Brad Corrigan: Yo yo is it Joe?!
Joe Conway: You know it
JC: Braddigan?
BC: You know it
JC: Nice
BC: Alright let's hit it~
JC: I want to start by thanking you for taking time out of your busy day to talk with me. It is much appreciated!
BC: Of course bro... nothing to it
BC: Thanks for building us such a cool site
JC: Have you seen the site?
BC: Yea, it's awesome bro-
BC: Any time i need to know something about myself that's where I'm going to go:-)
JC: Haha
JC: Ok, let's get started
JC: First off, where do you get your inspiration for your songs?
BC: Life really…absolutely anything goes…relationships, stories, faith, family, trips, surfing, politics...
JC: That's great
BC: Stories I think, real stories are the most powerful
BC: Meeting someone somewhere who may not have much of a voice and bringing that person to life
JC: Can you share one with me real quick?
BC: Sure
JC: Doesn't have to be long
BC: I met a guy named Jose in Cuba. He's a fisherman. He gets up at 3am every day of his life to fish off the same section of the boardwalk. Until about 1pm.
JC: Wow, that's dedication
BC: He catches just a handful of fish a month, but smiles all the while making less than 15 bucks a month. He's got horrible cancer all through the left side of his body and had to have his voice box removed.
JC: Wow, there's an inspiration for sure
BC: Yet he's got the loudest voice I’ve ever heard in the joy and contentment that flows from his eyes.
JC: Ok, so James said you have/are writing new songs?
BC: Yea man, I’m about half way on a new record!
BC: No recording as of yet, but a lot of songs are flowing
JC: New record?
BC: Well I’m just going to wait until I’m really ready to get after it
BC: But I’m hoping for a release in early ‘07
BC: Man that sounds far away
BC: But it'll be here in no time~
BC: I’m in the midst of scoring a new surfing film, so I think a lot of the music for the record will be flowing from there... so really it's just begun, all the new stuff anyway-
JC: Yeah…you know what would be cool?
JC: A live record
BC: Live record eh?
BC: I’d be down with that!
BC: What do you think? A live record with all the Watchfires songs and a few new ones…
JC: That would be so kick ass!
JC: Speaking of Watchfires...
JC: I read you want to rerecord it in Spanish?
BC: Yea man, I have so many friends and fans now in Spanish speaking countries like Nicaragua, Cuba, Peru, the DR that I want to re-record the vocals in Spanish for them!
BC: Sounds like such an adventure too bro! I would absolutely love to do it. I just have to find a Spanish producer or recording artist that can give me a hand beyond the straight translation.
JC: I speak Spanish myself, so that would be really cool to hear
BC: Ah sí sí, entonces vamonos hablar solamente español!
JC: Bien
BC: Necesito practicar todas mis palabras :-)
JC: Mi también
BC: Tienes otras preguntas?! :-)
JC: Yeah I do, but let's continue in English so we can do this right for the site
JC: The Relief Project...can you give me some info on that? (i.e. how you got started, what inspired you to take on the project, more shows, etc)
BC: But what about all our Spanish speaking friends?! Ok, ok... we'll stick with English... or we could just go to Spanglish :-)
JC: Spanglish is awesome!
BC: Anyways…when the tsunami hit I just couldn't get my head around it. Couldn't believe that was actually happening somewhere on the very same planet that we're living on...
JC: I know, unbelievable
BC: Just felt so far away to me, and I felt pretty helpless watching the news every day. So I thought it would be easy to rally some musician friends together to do something to bring some hope, light, and awareness to all that was going on. I wanted to be involved in the rebuilding of lives…you know?
JC: Absolutely
BC: And then all of the rest of these crazy world tragedies started unfolding…earthquakes, hurricanes, mud slides, famine, and on & on...
JC: It was such an amazing project, such a cool CD, and an incredible release show in NYC to boot!
BC: So now we're just thinking that we're going to do this forever...hopefully a record a year
JC: wow, cool!
BC: And we'll work with whatever orgs are already on the ground doing the relief work
BC: My dream is that eventually we'll be going over once or twice a year to actual sites where we're involved with the fundraising. I would like to also bring a few of the artists and a few of the fans so that they can see first hand the good that is coming from their work
JC: Wow, that would be really awesome
BC: Your life is never the same after that
JC: I can imagine
BC: Everyone needs to get close to poverty, everyone needs to get out of their own selfish skin and see how they can help others out of their own struggles
JC: After watching all the people with nothing and then coming back to the US, must be really something
BC: Yea man, it's the most powerful thing...
BC: I’m more thankful for the opportunity to have seen what I’ve seen than anything else in my life because now I think I’m getting closer to having a human perspective, rather than an American perspective on things
JC: That's what Daggers is all about, yeah?
BC: Yea man... God calling me out—to let go of my fears and get out there to see people with His eyes, to speak hope and light to them with His voice.
