The Martin Barre Band

When guitarist Tony Iommi left the newly minted Jethro Tull after a short stint, Martin Barre stepped in. It was a fortuitous replacement: Iommi went on to form a little band called Black Sabbath, while Barre and company became arguably the most famous art-rock group in history. Barre was the band’s guitarist for most of its platinum-selling, Grammy-winning lifespan, and now he’s on the road with his self-titled backing band. You can still hear a twinge of that distinctive Jethro Tull sound on Barre’s latest solo album, Road Less Traveled: It’s more straight-ahead rock than what you might associate with his Aqualung era, but that sense of fanciful folk and theatrical flair are still there.