Featuring Corey Glover + Friends
Hartford CT musician Joseph Burcaw finds inspiration everywhere, even in the news headlines. His latest project, Bearclaw + The Balance Brigade features the soulful voice of Living Colour vocalist Corey Glover and a cameo from guitar shredder goddess Mrs. Smith, on the cover of the Sylvester song “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)”. The music delves into subjects ranging from racism, domestic abuse, immigration freedom, and gay rights. The debut EP “Four On The Floor” is an r&b/dance infused body of work that was inspired by becoming a first time father during the pandemic, stuck at home when COVID-19 closed everything.
Burcaw says, “I am an avid reader of The New York Times and enjoy perusing the weekend edition. I was reading these articles during lockdown about the uptick in domestic violence against women and children who were trapped cohabitating in abusive situations with no where to go, also, there was the George Floyd murder and Black Lives Matter uprising and marches that were occurring around the country. I was thinking about the world my daughter will grow up in, and got anxious to spark up some musical conversations with my musician friends, and to somehow find a way to make change by giving back through my music. I reached out to Corey and our mutual friend Jaeme Brennan McDonald and we began a two and a half year cycle of writing and recording together virtually from our homes.”
Glover said, “I’d been doing other musical projects pre-Covid with Joe, when it came time for Bearclaw + The Balance Brigade, which is Joe’s brainchild, he thought I would be a good fit as a vocalist & songwriter to represent what he was trying to express. This project feels like community outreach, looking for ways to make music that speaks to the world at large, and also the microcosm of the places we live, outward and inward at the same time. We all began a collaboration that exists to this very day.”
According to Burcaw, “Bearclaw + The Balance Brigade’s main objective is to tackle and shed light on topical situations that don’t always get mainstream attention. The first single “Zig Zag” brings forth a message for folks (particularly in America) to stop avoiding the subject of racism and to have a conversation on how to bring about change that will lead to the black communities’ voices being heard. “You’ll always fear the future if you can’t reconcile the past.” That line sums it up, we had a vocal hook for the chorus but needed a strong pre-chorus lead in and that is what we came up with.”
Glover said, “We spent a few sessions bouncing lyrics at each other seeing what would stick and what wouldn’t. The idea of having a conversation and not moving from here to there avoiding the conversation was a general theme that carries a powerful message. So when it came to recording a cover song we knew we had to choose something that not only has an uptempo feel, but also highlights freedom of expression and self liberation.”
“Corey and I are big fans of late 70’s disco hit maker Sylvester and decided to pay homage by covering his hit single “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real).” Remaking this gem was a testament to Corey’s strength and uniqueness in singing falsetto. I wanted the listener to have to think twice before figuring out who exactly the vocalist is on this tune.” Adds Burcaw.
Glover said, “It was a lot of fun tracking this one, and our version has a freshness that sounds current without taking away from the original. I was aware of Sylvester back in the day when he performed with The Coquettes drag ensemble around San Francisco and New York.” Burcaw says, “I had only two guitarists in mind when it came down to who we would approach to perform the solo, either Mrs. Smith or Vernon Reid. I reached out to Mrs. Smith first and she immediately accepted the offer.”
According to Mrs. Smith, “Joseph reached out to me via a mutual friend in Connecticut which I thought was a little…shady…but it turned out gangbusters! I just started adding guitars like an idiot. I had no idea what I was doing. I wondered can this hard rock guitar go with this disco lifestyle? I tried not to think about Sylvester and the incredible legacy of this song which means so much to so many, especially the disco loving gay community who I count as friends and devoted fans. I tried to have the guitars make some kind of sense. The swirl of harmonizers and FX was dizzying and a little bit overwhelming. It was sensual and I found after recording my skin was dewy. I hope people make love to that guitar solo. There are only three people in Connecticut I have had in my life, until this project, and now with Joseph, that’s four and it’s grand.” Burcaw, an exceptional bass player whose friends call him Bearclaw, is a bandleader and educator who has run the music school Bearclaw’s Academy of Music in the Litchfield hills of Connecticut for almost eight years, and performed with the NYC-based Celtic rock band Black 47, for nearly a decade. His new music comes out late November/early December. He is also planning a spring 2024 concert w/Glover that will be a fundraiser for underprivileged music loving kids who need instruments and cannot afford music lessons. At the end of the day, it’s about giving back to your community and using the power of music to unite people.