Cd Release Party Review!
 
Bruce Aitken’s new CD offers a variety of pleasing styles print this article Dan MacDonald DAN MACDONALD Dan MacDonald RSS Feed The Cape Breton Post How Bruce Aitken got from New Zealand to Cape Breton is a story that’s been told before. The Kiwi drummer fell in love with a Cape Bretoner and, eventually, with Cape Breton. The rest, as they say, is history. Since his arrival here Bruce has certainly made his mark as a musician and as the organizer and promoter of the Cape Breton International Drum Festival. And now he has a CD (In For a Penny, In For a Pound) to add to his list of accomplishments. The CD contains 10 tracks; all vocals and all composed or co-composed by Bruce. The music ranges from hard-edged rock to whimsical, with Bruce doing all lead vocals, all percussion and playing rhythm guitar as well. Recorded by Jamie Foulds at his Soundpark Studios in Coxheath, the backup is impressive, including heavyweights such as Chris Colepaugh and John Campbelljohn and relative newcomers such as Sarah Beth Harrison and Hannah Buhariwalla. The CD shows a variety of styles that imply influences by the early Beatles, reggae, rockabilly and modern rock. The vocals may not always be the strongest but Bruce stays well within his reach. The playing is wonderful and the arrangements are top-notch, creating an interesting mix of sounds that I found pleasing. Bruce is officially launching, In For a Penny, In For a Pound, Saturday night at the Black Diamond Bar & Grill, Townsend Street, Sydney, with special guests Radio Jane & The Ghetto Blasters. ************************************************************************************ Bruce cuts loose print this article Bruce Aitken steps out from behind drum kit to take centre stage with new album, in for a penny in for a pound LAURA JEAN GRANT The Cape Breton Post SYDNEY — After years of performing on other artists’ albums, Bruce Aitken is taking centre stage with his own debut recording, in for a penny in for a pound. The renowned Cape Breton drummer will release his first solo album Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Astor Theatre in Liverpool, during the Privateer Days festival. “I’ve always played on other people’s records; that’s what I’ve done forever and a day, but I’ve always written stuff. People sometimes forget that drummers write songs and it’s really, really great to actually now have my own stuff,” said Aitken, who also organizes the annual Cape Breton International Drum Festival. Aitken said once he decided to do a CD, he dug out old material and also began writing new tunes making for a unique mix of material on the album. “There’s all sorts of different types of music. There’s Brit pop and there’s reggae and there’s sort of rock and ballady things and pop songs. So it’s not really in one kind of genre of music because for me, music is music,” he said. “It’s a refreshing record as far as I can tell.” The CD, recorded at Soundpark Studios and engineered by Jamie Foulds, features 10 original songs with Aitken stepping out from his familiar position on the drums and up to the microphone. “That’s another thing that will be a bit of a surprise to people. I sang the lead on every song plus played drums and plus played rhythm guitar on most everything as well,” he said. Guest artists appearing on the new CD include Jamie Foulds, Hannah Buhariwalla, Sara Beth Harrison, Keith Burton, Chris Colepaugh, Lynn Daigle, Peter Coomber, John Campbelljohn, Joey MacLeod, Brian DeGaust and Blaine Aitkens. Aitken said he’s really looking forward to presenting his CD on the weekend. “I’m doing a drum clinic/CD release thing all wrapped up in one. I’m going to be playing tracks from my disc and talking about that stuff and it’s quite exciting,” he said. Following the release, Aitken’s album will be available online at www.bruceaitken.net and should also soon be on local music store shelves. http://www.bruceaitken.netshapeimage_3_link_0
Saturday, September 8, 2007