Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – September 2, 2025: "Crazy Blues" and Other Crazy Songs

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/595/71788.html

Theme: “Crazy Blues” and other Crazy Songs.

Mamie Smith- Crazy Blues

The Rough Guide to Blues Women (World Music Network)

Patsy Cline- Crazy

The Unforgettable Patsy Cline (Polygram)

Steven Fromholz- I’d Have to Be Crazy

A Rumor in My Own Time (Capitol)

Rosalie Sorrels- We Were Kinda Crazy Then 

Travelin’ Lady Rides Again (Green Linnet)

Lennie Gallant- She’s Gonna Drive You Crazy

Shelter from the Storms (Lennie Gallant)

J.J. Cale- Crazy Mama

Naturally (Mercury)

Ball & Chain & The Wreckers- Crazy Arms

Live at the Bayou (Ball & Chain)

Durham County Poets- Good Kind of Crazy

Out of the Woods (Durham County Poets)

Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band- Crazy Words, Crazy Tune

Greatest Hits (Vanguard)

Leon Redbone- I’m Crazy ‘Bout My Baby

Whistling in the Wind (Rounder)

John Prine- Egg & Daughter Night, Lincoln Nebraska, 1967 (Crazy Bone)

The Tree of Forgiveness (Oh Boy)

Bebop Cowboys- Crazy Rhythm

Début (Bebop Cowboys)

Tom Paxton- Crazy John

Tom Paxton 6 (Elektra)

Michael Smith- Crazy Mary

Love Letter on a Fish (Tales from the Tavern)

Carla Gover & Brett Ratliff- Crazy

Kentucky Queen (Redbird)

Russ Kelley- Crazy Shades of Blue

Crazy Shades of Blue (Ark Road Music Productions)

Billie Holiday- Crazy He Calls Me

Lady’s Decca Days, Volume One (Decca)

Sunny and Her Joy Boys- You’re Driving Me Crazy

Introducing Sunny and Her Joy Boys (Stony Plain)

J. Reissner- Crazy Swing

Portrait in Blue (J. Reissner)

Ana Gasteyer- Crazy People

I’m Hip (Henry’s Girl)

Ian Robb- Champion at Driving ‘Em Crazy

Ian Robb & Hang the Piper (Folk-Legacy)

Leonard Cohen- Crazy to Love You

Old Ideas (Columbia)

Shirley Eikhard- Crazy from the Heat

Going Home (Artisan Music)

Tom Russell- The Other Side of Crazy

Who’s Gonna Build Your Wall? (HighTone)

Barbara Dane- Crazy Blues

On My Way (Dreadnaught Music)

Next week: Part 1 – Songs and Conversation with author David Eisenstadt; Part 2 – Riding in My Car.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – July 15, 2025: Blues in the Night

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/595/71087.html

Theme: Blues in the Night – all the songs have something or other to do with nighttime.

Eva Cassidy- Blues in the Night

Eva By Heart (Blix Street)

Dr. John- Such a Night

The Atco/Atlantic Singles 1968-1972 (Omnivore)

Judy Henske- Every Night When the Sun Goes In

The Elektra Albums: Judy Henske (Ace)

Stephen Barry Band- Every Night About This Time

Bluesville (Bros)

Michael Jerome Browne- Black Nights

That’s Where It’s At! (Borealis)

Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis- Night Life

Two Men with the Blues (Blue Note)

Tom Northcott- Night in the City

Sunny Goodge Street: The Warner Bros. Recordings (Wounded Bird)

Kim Wallach- Dark and Rainy Night

Chatter of the Finches (Black Socks Press)

Joni Mitchell- Rainy Night House

Ladies of the Canyon (Reprise)

Leonard Cohen- The Night of Santiago

Thanks for the Dance (Columbia/Legacy)

ES:MO (Elizabeth Shephers & Michael Occhipinti)- Night Comes On

The Weight of Hope (ES:MO)

Eliza Gilkyson- Dark Night of the Soul

Dark Ages (Realiza)

Susie Burke & David Surette- A Healing In This Night

Sometimes In the Evening (Madrina Music)

Anne Hills- Acquainted with the Night

Accidental August (Hand & Heart Music)

Ana Egge- Stay the Night

Is It the Kiss (StorySound)

Kerri Powers- Train in the Night

Kerri Powers (Kerri Powers)

David Amram- Subway Night

Subway Night (RCA)

Montreal- A Summer’s Night

A Summer’s Night (Stormy Forest)

Bill Morrissey- Summer Night

Standing Eight (Philo)

Tom Russell- The Night the Chinese Restaurant Burned Down

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

Mel Tormé- Blues in the Night

Tormé (Verve)

Next week: Flood Water.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – July 1, 2025: Songs for Canada Day

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/595/70878.html

Theme: Songs for Canada Day.

Stan Rogers- Northwest Passage

Northwest Passage (Fogarty’s Cove/Borealis)

Ian & Sylvia- Four Strong Winds

Four Strong Winds (Vanguard)

Maria Dunn- In the Shadow of the Rockies/As I Walk Through Canada

We Were Good People (Distant Whisper)

James Keelaghan- My Skies

History: The First 25 Years (Borealis)

Bonnie Dobson- Peter Amberley

Take Me for a Walk in the Morning Dew (Hornbeam)

Finest Kind- The Maple Leaf Forever

Silks & Spices (Fallen Angle Music)

Wade Hemsworth with The Mountain City Four (lead vocal: Kate McGarrigle)- The Log Driver’s Waltz

Wade Hemsworth with the Mountain City Four (Peter Weldon)

Gordon Lightfoot- Canadian Railroad Trilogy

Songbook (Warner Archives/Rhino)

Leonard Cohen- Suzanne

Songs of Leonard Cohen (Columbia/Legacy)

