The founder of Tiller’s Folly is setting course on a new solo adventure.
B.C. songwriter Bruce Coughlan, who spent the better part of two decades with the award-winning Pacific Canadian roots music group is ready to test the waters with a new project.
“I’m proud of all the great work we’ve done over the last 20 years and Tiller’s Folly will continue to be a big part of my creative life,” he said. “It’s the longest run I’ve had with any band, and we’re by no means done yet.”
Coughlan has been performing music since he was 13 years old, busking on the streets of Vancouver before he was 14.
“Over the years, I’ve indulged in a number of creative tangents, re-inventing myself musically like a method actor immerses in a character,” he said. “Discovering my own voice in another style is the ultimate musical adventure.
“Music for me has always been like living in an adventure novel. It carries me away to another place, another time.”
Coughlan’s music been in a constant state of change.
“I guess you could say my primary interest is folk, at times I’ve dabbled in blues, soul, Celtic, bluegrass, rock, and even Latin, Reggae and Calypso.
While Coughlan has spent much of his career as a member of Tiller’s Folly, he has also worked on numerous cooperative projects, including The Great Canadian Songbook (with tenor Ken Lavigne and Diyet) and Voices for the Salish Sea (along with The Wilds).
For Coughlan, it’s all about making music.
“In a world filled with so much noise, music makes sense,” he said. “It puts me in the moment where I feel like I belong.”
Catch Coughlan at the Filberg Festival in Comox on August 5 when he takes the Garden Stage at 3:45 p.m.
Tiller’s Folly will also be playing earlier in the day at the Comox Rotary Stage from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and the Great Canadian Songbook featuring Tiller’s Folly, Ken Lavigne, Diyet and The Love Soldiers will play the same stage from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.