Keeping performances from going sour
Little Silver guitarist troubleshoots for musicians
linda denicola
The Hub

Mike Barris

Guitarist Mike Barris knows firsthand what it is like to stride on stage eager to win an audience over with your musical virtuosity. And he knows what it is like to bomb on stage. But, he has also experienced the incredible high that comes when you’ve clicked with an audience.

The Little Silver resident thinks he knows why some performances work and others don’t, so he has written articles on the subject, like the one published in Performing Acoustic Music, a book published by Acoustic Guitar magazine. The article is called "Troubleshooting Your Show." Barris also teaches his experience based theories in workshops which he calls "Performance Tips for Musicians."

His mission, he says, is to help other performers be at their best for every performance. Last week, he held a workshop at the Eastern Branch of the Monmouth County Library, Shrewsbury. About 18 musicians attended. They came from every musical venue, even classical, he said.

The free workshop was sponsored by the Acoustic Musicians Guild, a nonprofit New Jersey-based organization devoted to promoting interest in, and preservation of, acoustic music.

"The Acoustic Music Guild wants to become a statewide organization. A new chapter is forming in Monmouth County," Barris said.

A Toronto, Canada, native, Barris has lived in Little Silver since 1993 with his wife, Bonnie Marvel. A swing and blues guitarist, singer and guitar teacher, he has been performing at festivals, coffeehouses and clubs since the late 1980s, and has presented workshops on performance at festivals, libraries and schools. He writes for publications such as Down Beat and Jazz Journal International and has released a CD, called Delta Sunrise with his acoustic swing band of the same name.

Barris says his swing-blues is based on the swing of the ’30s and ’40s with a little more blues. His repertoire includes old standards like "Steppin’ Out With My Baby," "Lester Leaps In " and "St. Louis Blues."

"But I play original music too. ‘The Talkin’ Turnpike Blues’ is very popular. My music tends to be cheerful," he said.

Barris has been playing the guitar for 35 years, since he was a boy. "I started with the ukulele when I was 6. I still use it in my act sometimes."

He currently plays at the Metropolitan Cafe in Freehold Borough with bass player Ralph Palmer, part of the Delta Sunrise trio that he formed. He also has a monthly gig at the Java Joint in Toms River.

Barris says he has played in just about every coffeehouse in the area, including No Ordinary Joe, Upstairs Coffee House at the Dublin House, the House of Coffee in the Galleria and the Downtown Cafe, all in Red Bank. Last year he played at the Brighton Bar in Long Branch.

For a while, Barris taught elementary school in the Toronto area. He feels that his workshops are a natural progression of teaching.

"If I can open the eyes of just a few people and help them improve and polish their performance goals, then I feel I am achieving my main goal."

Barris says he gets a lot of satisfaction from teaching. "Performing and classroom teaching are mutually compatible. As a teacher you are giving out energy. As a performer you try to pull up the energy of the audience.

"This workshop is an outgrowth of everything I’ve learned," he said. "I feel as though I am on a mission. Performing can be painful what with rejection, aggravation and frustration. You’re dealing with a lot of variables. A true professional knows how to deal with those things. In the workshop, we talk about how to do that. I use a lot of role playing."

Often the situations are ones that he has had to deal with during his performances. "I continue to perform because that’s where I get the material for my workshops. It’s important to keep your teaching chops sharp." Chops is a musical expression for technical ability, he explained.

A hiker and a swimmer, he also does yoga and gets up at 5 a.m. to commute to his job as an editor for the Dow Jones News Service in Jersey City. "Some nights I get under four hours sleep."

But, as he said, he has a mission, and that gives him his drive. "There are a lot of guitarists who want to become better performers, but don’t have the communication skills."

Barris knows how to communicate and wants to share what he has learned over the years. He instructs musicians to be prepared for a performance by identifying the technical issues, chords or lyrics that are giving them trouble and to try out their material first in a low-risk environment, such as an open stage. He also encourages performers to tape themselves and to look at the tape objectively.

He urges performers to be honest about what doesn’t work. "Performers need to have a strong sense of their own self-worth. And they need to look for truthful criticism."

He advises musicians to invest in good equipment and to build a large song list so that they are prepared for the changing dynamics during a performance. "Be sure to include several crowd pleasing tunes that you can play fairly easily while you’re getting your bearings on stage," he says in his article. He also advises them to use a range of tempos to stretch and warm up the audience’s "approval muscles."

He recommends that performers develop their people skills and behave professionally. Along with advice and how to handle unexpected situations and bullies, he says, "Above all, don’t be late."

It’s never too late to improve yourself, no matter who you are or what you are doing. "There are a lot of guitarists who want to become better performers. I’d like to help them," Barris said.

He plans to do another workshop at the Eastern Branch of the Monmouth County Library in the fall. He may be reached at (732) 219-0658.