Multiple Juno award winning Edmonton blues/ folk musician Bill Bourne came up with an innovative way to get his family involved in his latest Cd, “Free Radio Dance Band,” — he gave his son a Telecaster.
“ For his birthday last year, I gave my son, Pat, one of my Telecasters but he had to promise he would play on the CD,” Bourne said, who will be kicking off the Lethbridge Folk Club’s new season, Sept. 17 at the Wolf’s Den.
While he has been touring with a full band in support of the upbeat blues rock CD, he will just be bringing his son for the Folk Club show.
Bourne is known for playing in a variety of combinations and groups including world folk/ blues trio Tri-Continental with Madagascar Slim and Lester Quitzau, as well as with Bourne and Macleod with his friend Alan Macleod who was a member of the Tanahill Weavers with him, numerous solo shows and even played with the Real Mackenzies for a while.
His new CD was released last year, but got picked up by True North Records, retitled “Bluesland” and recently re-released.
“We will definitely be playing a lot of the new stuff and some of the older stuff people are familiar with as well as stuff people have never heard before and hasn’t been recorded yet,” he said.
It has been a while since he last played a solo show in Lethbridge, and was most recently here a few years ago with Tri-Continental.
The new solo Cd has a few elements of the rocking world music Bourne plays with Tri-Continental thanks to the contributions of Ghana-born smooth jazz style guitarist Pa Joe.
“It’s two guitarists who have a contrast in styles because he plays smooth jazz and Pat plays more blues-rock,” he said.
“We’re very pleased with it. It’s been very well received, Bourne continued.
While he has been exploring his love for world music with Tri-Continental, he is enjoying getting back to the blues with the new CD.
While there are several ideas in the works involving Tri-Continental, they are only in the embryonic stages.
“I’d like to do some more recording with them,” he said.
“I’ve had a lot of great career achievements. But this has been like a breath of fresh air ,” he said.
Playing them live is a lot of fun.
“When we play the songs live, there is always a lot of improvising,” he said, adding he is looking forward to returning to Lethbridge.
““We’ve always had a lot of fun in Lethbridge. There are a lot of good people there so we are looking forward to the show,” he said.
Local bluesman Leon Barr will be opening the show, which begins at 8 p.m. at the Lethbridge Folk Club Wolf’s Den. Tickets cost $20 for members, $25 for non-folk club members.
