________________________
news from
the cockburn project
at
www.cockburnproject.net
________________________

1 February 2004

Greetings:

The Cockburn Project has a new feature front page (thanks to Bobbi
Wisby) on Bruce's recent fact-finding trip to Iraq. Linda Panetta
has begun to put photos of that sojourn on her website, links to that
and other information are available at:
http://www.cockburnproject.net.

A frequent writer to The Cockburn Project sent along this e-clipping
from the New Paltz Times. Bruce is playing close to there at the
Bearsville Theater on Wednesday, a show I'm looking forward to seeing.

Published Thur. Jan. 29, 2004

High Notes1/29/2004

Restlessly searching
Cockburn, just back from Iraq, brings a duo to Bearsville
by Bob Margolis

Bruce Cockburn is still searching as he has been from the moment
almost 40 years ago when the light went on that he could fuse a
passion for writing poetry and jazz-tinged compositions, to the
present, 27 records later, when he still looks to pen the perfect
marriage of music and message. "I guess it started when I heard Dylan
and Lennon. Now I am still trying to find that blend of music and
lyrical content," says the Montreal-based songsmith who will surface
in the area for a duet gig with pianist Julie Wolf. The show,
produced by WDST radio begins at 8 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.)
Wednesday, February 4 at the Bearsville Theatre. Cockburn, always
eager to share his thoughts with an audience, should have plenty to
talk about having just returned from a trip to Iraq.

After a string of thoughtful records in the 1970s which revealed a
blend of mysticism, fine acoustic guitar playing and a turned-on
version of
Christianity, Cockburn expanded his lyrical focus in the early 1980s
with trips to global hot spots like Nicaragua, Nepal and Mozambique,
resulting in a fierce, gritty musical dedication to worldwide social
justice. This hard-edged, yet
far-from-pessimistic idealism led him to be a part of the fact-
finding mission to Iraq, from which he has just returned.

"What is missing from most news accounts of what is happening in
Baghdad is the human element," he says. "After going there, it
humanizes the situation. It explodes the myth. This Iraqi guy said to
me that 'the Americans think we are all camel-drivers.' The
difference between going to Baghdad and places like Mozambique and
Nicaragua is that with Baghdad you're not dealing with a third-world
situation. Baghdad was a modern, relatively happening place up until
the 13 years of sanctions. We came upon a place that used to be a
police-training facility, but now we bombed the sh*t out of it and
500 families are living in its shell."

Once Cockburn started exploring and divining the awful truths of the
world around him, the challenge was to present his findings in a
palatably musical fashion. "I wrote a lot of notes and I would love
to get a song out of this experience, or find a way to impart my
impressions to people," Cockburn said.

But it just has to come, and that process appears to be quite
mystical - how his melodically inventive and lyrically hard-hitting
compositions come to be. Cockburn is not the type to sit down and
force a song to be born. "It really does have to come out of the sky.
I can work out piecing together ideas that I have been working on,
but it needs to turn, maybe a turn of phrase."

As vocal as he is about world conditions, however, Cockburn is not
without hope. His most recent effort, You've Never Seen Everything,
ends with a song called "Messenger Wind," which contains the
lines: "Messenger winds swooping out of the sky, lights each tiny
speck in the human kaleidoscope with hope." Is this from the pen of
the same guy who wrote "If I had a Rocket Launcher?" You bet.

So how does a man who serves as a musical muckraker remain optimistic
and hopeful? "The universe unfolds in a certain way, which you really
can't fight. I find that comforting in a way." Cockburn has been
involved in the battle against the use of land mines, as well as many
less tangible, but crucially important struggles. "The thing with the
land-mine movement is that you could see the fruits that were born
out of it. When you are involved with issues, like environmental
movements, you have to accept that most of that change will occur
after you're dead. What happened after seeing the end of the Vietnam
War, was a feeling of 'Now what?' People sort of lost focus, and in
the 1980s became a bit materialistic. So if you are involved in a
struggle, you may not see effects immediately, but you know that at
least the human situation is not getting worse."

The gig on Wednesday will feature Cockburn joined by pianist and
vocalist Julie Wolf, who has had a long association with Ani
DiFranco, and has been in Cockburn's touring band as of late. The two
played in Europe for almost two months this summer, resulting in the
leader being comfortable with his cohort. "Julie plays a lot with her
left hand, so she really plays the role of the bass. We played
together as a duet earlier this year and had a great time doing it.
Our arrangements are pretty much like it is with the band."

Is Cockburn worried that his skills as a composer become overshadowed
by his strident and very visible dedication for the greater good?

"Yes, at times that may be the case, but I'm just glad that people
are listening!"

Tickets for Bruce Cockburn are $25. Doors will open at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, February 4 at the Bearsville Theater. The concert begins
at 8 p.m. For more information, call 679-7600 ext. 0, or visit
WDST.com.

As of this writing I'm told that there are still tickets available.

Peace,
Suzanne Myers
editor@...
The Cockburn Project brought to you by:
Suzanne Myers: editor@...
Bobbi Wisby: webmaster@...
David Newton: setlists@...
Jon Carroll: musicians@...