Friday, September 30, 2005

Never-Speechless Bruce Cockburn, Thunderhand Joe

On Wednesday morning, Sept. 28th, I had the chance to chat with Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn for about 20 minutes or so. It marked the second time I've been able to interview him, and my preview story built around that insightful phone interview should be published on Nov. 3 in the Dana Point News and Capistrano Valley News, both published by the Orange County Register. After the story runs, I'll also check back with you here; I hope to catch his solo acoustic show at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano on Friday night, Nov. 4th.

In the meantime, I encourage everyone to run out and purchase his latest album, "Speechless," released this past Tuesday. It is a wonderful all-instrumentals CD that fully casts the spotlight on his amazing skills as a guitarist and composer. In addition to featuring instrumentals stretching back throughout his 30+ career, the Rounders Records release features three new tracks that showcase an artist who keeps exploring new sonic territory. And the results are never less than wonderful. My story will focus on a discussion of his latest CD, "Speechless," as well as a bit about his participation at the Canadian Live 8 Concert held July 2, 2005 in Toronto. Other artists who played at the show included Bryan Adams, the Tragically Hip, Gordon Lightfood and Neil Young...

Also, check out today's edition of the Show section of the Orange County Register. I have a full-length story on one-time Redbone drummer Thunderhand Joe. His story is inspiring. Writing the feature earlier this week, it struck me how few Native Americans have their musical voices heard. For more information on Thunderhand Joe, or to hear selections from his debut CD, check out: http://cdbaby.com/cd/thunderhand

Looking ahead, I'll be checking out the Keane show at the Greek Theatre tonight. I loved the trio's set at Coachella earlier this year; some critics don't appreciate the band. I for one think they're crazy... This will also mark my first time seeing the openers, the Long Winters. I'll report back on the show next week. Promise.

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