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Thursday, February 28, 2013

Bruce Cockburn Concert, Raleigh, North Carolina, February 27, 2013


Dear Danny,

Unlike his Princeton concert five days ago, Bruce began last night's Raleigh concert with Last Night of The World.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02TUsZzF6es  ///  Studio Version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc1x37VAw2k

Unlike Princeton, Bruce also played "Stolen Land" and "Sunrise on the Mississippi."  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmbbaNFONMY  ///  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQTG_KvyXoQ

Other than those variations, I think the Princeton songs and coincide with the ones we heard last night. 

Here is the Princeton set list with corresponding YouTube links. (If you click on the song titles, you link to the lyrics.)

3.      Mighty Trucks - (I'm surprised there's no version of this on YouTube. I really liked this song on first hearing.)
7.      Boundless - The following recording is not very good. However, the performance takes place on the stage of Massie Hall at the University of Toronto. The last time I was at Massie, I heard Black Panther, Stokely Carmichael talk... or, more accurately, I watched Stokely Carmichael pose. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ij10i_5Fl8 
11.  Wondering Where the Lions Are - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY__agG_eXc  ///  Studio version (in a much younger voice) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6Lpx6JIMmk
14.  Call It Democracy - With sub-titles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Fr6khzOskI&list=RD11NKjgJ3oLJqE   ///   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68zccrskOqQ  /// http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8RcnlLOHWI  ///  (The following video is not very high quality but it is shows Bruce in performance at Chautauqua Institution where we were Janet's guests a few years ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfBObJ7tHeA)

Here is a YouTube directory of 103 Cockburn songs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abf6RayB77A&list=PL5B7099616861E73B 

Thanks for coming with me last night!

I'm really glad you enjoyed your first big "rock concert." 

I had a great time with you!

Love

Dman


Bruce Cockburn plays McCarter Theater in Princeton, NJ

Concert Review by Bob Ryan 


Bruce Cockburn has started touring again, this review if from the first gig of this tour supporting the album Small Source of Comfort

Here's a list of upcoming Tour Dates.

22 February 2013
Next month will be 25 years since I saw my first Bruce concert. I was 25 years old and Bruce was 42. Now Bruce is 67 and still worth seeing in concert. Amazingly enough his voice still sounds great and his guitar playing is impeccable. No one does more with just a guitar and voice than Bruce.
This short review is a little biased since I was blessed with a first row ticket, about 10 feet from Bruce. I cannot imagine not enjoying a Cockburn concert from this seat.
Bruce came out dressed quite formally - a white shirt and dark gray suit with both buttons buttoned, with a pale green tie. He seemed rested and happy to be there, talking to the audience a few times during the show. The most informative thing he said was that his most recent album - Small Source of Comfort - was a couple years old and that it will be a while before there is another one. His efforts have been going towards writing his book, which is sometimes difficult. He said he is 2 years late in turning in the first draft.
I didn't write down the setlist but I remember most of them.
  1. Lovers 
  2. Child of the Wind
  3. Mighty Trucks
  4. Bohemian 3 Step (+ 2 or 3 other instrumentals throughout the show)
  5. Iris Of The World
  6. Strange Waters
  7. Boundless 
  8. Pacing the Cage
  9. Give It Away
  10. Look How Far
  11. Lions
  12. Put It In Your Heart
  13. Arrows Of Light
  14. Call It Democracy
  15. Soul of a Man
Every song was solid. Bruce flubbed a lyric on Iris and Strange Waters but it didn't ruin the song in any way. After seeing the recent documentary where Bruce is very critical of himself after shows I felt bad for him. (Danny. This is an interesting comment because when we talked with Bruce after last night's show and I told him how inspired "Stolen Land" impressed me, his first reaction was to nit pick.)
It is hard to pick highlights because I completely enjoyed everything. But Mighty Trucks, Boundless, Arrows, and Soul of a Man were wonderful.

The recent incarnation of God Bless The Children is amazing. It has a dark, brooding quality that is different from the album [ Night Vision ] and Circles version. I was captivated.

