The sounds of Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, The Band and Neil Young rise from the past and join with Elliott Smith, Wilco and Bright Eyes to give you the sounds of John Bruce.

13 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Political, ROCK: Americana



Details:
I think that the thing we need most today is music. There are hands rebuilding New Orleans, hands fighting the war in Iraq, hands protesting immigration reform, hands trying to choke the necks of corporate scandals, hands trying to stop power and greed from becoming our next savior - thousands of hands - but where is the glue bonding these hands into one American cause?

That is music's job. It fuses mankind together. In the past, these great movements of change have been lead gallantly by old songs- ones that were born hundreds of years ago and given new life to challenge man's corruption. It is our human instinct to come together in union and stand for what we believe in whenever we feel the need, and music is the common force allowing for that union to occur.

All of us share the interest of music. If you have a heartbeat then you have rhythm; if you have a brain then you have insight; if you have a soul then you have understanding; and if you have hands then you have an instrument. When we sing the same song together, mountains can, and will, be moved.

My good friend Anthony Forakis and I sparked songwriting interests in each other in high school, and began co-writing many songs. Our punk band, HetchHetchy, survived for about five years, and then ended tragically after Anthony died. "Staying the Night in Clearwater" was inspired by Anthony, and has allowed me to embrace his legacy, expell sadness and express some ideas that I would like to believe he would be sharing if he were alive today. It combines elements of americana with modern popular music, but the punk remnants are still recognizable. I tried to allow the album to emphasize the importance of observation and reflection throughout a person's life by providing the listener with songs that reflect on things happening today in society as well as things happening in each of our private lives. I have come to identify it as my "transition album."

Listen to all kinds of music. Don't let any music sway you, push you away, alienate you. Every type of music shares one commonality - people. You cannot forget that behind every microphone, behind every soundboard, guitar, turntable, drum and keyboard there is a human being just like yourself pouring their soul out to you. Somewhere in the middle of it all, you'll hear my sounds.