DOUBLE DUTY
Joachim Cooder opening for dad, also playing in father’s band
Joahchim Cooder has managed some rare days off. And he’s soaking it all in.
“We have one show in Norway, and then we’re back to the States to start the next leg of the tour,” he says in a recent interview. “It’s been a pretty good schedule this year.”
Soon, Cooder will be pulling double duty.
Not only will he perform songs from his new EP, “Fuchsia Machu Picchu,” but the 39-year-old will join his father, Ry, on stage performing percussion.
The EP is Cooder’s second solo effort.
“The process for the EP started when my wife got pregnant over three years ago,” he says. “The EP was all accidental. I didn’t set out to make my own record. I have never thought of myself as a singer-songwriter. I’ve been a drummer and a behind-the-scenes type of guy.”
Cooder’s writing journey included stops in Nashville, Tenn., and Los Angeles.
“It was a slow process, because we had a new baby,” he says. “I’d go into the studio with my engineer and get two or three days of work done. I would work sporadically, and sometimes I would have my daughter in her playpen as I was working on the material. She’s very much part of this process. She helped inspire me.”
Cooder grew up surrounded by music. His father, Ry, would take him on the road at an early age, first as a viewer, then in his early teens, as a drummer.
He began to thrive as a drummer and backed his father. He then toured and recorded with Johnny Cash, Ali Farka Touré, V.M. Bhatt, Steve Earle, John Lee Hooker, Dr. John, Nick Lowe and the Buena Vista Social Club, for which he picked up a Grammy.
Cooder found that working on solo music was the most intimidating.
“I thought being at the front of the stage was going to be strange,” he says. “Once I started, it became very natural. It only took a few live shows before I got my footing. The nerves are still there, but I realized that it’s going to be OK. I thought it was the craziest thing I decided to do. It’s working out pretty well.”
Pulling double duty does take its toll on Cooder’s body. Performing in his father’s show is more demanding than doing his solo set.
“It’s nice to be able to switch over to these different modes,” he says. “If my dad’s set was any longer, I would have to wonder what I would do. I don’t hit very hard, so physically it’s ok. It’s the amount of time onstage constantly moving that tires me.”
Cooder is also working on his next project with saxophonist Sam Gendel.
“Sam’s in my dad’s show as well,” he says. “I’m looking forward to recording with him.”