Lori Anne Barbero[1] (born November 27, 1961) is an American musician. She rose to prominence as the drummer of the alternative rock band Babes in Toyland, which she formed in 1987. After the dissolution of Babes in Toyland in 2001, Barbero subsequently played drums for bands such as Eggtwist and Koalas.[2] In 2015, she reunited with Babes in Toyland and embarked on an international tour before disbanding again in 2020.
During her teenage years, Barbero often ventured into New York City to attend concerts, specifically at CBGB,[8] which exposed her to a wide array of bands: "From where my house was—we lived on a hill—I could see New York. So I went into the city a lot, and I saw a lot of music," Barbero recalled. "I liked music that was probably not as acceptable to a lot of ears as it was to mine. In high school, I loved David Bowie and I loved Queen. I remember going to the city and seeing a lot of punk stuff, [like] the Tubes and Patti Smith, and the New York Dolls. I was pretty lucky because it was just part of my life."[7]
After high school, Barbero moved to Key West, Florida before returning to Minneapolis, where she attended the University of Minnesota before dropping out and working as a waitress.
Barbero had never played a musical instrument prior to joining Babes in Toyland,[7] but had always wanted to learn to play drums. Upon meeting Kat Bjelland at a barbecue in the mid-1980s, Bjelland asked her to start a band with her.[9]
After the dissolution of Babes in Toyland in the early 2000s, Barbero worked as a music manager, and for a time was Courtney Love's assistant during the recording of America's Sweetheart (2004), beginning in 2002.[10] She was subsequently employed by the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas as an assistant production manager for a total of seven years, beginning in the late 2000s.[11] She was also part owner of the now defunct Minneapolis label Spanish Fly Records, whose roster included Smut, Dumpster Juice, Milk, REO Speedealer, Sleep Capsule, and Likehell.[9]
