A real Cowboy Junkie will be touring Vancouver Island this July, but the music he'll be performing isn't exactly country.
Jeff Bird and his harmonica have travelled the world, often alongside Cowboy Junkies, an alternative country and folk-rock band formed in Toronto. The group is perhaps best known for their album The Trinity Session, which is when Bird joined the band. Alongside Cowboy Junkies, Bird has played venues like Royal Albert Hall and Carnegie Hall. He has even made television appearances on shows like Saturday Night Live, Late Night with David Letterman, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
But the music he'll be bringing to Vancouver Island this summer is much different – and much older – than what he may have explored before. Bird will be performing the works of Hildegard von Bingen, who was born more than 900 years ago. Bird has reimagined some of Hildegard's works on his new album, Ordo Virtutum – Jeff Bird Plays Hildegard von Bingen, Volume 2.
“It all comes back to Hildegard's music, which the first time I heard it, I just fell in love with it. I was totally entranced by it,” said Bird.
While the original works were designed as vocal music, often sung by one or several people, Bird opted to play to his strengths when recording his reimagining of it.
“I thought, I'd really like to play this music, and I'm not really a very strong singer. But I play harmonica, so it's as simple as that. One day I just picked up the harmonica and started playing,” he explained.
After he acquired some contemporary transcriptions of the work, Bird set to work recording his album, which he’ll now tour across Vancouver Island.
“The bottom line is it's just really good music, right? Never mind that it's 900 years old or whatever – it's just really good music.”
Bird’s passion for the work is undeniable, and it’s clear his contemporary reboot has been a labour of love.
“Each line’s kind of an unusual length, and that's part of my attraction to it. It always sort of surprises you, you think the line's going to finish, but then there's a little bit more.”
He equated the music to being like waves.
“You know, waves are repetitive, but they're never, ever exactly the same, right? One's a little bit longer, one comes later, so it's very organic in that sense.”
While Bird says the music will be good anywhere, its oceanic connections may offer a feeling West Coast audiences are very familiar with.
“It becomes very meditative, and it kind of goes into this zone. It's the same kind of zone as when you're lying on the beach with your eyes closed and listening to the waves.”
Bird has, of course, toured the West Coast before, primarily with Cowboy Junkies. When he gets the chance to visit, he particularly enjoys the scenery.
“The landscape is fantastic, and the ocean – I'm always drawn to the ocean. Some of my favourite cities are always by water,” he said, adding that plans to visit friends while he's here are an added bonus.
While his harmonica performance dominates the album, Bird himself is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer. He has released 18 recordings of his own and has scored music for film, television and dance. He's also a filmmaker and performance artist, with work showcased around the world.
While he says Cowboy Junkies afforded him a career in music, he's particularly excited to share this unique work of his own.
“It's really powerful music, and I feel like each piece is telling a little story. They all have their own kind of character, some are dark, some are lighter than others. I never get tired of playing it,” he said.
Bird will perform at Merlin’s Sun Home Theatre in Victoria on Friday, July 25. He will also have shows in Port Alberni, and on Hornby and Gabriola islands between July 18 and July 26. Ticket and date information can be found at jeffbird.com.
