The Kris Barras Band Unveil New MMA Inspired Video For Lovers Or Losers
Today The Kris Barras Band released their new album The Divine And Dirty on Provogue/Mascot Label Group. To accompany the release of the new record the band just released a new video for the song Lovers or Losers.
Speaking about the track and the action packed music video, Kris explains: "Lovers Or Losers is one of my favourite tracks off the new album. It’s one of the last songs that I wrote and for me it’s one of the songs that captures the dirty side of the album, with the slide riffs and the southern rock sound. We had great fun shooting the video, the fight scenes were actually filmed with one my training partners from the gym! It was also really fun to do all of the fighting stuff in a more choreographed way than what I’m normally used to!"
Kris Barras isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. As a former Mixed Martial Artist, the singer and guitarist has fought in front of 8000 people, lived it up in Las Vegas, dealt with bankruptcy, suffered a deep and personal loss, unleashed southern-fried blues fury on stages across Europe and been voted one of the best 13 Blues Guitarists in the World Right Now in 2017.
He picked up the guitar and took up martial arts as a child. After playing in bands throughout his teens he became disillusioned. He had toured the east coast of the USA twice and recorded an album in Philadelphia, but struggled to get to the next level. By his early 20s, offers for fights were coming thick and fast. Music took a backseat as he travelled the world to compete in tournaments, winning 14 out of 17 fights and even settling to live in Las Vegas and Thailand.
“People used to think I was crazy to be fighting in cages, risking damage to my hands,” he says. “Truth is though, I always enjoyed it and found that the fighting world offered me more opportunities than the music industry. I got to fight in front of 8000 people in Asia, I would’ve much rather have played to them instead of getting punched in the face.”
That drive is at the heart of new album, The Divine And Dirty, his first album to be released on Provogue/Mascot Label Group. Just as the title refers to the good and the bad within us all, the album encapsulate everything Barras has been through to this point.
The Divine And Dirty wears its heritage proudly. Songs such as I Don’t Owe Nobody Nothing, Propane and She’s More Than Enough shows the breadth of influences that stretches back to Led Zeppelin, the Stones, Howlin’ Wolf and Free. But there’s a modern energy to it as well that places Kris Barras in a similar mould to current heavyweights such as Rival Sons, Black Stone Cherry and The Cadillac Three.
The album is an eclectic beast that can fire out rocket-fuelled blues in Kick Me Down and gospel-infused rock’n’roll in the shape of Hail Mary but dial things back showing a tender side on Hold On For Tomorrow.
Produced by Josiah J Manning at Momentum Studios, Plymouth, ambition bleeds from every pore of The Divine And Dirty. It follows a triumphant year for Barras who in 2017 embarked on his first European tour, calling at Norway, Germany, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania and jubilant sets at his biggest ever shows at RAWA Blues Festival (Poland) and Ramblin’ Man Fair last summer with his band; Josiah J Manning (Keyboards), Elliott Blackler (Bass) and Will Beavis (Drums).
Everything is primed to propel The Kris Barras Band to even greater heights in 2018. He has the songs, the talent and the ambition to take on the scene’s biggest hitters. And armed with this kind of passion and dedication, they are coming out swinging. Stand back – rock has a new hero.