Bruce is refusing to age. His work continues to be a gift to us.
Here's a YouTube of Comets of Kandahar from this show uploaded by MrLeondo:
direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAykXtBOf2o


Bruce Cockburn discusses his spirituality and his forthcoming memoirsBy Dan MacIntosh - Stereo Subversion

22 February 2013 -
Anyone who has spent any time exploring Bruce Cockburn’s music knows what a complex artist he is. He is as spiritual as he is political, and as much a master musician as a lyrical poet. Cockburn will soon release his written memoirs, which he promises will take a deeper look at his continuing spiritual journey. In addition, a Cockburn documentary is also on the way.
Although these two projects aren’t as exciting as news of an upcoming musical release, they nevertheless give his many devoted fans the prospect of more insight into one of modern music’s consistently intriguing figures.
Stereo Subversion: I notice you don’t have a new album to promote these days, so what’s in the works?
Bruce Cockburn: What’s in the works is a book. That’s kind of taking up all the energy that probably would have come up with an album by now. I got a deal to write a memoir, like everybody’s doing, a couple of years ago. The first draft is quite overdue, so there’s kind of a rush on to get this done. I’m about four chapters into it. I can’t tell you much about how it’s going to end up yet because it’s very much a first draft. That’s what’ going on.
There’s also, in terms of stuff that people could look for, if not available commercially yet, a DVD of a concert – well, actually, it’s a documentary that was done on me for Canadian TV with some performance footage in it. It came out pretty well. It was on TV in a slightly abbreviated version. The longer version has been shown at a couple of film festivals. Eventually, we’ll have DVDs for people. As far as an album, that’s probably going to have to wait until all this other stuff is out of the way.
[ This is referring to Vision Films Pacing the Cage ]SSv: How comfortable are you with writing a book? Is that a type of writing that comes naturally to you?
It’s hard for me to characterize my beliefs in a simple way because I don’t subscribe to a namable faith or religion. I’ve moved through an acquaintanceship with a few different things and a deep involvement with Christianity and I’m pretty close to that still, but I just have too many questions to feel comfortable calling myself a Christian at this point.
Bruce: No, it’s not. [Laughs] It’s interesting. It’s different and somewhat challenging because you have to sustain a focus for such an extended period. Songwriting is a real short time event, you know. Even songs that take a long time relatively speaking, only happen in bursts. It’s not like you sit down for six weeks and work on a song, day in, day out.
It may take me that long to write a song, but I’ll write one verse and a couple weeks will go by and I’ll think of another idea and add to it, and that kind of thing. Now this is not common. Usually I’ll write in much more compressed time than that, but it has happened. But that’s totally different from what a book calls for, which is sustained energy and focus over a year or two. There’s a bit of a learning curve for me in terms of that.
My songs are generally based in life, but they’re frequently slightly fictionalized. I may change a detail here or there because it makes it a better song or because the rhyme scheme needs it. It’s not literally autobiographical, whereas the book is.
SSv: I’ve noticed over the years, when you’ve written songs you’ve also put in the album notes where they were written and the time period when they were written. Is the book going to be a little bit like a journal in the way that you organize the book?
Bruce: I don’t know how it will end up. I don’t see it being like that, exactly, although it could end up more that way than I’m picturing right now. There’ll be a lot of steps between finishing the first draft, and actually getting it out. My original thought was to have it be not chronological, but just to be made up of a lot of vignettes; when you add them all up, you get a picture of a life. And it may still turn out to be that, although the way I’m working on it now, it is chronological, starting with childhood and moving forward. The organization of it may change between now and publication, I don’t know.
It’s supposed to be a spiritual memoir, so whatever that means. I’m not even sure what that really means, but that’s what the publisher’s asked for.
SSv: Really?
Bruce: There’s going to be a certain emphasis on that side of life, I think. Because it is a memoir and because the people who buy it are going to be interested in personal details too, we think, there’s a lot of stuff about me in there.
SSv: If it’s a spiritual journey, where would you say you’re at on your spiritual journey now?
Bruce: It’s an ongoing quest. I don’t think it will stop when I die, either. I believe that my relationship with God is central to my life. It is the most important thing in my life. That being said, I don’t spend as much time thinking about that as I probably should. I currently work with a guy that does dream analysis that helps me pursue that relationship with God and kind of understand where I’m at with it.
Beyond that, it’s hard for me to characterize my beliefs in a simple way because I don’t subscribe to a nameable faith or religion. I’ve moved through an acquaintanceship with a few different things and a deep involvement with Christianity and I’m pretty close to that still, but I just have too many questions to feel comfortable calling myself a Christian at this point. But I’m still very close to that.
SSv: You’re working on this book, but that doesn’t stop you from writing songs. You’re still writing songs I would hope.
Bruce: Not at the moment because all the creative energy is going into the book. Any ideas that I have time for…I’ve also got a 14-month old baby at home, so I’m pretty busy. So, between the baby and the book, there’s not too much room for anything else right now. There’s barely enough time for me to practice the songs I currently have. There is enough, but just. I always have to keep practicing to maintain the songs that I have. I wouldn’t rule it out. Never say never. So far, it’s taking the case with where writing’s taking the backseat.
SSv: How are you as a father, at this stage in your life?
Bruce: Better than I was the first time around. I mean, I don’t think I was a terrible father the first time, but I was much more concerned, as young men tend to be, about things other than family. I was worried about my art more than I am now. I take my art very seriously. I don’t want to let it down or have it let me down, but at the same time, I don’t worry about it as much as I did when I was young. I just worried a lot more about everything. That made my relationship with my first daughter a little more distant when she was young. We have a good relationship now, but I wasn’t there for her as much as I am for the new one.
SSv: Tell me more about this DVD that’s coming out. You said it was a documentary?
Bruce: Yes.
SSv: How did this all come about? Did they approach you and say they wanted to explore your work?
Bruce: Bernie [Finkelstein] was really instrumental in getting it going, and I don’t know whether he had the original idea, or the filmmaker Joel Goldberg had the idea. But we started talking about it quite a while back. And, in fact, it’s the same tour that the live album came out couple years ago is based on or is drawn from. So it’s the same music as is on that live album. There might be one or two different songs, but it’s not a concert film.
[ The live album he is referring to is Slice O' Life. ]There’s a lot of talking. It’s more of a portrait of me on tour. It’s got several performances of songs in it and, like I said, I don’t really remember what got it started. We were working on it at the same time as the live album. We had the intention of doing both. It took a lot longer, I suppose, to find the financing to get the film done than it did to do the album.
Ideally, in a perfect world, they would have both come out at the same time. Which I would have preferred because they belong together in a way, but that’s not how it works.
~from http://stereosubversion.com/interviews/bruce-cockburn-2". By Dan MacIntosh, Friday, February 22nd, 2013.

