August 4, 2007

Kevin Costner takes break from filming a movie in Belen to sing for his fans

T.S. Last News-Bulletin Staff Writer

Belen Who knows? If Kevin Costner would have had a chance encounter with Eric Clapton instead of Richard Burton back in the late 1970s, he might be known today as a rock star rather than a movie star.

Costner, who was filming a new movie, "Swing Vote," in Belen this week, will play a real-life role as a rock star Sunday night when he fronts his own band, Modern West, at the Sunshine Theater in Albuquerque.

"I've had this 20-year relationship with an audience, and they know me for one thing," says the Oscar-winning director and actor in an interview with the News-Bulletin. "I wanted to be able to entertain them through music - my music - and this is something we put together from the first band I was ever in."

Costner formed Roving Boy with John Coinman and Blair Forward, but the music got sidetracked when Costner's movie career took off. Modern West is a newer version, with Teddy Morgan on lead guitar and Larry Cobb on drums.

Costner says the group, which appears in "Swing Vote" as a Willie Nelson tribute band, is really a straight-forward rock 'n' roll band. It performs mostly original music, covering just a few tunes of some of Costner's friends in the music business.

"It wouldn't make sense for us to do covers. I can do that in my living room," he says. "The majority of the songs come from us. They're songs that have meaning for me, and, if I play them in front of people, I can let them have an experience that's original."

Living the life of a celebrity, Costner says performing on stage is one way he can make himself assessable to his fans.

"I've met hundreds of thousands of people in my life, and usually it's just a handshake or an autograph, and all they see is the top of my head. It's not a true moment; it's not an honest exchange. I've found that in an hour or two, I can provide something that can't be broken; it's continuous," he says. "And it's healthy for me to be in front of people in a dialogue that I can control, and they can come away with a better feeling about who I am."

Costner was a kid fresh out of college when he bumped into Richard Burton on an airplane flight and struck up a conversation. Costner was working for a marketing firm at the time, but he still harbored an interest in acting since practicing performing arts while a student at Cal State-Fullerton. The legendary British actor's advice to him was that if he really wanted to become an actor, he had to commit himself to it full time.

Thirty years later, Costner is one of the biggest names in Hollywood. He's appeared in more than 40 films, including "The Untouchables," "No Way Out," "Field of Dreams," "JFK" and, most recently, "Mr. Brooks." He's best known for 1990's "Dances With Wolves," a film he starred in and directed, which won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

They might have been Grammys had it been Clapton on that plane. Slow Hand might have persuaded the young Costner to more vigorously pursue his interest in music.

"The '60s had a big impression on me. There was Carole King and James Taylor, Loggins and Messina, Cream," he says. "My first love of music was Motown. That was a big influence on me, too."

Costner listed Robbie Robertson and Bruce Springsteen as his all-time favorite musicians and added that his rock 'n' roll dream would be to open for Neil Young.

Though known as a movie star, Costner's favorite role may be that of a rock star.

"It's a party every time you go (on stage). It's meant to be fun, and that's why I do it," he says.

Advance tickets for Sunday's 7:30 p.m. performance cost $35 and can be purchased at www.livenation.com or all Ticketmaster outlets. They sell for $37 the day of the show.