Back in Alaska

Former lead singer for the Spin Doctors, Chris Barron, puts on show at Chilkoot Charlie's

By Seth Boyer
Daily News correspondent

Published: November 6th, 2009 01:30 AM
Last Modified: November 6th, 2009 04:31 AM

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Everyone in the pop culture loop during the '90s has heard Chris Barron's two most famous songs.

As lead singer of the Spin Doctors, Barron's wrote "Two Princes" and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong," tracks which helped the band's 1991 debut album "Pocket Full of Kryptonite" sell over 15 million copies worldwide.

While the Spin Doctors may have come and gone and come back again -- the group got back together in the early '00s to play a handful of shows and cut their fifth studio record in 2005 -- Barron has been a constant in the New York singer-songwriter scene, mostly performing with a group called The Time Bandits. Barron's return to Alaska marks a shift back to solo touring.

"I came up to Alaska a few years back with the Spin Doctors to play a show in Anchorage and one in Fairbanks on the summer solstice," Barron said. "It's a place I always wanted to go. I'm really excited to come back."

In Anchorage to promote his new solo record, "Poncho and the Kid," Barron plays Chilkoot Charlie's Saturday night.

"Poncho and the Kid is definitely more laid back, more rootsy rock and roll than my older stuff," Barron said. "The stuff I'm working on now is more upbeat -- kind of the Rolling Stones' "Exile on Main Street" meets The Band's "The Last Waltz."

Barron has been playing with Levon Helm, former drummer for The Band, perhaps explaining the influence.

"Levon invited me up there to sit in with him," Barron said. "He's a massive hero of mine, and I was almost speechless meeting him for the first time. That's something I never thought I'd get to do."

Barron's outlook on his music career is nothing but grateful, and for good reason. In 1998 he was stricken with a rare case of acute vocal paralysis. Doctors gave him a 50-50 chance of being able to talk normally again, let alone sing.

"I was deeply distressed at the prospect of not being able to sing again," Barron said. "Until that occurred, I identified really heavily with my occupation and saw myself as a singer first. Grim as it was, it gave me an opportunity to examine my life as a human being. I had a few weeks of thinking, 'What am I gonna do?' Then I just concentrated on getting better."

After a trying everything from acupuncture to obscure herbal remedies, Barron made a full recovery and started singing again.

"I got lucky," he said.

In all his travels, Anchorage actually isn't the farthest Barron has ventured on tour. In August he played a few shows for troops in Iraq.

"It was amazing," Barron said. "I had a lot of respect for the sacrifice the troops are making, but when you're there and you're meeting all these soldiers, seeing their commitment and dedication is incredible."

Barron performs semi-regularly with The Time Bandits, but tries to limits touring to the summer and weekends.

"I have a 10-year-old daughter," Barron said. "I try and be as much of a hands-on parent as I can, and I've really gotten into the whole fatherhood thing. I'm lucky that I can be home all day working on songs and pick her up from school and tuck her into bed every night. How many nine-to-fivers can say the same?"

As someone who's seen both tremendous commercial success and the less glamorous side of the industry, Barron considers himself lucky.

"I am a professional musician and that's the bar for happiness for me," Barron said. "Everything else is just gravy."

Chris Barron Performs Saturday, 8 p.m. at Chilkoot Charlie's. Tickets for the 21 and over show are $20-25. More info at koots.com.

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