For several reasons, local band is not your typical country act

By April Corbin

Monday, Sept. 14, 2009 | 2 a.m.

April Corbin

Dawn Michelle and Mark Barrett of the Mark Barrett Project practice at Studio Blue.

The Mark Barrett Project is not a twang-twang country band.

Vocalist Mark Barrett is quick to point this out as he and four of his five bandmates lounge around Studio Blue awaiting the fifth before a Wednesday night practice.

“We always put ‘rocking’ before ‘country,’ ” Barrett says of his band’s genre. “If we don’t, people assume we’re twangy.”

Formed in 2007, the local band has gone through dozens of lineup changes to arrive at what Barrett says is the perfect mix of experience and diversity.

“There are bands out there that have been doing this eight, 12 years,” he says. “We make them look like they’re on Quaaludes.”

The rock ’n’ roll influences that pop up in songs about love, fishing and pride in country have a lot to do with the band members’ pre-Project backgrounds.

The musicians — who range in age from 23 to 51 — have performed in a spectrum of styles. Keyboardist Achie Alexander is a classically trained pianist, and bassist Ray Jubenville played almost everything except country before signing on with Barrett, including heavy metal in the ’80s and classic rock.

Despite varying musical tastes and backgrounds, the six have one thing in common: a determination to succeed.

“We’re not a garage band or a hobby,” Barrett confirms. “This is a business.”

But that doesn't mean it's not fun, too. For the band's most popular original song, "Redneck Sexy," Michelle reached out to friends and had a line dance created for the song.

The theory, she explains, is that many popular country songs have line dances to them. "Who knows," Michelle ponders, "Were the songs popular and then a line dance was made for it? Or were the line dances created and then the songs took off?"

Currently, the band is hoping to capitalize on Las Vegas' ties to country, namely the National Finals Rodeo and NASCAR. They're working on playing more of Barrett's original music and less of the country covers, but complain that there are limited country venues in town willing to listen to original tunes.

Once they do play, they claim, they'll win you over.

"Nobody leaves during a set," Jubenville says. "If we start out with 50 people (in the audience), we will not end with less than 50 people."