DAVE BARNES

Doors 7 / Show 8 / All Ages

• This is an all ages show
• Seating is General Admission (first come, first served) - no assigned seats!
• No professional cameras

Singer-songwriter Dave Barnes is known for warmth and vulnerability as a lyricist. The words to his songs feel familiar long before the final chord is heard. For 10 years and with five well-loved studio albums, the Nashville-based artist has effortlessly melded pop, country, rock, and soul. Barnes' sixth and latest album, Stories To Tell -due out March 13, 2012 on Razor & Tie Records-is a perfect combination of what fans have grown to love about him and an interesting newness. Organic instrumentation with expansive synthetic textures and modern R&B-flavored beats, this album was written from a new place for Dave - father-to-be - and recorded in a new city - Los Angeles - by pop-rock savant John Fields (Lifehouse, Switchfoot, Goo Goo Dolls, Jonas Brothers, Pink).

"Making this album was a real bucket list thing. For my entire career I've dreamed about the romanticism of driving along the coast to record in L.A.," Barnes says. "I've done all my other records in Nashville but for this one I wanted to do something different." Barnes is as much referring to the decision to set up camp in Cali as he is the inner journey to challenge his own artistic boundaries and songwriting.

"It was a lot harder writing this record," he says candidly. Stories To Tell sees Barnes turning his focus inward to create some of the most personal and instrumentally varied songs of his career. Barnes has crafted an album that spans from hook-laden rockers like "How Long" and "Heaven Help Me" to the gentler terrain of acoustic-driven tunes like "Love Will Be Enough For Us." Then songs like "Heave Will Help Me" still tap into that soul-pop sound that is at the core of his musical career. It's a refreshingly classic move, a diverse collection of songs that hold together as a cohesive body of work.

"There were no rules as far as what could or couldn't happen on this album which made it a lot of fun," Barnes explains, adding that Stories To Tell features more synthesizers and additional instrumentation than his previous recordings. "How Long" has orchestral accents and "Mine To Love" pulsates with a syncopated electro-groove. "If I said I wanted a huge marching band bass drum beat or a crazy snare sound then that's what we tried. The entire experience was incredibly liberating in that sense," he says, pausing thoughtfully, "My favorite artists are people who change as they're inspired."

Barnes began writing Stories To Tell shortly after his wife discovered she was pregnant with their first child and many of the songs are about that experience in some way, whether Barnes is welcoming his child to the world via "Mine To Love" or describing his connection to his new family member on songs like "One Of Us."

But one of Barnes' talents as a writer is his ability to be deeply introspective in a way that's broadly appealing. There is no better example than Barnes' #1 song "God Gave Me You." Nominated for the Best Country Song Grammy as performed by Blake Shelton on 2011's Red River Blue album, Barnes' and Shelton's versions of the song have sold over one million singles to date. And with the variety of sounds heard on each of his albums, it is clear to see why he is compatible touring with such diverse and established acts as John Mayer, Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum, Bonnie Raitt, and One Republic.

While a lot of the topics on the new album are intensely personal, much like "God Gave Me You" and others of his hits, Barnes scripts them in a way that's all-inclusive. "One of the big themes on this record is enjoying the moment while you have it because who knows what will happen," he says, "that's something that's universal for everyone.

"Every part of this record feels like something new," Barnes says, admitting that, at times, the process of making Stories To Tell was daunting even to himself. "Making this album was definitely a risky move. It involved leaving town and working with different producers and players," he says reflecting. "But I felt I had to put my chips on the table and make an album that truly embodies my own musical vision."