Our conversation with the Nashville rockers, Parker Barrow, on the final day of their first-ever UK tour at Maid Of Stone was a unique experience. They shared their thoughts on the band’s rise over the last few years, the distinctiveness of European shows compared to back home, and the intriguing question of how many cabinets a band can fit on-stage.
So, as we’ve just been speaking before starting today’s interview, welcome to the UK! It’s your first time here as a band, but have you guys been here before, either separately in other bands or just in your personal lives?
Megan: Eric is a well-travelled man – our keyboard player – but the rest of us, this is our first time ever leaving the State, so it’s been a great experience so far, getting to go to Spain, Europe, and the UK.
This festival was your last date on the UK Tour, and you’ve got to play at Major Stone Festival, so how has the tour been?
Dylan: It’s been awesome. I mean, we’ve gotten to experience so much. We crammed about as much as you could cram into a little two-week stint here. Basically, we saw all of Spain from the mountains to the beaches, then here in the UK, we saw Chester, Nottingham and London, all beautiful, wonderful cities with their own charm, and we’ve just really enjoyed our time here. We can’t wait to come back in November. We’ll be supporting The Damn Truth on our tour in November, so we’ll be back and get to do it all over again! But you know we’re blessed to be here and excited for another round coming up soon.
So how did the shows that you’ve done on your tour compare with those that you would have done back home?
Alex: Well, that’s interesting. I think what was the starkest comparison was the audience’s reaction. We’re quite accustomed to our US audiences. So, I think it’s probably difficult to characterise that because that’s what our baseline is. Spain was interesting because everyone was just partying. They’re having such a great time. And then we came over to the UK, and not that they didn’t enjoy themselves, but they were much more reserved, I think, while we were playing. And it wasn’t until after, we all had doubts like, “man, I don’t know if anyone liked that “, and we got off stage and got to talk with a bunch of folks and they were like, “that was great, we loved it, when are you guys coming back?” and it’s like “really?” That was it, it was the audience interaction stuff. But you know, once you get off stage and talk with everybody, all kinds of evens out, it all kind of feels the same. You know, that’s been the coolest thing about travelling and stuff, that on the outside there are probably a lot of differences, but then once you start getting down to it and music and all that stuff, it’s all kind of the same.
Bo: Well, the UK and Europe in general are just more reactive, I’ve noticed, and that’s been an eye-opening experience for sure. Going from the US to Spain was just night and day – literally, a seven-hour difference. They don’t start until 10pm because the sun goes down at 10pm, and then that’s when we go on at 11pm or something, and they’re just wide awake.
You released ‘Novocaine’ quite recently, so have you been playing it on tour? I assume you have.
Megan: We have been playing it for a long time now. It’s one of the first ones we introduced to our set from the new record, and it’s probably been in the set for about a year or so. And we’ve loved playing it and getting to finally release it, and have the audience know it now is cool. It’s funny, even today, and it just got released two days ago, when I saw people singing back to it, so that’s pretty interesting and wonderful to see.
Yeah, that’s great. You’ve only released it a couple of days ago, but have you had time to process the reaction from the wider population?
Megan: Not at all. Not even a second. I look at my phone like, “Oh wow, that’s cool”. And I’m like, “OK, let’s go!” Like I gotta get back on the road.
You also released your other single, ‘Make It’, as well, and how have you found that one going over live?
Dylan: Yeah, that one, we start our show with that one just because it’s a lot of energy there at the front. Alex did a great job of arranging that tune. It’s almost like it was made to kick off our show. It’s so much fun to kind of see the crowd come alive when he rips into that riff, and it’s a lot of fun, and we really enjoy playing it. It kind of lets us settle in and find the groove, and the people, especially here in the UK, have seemed to really dig it. I just want to thank everybody who has helped spread the word and get that song out there, because we love it. You know, it’s one of our favourites to play, so we’re just glad that people are connecting with it and digging it and want us to come out and play it.
Both of those are due to be on the new album, which you’re currently working on. So, how’s the writing process for that going, and does it differ at all from how you wrote ‘Jukebox Gypsy’?
Megan: It definitely differs because it’s a different piece that we added, which is Alex, who has become a vital member of creating the songs, composing the songs and writing all the licks and stuff. So that has been the biggest change between the two. With ‘Jukebox Gypsies’, it was Dylan and I, who don’t know how to play guitar that well, and our producer, Stephen McKnight, so it’s definitely a different, evolved experience.
I think it’s only going to get better from here on out. We just got Bo, Will, and Eric on board over the past six months or so, and we’ll eventually include them; I think everything’s going to be great. It’s only up from here! A lot of stuff is already done for the record, we’re only like two or three songs away from the full thing, but we’re gonna release a little bit of here, a little bit there and then the big shebang at the end.
Awesome. When can fans expect the album to be released?
