Webb Barringer’s love for Southern gothic literature is evident from the title through all five tracks of his new CD, “Show That Tombstone Smile.”
Hear his original music and purchase a copy of the album Saturday night, June 24, when Barringer holds a CD release party, open to the public, at Tremont Tavern, 1203 Hixson Pike.
Barringer, son of Julie Fleming Barringer and Steve Barringer, is a graduate of McCallie School and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He’s been playing guitar a little more than 10 years and began performing at open-mic nights around town three years ago.
“Show That Tombstone Smile” is already available for pre-order on iTunes and Amazon for $4.95. For more information: 423-266-1996
THE TRACKS
Barringer gave these descriptions of the stories behind his music.
1. “Jekyll” is my take on the story of “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” It is written from the perspective of Dr. Jekyll as he is speaking to Mr. Hyde. If you know the story, this never happens, so I figured I’d take a shot at it.
2. I wrote “Getting To Know Me” after I came home from a job interview. (That day) I drank about a pot of coffee beforehand and couldn’t find my car keys, so my dad had to drive me there. I sweated throughout the entire interview so I wasn’t too confident about getting hired. When I got home, I took a Facebook quiz to find “your animal personality.” My personality is that of a beaver apparently.
3. “Tri-State” is a 23-year-old’s take on the story behind the Tri-State Crematory. (The Tri-State Crematory in Noble, Ga., made national news in February 2002 when 334 bodies, sent there for cremation that never occurred, were found on the property.)
4. “Nasty Things” is just a growing-up country song. Originally, the first and second verses were going to be put in separate songs. After writing both songs, I realized they fit into the same theme, so I put them together.
5. “The Witch” has the longest story behind it. When I was 13, I went to Camp Vesper Point. I heard a ghost story about a psychotic woman with long nails who was being transported in a police car to a mental health facility. While in transit, she drove the officer crazy by scratching the roof of the car until he eventually drove into Soddy Lake. The car was found with its roof ripped open; the woman was nowhere to be found. Legend has it she roams the grounds of the camp and scratches at the screens of the cabins.
This woman has become the main character of stress dreams I’ve continued to have into adulthood. This is just a song to myself about calming down.