JC: How has your faith influenced your music?
BC: God authored music. He made me, too. He just happened to put the 2 together :-)
JC: That is the best combination ever!
BC: So really it all just flows from Him, through Him, and back to Him!
JC: Yeah
BC: I’m so thankful bro; everyday I realize what a gift I’ve been given and trusted with. It is the universal language, the highest of all languages really...I can connect with people in any culture, anywhere, deeply through music. I can even go into communist countries because of it. I may someday have the opportunity to go to North Korea, and I'm going to China this June, too.
JC: Yeah, it is a very powerful voice
BC: Talk about carrying a gift man. It’s a key to anything and everything, so I try not to take it for granted-
JC: Didn't you go to Korea with your sister and brother-in-law to adopt a child or something?
BC: Yea, last April...such a great experience
BC: My little nephew Kylin is such a little stud...he's all smiles, a few teeth, and a mohawk :-)
JC: Cute
BC: Looks like my sis Kelly, and bro-in-law Rick are going to adopt a little girl now from Korea too!
BC: it's awesome man...
JC: Wow, that’s great!
BC: Someday I’m going to have a handful of grommets from all over the world :-)
BC: Well, Lord willing anyway!!
JC: I remember at The Last Dispatch concert you sent a shout out to your niece, Riley…same family?
BC: Oh yea man. Lil Rilez...she's 6 now. She rules my world! She's learning Spanish so we can go to Nicaragua together soon.
JC: That’s awesome
JC: Any plans of starting a family of your own?
JC: speaking of that...Paul Benton, from FL, wanted me to ask you about taking fans to Nicaragua and S. America
BC: that's up to the Big Man upstairs really! But yea bro, the desire is definitely there... am just waiting for His timing and a girl that will put up with me :-)
JC: Yeah, bro, I totally understand
BC: Alright back to Nicaragua…
BC: I would love to organize some trips and get a handful of you guys down there…or anywhere for that matter-
JC: Yeah, that would be absolutely amazing
JC: Can you tell me a little about Third Surfer?
BC: So I’ve got 5-10 minutes more and then I’ve got a squash match coming!
BC: Sure
BC: Love God…love others…love myself. We need to keep ourselves third on any of the waves we ride in life.
JC: Can you talk a little about the new Walking on Water video?
JC: And don't worry, almost done, you'll make it in time for your match, I promise!
BC: Phone…just a sec
JC: Sure
BC: Ok
JC: Alright
BC: So yea, Peru?
BC: Walking On Water?
JC: Yeah
BC: Let me shoot you an article that I’ve just finished for Transworld Surf about the trip!
JC: awesome!
BC: It'll give you a good run of the adventure!
BC: And it hasn't come out yet either!
JC: Cool, do you have my email address, to send it to me?
BC: So how bout we give it the old Pura Vida exclusive?!
JC: Yeah!
BC: Shoot it to me at brad@braddigan.com
JC: Done
BC: Jurassic 5 and a boatload of college gigs falling into place as we speak…so stoked to get after it the next few months!
JC: Saw that, looks awesome
BC: And James has been such an insanely cool manager to start working with… he and I are really going to build something cool together, so stoked and blessed to have him in the game-
JC: He's awesome…really great guy.
JC: I remember Laura, your old manager, what happened to her?
BC: She's doing great man, all is well there-
JC: Cool
BC: She wanted to get into event planning and fundraising for non-profits like the Elias Fund, Relief Project, etc. She's got an awesome heart for kids too
JC: awesome
BC: So am stoked to see what comes
JC: Yeah, that'll be awesome
BC: We still do a lot together in Nicaragua
BC: Alright brutha man, gotta run-
BC: But thanks a ton
BC: And sorry it's been since 2002 :-)
BC: We should do it more often
JC: One last thing...we have a new myspace page, too, I just created it yesterday, www.myspace.com/puravidabc, do you think you could give me a quote to put up on there?
BC: Sure man...absolutely-
BC: How 'bout…
BC: Hmmm...
BC: Writers block
JC: No prob, we can get it later
BC: "I have some rope up here, but I do not think you will accept my help since I am waiting around to kill you... true, that does put a damper on our relationship"
BC: Oh and Andre the Giant rules-
JC: Princess Bride?
BC: Ah ha yes yes!!
JC: Awesome
JC: Thank you so much for talking with me
BC: Later Joe! Be blessed as you go~
JC: I hope you win your match!
BC: Yea I’m going to light it up today :-)
BC: Happy St. Patty's, bro-
JC: And to you, too
BC: Later
BC: Hasta la proxima y dios te bendiga!
JC: Be blessed, man, you rock!
This interview was done with Braddigan on March 17, 2006 via AIM, with Pura Vida’s own, Joe Conway. Much thanks, Braddigan! For reference, JC=Joe Conway & BC=Brad Corrigan. |
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