The veteran members of American rock legends Little Feat — Barrere has been with the band since 1972, while Tackett is a relative newcomer having joined a mere 19 years ago — are sandwiching their Strathpeffer Pavilion show in between appearances in Bedford and London.

However, Barrere is looking forward to his latest visit to Britain and his most northerly UK show.

"We are getting so psyched up for the tour, it's unbelievable," he told the Courier.

"We've played Edinburgh and Glasgow before, but not Inverness. I can't wait. I only wish I could take my golf clubs with me."

While Little Feat is renowned for its mix of blues, R&B, country, New Orleans funk and rock and roll, as well as its famed driving rhythm section, fans of the band will hear a rather different take on some familiar tunes from Barrere and Taylor — who is also an accomplished mandolinist and trumpeter as well as guitarist and whose "sideman" credits read like a who's who of rock and country with names like Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Glen Campbell and Bonnie Raitt.

"It's a nice diversion from Little Feat," Barrere said of the duo's acoustic set.

"It allows us to do the improvisation and an intimate performance of Little Feat material in the way the songs were originally written. We also get to tell a lot more stories."

The duo's live shows also allow them to play material from outside the band's back catalogue, including songs from Barrere's solo albums and others written by the band's original vocalist Lowell George — who died from a heart attack in 1979 aged just 34 — which the band never recorded.

"We do get a lot of Little Feet fans and we do try and make things a little different for them," Barrere said.

"We get lots of guitar fans, too, who want to come along and see what they do."

The partnership has been well received back at home in the US, but Barrere revealed it had evolved almost by accident.

Barrere had not considered doing any duets or acoustic performing until he and Tackett were invited onto a radio show and found their acoustic interpretations of Little Feat material worked. That was followed by an invitation for the pair to open a show for the late great bluesman John Lee Hooker.

"We had to come up with a 45 minute set. The next thing we got a letter from a Japanese promoter asking us to tour over there," Barrere continued.

And the more low key appearances suit himself and Tackett well.

Fred Tackett (left) and Paul Barrere

"Little Feat are slowing down a bit. This kind of fills in the gaps."

The acoustic setting also takes Barrere back to his own musical roots.

"When I first started playing guitar, I was playing folk blues and was influenced by people like Mississippi John Hurt and John Lee Hooker, so it's going back to that in a way," Barerre said.

Something else which seems to be turning the clock back is the current political situation, which strikes a chord with a musician who started his career in the Vietnam era.

"It's so resonant of the '60s," he agreed, "but the more I see of it, the more I see it as being a corporate greed thing. The Bush administration is so corporate-friendly it's as plain as the nose on your face. I think we have some very interesting times ahead."

However, he is reluctant to start writing songs of his own in that great 1960s tradition.

"I like to keep it personal and have a bit of humour. After all I'm the guy who's written 'Old Folks Boogie' and 'Down on the Farm'," he laughed.

Little Feat are still active and recently recorded a new album with Jimmy Buffett, but Barrere is hoping the full band will soon follow his and Tackett's lead back to Scotland.

"As Billy (Payne) was saying to us last Friday night: 'Open the doors for us over there guys, we're tired of just playing in London.' That's what I'd like to do," Barrere said. "Come over, get on a bus and have a couple of days off here and there and do a few things."

Maybe next time he will be able to take his golf clubs along after all.

* Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett appear at the Strathpeffer Pavilion this Sunday at 8pm. Support comes from Lochailort based singer-guitarist, and life long Little Feat fan, Jim Hunter.

c.macleod@inverness-courier.co.uk

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