Tim Barry "28th & Stonewall" (2010)

Barry's songwriting has grown in the two years since "Manchester".  He seems more confident, more open.  There's a stronger narrative sense, with Barry exploring his past, his heritage, & what it means to be middle aged.

Tim Barry "Manchester" (2008)

For the Boomers, the question of aging seemed to be answered by denial.  Hence Mick Jagger prancing & attempting to do "relevant" dance music at age 60+.  I don't really know how the Boomers feel about this, but for me it's always been embarrassing.  Remember when you were a kid & some other kids' parents would try to be cool & try to use slang?  It feels like that.

Now we're getting guys who spent their 20s in punk bands growing older.  What do they do?  Quite a few seem to be adapting their styles.  Attempting music that is less aggressive, but no less true to their core values.

For me the advantage of a mellower format means that Tim Barry's songwriting is highlighted.  He mines the same sort of vein as Otis Gibbs -- songs about blue collar Americans, growing older, & trying to get by.  It's hard not to relate to that.