YouTube - Videos from this email


Gallup Poll: The Ten Most Miserable States Are Conservative Bastions

In the United States, the most miserable states are those that profess most vocal faith in God and most stalwart commitment to Capitalism.
In 2012, President Obama lost every one of these profoundly miserable state but Ohio.
***
February 28, 2013

For Fourth Year, Hawaii No. 1 in Wellbeing, W.Va. Last

Wellbeing in the nation and across states in 2012 mostly unchanged from 2011

by Alyssa Brown

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Hawaii residents have the highest wellbeing in the nation for the fourth consecutive year, with a Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index score of 71.1 in 2012 -- up from 70.2 in 2011. Colorado, Minnesota, Utah, and Vermont rounded out the top five states with the highest wellbeing scores last year. West Virginia residents have the lowest overall wellbeing for the fourth year in a row, with a Well-Being Index score of 61.3 in 2012 -- slightly lower than the 62.3 in 2011. Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas also had among the five lowest wellbeing scores in the country.
Top 10 U.S. states for wellbeing.gif
Bottom 10 U.S. states for wellbeing.gif
Overall, there were few changes from 2011 to 2012 in the states with the highest and lowest wellbeing scores. Seven states with the 10 highest wellbeing scores and eight states with the 10 lowest wellbeing scores in 2012 held those same distinctions in 2011. Vermont, Massachusetts, and Iowa joined the top 10 highest wellbeing states in 2012. Louisiana, Indiana, South Carolina, and Oklahoma newly rank among the bottom 10 states this year.
Explore complete state data >
These state-level data are based on daily surveys conducted from January through December 2012, including interviews with more than 350,000 Americans nationwide and at least 1,000 residents in each state except Alaska and Hawaii. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index summarizes more than 50 different wellbeing items and is calculated on a scale of 0 to 100, where a score of 100 represents ideal wellbeing.
Western and Midwestern states earned seven of the 10 highest overall wellbeing scores, while New England states held the other three spots. Southern states had the six lowest wellbeing scores, and eight southern states were within the 10 lowest wellbeing scores. This regional pattern in wellbeing has remained consistent over the past five years.
Well-Being Index, 2012
State: 
Well-Being Index: 66.7
61.3
Lower rangeHigher range
71.1
In U.S., Overall Wellbeing in 2012 on Par With Prior Years
The Well-Being Index score for the nation was 66.7 in 2012, similar 66.2 in 2011 and 66.8 in 2010. The six sub-index scores also remained similar in 2012 to 2011. The sub-index scores have not shown significant improvement over the past five years.
2008-2012 Well-Being Index and sub-index trends.gif
Top and Bottom States in Six Key Areas of Wellbeing
Hawaii residents earned the highest scores in the nation on the Life Evaluation, Emotional Health, and Work Environment Indexes, which contributed to Hawaii maintaining its top position in overall wellbeing. In addition, Hawaii residents were most likely to rate their lives highly enough to be "thriving," earning them the highest Life Evaluation score in the nation. Residents living in Hawaii were most likely to experience daily enjoyment and least likely to have daily worry or stress, which contributed to their high emotional health.
Hawaii workers also reported having the most positive work environments in the nation, while Rhode Island employees reported having the most negative work environments. The Work Environment Index measures workplace issues such as whether a worker has a trusting and open work environment and whether an employee is able to use his or her strengths to do what he or she does best every day.
West Virginians were the least likely to be thriving, as was the case in 2011. Also, West Virginians had the worst emotional health in the nation and were more likely to report being diagnosed with depression than residents of any other state.
Residents in West Virginia also had the lowest score on the Physical Health Index, which includes having the highest percentage of obese residents in the nation. Colorado residents scored the highest on the Physical Health Index, partially a result of having the lowest percentage of obese residents in the U.S.
States with the highest and lowest well-being sub-index scores.gif
Vermont residents had the healthiest behaviors in the nation, including the highest percentage of residents who ate five or more servings of fruits and vegetables at least four days per week. The Healthy Behaviors Index also measures the percentage of residents who smoke, exercise frequently, and eat healthy daily. Kentucky ranked last on this index, with the lowest percentage of residents in the nation saying they ate healthy all day "yesterday."