Dylan: The end of this year. It’ll be out before the end of this year. Yeah, we’re still working on narrowing in on an exact release date, but it will definitely be before the end of the year.
Can you tell us a little more about what that entails? Is it just going to be typical Parker Barrow, or have you got any surprises lurking?
Alex: I’d like to think there’s a surprise! I think with our current lineup, when writing the songs and stuff that kind of sticks in the back of our minds, especially when we’re going in and arranging and producing it. You know, so by that I mean we can kind of free up some of the stuff from just being “it’s got to be this guitar thing or something”. We now have keys with Eric, so we don’t have to have as many guitar solos. So, we still will, but I think what we did with this record is that we put our heads together and said we wanted to have a couple of songs that fit that classic space rock idea. And then from there, it’s “OK, now, what else can we do and stuff like that?” I think we dipped into some different moods, different emotions and stuff, and different textures too. That’s probably a good bit. You know, we got a little more available at our disposal right now, not just in the studio but also on stage, and that gives us a lot more abilities that when we go to play these songs live, it’s gonna sound more like the record, you know? And that’s cool. 30-minute bass solo!
Who doesn’t want that? What inspires your songs?
Megan: I think at this point… For ‘Jukebox Gypsies’, it was very much like it was an essential album for us. It was our first time really giving it a go and trying to put our words and Dylan’s words into the world and just based on our life experiences. I think with the next album, we’re kind of pulling from that with a little bit more experience in doing this, releasing records and touring the world and the country. But for us, you know, it’s all about the light and the dark and everything in between, and that’s kind of what we try to proceed with our music.
You briefly touched on it just a moment ago – the band had its origins between the two of you back in 2019, and then you transitioned into doing originals. Could you have imagined back then, when you started out doing covers, that you’d be here, you’d be touring the world and bringing your music to everyone?
Dylan: It’s definitely crazy to think about because it’s always been a dream, I think. Anybody who does this on any level, if you have whatever it is in you to do this, there’s part of you that strives to be able to call yourself an international band or travel the world to play your music, and it’s just such a blessing. It’s something you always think about, but you never necessarily think it’s going to happen. And really, it was like the blink of an eye from the time we found out this was going to happen nearly a year ago until being here. So, it’s been a whirlwind, and I think we’re all probably a little, you know, excited for the plane ride back to have a second to reflect because it’s been, since our feet landed on the ground, we haven’t stopped – it’s been running, running, running. It’s been so cool, really. Truly, truly a dream come true. And we’re just blessed to be here. We’re excited to come back and to keep growing things every year and hopefully be able to make this another place that’s just a regular stop for us because we’ve enjoyed it so much.
It’s lovely to hear, and congratulations on getting this far. Thinking back over the course of the year, how have things changed, and how have you all grown as a band since then?
Megan: Well, we’ve literally grown as a band. We have introduced three new members in the past year. But this time last year, we were playing some college shows and some bar shows, and nobody was buying tickets to come and see us. That alone in itself is all you can really ask for: if people are willing to spend their hard-earned money to come and see their favourite band or one of their favourite bands, or just the band they knew they wanted to check out, but I think that. It has been. I can’t even let myself think about where we were a year ago because it’s overwhelming at the change in our lives.
Dylan: Another big part of it, too, is that we signed with Intrepid Artists International, our booking agency, that’s opened so many doors for us – that’s how we were able to come over here, and they’ve been wonderful to work with. We’re stoked to have that relationship. Also, our manager, Gregg Bell, with Wanted Management, has been a godsend for us and really, truly, just made it so easy for us to come out here and do what we love to do. And those two in particular have a big part in the growth of this band right now and are giving us a platform to go out and share this music that we’re passionate about and we love. We’re so thankful to have a great team around us that’s pushing us and rooting for us, which has made it great.
Hopefully, you’ll continue to achieve success as the years go on. With that, what’s 2026 bringing?
Megan: More. More of everything. More music. Louder, more amps!
Dylan: How many cabinets can one band fit on stage?
Alex: Background singers, a whole orchestra… Horns, brass…
Megan: I think it’s at this point we’re just riding away. Yeah, we’re just hoping for the best. Every day we get to do this is a blessing. And we hope that in the next year, two, three, or ten, it will be even more. There’s more of it; can’t get enough!
We look forward to more music and a new album later this year, and hopefully we’ll have you guys over again in 2026! Last question: Is there anything you’d like to say to your fans and the Devolution readers?
Dylan: Just thank you guys. Thank you so much for making it possible for us to be here. Thank you for taking the time to interview us.
We look forward to meeting the ones we didn’t meet on our next trip and to having met the ones we did. So we appreciate you guys.
https://www.facebook.com/parkerbarrowproject
Interview By Lee Carter
Photos By Rebecca Bush – https://www.instagram.com/beckybphoto/
