John Lefebvre playing in Vancouver with former Eagles guitarist Don Felder

John Lefebvre, a very unique resident of Salt Spring Island, wrote his first song when he was 45 years old, and recorded his first album when he was 56. The credits for his new project include world-famous Producer Brian Ahern, drummer Jim Keltner (Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Neil Young), slide guitarist Greg Leisz (John Fogerty, Joni Mitchell), keyboardist Patrick Warren (Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, toured with Tom Waits, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Fiona Apple), Little Feat keyboardist Bill Payne and Dean Parks (Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder). John and his band have invited Don Felder, former guitarist for legendary American rock group, The Eagles to an event called A Night At The Hotel California.

Lefebvre is an intelligent, witty fellow with a great deal to say (probably comes along with being a climate change activist and a former lawyer). 

In his non-musical life, John is the Director of the David Suzuki Foundation, and a supporter of the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education.

Here are some of his words:

Q: Where did the quote from your Twitter description come from "I once saw a man riding his donkey searching for his donkey"?

Lefebvre: "I read something like that in a book of Zen aphorisms. It went something like 'A man searching for himself is like a man, riding his donkey, searching for his donkey.'" 

Q: Why would you say your adult years were "wasted" as a lawyer?

Lefebvre: "I didn't really do anything for anybody that a thousand other people could've done. I was never a superstar because I didn't like it. I was kind of a GP of law and had the feeling I could be doing things that are more important, like what I'm doing now."

Q: What sort of skills did you transfer from your job as lawyer into your current profession (musician)?

Lefebvre: I'll admit that I did learn some skills, although not to everybody; a sense of professionalism; how to think in a straight line and pay attention to the business side of things. Knowing how business works helps you get through a recording session, for example, establishing completable objectives and knowing what you need to do to achieve them. Especially due to the attitude of the guys I play with, Jim Keltner and Greg Leisz, as casual as they may seem, they are extremely focused about what they do."

Q: How does Salt Spring Island lend itself to your musical composition process?

Lefebvre: "I composed about half of the songs off my first record in California. On this record, 12 of 18 were composed here. Salt Spring Island is a great place to get lost, and for me to write a song, what I need is to have absolutely nothing on my calendar-- no phone calls, meetings, nothing to prepare for. Here I can stand in water wearing gumboots, read, drink a cup of tea, watch a little news on tv. If you watched me writing, it would look like i'm doing nothing, but the truth is, when we chop wood and drop water, little magical things pop into our heads; things that would make a great lyric; emptying out the space and time to let things arise within, and when they do, to notice them. You can do that anywhere, but salt spring is a great place to do nothing. I've been waiting all my life to achieve nothing and now that i've achieved it, I plan to make the most of it."

Q: How do you see the relationship between anti-establishmentarianism and folk/rock musicianship?