Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday October 10, 2023: Songs of Tom Waits

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU, 93.1 FM, in Ottawa on Tuesdays from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

This episode of Stranger Songs was recorded and can be streamed on-demand, now or anytime, by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/62260.html

Theme: Songs of Tom Waits.

Tom Waits- A Sight for Sore Eyes

Foreign Affairs (Elektra)

Shelby Lynne & Allison Moorer- Ol ‘55

Come On Up to the House: Women Sing Waits (Dualtone)

David Bradstreet- Grapefruit Moon 

Hindsight (David Bradstreet) 

Priscilla Herdman- I Hope That I Don’t Fall in Love with You 

Forgotten Dreams (Flying Fish) 

Tom Waits- Little Trip to Heaven (On the Wings of Your Love)

Closing Time (Elektra) 

Sneezy Waters- Invitation to the Blues

Sneezy Waters (Sneezy Waters)

Happy & Artie Traum- The Heart of Saturday Night

The Test of Time (Roaring Stream)

Claudia Schmidt- San Diego Serenade

Out of the Dark/New Goodbyes, Old Helloes (Flying Fish)

Tom Lewis- Shiver Me Timbers

Tinker Tailor Soldier Singer (Self Propelled Music)

Tom Waits- Semi Suite

The Heart of Saturday Night (Elektra)

VickiKristinaBarcelona- Cold Cold Ground

Pawn Shop Radio (StorySound)

Dave Van Ronk- Jersey Girl

To All My Friends in Far-Flung Places (Gazell)

The Once- The Briar and the Rose

The Once (Borealis)

Ball & Chain & The Wreckers- Come on Up to the House

Satisfied (Moo Music)

Tom Waits- Long Way Home

Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards (Anti-)

Tom Russell- Downtown Train

Road to Bayamon (Philo)

Kimmie Rhodes & Willie Nelson- Picture in a Frame

Picture in a Frame (Sunbird)

Missy Burgess- Time

Play Me Sweet (Missy Burgess)

Tom Waits- Tom Traubert’s Blues

Small Change (Asylum)

Tom Waits- Closing Time

Closing Time (Elektra) 

Next week: Remembering Kate Wolf (1942-1986).

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday June 27, 2023: Songs of Bruce Cockburn

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU in Ottawa on Tuesdays from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

CKCU can be heard live at 93.1 FM in Ottawa and https://www.ckcufm.com/ on the web. 

This episode of Stranger Songs was recorded and can already be streamed on-demand by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/60977.html

Theme: Songs of Bruce Cockburn.

The show features songs from Bruce Cockburn’s new album, O Sun O Moon, and versions of some of his songs by other artists.

Mike Regenstreif & Bruce Cockburn (2017)

Bruce Cockburn- On a Roll

O Sun O Moon (True North)

3's a Crowd- Bird Without Wings

Christopher’s Movie Matinee (Dunhill)

Tom Rush- One Day I Walk

Ladies Love Outlaws (Columbia)

Teresa Ennis- Going to the Country

Space (BeaverBank Empire)

Claire Lynch- All the Diamonds in the World

North By South (Compass)

Claudia Schmidt combines Bruce Cockburn’s song, “For the Birds,” with her poem, “Replenish.”

Claudia Schmidt- For the Birds/Replenish

Reimagining (Claudia Schmidt)

Bruce Cockburn- When You Arrive

O Sun O Moon (True North)

Canadian Brass- 13th Mountain

Canadiana (Linus/Canadian Brass)

Bruce Cockburn- To Keep the World We Know

O Sun O Moon (True North)

ES:MO (Elizabeth Shepherd & Michael Occhipinti)- Lovers is a Dangerous Time

The Weight of Hope (ES:MO)

David Wiffen- Up on the Hillside

Coast to Coast Fever (EMI)

Colin Linden- Anything, Anytime, Anywhere

Raised By Wolves (True North)

Bruce Cockburn- Colin Went Down to the Water

O Sun O Moon (True North)

Grace Griffith- Wondering Where the Lions Are

Minstrel Song (Blix Street)

Salamander Crossing- Child of the Wind

Henry Street – A Retrospective (Signature Sounds)

