Paul Tessier
For The Morning Star
Roots-music troubadour and multiple Juno Award-winner Bill Bourne grew up with music.
sa国际传媒淚 remember so many times falling asleep upstairs in our farmhouse,sa国际传媒� Bourne said. sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檇 be in my bed in and I could hear the music downstairs. That memory is still very comforting to me. Thatsa国际传媒檚 something Isa国际传媒檒l always remember.sa国际传媒�
Hesa国际传媒檒l be playing some of that down-home, roots-based music live for the Vernon Folk-Roots Music Society Saturday, Nov. 18 at the Spitfire Lounge of the Army, Navy and Airforce Club.
Bourne grew up in a very musical family on a farm near Red Deer, Alta, and fondly remembers lots of music in the house.
sa国际传媒淢y mom and dad had a band when I was a little kid. They were pretty busy of course with the farming, but theysa国际传媒檇 always somehow find time to play music. Weekends would come along sa国际传媒� especially in the winter months sa国际传媒� people would come over and pretty soon theresa国际传媒檇 be all this music. As kids, it was kind of cool because we got to do stuff they wouldnsa国际传媒檛 let us do normally, because they were busy playing music,sa国际传媒� Bourne said with a hearty laugh.
At the age of 11, his uncle dropped off his clarinet.
sa国际传媒淚 put that thing together and started playing it immediately. I loved it but then a couple of years later, I started hanging out with some guys at school who wanted to start a band. The clarinet didnsa国际传媒檛 work with guitars. They said, sa国际传媒楾hatsa国际传媒檚 crazy. Whatsa国际传媒檚 with this clarinet? Get that thing out of here.sa国际传媒� That sort of put a damper on the clarinet playing so I started playing guitar.sa国际传媒�
He then naturally gravitated the songwriters like Gordon Lightfoot, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. He played in bands throughout high school and got his ticket as a licensed diesel mechanic. He was working as a mechanic for about a year when he got into the music business.
sa国际传媒淚 quit my job, took my guitar and went to see a booking agent and auditioned,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淭hey put me to work right away, playing in bars in northern Alberta.sa国际传媒�
It proved to be a quick learning experience.
sa国际传媒淲hen all of a sudden your living depends on your music sa国际传媒� you learn a lot in a hurry,sa国际传媒� Bourne said. sa国际传媒淚t ends up being really good for your playing.sa国际传媒�
The booking agent wanted him to know 50 top 40 country songs and get a Rhythm Ace or electronic drummer.
sa国际传媒淚 never did get a Rhythm Ace,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淚 made a pact with myself when I quit my job as a mechanic that I was only going to play music that I really wanted to play. I wasnsa国际传媒檛 going to let anybody tell me what to play. Isa国际传媒檓 glad I made that pact with myself because that way I was able to pursue the music that I liked best. I sort of understood from the very beginning that the greatest asset you have as an artist is your own uniqueness.sa国际传媒�
It was around then that he started writing songs sa国际传媒� a process he finds to be both an art and spiritual in nature.
sa国际传媒淎s a songwriter, I can sit down and write lyrics all day,sa国际传媒� Bourne said. sa国际传媒淏ut every once in a while, all of a sudden, something seems to take over my body and a song will come up that blows everything else away. That to me is art. You can premeditate to a certain degree what yousa国际传媒檙e going to write about but when this phenomenon sa国际传媒� this sort of inspired moment occurs sa国际传媒� thatsa国际传媒檚 what really gets my attention.
sa国际传媒淪o, as an artist, if yousa国际传媒檙e fortunate enough to have those inspired moments occur and you manage to capture them, what happens is that theresa国际传媒檚 a uniqueness that comes out sa国际传媒� a unique perspective. Theresa国际传媒檚 a real potency to those moments,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淲ithout those songs, itsa国际传媒檚 much more difficult to be unique. But to me, sometimes I feel like I cansa国际传媒檛 really claim authorship to those songs because itsa国际传媒檚 like it came from another place.sa国际传媒�
Over the years, hesa国际传媒檚 been nominated for eight Juno Awards and has won three Junos, including Best Roots Recording in 1991 for Dance and Celebrate.
Hesa国际传媒檚 collaborated with all sorts of folks, including the Tannahill Weavers and Alan McLeod, Shannon Johnson, Wykham Porteous, Madagascar Slim and others. Along the way, hesa国际传媒檚 noticed a common thread running through the themes of most great songwriters.
sa国际传媒淭he message is consistently about universal love,sa国际传媒� Bourne said. sa国际传媒淭hose inspired moments, which give life to those inspired songs, almost always have that underlying, powerful message.sa国际传媒�
Although the message on Saturday, Nov. 18 might be about universal love and other themes, expect his show to be joyous and even raucous.
sa国际传媒淢y music is essentially based on dance rhythms. Lately, Isa国际传媒檝e taken to playing some blues on banjo, which Isa国际传媒檓 really getting into. I also play the stomp-box a lot because I like to play music thatsa国际传媒檚 uptempo and very danceable. If people want to get up, shake a leg and sing along, thatsa国际传媒檚 definitely fine by me.sa国际传媒�
Bill Bourne will be performing many of his inspired songs for the Vernon Folk-Roots Music Society Saturday, Nov. 18 at the Spitfire Lounge of the Army, Navy and Airforce Club. Show time is 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are $25 and are available through The Ticket Seller, 250-549-7469, , the Bean Scene Coffee House and at the door if available.
