After seeing Living Color at 15, Los Angeles native Curt Barlage picked up a guitar and hasn’t looked back. A long-time member of the Los Angeles indie scene, he’s something of an LA best kept secret. After six years of working in a record shop his influences are deep, and his taste impeccable. Through various configurations and concepts over the years, and the eventual split of his former band The Bixby Knolls, Barlage immersed himself in two new collaborative projects, Strange Phases and Red Hearts White Ribbons. Defined as shoegaze and beyond, both outfits stand on their own and are active today.
The shift from being in a band to a solo project was an organic process during the lockdown as Barlage moved his recording equipment from his studio into his home and sifted through the emotions of a soul-wrenching breakup. Searching for self-awareness through yoga and meditation during the pandemic, he began hosting weekly Live By The Socially Distant Firepit sessions performing acoustic covers, his own material, and poetry readings.
This exploration of a deeper consciousness has made him more intentional about his approach to music. “It’s coming from a different source now,” he told me as I caught up with him on his return from Neem Karoli Baba Ashram in Taos, New Mexico. If this all sounds like a bunch of New Age West Coast bullshit—it’s not. A myth debunked. You can heal yourself and still play some seriously good music.
“So Long Cecilia” and “On The Run,” the first tracks of Barlage’s solo material were released last year. The washed out and emotive “So Long Cecilia and its video counterpart, shot by director Steven Soria, drew me in. Both songs, guitar/ psychedelia driven, are followed by his latest release and tale of surrender, “Illuminate.” Vintage keyboards and a Linn drum machine hold the synth melody of this song while backing vocals from Rocio Libertad Mendoza of Tres Souls, a Mexican Romantic-era inspired trio, distill the shimmery track.
Building a musical commune of sorts with Respectful Lust Records, Curt Barlage’s multi-media collective/ record label hosts its own radio hour. Also worth checking out is his 54-hour Respectful Lust Radio playlist on his Spotify account filled with rare finds he’s been amassing from years pouring over record crates. Look out for more singles and a full-length album release this year.
