The audience for Ken McBride’s CD launch last Saturday was greeted by a dozen colourful guitars on stage. He builds them, he fixes them for others and, wow, he can really play them — from the Les Paul gold top to the acoustic hand-built specials.
McBride’s new CD, Tone, is all original compositions except for one Jimi Hendrix tune, The Wind Cries Mary.
McBride has a groove, a rocking, bluesy voice and also a touch of folk, pop and R&B. He also has a love of Beatles music. “All you need is love,” sang the audience while McBride worked his guitar of choice, whichever one was most appropriate to the song.
The title track on the CD marks his concern for the environment we live in.
“We’re all here, living on the planet … Everything you do comes back to you.”
The song Altamira describes a car failure in the hinterlands of Mexico when a crowd of children helped him out of a difficult spot. “Altamira, you treated me right.” Coast fans will recall that Altamira (aka Altered) was also the name of a popular local band that McBride played in.
Most of the 10 tunes on the CD are pretty upbeat, even the thoughtful ones. “Look at ma. She needs a dose of love.” Except for Song for Rex, a nostalgic tribute to the dog that was his buddy.
As a working musician McBride has taken his music into schools and to the Sunshine Coast Association of Community Living, where he was making music with adults who have developmental challenges.
This recording was made on the Coast by Roy Code of Sechelt who also plays and sings background vocals on the album. You can find out more about the musician at www.reverbnation.com/kenmcbride and can listen to tunes on CDBaby.
