Anton Barbeau

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anton Barbeau is an American singer-songwriter based in Sacramento, California. He primarily accompanies himself on guitar or keyboard, though on his recordings he's performed on many different instruments, additionally including bass guitar and percussion.

Barbeau is known for combining surreal lyrics with pop melodies and is often described as being in the songwriting tradition of Robyn Hitchcock, Syd Barrett, and The Beatles. He has shared stages with artists like Hitchcock, The Bevis Frond, Weezer, Mono, and even a reformed Bay City Rollers.

Since he appeared on the music scene in the late 1980s, Barbeau has made a name for himself in the Sacramento area, winning a number of SAMMIE (Sacramento Area Music) Awards. Barbeau's first CD, The Horse's Tongue, collected songs that had appeared on a number of self-released cassettes. Since then he has released nine albums, plus two anthologies of miscellaneous tracks, as well as a limited-edition live CD, a collection of demoes, and a bonus CD included with the In the Village of the Apple Sun CD.

Since the turn of the millennium, Barbeau has had his sights set firmly on the UK - his album King of Missouri was recorded in Bromley with Nick Saloman of legendary neo-psychedelic band The Bevis Frond, with the following album Guladong's launch gig taking place at the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool.

With ever-increasing trips to England, Barbeau's music has continued to develop a decidedly psychedelic streak, though without losing the strong pop aesthetic that has always informed it.

2006 saw the release of Barbeau's collaboration with The Loud Family singer/guitarist Scott Miller, the album What if it Works?. Indeed, 2006 was a busy year which also saw the release of the albums Drug Free and In The Village Of The Apple Sun, the latter being described as "an instant lost psychedelic classic".

Barbeau's recent UK tours have featured Oxford UK's Su Jordan singing harmonies, making for a musical tour-de-force live. An album reflecting this development, The Automatic Door, looks set for release in early 2007.