Get to Know Bruce / Let's play 20 questions

What drew you to the music industry?

My first recollection of what you might now call the industry was that you could be a hero and loved by so many just for being in a band. Seeing the Beatles probably cemented it for me but then the model kept being revealed to me in the form of each new artist over the years. It was an easy step to see that this was the way to achieve a distinguished status amongst my peers and especially the females from whom I so craved attention.

Who are you inspired by?

The most inspirational moments for me have been when magic happens. I call it magic but truly it’s an affirmation of a greater connectedness, a spirit, or, ok I’ll use the God word. God brings you a message, or song, or makes you connect with your band mate in an impossible way to make you know there is more to our connectedness. What ever you’re social predisposition would like to call it, there are moments as a musician and songwriter when unexplainable things happen. Like when a new song flows out of you from somewhere and is really good, but you know you had nothing to do with it. It’s like a divine inspiration. In a nutshell I guess I’d have to say it’s the creative process that inspires me the most.

Well, so it just happened. I hadn’t read this next question when I answered the last so there’s a perfect example of a magic moment. We have this perfect segue between questions because of magic!

Please explain your creative process

It’s really just an opening up of our selves to the possibilities. I have a practice that I do with my 12 string tuned to DADGAD, where I will always play a random note followed by another random note and try to anticipate where the next chord or note should come from. It’s given me countless melodies and songs. Lyrically sometimes I’ll just name the song based on the rhythm of the chorus melody and then when I come back to it, it makes so much sense. Another method is to just skat and sing what ever comes to mind. Then on playback you might hear actual lyrics when you were just mumbling before but all of a sudden it all makes sense. Art is making sense of the random universe.