Barna Howard

Tegios songs include tales of wanderers and outcasts, dreamers and revelers, lovers and losers; all of whom he has been at one time or another. Originally from San Diego himself, Tegio found fellow native Tom Waits to be an early influence. Waits fantastical songs of seedy, sordid characters, accompanied by his raspy, guttural voice, inspired Tegios writing and singing. When Tegio was introduced to Texas songwriters such as Townes Van Zandt and Blaze Foley, he was quick to adapt some of his favorite aspects of their writing into his own developing style. Townes dark, poetic imagery, especially of natural beauty, paired with his lonesome yet hopeful songs, combined with the levity Foley frequently used in songs and Waits depictive storytelling, unite to create the holy union of barroom poetry that is Mark Tegios sound. Barna Howard was born and raised in a quintessential Midwest town. His youth in Eureka, Missouri was pure Americana the sort of childhood that inspired E.T.-era Spielberg baseball cards in his bicycle spokes, flying freely down Main Street and through neighbors backyards. However, much of Barnas story is not unique to his hometown, and, like most of small town America, Eureka has lost some of that charm over time. Main Street has changed, kids dont run around quite so carelessly, and in an almost laughably cruel twist, his childhood home was knocked down in favor of a Walmart parking lot. After high school, Howard moved north to study animation in one cold and windy city and then east for love in another. Years later, he blindly followed two friends to the Northwest, crossing the Rockies for the first time, in search of inspiration, opportunity and a fresh start. Barnas self-titled debut chronicled these moves as he struggled with the contrast between his small town upbringing and these big city wanderings. The album was met with critical acclaim and underground success, partly thanks to an opportunely placed song in the hit indie film, Drinking Buddies. One critic even likened him to some lost genius of the 60s. The songs on Barna Howards second album, Quite A Feelin, ruminate on his relationship with home. Now entrenched in Portland, Oregon, many of the albums tracks immortalize and reflect on the Eureka he once knew, while others focus on the relationships that define his new home out west. Small town life has long been celebrated in country and folk music, but Barnas knack for capturing his own deeply personal nostalgia resonates in a rarely universal way.