Special Consensus- Mighty Trucks of Midnight

Great Blue North (Compass)

The Squirrel Hillbillies Mama Just Wants to Barrelhouse All Night Long

Rhizomes (The Squirrel Hillbillies)

Bruce Cockburn- Into the Now

O Sun O Moon (True North)

Judy Collins- Pacing the Cage

Portrait of an American Girl (Wildflower)

Maria Muldaur- Southland of the Heart

Southland of the Heart (Telarc)

Christine Collister- The Whole Night Sky

The Dark Gift of Time (Koch)

Bruce Cockburn- O Sun By Day O Moon By Night

O Sun O Moon (True North)

Bruce Cockburn- Haiku

O Sun O Moon (True North)

Next week: Songs and Conversation with Sneezy Waters.

--Mike Regenstreif

Canadian Spaces – CKCU – Saturday August 27, 2022

Canadian Spaces on CKCU in Ottawa is Canada’s longest-running folk music radio program. It is heard Saturday mornings from 10:00 am until noon (Eastern time). 

It was hosted for more than 33 years by the late Chopper McKinnon and is now hosted by Chris White and a rotating cast of co-hosts. 

This week’s show was hosted by Mike Regenstreif.

CKCU can be heard at 93.1 FM in Ottawa and http://www.ckcufm.com/ on the web. 

This particular show is now available for on-demand listening. https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/129/57395.html

Jesse Winchester- How Far to the Horizon

Learn to Love It (Stony Plain)

Willie Dunn- The Dreamer

Creation Never Sleeps, Creation Never Dies: The Willie Dunn Anthology (Light in the Attic)

Dennis O’Toole- Willie on the Wind

Lone Gunman at the Assassin’s Hotel (Dennis O’Toole)

Sylvia Tyson- Donegal Tavern

River Road & Other Songs (Outside Music)

Brendan Nolan- Connemara Morn

Where Do I Go From Here (Ould Sagosha)

Doug McArthur- Hills of Connemara

The Horses of the Sea: A Personal Exploration of Ireland (dougimac.com)

Maria Dunn- Love Carries Me

Joyful Banner Blazing (Distant Whisper)

OXLIP- All My Trials

Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies (World Peach)

Bob Stark- Some Little Sign

Sculpted Pieces of Love (Bob Stark)

Kate & Anna McGarrigle- Matapedia

Matapedia (Hannibal)

Caitlin Hanford- Red Clay Halo

Bluer Skies (Denon)

Noah Zacharin- One Time in 20

A Startle of Wings (Noah Zacharin)

Susie Arioli Swing Band featuring Jordan Officer- Trying to Get to You

It’s Wonderful (SASB)

Lynn Miles with Keith Glass- Fearless Heart

Road (Lynn Miles)

Jay Linden- August Night

Satchel (Jay Linden)

Dave Clarke- Lucinda

The Healing Garden (Crossties)

The rest of the show features songs written by Canadian songwriters but performed by non-Canadian artists.

Bill Staines- Rompin’ Rovin’ Days (Bruce Murdoch)

Journey Home (Red House)

Nanci Griffith- Ten Degrees and Colder (Gordon Lightfoot)

Other Voices/Other Rooms (Elektra)

Norah Jones- (Talk to Me of) Mendocino (Kate McGarrigle)

Sing Me the Songs: Celebrating the Works of Kate McGarrigle (Nonesuch)

June Tabor- Heart Like a Wheel (Anna McGarrigle)

At the Wood’s Heart (Topic)

Judy Collins- The Dealer (Down and Losin’) (Bob Ruzicka)

True Stories and Other Dreams (Elektra)

Tom Russell- Sam Bonnifield’s Saloon (Ian Tyson)

Play One More: The Songs of Ian & Sylvia (True North)

Rosalie Sorrels- Trucker’s Café (Sylvia Tyson)

Travelin’ Lady Rides Again (Green Linnet)

John Gorka- Lock-keeper (Stan Rogers)

Writing in the Margins (Red House)

Joe Jencks- Can You Blame the Poor Miner (Maria Dunn)

The Coming of the Years (Turtle Bear Music)

