Bartees Strange

Humans of Music

Sep 21 2022 • 49 mins

There aren't many artists touring the world right now who can say they were once part of the Obama administration. Bartees Strange can, thanks to his time as the Deputy Press Secretary for the Federal Communications Commission.

He also worked in the labour and climate movements, but before that he was an active member of the music scene in and around Oklahoma, where he was raised.

He admits he strayed from music for a few years after he moved to DC to pursue politics, but playing and performing kept calling him back. Little by little he started to refocus his energies on his music career.

In the years since he’s enjoyed a steady climb up the indie ladder, and he’s now two albums deep into his career, with his latest, Farm To Table, drawing on influences as diverse as country, pop, hip-hop and hardcore to make a sound that is uniquely his own.

We talk about it all in this interview!