Quick & Dirty: Whitney Ross-Barris Answers the Questions She Wouldn’t Be Asked Anywhere Else

In developing her brand new record, Curtains of Light, Whitney Ross-Barris undertook a holistic approach to songwriting. Due for release on November 21st, the album is a blend of jazz, choral, neo-soul, folk, and spoken word. But in filling out the album, it didn’t stop there. Ross-Barris gathered field recordings from her daily life, from playgrounds to thunderstorms, to really give the songs character. It’s just another facet of Ross-Barris as an artist, shining a light on her well-roundedness and attention to detail. The songs themselves are a collection of very human stories of disconnection, longing, and resilience. As a whole, the record is a portrait of human experience shaped by isolation and rediscovery.

While driven forward by Ross-Barris, Curtains of Light is more than just her. The album features a standout collection of contributors, including Amy Peck, Rebecca Hennessy, Drew Jurecka, Kevin Fox, Lauren Falls, Ben Wittman, and a stunning vocal ensemble (Alex Samaras, Gavin Hope, Mary van den Enden, Miku Graham, Michael Shand, and Yvette Tollar). There is a strong sense of community throughout the record.

We are joined today by Whitney Ross-Barris for a Quick & Dirty interview in which we ask her a list of random questions she wouldn’t be asked anywhere else.

What do you think is your greatest accomplishment?

Whitney Ross-Barris: “Let’s just assume birth and parenthood are the obvious answer (my kids are smart, happy and way cooler than their flakey mother will ever be), I would say my new record, Curtains of Light. These songs that came out of my brain and heart, the extraordinary team I managed to convince to work with me on it, the shift it’s leading in my growth as a person and artist. It has been a lot of work, and I’m really proud of it all. But like with my kids, eventually I’ll have to let it go out into the world to create its own accomplishments. I’m really excited to see how and if it does that.”

If you lived in a city in medieval times, what would you be doing?

“One hundred percent, I’d be dead. Either because I lack most skills that would keep me alive – building, hunting, ale drinking, foraging, and going to church – and I would just be seen as a burden to my community. Or, I would be on the next stake set alight – I grow flowers, strange vegetables and herbs; I talk to my local crows; I cut my hair short; wear pants, write poems and sing songs about trees, and I roll my eyes enough that they may one day get legitimately stuck… oh, and I’m a woman. I would absolutely be deemed a witch. No regrets.”

Whitney Ross-Barris ‘Curtains of Light’ album artwork

What’s your favourite article of clothing that you own?

“I would sooner pick a ‘favourite child’ than my favourite article of clothing. If you haven’t already been subjected to my embarrassing social media #OOTD reels, then allow me to admit how much I love clothes. It has a smidgen of shame or guilt to it, as mine is a formidable and ever-expanding collection and doesn’t totally align with my desire to be a better global citizen. But, I pretty much love every piece in my crammed closet. I am a life-long thrifter, partly because I love the hunt of it (maybe that’s where my primal hunting skills ended up), partly because I’ve never made a lot of money (I have a degree in theatre and I’m a musician – cha-ching, am I right?!) and because I just love matching how I feel on a daily basis with how I want to dress.

“It’s a kind of expression thing. I never feel like the same person two days in a row. So, when I peruse the aisles of the local Sally Ann, I focus on fit, colour, craftsmanship and whether it’s a bit special (read: made with care or completely bonkers.) If those things don’t align, I leave it on the rack. Most of the time. Ok, sometimes.”

What always makes you nostalgic?

“Smells. I have been blessed/cursed with this prominent Greek/Scottish nose. And though an agent once asked if I had considered changing it (*cue the pearl clutching*), it means I can smell everything in detail. It’s time travel. Prairie sage – I’m running around the pasture at my aunt and uncle’s farm in Saskatchewan; balsam – every family Christmas that lives forever in my happy, corny DNA; freshly baked bread – the school year I spent in Norway, singing and eating my emotions; feta – kisses from my Papou and Yiayia after family dinner; colognes from the 1990s; carnival diesel; my mother’s baking; dog beds; city sewers; sweetgrass. It’s how I remember times and places with my whole body.”

What is one thing that you’re good at that people don’t expect?

“I once did an audition by playing a recorder with my nose and accompanying it with the fart-like noises I could make on the studio floor with my flat bare feet. I booked the part, so maybe those people know that. But probably not the person who likes how I tenderly sing a Strayhorn song.”

What will always be funny to you?

“My mother will be horrified I’ve put this in print, but farts. I mean, I am the mother of three boys. If I didn’t find farts funny, I’d be in serious trouble. How can you not find them funny? They are absolutely ridiculous-sounding. And the best and worst part – the ones that happen in the most inappropriate moments are the funniest.

What’s the best purchase you’ve ever made?

“A heated fitted sheet. I live in a house that was built in 1886, and she is a drafty girl. Here’s how it works: you put the heated fitted sheet on under the regular fitted sheet, you turn it on about 20 minutes before you get into bed, then when you slip into that warm, lovely nest, you turn it off so you don’t roast your ass off, and soon you drift happily into dreamland.

What’s the most random fact you know?

“Humans and any living thing that contains cells that metabolize, create and emit their own light. We are light. You are light. Ask Nirosha Murugan from Wilfred Laurier University. I heard her talk about it, and it blew my ever-lovin’ mind.”

Whitney Ross-Barris, photo courtesy of Whitney Ross-Barris

What’s the theme song to your life and why?

The theme from Benny Hill. There are so many things to remember, and if it weren’t for these meddling midlife hormones…”

If your life were a book or movie, what would the title be?

“I watched the London Summer Olympic Games in 2012 while visiting family in the UK. There was a final for gymnastics. The announcer was acknowledging all the teams and their strengths: ‘There’s Russia, their team is strong and focused, the Americans are so confident and look at how incredibly athletic, and the Canadians… well, look at them, they’re just happy to be here.’ That’s me. Title of my book: Just Happy to Be Here: The Whitney Ross-Barris Story.”

If you could hang out with a famous person (dead or alive) for one day, who would it be?

“Tom Waits. Hands down. I once had a dream that I was sitting with him at a bar, and I was so nervous about meeting him that I was tearing out pages of the phone book and eating them. I’ve covered some of his songs on previous albums and scarcely get away with a gig with no Waits tunes in it. He and Kathleen Brennan are my favourites.”

What was your first concert?

“Sharon, Lois & Bram. I was five. They sang Happy Birthday to me. Been flexing about it ever since.”