As it appeared in the ‘Big Sky Journal‘
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“Peter Barberio could have been a garden gnome in a previous life. Or maybe a hobbit.
I don’t know if saying such things in print will upset him, but there is a wonderful, impish quality (and I mean this in the most flattering way) to Peter Barberio, one of Montana’s finest luthiers. He has the laid-back coolness of a blues musician as well, which he is, but it’s the hint of playful mischievousness and cheerfulness in his voice and eyes that you notice first.
It is well past midnight on Missoula’s Northside, and a crack of light escapes beneath a garage door. Inside, Peter (as I must call him — Barberio just sounds too journalistically formal) has lost all track of time. He is lost inside the fretwork of a snakewood violin, or maybe it’s a Gibson Style O guitar or one of his handcrafted autoharps. [visit SID’s shop]
Does it matter?
All around him are the tools of his trade: sanders and saws and chisels and awls; jigs for this and jigs for that, nearly all of them homemade. The component parts of a bass are spread out on a table like an exploded diagram of a motor. The idea that they can go back together is almost inconceivable. Make no mistake about it, I’ve made my share of sawdust, but standing here essay moment, linseed oil and lacquer incensing the air, I can’t tell if I’ve stumbled into my grandfather’s basement or a musician’s dream/possible nightmare.”