Grace Griffith- Wondering Where the Lions Are (Bruce Cockburn)

Minstrel Song (Blix Street)

Claudia Schmidt- Having a Drink with Jane (Shelley Posen)

Live at the Dakota (Pragmavision Publishing)

Dave Van Ronk- Urge for Going (Joni Mitchell)

…and the tin pan bended, and the story ended… (Smithsonian Folkways)

William Bell- All of Your Stories (Jesse Winchester)

This is Where I Live (Stax)

SONiA disappear fear- Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)

By My Silence (Disappear)

Priscilla Herdman- Wood River (Connie Kaldor)

Darkness Into Light (Flying Fish)

I’ll be hosting Canadian Spaces next on September 17. I also host Stranger Songs every Tuesday from 3:30 to 5 pm; and the Saturday Morning show from 7 to 10 am, once every 4 weeks with my next slot on September 10.

Find me on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Saturday Morning with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Saturday June 22, 2019

Saturday Morning is an eclectic roots-oriented program on CKCU in Ottawa heard live on Saturday mornings from 7 until 10 am (Eastern time) and then available for on-demand streaming. I am one of the four rotating hosts of Saturday Morning and base my programming on the Folk Roots/Folk Branches format I developed at CKUT in Montreal.

CKCU can be heard at 93.1 FM in Ottawa and http://www.ckcufm.com/ on the web.

This episode of Saturday Morning can be streamed on-demand at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/128/43530.html

David Newland- No Way to Stay Warm

Northbound: The Northwest Passage in Story and Song (David Newland)

The Afro-Métis Nation (featuring Russ Kelley)- It’s a Wonder

Constitution (The Afro-Métis Nation)

Our Native Daughters (featuring Allison Russell w/Rhiannon Giddens & Leyla McCalla)- You’re Not Alone

Songs of Our Native Daughters (Smithsonian Folkways)

Rising Appalachia- Sassafras

Leylines (Rising Appalachia)

Joel Rafael- Glory Bound

Rose Avenue (Inside)

Brooksie Wells- Maybe Not

In My Pocket (Down Home Diva)

Jay Linden- It’s a Crooked Train

Under the Radar (Jay Linden)

Tom Mitchell- Eastern Beer

1976 live recording – used with permission

Steve Howell & Jason Weinheimer- There’ll Be Some Changes Made

History Rhymes (Out of the Past Music)

Tom Russell- Small Engine Repair

October in the Railroad Earth (Frontera)

Jamie Andersen- Man in Black

The Truth Appears (Tsunami)

Crowes Pasture- Slow It Down

Slow It Down (Crowes Pasture)

The Lark and the Loon- Take the Stairs

2 (Jeff Rolfzen & Rocky Steen-Rolfzen)

Old Man Luedecke- Wake Up Call

Easy Money (True North)

Extended feature: Songs of Michael Smith – the next 15 songs were written by Michael Smith.

Steve Goodman- Roving Cowboy (Ballad of Dan Moody)

Words We Can Dance To (Red Pajamas)

Claudia Schmidt & Betsy Redhed- Spoon River

Claudia Schmidt (Flying Fish)

Anne Hills- Rondi’s Birthday

October Child (Flying Fish)

Michael Smith- The Ballad of Elizabeth Dark

Such Things are Finely Done (Tales from the Tavern)

Mike Regenstreif & Michael Smith in Tampa (2014)

Jamie O'Reilly- Waving to Picasso

Swimming Deeper (Bird Avenue Publishing)

Tom Rush- Hobo’s Mandolin (This Here Mandolin)

Ladies Love Outlaws (Columbia)

Bonnie Koloc- Crazy Mary

Timeless (Mr. Biscuit)

Michael Smith- Sister Clarissa

Such Things are Finely Done (Tales from the Tavern)

Fourtold- Panther in Michigan

Fourtold (Appleseed)

Skyline with Tony Trischka- Stranded in the Moonlight

Ticket Back: A Retrospective (Flying Fish)

Michael Smith- Coffeehouse Days

Michael Margaret Pat & Kate (Wind River)

Barbara Barrow- A Real Good One

Remembering Fred: A Tribute to Fred Holstein (The Remembering Fred Group)

