The Doctor Is In

CHRIS BARRON - Southpaw - Brooklyn, NY - 7/08/07
In the years since the Spin Doctors' on/off hiatus went into effect, frontman Chris Barron has been doing double duty as a folksy, roots rock/Americana solo act. One thing is certain: the man gives it his all and is not afraid to show it, whether it's just him and his trusty acoustic--as he performed at the Live Earth concert--or ably backed by a 3-4 piece band.

It was the latter configuration that he featured in Brooklyn, on an uncomfortably muggy Sunday night in which Barron brought cool, musical relief to a gathering of the faithful. Consisting mostly of tunes from his solo output--the Pancho and the Kid album--the set did nod to the man's storied past with the inclusion of "Can't Kick The Habit" from the Spin Doctors' most recent album Nice Talking to Me and of course closing out with a rootsy version of his most famous composition, the much-beloved "Two Princes".

Hopefully, the Doctors will reconvene soon enough. But in the meantime, it's good to see Barron hasn't lost the passion for writing and performing music. Do yourself a favor and catch him soon. Just go ahead now.