so much, I’d probably still be doing those things. Business is booming right now.
For a list of Barber’s upcoming shows, visit his website here.
For our feature People of Collingwood, we speak with interesting people who are either from or are contributing to the Collingwood community in some way, letting them tell their own stories in their own words. This feature runs on CollingwoodToday every weekend. If you’d like to nominate or suggest someone to be featured in People of Collingwood, email [email protected].
