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Welcome to Bruce Watson’s web page

   
 

Bruce is a major Australian songwriter and performer in the folk tradition. Based in Melbourne, he performs around Australia at festivals, clubs and a range of other venues.

Bruce is a hilarious humorist and a writer and performer with the power to move audiences to tears. His performances are joyful and thoroughly engaging, with witty lyrics and energetic presentation. He is a masterful craftsman of songs, be they evocative and heart wrenching, or side-splittingly funny.


Bruce's blog

Bruce has just started a blog to share some of his news and experience in a bit more detail. Check it out: Bruce's blog


Gigs coming up:

Cygnet Folk Festival, Tasmania
6–8 January 2012
This is a marvellous festival in a beautiful town. Bruce will be performing solo and with the Unsung Heroes of Australian History show.
Cygnet Folk Festival website


House concert, Kingston, Tasmania
10 January 2012
A fun, intimate concert and relaxed social occasion to wind-down after Cygnet
6pm for 6.30pm for those wishing to eat. Concert starts 7.30pm
Tickets $15
Bookings essential: Jane/Tony: Ph: 6227 1907 e: ablake(at)intas.net.au


Tamar Valley Folk Festival, Tasmania
13–15 January 2012
Stunning location at the mouth of the Tamar River. Always heaps of fun. Bruce will be performing solo and with the Unsung Heroes of Australian History show.
Tamar Valley Folk Festival website


Newstead Live! Newstead, Central Victoria
26-29 January 2012
Newstead has world class performers in an intimate setting in historical central Victoria. Includes the wonderful Troubador Wine Bar! Bruce will be performing solo and with the Unsung Heroes of Australian History show.
Newstead Live! website


See Gig Guide for details.


...and then
Gigs later in 2012 are firming up. Those confirmed so far include:

Bruce will be presenting a paper on Austalian music 'made and played' in Antarctica at the Australian Folklore Conference at the National Library of Australia on 5 April 2012. Australian Folklore Conference 2011 (2012 details not on website yet).

He will be performing with the Zamponistas at the National Folk Festival in Canberra over Easter, and will no doubt do a blackboard sport somewhere during the festival.

In August Bruce will be touring with the unsungheroesofaustralianhistory.com show, with concerts in Canberra and Sydney.

In October Bruce will be touring with with his own show, doing concerts in Canberra, Nowra, Folk in the Foothills (Jamberoo), Sydney and Newcastle.

Details to follow.


Latest CD: Balance
Bruce's new album Balance has just been released and is now available through this website.

The launch at the Boite, supported by the cream of Melbourne's folk musicians was packed,and a magic evening.

Order, listen to tracks and find out more about Balance
View photos of the launch on Facebook
Unsung Heroes of Australian History: New CD
Bruce joins forces with some other wonderful songwriters and singers in this exciting musical production which takes a quirky look at Australia’s history. The show has received rapturous responses from audiences and reviewers, and the CD has come up a real treat.

To find out more about the project, listen to samples from the CD, and to buy the CD, go to unsungheroesofaustralianhistory.com
And check out the showcase video
Bruce's Videos
Check out Bruce's videos, mostly of Bruce's live performances, including:
- The Beanie Song
- Australia's Lost Languages
- The Man and The Woman and the Edison Phonograph (with Ronnie Summers)
- I Shared a Urinal with Martin Ferguson
- The Rules of English
- Olegas
- Down at the Pool
- The Old Bush Dance

Plus the Unsung Heroes of Australian History showcase video and several songs from the performance of the show at the National Folk Festival in 2010

Go to Videos page
The story behind The Man and The Woman and the Edison Phonograph
Ten years ago Bruce wrote a song on the extradinary story of Horace Watson recording Tasmanian Fanny Cochrane Smith singing traditional Aboriginal songs in 1903. He has now recorded it with Tasmanian Elder Ronnie Summers.
Read about the background to this song, and how Bruce and Ronnie Summers got together to sing it.
Poem on Campbell the Swaggie
Everyone who has been to a folk festival has seen Campbell reciting with his swag and billy - busking or at a Poets' Breakfast.  He seems to magically appear at every festival. But I was at a festival recently and he wasn't there!
Read the poem