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Powerful voices, the melodious strumming of guitars, impressive music… As we were ushered toward the auditorium of the University of Visual and Performing Arts on a hot Monday afternoon, this is all we heard. Once inside, it was clear that the veteran artistes, invitees and students present were enjoying every minute of the lively performance on stage. Effortlessly singing song after song was the unorthodox Texan Country musician Bob Livingston. Giving an interesting intro before every rendition, his voice was distinct and clear. But what was most capturing was him, introducing the artiste sitting beside him with a proud “Ladies and Gentleman, give it up for Tucker Livingston, my son.” Both equally talented in their own genres of music, they performed a range of country songs, with catchy numbers such as “Don’t Bury Me On The Lone Prairie” and “There’s A Hole In The Bottom Of The Sea” getting the crowd interactively involved as well. Here to handle a series of workshops and concerts, the father and son duo are sponsored by the U.S. Embassy. The short visit is Tucker’s first time in Sri Lanka. “I’ve been in the region before, but have never had the chance of coming to Sri Lanka. I will be coming back to perform at Country Roads,” said Tucker, with his distinctively obliging smile. With Bob Livingston having performed at Country Roads, over the last two years, 31-year-old Tucker will be taking his place at this year’s concert scheduled to be held during the first week of April. A modern ‘Cowboy’ of sorts, all of the typical country-western characteristics are present in this talented performer, but his personality is stamped with an open-mindedness essential in surviving in the competitive musical arena. “I was born in Austin, Texas and I’ve been playing guitar since I was about 18 years old,” he said. His own band is titled Tucker Livingston, and consists of about five members. They are more or less a Rock and Roll group, singing Pop Rock and Folk Rock music. Playing piano and handling vocals as well, Tucker’s specialty is the guitar. Composing and putting together his own music, Tucker feels that originality is vital for an artiste. “Doing originals is a source of pride in the U.S., and so originality is given a lot of recognition back there. Your own music essentially reflects your personality.” But the economic side of things requires him to reproduce other people’s music as well. “Of course I do covers as well, and most of the time it’s emotional songs! But it’s always important to do your own thing as well.” His music is accessible on iTunes, which is a digital media player application, used for playing and organising digital music. Anyone logging onto his website www.tuckerlivingston.com, can access his creations through the iTunes link on it. “I believe in free music. It’s important for people to hear music free of charge. Very soon I’m going to organise my music, where I would go to my room, compose a song and feed it to the computer, and then anyone from anywhere in the world will be able to download it directly and listen to it,” said Tucker. He believes that this basic method helps connect artistes, and is a unifying process. Tucker says that that the only reason he’s in music is because he needs to be. “It’s in my soul. This is what I have to do.” His first record, in his own words was a bunch of “sad love songs.” “But with time, I started composing and making more upbeat music using the piano, and I realised that it was quite easy to write about happier things,” he said. Candidly admitting that the music world was extremely competitive, Tucker says that because of this high level of competition, some people, however talented they are, can go through life without being heard. Speaking about his family, it is clear that talent is obviously in his genes. “It’s just my dad and I who are musicians in the family, and my mum is an artist. On the other hand, my brother knows the smart way to earn money – he’s in computers!” he said good-humouredly. Teaching guitar and touring around the world with his father most often on grants through the U.S. State Department, almost sums up his life. Having completed numerous tours with his father in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, the exposure gained reflects through his signature laid-back personality. So has the demand for country music reduced over the years? “People now, like to dance, and this is why types of music such as Funk, Hip Hop and R‘n’B are so popular. But in Country Music, it’s all about the message, and there’s just one very specific type of dance you can do, so it’s very limited. So young people, especially, are more prone to taking an interest in other types of music,” he said. “Also, the world is so difficult as it is, and people don’t want to hear sad songs with messages. This is why they prefer to hear more upbeat stuff like Hip Hop,” he added. But Tucker also believes that everything is cyclic and that there’s a season for every type of music. “So maybe in twenty years, people would want to hear sad love songs, and then I’ll be there to play it,” he said, smiling. For Tucker Livingston, making music is a truly magical process. There’s no one particular time or method to do it. While at times a song doesn’t get completed for months, at other times the whole song can be written, and the music completed in ten minutes. “If you are open-hearted and devoted, your music will come to you. My music is essentially about beauty, love and the human condition.” You can catch this talented young artiste live, in all his Country-Western glory, at Country Roads this April, as he serenades you with his gentle vocals and funky strummings of his guitar |
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Journey
on country roads…