The Bev Barber Band: Bio

Bev Barber has been a noted voice in the Denver Metro area for many years. Her early years were spent in choirs at school and church along with being a lead vocalist in several dance bands. She was the lead vocalist for Laura Newman and AOA in the early 90‘s and spent some time with Pro-Entertainment events. She took a long hiatus to raise her family and develop a career in health care – but now she’s back – keeping it close to the heart with a line up that includes only vocals and acoustic guitar. She and Chris Sheafor do this just for the fun of it. When people ask what’s the style? ”songs we like” is the only honest answer to give.

Sheafor’s music starts with a modern take on folk traditions like strong melodies, acoustic instruments, and relevant lyrics. It then stretches that sound along various threads from around the world, including Cajun and Latin influences. The sound is eclectic but cohesive because of the musical history between the members. This unique sound is propelled by an array of instruments that blend together well, but are also flexible enough to allow for unexpected arrangements. They include violin, and hand percussion added to the central sound of acoustic guitar, bass, and drum kit. Back in the late 90’s the Sheafor family formed a band called Tuku which played around Northern Colorado for several years and released a CD called “Where The Sun Lingers.” After that, Ben and Andy left Fort Collins to pursue other educational and musical avenues. By 2008 all of the Sheafors moved back to Fort Collins, and with Andy’s marriage to Diane, formed a new musical project where everyone has the same last name. This is the lineup: Ben on acoustic guitar and vocals; Andy on drum kit, djembe and other hand percussion; Diane on violin; and Chris on bass. The band’s influences include singer-songwriters both past and present, and many other types of music like cumbias, fiddle tunes, jazz and R&B. Stirring this together makes it hard to describe as a single style, but folk with and independent streak that borrows ideas from around the world comes as close as anything.