Now, on the eve of yet another stretch on the road ñ this tour, as a singer-songwriter, which includes three gigs in one night in NYC ó Barryís calling from his dilapidated, 100-year-old home in Richmond, Virginia to talk about Rivanna Junction, which will hit stores November 21, 2006.

As heís done throughout his career, Barry, 35, built the disc on personal relationships, recording over a two-week span at a palís home studio, backed by an array of musicians, most of them friends or family members. The recording process, he says, ìwas a shit ton of fun. And what made it a lot of fun was having folks come in without knowing the songs, having them hear the songs with clean ears, and then throwing down.î

In many ways, the recording has little in common with the loud-hard-fast powerchord riffage of Avail. Itís a spare, largely acoustic collection of tunes, a melange of old country, folk, and roots rock carried by Barryís crisp voice. You could call it a distillation of the music heís been listening to for many years, as well as a reflection of his blue-collar existence (when heís not on tour, Barry toils as a stage production assistant for a ballet company.)

Sonically, the disc snakes and twists like a muddy Appalachian river, changing in tempo and intensity from the joyful hill-country stomp of ìTrash Inspirationsî to the piano-driven slow burn of ìCardinal in Red Bed,î before building to a climax with the propulsive country-rock of ìWait at Milano.î Itís a gorgeous ride, a showcase for Barryís beautiful, bruised heart-on-sleeve songwriting.

Guest performers include brother James Barry (piano) and sister Caitlin Barry (violin), both classically trained musicians, as well as local bluegrass star Billy Lux (bass), and frequent collaborators Josh Small (guitar and dobro) and Lance Koehler (drums).

Lyrically, Barry has long chronicled the tough side of life, penning songs that grapple with alienation and loneliness, anger and resentment. But in recent years, his lyrical palette has expanded exponentially, and his solo songs ó including those on Rivanna Junction and 2005ís Laurel Street Demo ñ are probably the most direct, naked, and moving heís ever sung. ìI didnít set out to write a record that would expose myself,î he says. ìAll the words just came out naturally. I donít think I struggled with any of the words on the record.î

Barryís also cultivated a strong storytelling voice, writing vivid narratives about ill-fated, hard-luck characters ñ folks who end up in prison for ì28 long years,î or ìdrink till the shaking stops,î or hop aboard a rumbling freight train with ìsome whiskey and some smokes,î searching for ìtime to think it all outî while riding the rails.

Many of the tales were inspired by real events. ìDog Bumped,î Barry says, is based loosely on the true story of a friend doing multiple decades in the penitentiary for murder; another song was spurred by a neighbor who lost the title to the house her family had lived in for generations, wound up homeless, and, while drunk, tried to hurl herself in front of a moving train as Barry watched. ìI pushed her off the tracks,î he recalls. ìI was shook outta my mind.î

Barry says his storytelling approach is simple: live, experience, and write about it. ìI always say, ëIf you donít live or you donít do nothing, youíll have nothing to write about.í That may be a Woody Gutherie ripoff, but itís true,î he explains.

Track Listing
1. Trash Inspirations
2. Avoiding Catatonic Surrender
3. Dog Bumped
4. Church of Level Track
5. Exit Wounds
6. Cardinal in Red Bed
7. Shoulda Oughta
8. Steel Road
9. Címon Quinn
10. Wait at Milano