from page 1
the mic to read excerpts from some of Chris’s articles in the Aquarian, though his work also frequented The East Coast Rocker, the Atlanticville, and even our very own, NJ Coast. A quiet night; all artists, including Joe Hughes of Golden Seal, Jason Matthews, and Smiles Again among others, played acoustically. plus  and Adam Weisberg of The Saint showed up to eulogize Chris.
   To be completely honest, I didn’t know Chris Barry personally. I had never met him. And at first, I felt a little awkward being at the Wonder Bar that night. I felt like I was horning in on a special moment shared by the people who loved him. His friends and supporters all showed up there to remember what he stood for and, before I got there, I didn’t even know what that was. But after about half an hour, I started to understand. 

   Jason Redd of Eatontown was happy to talk about Chris with me, as I sought out people who would know him best. Redd knew him completely outside of the music scene (Chris’s mother was Redd’s godmother), which gave him a unique perspective. “He’s multidimensional. I had no clue as to his facets.” Jason Redd pointed me over to Chris’s girlfriend Gail. I was reluctant to speak with her because I could only imagine what she was going through but as I approached her and asked her to say a few words, she just lit up inside and was more than happy to talk about him. Clearly overwhelmed, she smiled and said, “I can’t believe it. He was the love of my life.” I thanked her as she became too choked up to go on. Smiles Again aka Freddy Gomez, was maybe the most adamant about what he had to say. “Chris Barry gave me courage to

continued page 9

from page 7
   At only 18, and playing since she was 14, it’s hard to comprehend the maturity in her performance. Her voice is quite stand-out, evoking a style reminiscent of the 30’s and 40’s with its characteristically trailing vibrato. One track off of her “E.P. thingy”, as she referred to it, is Airplanes with its catchy refrain and simplistic instrumentation.
   Why should you come see J. Poland and the Pilots? Because they’ve got something you probably haven’t seen before. And plus, there’re from Jersey.

by : "joanna" <joanna@joannaburns.com>

from page 4
J.Pat’s latest venture in Europe. The band interacts with the crowd encouraging everyone to sing along and has young and old on their feet to dance.
   Giving way to the night, Riding my Scooter’s set comes to a close. This is definitely a band to be watching. I am looking forward to them being in the studio in the beginning of next year. For more information go to
www.jamesdalton.info or
www.myspace.com/ridingmyscooter.
by Chandra