No Barbers Required is what happens when a person sits down and tries to write his own versions of classics like “There’s A Tear in my Beer”, “My Bucket’s Got a Hole in it”, “I Gotta Get Drunk”, “Misery & Gin”… No Barbers Required is what happens when a guitarist with a punk background joins in and puts his signature licks on the songs. No Barbers Required is what happens when someone dusts off his old drum kit and gets back to playing the rhythms his famous jazz drumming uncle taught him in his youth. No Barbers Required is what happens when a dobro/steel player, a fiddler and an upright bassist round out the line up to guarantee an authentic honky tonk sound. And Hard To Hold On To is what happens when the six members team up with producer Jay Lefebvre to put on record the songs they spent many years playing live.

Philippe Hamelin had a bunch of melodies and lyrics when he asked Scott Meleskie to help him record and put leads on some of his songs. Intended just for fun, the songs ended up inspiring Meleskie and within 24 hours, he had transformed them with guitar parts that were never associated to the western genre before. The two felt so strongly that they had something original and true on their hands that they decided to move forward and form an actual band. The search for musicians began. First on board was a colleague from work of Hamelin; Patrick Nadon, a singer/songwriter in his spare time agreed to play drums. Nadon, whose uncle was famous Montreal jazz drummer Guy Nadon, hadn’t played drums in a while but was quick to discover that it was just like riding a bike.
Like for most bands, the early years of NBR were marked with lots of line up changes. Musicians belonging to other outfits or moving in and out of town came and went. At one point, the Barbers went on stage with a bassist and a harmonica player but as fortune would have it, both left the band at the same time. Conscious of the tradition of honky tonk, Hamelin, Meleskie, Nadon and slide player John Misrahi decided that it was time to start anew and that if they were going to do so, they needed to get closer to the authentic sound which would include a fiddler, like they originally had, and an upright bass player. In came Laura Lee Officer and Alan Biller.

Laura Lee Officer, like Nadon, came from a notorious musical family. Her older brother (Jordan Officer) was a big influence and like him, she decided to learn the violin at a young age. She was playing in various roots bands in Montreal and was a friend of Misrahi’s so her joining NBR was a natural move. Alan Biller was a drifter from Washington via New York City who came to Montreal to play in the local clubs. Although he fitted well, after close to two years of playing with the band, his hometown came calling and off he was, only to be replaced by his good friend and fellow jazz upright player: Timothy Croft.

No matter what the line up, looking back while going further is what No Barbers Required has always been about. Heavily grounded in the honky tonk tradition set forward by the late great Hank Williams, the band brings a modern twist to western music. Taking influence from their different musical backgrounds, members bring their own personality to the music while still staying true to the genre. Their classicist approach, like recording a live six-song EP of traditional material in Hamelin’s living room while fans wait for their debut album to come out or playing at a bowling alley, seems to be working as they have been voted two years in a row, as one of Montreal’s favorite country/folk act in the Montreal Mirror Newspaper: Best Of Montreal’s readers poll.

Always fast-paced, their shows are the place to be if you’re feeling a little rowdy and want dance the evening (and the early morning) away. It’s not surprising to hear that they brought the same energy to the studio when it came time to record Hard To Hold On To, their debut album on Milagro Records. Filled with catchy songs sounding like they were recorded somewhere in the Deep South, the record will only further the popularity of the band.

So be sure not to miss out…this band is moving as fast as they play!!!