Virginia native Janie Barnett cut her teeth on bluegrass festivals, church coffeehouses, and the American Folklife Festival. When she met iconic Americana barnstormer and newgrass pioneer John Hartford at Folklife, so began her love affair with the alternate roots movement. Always dancing along outside-of-the-box boundaries, Barnett found her place in New York City, making a name for herself as a smart, precise, and professional chameleon musician, singing on countless film, television, and commercial projects, as well as singing backup for iconic stars like Linda Ronstadt, Celine Dion, and Rickie Lee Jones.
Barnett has released several collections of music through the years but felt none had fully captured her authentic voice as a writer or musician; her latest album, You See This River, is the culmination of Barnett’s years of searching and exploring, and living a life that many of us find ourselves living.
Today, she unveils the video for album track “Sweet Thursday,” is an homage to two of her favorite creations—Steinbeck’s wonderful little novel of the same name, and its companion novel, Canary Row. “The stories are whimsical, full of love and street heroes,” she explains. “The music is a tribute to Neil Young’s ‘Harvest Moon.’ That lilting piece of perfection is so simple, like a love story to all the small notes of music that can make life sweet.” The video features footage captured on cell phones and reflects these sentiments—the sweetness of life in the everyday moments, spending time connecting with friends and loves ones over wine and music and plenty of laughter. “In this life,” she says, “we get to choose our friends.”
Without further ado, Mother Church Pew proudly presents “Sweet Thursday,” the new video from Janie Barnett ft. Blue Room:
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