Small Potatoes- I Brought My Father with Me

Time Flies (Folk Era)

John Gorka- The Dutchman

So Dark You See (Red House)

Michael Smith- Such Things are Finely Done

Such Things are Finely Done (Tales from the Tavern)

Judy Collins- Suzanne

Judy Collins Sings Leonard Cohen: Democracy (Elektra/Rhino)

Steel Rail- Wooden Ships

River Song (Crossties)

Jesse Winchester- I Wave Bye Bye

Gentleman of Leisure (Sugar Hill)

Susan Werner- The Night I Ate New Orleans

NOLA: Susan Werner Goes to New Orleans (Sleeve Dog)

Victor Mecyssne (Victor Anthony)- Going to New Orleans

Hush Money (Sweetfish)

Jennifer Warnes- I Am the Big Easy

Another Time, Another Place (BMG)

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee- Rock Island Line

Blues Masters, Vol. 5 (Storyville)

Stephen Barry Band- Poor Boy

Live (Fix it in the Mix Music)

Stephen Barry Band- Crazy Man

Live (Fix it in the Mix Music)

J. Reissner- Rocks Have Been My Pillow

Fallen Star (J. Reissner)

Stephen Barry Band- Pickin’ the Blues

Live (Fix it in the Mix Music)

I’ll be hosting Saturday Morning next on July 20.

Find me on Twitter. @MikeRegenstreif

And on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Sally Rogers & Claudia Schmidt – We are Welcomed

SALLY ROGERS & CLAUDIA SCHMIDT

We are Welcomed

Pragmavision

claudiaschmidt.com

sallyrogers.com

For the fourth time since 1981, Sally Rogers and Claudia Schmidt – both of whom I first met sometime in the ‘70s – have combined their always lovely and frequently powerful voices together in glorious harmony.

We are Welcomed features seven of Claudia’s original songs, three of Sally’s, and four drawn from other songwriters that they make their own.

Among the highlights from Claudia’s songs are a couple of powerful topical songs. “Willful Ignorance,” carries wise advice to those might be seduced by trumpian demagoguery, while “Still on the Bridge” reflects both on the deadly attack on civil rights marchers in 1965 in Alabama as they left Selma and crossed the Edmund Pettis Bridge en route to Montgomery and how, half a century later, we are still, figuratively, on that bridge.

Other highlights from among Claudia’s songs are “Jamaica’s Tree,” a poignant tribute to a young woman from her neighborhood who lost her life at a too young age, and to the resilience of her mother; and the inspiring “Quiet Hills,” a 1994 song from one of Claudia’s solo albums that is re-recorded here with Sally’s magnificent harmonies.

Sally’s songs include the title track, “We are Welcomed,” a zipper song that celebrates new life (or rejuvenated life) with “song,” “joy,” “hope” and “love”; “Prudence Crandall,” a homage to a Connecticut teacher, who, many decades earlier, had been persecuted for breaking the color barrier in her classroom; and “The Tunes Jacqueline Plays,” a tribute to the seemingly magic musical abilities of pianist Jacqueline Schwab (who is the pianist on the album and on this song).

Each of the four songs by other writers is a sublime choice. Neal Hagberg’s “Star Girls” is a heartrending but, ultimately, hopeful tribute to girls and young women who are sold into slavery and/or repressed by religious fundamentalism. Peggy Seeger’s “Love, Call Me Home” is a lovely paean to friendship, while Jean Ritchie’s “The Cool of the Day,” based on a passage from Genesis when Adam and Eve are in the Garden of Eden, is given a stunning treatment with Sally’s lead vocal and Claudia’s harmony.

My favorite of the cover songs is a magnificent version of Sandy Denny’s autumnal masterpiece “Who Knows Where the Time Goes.” There have been many great versions of this song since the late-1960s and this version stands very tall among them. By the way, the drummer on the album, and on “Who Knows Where the Time Goes,” is Dave Mattacks, who was once a member of Fairport Convention with Sandy Denny (although I believe he joined the band after they recorded the song).

Find me on Twitter. twitter.com/@mikeregenstreif

And on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif