Roots Music Report

About the Band

Canadiana / Americana best describes the music of Canadian singer-songwriter, Barry James Payne, the architect of this roots music entity.

Well worn by the rumble of the road, Payne and his “North” Americana band, String Bone, bring his true life narratives close to the ear with tender arrangements and gruff sincerity. With a mix of folk, blues, country, rock and pop elements his sound is both fluid and solid, thus true to its name. His music drives through darkness, betrayal and remorse towards love, light, escape, and freedom on the road ahead, with Payne at the wheel. Born and raised in London, Ontario, Payne had to get out of Dodge at an early age. From the age of 17, Payne would hitchhike and travel to Canada’s West Coast from his hometown a half dozen times over 4 years before eventually settling there. While based in Vancouver for 17 years and later back to Ontario, he travelled down the West Coast of the US and to 15 other states, then England, France, Spain, Greece, Toronto, Montreal, Holland & Germany, settling in Stratford in 1999.

Payne also performs and records with other musical projects including Celtic powerhouse 'Rant Maggie Rant’ and with roots duo ‘Payne & Taylor,’ alongside highly respected bluesman Rick Taylor (Dashboard Rattle, Willie P. Bennett, Stan Rogers, Colleen Peterson, Leonard Cohen).

Over the last 15 years, Payne and his String Bone project has collaborated with many well-known artists, like the producer of his first three releases Shannon Lyon, as well as Bob Egan (ex-Wilco/ex-Blue Rodeo), Mae Moore (Bohemia), Ginger St. James, Sarah Jane Scouten, Allison Brown, Roman Tome (New Country Rehab), Trent Severn - Emm Gryner, Dayna Manning and Lindsay Schindler (Payne’s band-mate in Rant Maggie Rant) - Bill Bourne and Rick Taylor among many others.

Payne's dedication to music sparked his 10-year running concert series 'String Bone Presents!' producing over 100 shows, bringing the best of Canadian and International folk-roots to various venues in his hometown. Artists such as Danny Michel, Emma-Lee, Mary Gauthier, Madison Violet, Luke Doucet, Bill Bourne, Lynn Miles, Good Lovelies, The Small Glories and Jay/Colin Linden among many others took the stage at this highly anticipated, annual performance series.

In 2018, Payne along with Taylor, co-produced a series of shows across Southern Ontario & the GTA as a tribute to Payne’s song-writing idol and Taylor’s long-time good friend, Willie P. Bennett. Guests included Russell deCarle, Tannis Slimmon, Linda McRae, Deni Gauthier, Lynne Hanson, and many more.

Music reviewers make mention of Lucinda Williams, Jay Farrar, Wilco, Dylan, Steve Earle, Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, T. Bone Burnett and Lightfoot, among others when writing about String Bone releases. He cites Willie P. Bennett as a major influence along with Dylan, Young, Costello, Gillian Welch, Jesse Winchester, Cohen and those listed above.

“String Bone, a.k.a. Barry James Payne and Nathan McKay have teamed up for a solid alt-folk anthemic track titled ‘Two Stars Collide’. Filled with a massive hook and laced with acoustic-electro tinged mash-ups of sound and solemnness, ‘Two Stars Collide’ offers a multifaceted look at a powerful collaboration.”
Ryan Martin, Jammerzine (UK) 2020

“A folk pop classic with a decidedly nostalgic, Americana-kissed aura. Stylishly fusing the raw creative energy of street producer Nathan McKay, and the deeply conceptual writing style of the folk songsmith and artist behind String Bone, Barry James Payne, Two Stars Collide proves a deeply thoughtful and cinematically immersive new release.”
Rebecca Cullen, Stereo Stickman (UK) 2020

"...on his new album Love & Highways he’s managed to capture the often elusive mysterious country/roots music vibe that’s been mined to great effect by T Bone Burnett.....these songs are honest and telling due to a total lack of pretension or insincerity."
Rod Nicholson, Scene Magazine (London, ON, Canada) 2016

“'Coloring the milieu with atmospheric instrumentation and evocative lyrics that traditionalists will love, Payne carves a brooding persona steeped in roots of Dylan's 'Blood On The Tracks', Springsteen's 'Nebraska', Wilco's elliptical Americana, Son Volt's balladry and assorted, harder-to-pinpoint roots, country, folk and blues idioms. "Killing Town" is the bread and butter here - a stark homage to turn-of-the-century American Roots that is all too human and replete with an edgy veneer. Professional sentimentalists will love the way he nails this ballad - it would sit perfectly in an episode of the HBO series Deadwood or a documentary of the Civil War. Fans of Wilco, Son Volt or Uncle Tupelo will love "Portland, Maine" which features a wicked performance by Bob Egan (formerly of Wilco) on pedal steel guitar. Reminiscent of Jay Farrar from Son Volt singing 'Windfall' and with an aching chorus…..this song feels like 5am and driving home, but taking the long way because you don't want to stop listening. 'nadir' is a richly decorated composition. Payne scores big as a lyrical talent because of his depth and a focused, refined approach that isn't over-produced and this effort heralds the arrival of a major songwriter.”
Michael Cantor, JiveWired (USA) 2009

“Gordon Lightfoot and Lucinda Williams’ lovechild? ...if the alt.country stalwarts do it for you, with an added Lightfoot touch, then this is worth checking out.”
Patrick Wilkins, Americana-UK, (UK)

“The strength of singer/songwriter (Barry James Payne) String Bone is both in the lyrics and the melody of these folk/Americana songs which, on 'nadir' he lays out for you on a platter. If you can put out such terrific songs on a debut CD categorized as great, you must be a very gifted lyricist and songwriter. ‘nadir’ from String Bone is of an excellent high quality.”
Alt.Country Forum (Holland) 2009