We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Patrick Barnitt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Patrick, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
I find inspiration from a variety of sources. Whether it be a film, a performance, a piece of music, going to a show or hearing something for the first time, I find it important to keep the channel open. As an artist, it’s easy to stick with the same tricks, or stay with the things that work for you. While I think it’s important to play to your strengths, it’s always exciting when you experience something for the first time and it inspires you to take a risk to try something new. A new approach, a new angle. Sometimes life’s hardships can provide you with a creative spark or inspiration. I had a knee injury a few years a back and I was so miserable that I knew I had to try and find the humor in the experience and wrote a song called, ACL Blues.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m a crooner/actor. I’m originally from New Jersey. I was fascinated with movies and music from a very young age. My brother Chris and I had an agent when we were young and our mom shuttled into NYC for auditions for a time. It definitely opened my eyes to the business at a young age. Willy Wonka was one of the first films I saw and had an enormous impact on me. A few years later, I saw the Exorcist and it rocked my world. I had a couple of uncles in the business who guided my way. My Uncle Jimmy was an executive for Columbia Pictures and my Uncle Roy was a lawyer turned actor who was in a few Oliver Stone films. I initially wanted to be sports caster. One of my early heroes was Warner Wolf, “Let’s Go to the Video tape!”. Then I switched to radio in college and was a disc jockey on WYRE at the University of Scranton. In my sophomore year, I landed a gig as a stage hand for a Tom Jones concert. We did load in and I was meeting all these older cats from LA which seemed like Shangra-La. A few hours later, I went back. The place was packed, the house lights went down, the music swelled and there he was walking up the staircase towards me, his road manager lighting his path towards the stage. Tom Jones. Legend. He walked right by me and hit the stage and bam! It was electric. The place went crazy. It was totally surreal. Definitely one of those moments where I thought, “that’s what I wanna do!”. Later that summer, I worked at Six Flags Great Adventure as a stage hand and worked with Eddie Money, Kansas, and Cheap Trick. Music has also always been a huge force in my life and in my family. My brothers, Rich and Dave
had an enormous record collection of classic rock growing up and I was always surrounded by great musicians. My mom and grandmother were big fans of Herb Albert and the Tijuana brass. I was in a band early on. My grandfather sang and played ukulele. He had a beautiful baritone voice and was a big influence on me. I played sax and later, learned to play piano by ear, basically out of jealousy. There was a musician that I knew who could play some Journey tunes and when he started playing “Faithfully” my girl friend almost fainted. That was a wake up call. It was time to get to work. Affairs of the heart can inspire to you to do some crazy things. The great news is that I learned to play those Journey tunes and a few others along the way. Moreover, I found something that I could get lost in. The love of music.
In college, I had the good fortune studying in England at Wroxton College and studied Shakespeare in Stratford upon Avon. I saw about 20 plays in a 4 month period. I witnessed some life changing theater and saw some legendary performers. John Gielgud, Kenneth Branagh, Ray McAnally, Vanessa Redgrave, Ralph Fiennes and Richard Easton who later became a friend of mine. Before I left for England, the legendary actor, Richard Harris came to our school, the University of Scranton and directed Julius Caesar. What a voice and presence. When he walked into a room the temperature changed. I spent a few days around him which was pretty incredible. At the same time, the Pulitzer Prize winning writer and academy award nominated actor, Jason Miller who starred in the Exorcist was living in Scranton. I used to see him around town and I couldn’t believe it was him. Father Karras. I had dinner with both of them one night after rehearsal with the rest of my cast mates. A night I’ll never forget. That was a very inspiring time of my life.
I’ve done quite a bit of work on Star Trek. I worked as a Borg on First Contact and then on Voyager. I worked with Bruce Davison and Kevin Sorbo in the indie thriller Coffin and then in Coffin 2. And then with Danny Trejo and Billy Baldwin in the Lost Day. Some of my other credits include, The Shield and Las Vegas.
As a singer, I play all over Los Angeles. I’ve worked at Herb Albert’s Vibrato, The iconic Hollywood lounge, the Dresden Room, The Cicada, The Drake, Catalina Bar and Grill, Campus Jax and have performed at Melvyn’s Lounge with Mikael Healey, Jazzville, The Aqua Caliente Casino and the Annenberg Theater in Palm Springs. I’ve worked at the California Center for the Performing Arts in San Diego and played the Mammoth Jazz Festival. Last year, I performed at the Jexa Awards and was on the bill with Grammy winner, jazz legend, Dianne Reeves and Sidney Jacobs of the Fifth Dimension. I was also a special guest last year at Martini in the Morning’s Mother Miriam’s Birthday Bash at Catalina Bar and Grill with LC Powell, James Torme, Tierney Sutton, Peggie Perkins and Joseph Leo Bwarie. I released a Big Band record in 2019 called Sway which has been played on KJAZZ and jazz stations all over the country.
I just finished the revival of a very cool musical, “Shag With a Twist” in Palm Springs at the Annenberg Theater. I was in the original production 19 years ago at LATC. I must have been 10:) The play was revived for Modernism Week. It was quite a thrill to sing these marvelous tunes a few decades later. The play is based on the art work of the artist, SHAG.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Enthusiasm is an important one. I have always been passionate about the business and it really hasn’t waned over the years. I’ve found that this has created opportunities for me. One of my side hustles over the years was selling tickets and boxes for the Hollywood Bowl. Probably my favorite venue in the world. After a while, I realized I wasn’t selling tickets, I was inspiring people to enjoy a magical night under the stars seeing an icon like James Brown or the LA Philharmonic. I find this with performing, as well. The more excited I am and the more I swing, the more thrilling it is for the audience. My friend Marty Roberts, the late great drummer and singer of the famed duo Marty and Elayne always used to say, “People wanna have a good time, they wanna laugh”. I always keep that in mind before I go out there. Working with new people also brings new energy to a project. I’ve been working with some fantastic new musicians lately. One of them is Todd Hunter. A wonderful pianist and musical director who has worked with Dionne Warwick and Brian Setzer.
The 2nd one is determination. Show biz can be tough and there can be long periods without a gig and quite a bit of rejection. We have all been there. I met a writer/producer years ago, Dave Debin, on a plane and we had a great chat. When we were walking off the plane, he said, “No matter how ugly it gets”, if it’s really what you wanna do, don’t give up” That always stuck with me. It’s also important to do something else that enriches your life, so you’re not sitting by the phone. Something else that you’re passionate about. A hobby, travel, etc. I think that ultimately makes you a more interesting individual and performer.
And the last one is gratitude. In this business one is always looking for the next gig, the next booking and it’s so easy to lose sight of what we have in this very moment. It’s important to be grateful for the opportunities we have been given and all the people who have helped us along the way.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
I was very fortunate to have wonderful parents who provided me with a lot of love and a foundation for success. My mom was my biggest fan and instilled in me the idea that the sky was the limit. There was nothing that I could not do. She encouraged me to travel the world and live my dream. I can still see her in the front row. My father was fascinated by anyone who was musical or some sort of performer. One day, he explained to me that possessing such an ability was magical and truly a gift.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.patrickbarnitt.com
- Instagram: @patrickbarnitt
- Facebook: @patrickbarnittlive
- Linkedin: @patrickbarnitt
- Twitter: @patrickbarnitt
- Youtube: @patrickbarnitt2002
Image Credits
Patrick Barnitt Craig Allyn Ashley Eberbach Patrick Barnitt Bob Barry Diane Barnitt Diane Barnitt Holly Jo Craig Allyn