Massachusetts residents were most likely to report having access to basic necessities, as they were in 2010 and 2011. This top score is partly a result of having the highest percentage of residents with health insurance in the nation. The Basic Access Index also measures residents' access to other health essentials, including enough money for food, shelter, and medicine; a safe place to exercise; and clean water. Mississippi performed the worst on this metric -- as it has every year since 2008 -- partly a result of having the highest percentage of residents unable to afford food at some point in the past year for themselves or their families.
Bottom Line
Overall wellbeing in the U.S. and within states has remained mostly unchanged from 2008 to 2012, despite some signs of an improving economy in 2012. The lack of progress among the states with the lowest wellbeing scores may be related to low household income levels in these states. Nearly all of the states with the lowest wellbeing scores in 2012 are also states with the lowest median household incomes.
Certain provisions of the Affordable Care Act -- requiring all individuals to have health insurance or to risk paying a penalty -- may help low-income individuals improve their wellbeing, if they aware of and take advantage of them. Under the Affordable Care Act, all adults with an insurance policy beginning on or after Sept. 23, 2010, are entitled to an obesity screening and counseling, a tobacco screening and cessation intervention, blood pressure screening, and depression screening at no cost. Adults at high risk for certain chronic diseases are also entitled to a free cholesterol screening, Type 2 diabetes screening, and diet counseling. Public education efforts about these initiatives, particularly those targeting low-income Americans, may be essential to helping the states with the lowest wellbeing to make significant year-over-year improvements.
The private sector can also take steps to help individuals improve their overall wellbeing. Gallup research shows that physicians in the U.S. are in better health than are other employed adults and Americans who are engaged in their work are more likely to report having a healthier lifestyle. Therefore, physicians can set a positive health example for their patients and employers can focus on creating an engaged workplace to help reduce the economic costs of low wellbeing. Employers can also establish incentives and policies that encourage their employees to practice healthy behaviors.
For more state Well-Being Index findings, please visit http://www.healthways.com/default.aspx.
Gallup's "State of the States" series reveals state-by-state differences on political, economic, and wellbeing measures Gallup tracks each day. New stories based on full-year 2012 data will be released throughout the month of February.
About the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index
The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index tracks wellbeing in the U.S. and provides best-in-class solutions for a healthier world. To learn more, please visit well-beingindex.com.
Survey Methods
Results are based on telephone interviews conducted as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index survey Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2012, with a random sample of 353,564 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, selected using random-digit-dial sampling.
For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error is ±1 percentage point.
The margin of sampling error for most states is ±1 to ±2 percentage points, but is as high as ±4 points for states with smaller population sizes such as Alaska, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Delaware, and Hawaii.
Interviews are conducted with respondents on landline telephones and cellular phones, with interviews conducted in Spanish for respondents who are primarily Spanish-speaking. Each sample includes a minimum quota of 400 cellphone respondents and 600 landline respondents per 1,000 national adults, with additional minimum quotas among landline respondents by region. Landline telephone numbers are chosen at random among listed telephone numbers. Cellphone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods. Landline respondents are chosen at random within each household on the basis of which member had the most recent birthday.
Samples are weighted by gender, age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, education, region, adults in the household, and phone status (cell phone only/landline only/both, cell phone mostly, and having an unlisted landline number). Demographic weighting targets are based on the March 2010 Current Population Survey figures for the aged 18 and older non-institutionalized population living in U.S. telephone households. All reported margins of sampling error include the computed design effects for weighting and sample design.
In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
For more details on Gallup's polling methodology, visit http://www.gallup.com/.