The Barry Orchestra Introducing...The Barry Orchestra Vol. 3, Chattanooga Girls Rock Smokin’ in the Girls Room
The Barry Orchestra
Introducing...The Barry Orchestra Vol. 3
(barryorchestra.bandcamp.com)
The Chattanooga music scene is currently in full stride. Local artists are producing amazing music that has a worldwide sound. Introducing....The Barry Orchestra Vol. 3 by the Barry Orchestra is a magical album that has a one of a kind sound and flow, and is limitless with its potential.
Being mainly instrumental, it is hard to identify the specific genre classification for the album. Somewhere between hip-hop, electronic, and experimental, sits this dynamite local treasure. The smooth flowing, head bobbing, diversity of the music within the album, mixed with passion, relatability, delivery of sound, and rhythm, makes this perhaps my favorite album to come out of Chattanooga.
“I love music, I want to deliver fresh sounds that can be the soundtrack to your life, emotions, experiences, and mine,” says Stephen Barry, the composer and producer for all of the tracks on the album. He really lived up to his mission statement with the delivery of his third album which was released in April of this year.
Where most of the songs on the album are original, there are a couple of renditions of popular songs that are very well re-done. “Nothing”, is a unique version of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, which is one of those songs that if somebody is going to mess with it, then they better do a really good job due to its legendary status. Stephen Barry killed it.
“Gone” is superb adaptation of John Mayer’s “Dreaming With a Broken Heart”, he laces a hip-hop beat with it, and it is magnificent.
There is not a bad song on the album, but some of the more notable tracks are “The Falling”, “The Walk”, “Cartoons and Cereal”, and “Wishing”. This is the kind of album that fits a multitude of situations, it is perfect for most settings. Give it a listen, you won’t be disappointed.
Chattanooga Girls Rock
Smokin’ in the Girls Room
(chattanoogagirlsrock.bandcamp.com)
Chattanooga Girls Rock has recently released a forty song punk rock album titled Smokin’ in the Girls Room that does exactly like their name. It rocks. Chattanooga Girls Rock is a local non-profit organization that is one hundred percent volunteer led.
According to their website, they reject the antiquated notion that girls should be seen and not heard, and they provide a platform for girls’ voices and stories to be amplified across Chattanooga and the south. Their purpose is to empower girls in our community to build confidence, and celebrate their individuality through collaborative music education and performance.
Smokin’ in the Girls Room has a wide variety of punk rock, and rock and roll styles that makes for a different kind of album. With forty different tracks, the empowered girls and women combine to produce a ferocious sound.
It is a fun album that overall sounds great. Some of the songs go hard and break into screaming, which is an essential for punk rock style albums. With so many artists being able to unleash themselves into an outlet that will be heard makes it really powerful. This album has very many angles, and reflections of different people, which gives it a lot of heart and soul.
Seemingly, the album is broken down into different group names inside of Chattanooga Girls Rock. Dark Rides “Walk the Floors”, Onetimers “Bad Dreams”, Blue River Hex “Just Leave”, Rock Paper Stupid “Flat Earth Society”, and Forced Vengeance “Fuzzy Flag of Fascism” seem to be the standout tracks on the album, but all of the tracks on the album all hold their own weight.
Smokin’ in the Girls Room is an album that is excellent on so many levels, and it is one that is awesome for the community as a whole. This is our voice Chattanooga, let it be heard.