Email Author Brian J. Barr

Contributing writer Brian Barr was Seattle Weekly's music editor from 2006-2008. Before that, he painted houses, made organic dog biscuits, pulled espresso shots, and answered phones for an architecture firm, all while contributing regularly to The Believer, Arthur, No Depression, HARP, DIW, The Stranger, and several other publications he's either forgotten, or wishes he could forget about. As an East Coast native, he is still baffled at the Seattle phenomenon of braking while merging onto the freeway.

2011 Stories by Brian J. Barr

• DIY: The Luxury of the Rich

  published December 28, 2011

  Early this month, the absurdly talented comedian Louis C.K. leaped into DIY-land and made a healthy wad of cash. The much-publicized move... More >>

• Kim and Thurston: Split Single

  published November 2, 2011

  I've watched some marriages fall apart. They were all friends, relatives, and neighbors. But I'm not embarrassed to admit that the recent... More >>

• Reading and Singing

  published September 14, 2011

  Can you name the last time—if ever—you were in a room full of people who had all read and loved Kurt Vonnegut's ... More >>

• Fretboard Journal's $13 Question

  published May 4, 2011

  When it comes to launching a new business these days, publishing an independent music magazine is about as contra- indicated as becoming a travel... More >>

• How Keith Morris Got OFF!

  published April 20, 2011

  "Maybe Jesus wanted it to happen," says Keith Morris, explaining how his new band, OFF!, was formed. He's kidding, of course. But somehow a... More >>

• An Incomplete History of Ice Cube's Career Architecture

  published April 6, 2011

  1987 A young man named O'Shea Jackson studies architectural drafting at the Phoenix Institute of Technology. There, he learns... More >>

• Seattle's March to Fuzz

  published March 30, 2011

  The drums begin their steady stomp—thud . . . thud-thud-smack! The beat echoes off the walls alongside... More >>

• The Genius of Ke$ha

  published February 16, 2011

  Admit it: The first time you heard Ke$ha's breakout hit "Tik Tok," you were interested. You might've found it repulsive, catchy,... More >>

• White Center: Almost Hip

  published January 19, 2011

  As hipsters will tell you, it's a great thing to move into a neighborhood totally unspoiled by yoga moms and software engineers.... More >>