Steel Rail- Wooden Ships

River Song (Crossties)

Jesse Winchester- I Wave Bye Bye

Gentleman of Leisure (Sugar Hill)

Connie Kaldor- Wood River

Wood River (Coyote Entertainment)

Shelley Posen- Canoeing My Troubles Away

Roseberry Road (Well Done Music)

Durham County Poets & Michael Jerome Browne- Diamonds on the Water

Grimshaw Road (Durham County Poets)

Yonder Hill- Northern Lights

Yonder Hill (Yonder Hill)

Notre Dame de Grass- New Canada Road

New Canada Road (Notre Dame de Grass)

Willie Dunn- Louis Riel

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

Amanda Rheaume- Unforgettable

The Truth We Hold (Ishkõdé)

Prairie Comeau- Un Canadien errant

L’emprunt(e) (La Compagnie du Nord)

Chris Rawlings- Song of the Old Bush Pilot

Northern Spirits (Cooking Fat Music)

David Bradstreet- The Land Beyond

Hindsight (David Bradstreet)

Night Sun- A Canadian Song

Drive (Borealis)

Next week: Peggy Seeger at 90.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – May 20, 2025: Variations on Hallelujah

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/595/70281.html

Theme: Variations on Hallelujah

While the show includes several variations on Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” the theme is not just about the Leonard Cohen song.

Leonard Cohen- (Leonard Cohen’s song called) Hallelujah

Live in London (Columbia)

The Roches- The Hallelujah Chorus

Keep On Doing (Warner Bros.)

Peter, Paul & Mary- Michael Row the Boat Ashore

Around the Campfire (Warner Bros.)

Judy Collins- Sing Hallelujah

Maids & Golden Apples (Wildflower)

Bob Franke- Alleluia, The Great Storm is Over

The Other Evening in Chicago (Waterbug)

Kim & Reggie Harris- Hallelujah I’m a Bum

Resurrection Day (Appleseed)

Canadian Brass- (Leonard Cohen’s song called) Hallelujah 

Canadiana (Linus/Canadian Brass)

Orit Shimoni- (Orit Shimoni’s song called) Hallelujah

Lost and Found on the Road to Nowhere (Orit Shimoni)

The Staple Singers- Glory, Glory, Hallelujah

Freedom Highway (Columbia/Legacy)

Jayme Stone, Moira Smiley, Sumaia Jackson, Joe Phillips, Felicity Williams & Denzal Sinclare- (The Sacred Harp song called) Hallelujah

Jayme Stone’s Folklife (Borealis)

SONiA disappear fear- (Leonard Cohen’s song called) Hallelujah

By My Silence (Disappear)

Boreal- (Katherine Wheatley’s song called) Hallelujah

Winterbirds (Boreal)

Andrew Calhoun- Hallelujah Morning

Living Room (Waterbug) 

Mara Levine- (Nancy Cassidy’s song called) Hallelujah

Jewels and Harmony (Mara’s Creations)

Karyn Oliver- Cry Hallelujah

Cherchez la Femme (Karyn Oliver)

k.d. lang- (Leonard Cohen’s song called) Hallelujah

Hymns of the 49th Parallel (Nonesuch)

Ray Charles- Hallelujah I Love Her So

The Birth of Soul (Atlantic)

American Nomad- (Martha Scanlan’s song called) Hallelujah

Country Mile (Spruce & Maple Music)

John McCutcheon- Hallelujah Morning

Cabin Fever: Songs from the Quarantine (Appalsongs)

Liz Queler- Hallelujah (Sing for the Hope)

Folk Now: Songs for These Times – October 2023 (Hudson Harding)

Lucy Kaplansky- (Leonard Cohen’s song called) Hallelujah

Everyday Street (Lucy Kaplansky)

Next week: “Songs of this kind should not need to be sung.”

--Mike Regenstreif

Saturday Morning with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – March 22, 2025

Saturday Morning is an eclectic roots-oriented program on CKCU, 93.1 FM, in Ottawa on Saturday mornings from 7 until 10 am (Eastern time) and available for on-demand streaming anytime. I am one of the four rotating hosts of the Saturday Morning show. 

This episode of Saturday Morning was recorded and can be streamed on-demand, now or anytime, by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/128/69494.html

Mike Regenstreif & Garnet Rogers (2006)

Gaenet Rogers- First Day of Spring

Shining Thing (Snow Goose Songs)

Ian Tyson- Springtime

Cowboyography (Stony Plain)

Frida’s Brow- Spring

Frida’s Brow (Frida’s Brow)

Wade Hemsworth with The Mountain City Four- The Blackfly Song

Wade Hemsworth with The Mountain City Four (Peter Weldon)

Kate & Anna McGarrigle & Mike Regenstreif (1976) photo: Felicity Fanjoy

Kate & Anna McGarrigle- Foolish You

Tell My Sister: Kate & Anna McGarrigle (Nonesuch)

Katie Moore- Heart Like a Wheel

Montebello (Katie Moore)

Patti LuPone- Saratoga Summer Song

A Life in Notes (Center Stage)

Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Emmylou Harris, Loudon Wainwright III- Green Green Rocky Road

The McGarrigle Hour (Hannibal)

Dave Van Ronk- Somebody Else, Not Me

Somebody Else, Not Me (Philo)

Chris Walz- Been All Around This World

All I Got and Gone (Chris Walz Music)

Rosalie Sorrels & Mike Regenstreif (1993)

Rosalie Sorrels- Ain’t Nobody Got the Blues Like Me

Moments of Happiness (Philo)

Leonard Cohen- The Old Revolution

Songs from a Room (Columbia/Legacy)

Perla Batalla- Everybody Knows

A Letter to Leonard Cohen: Tribute to a Friend (Mechuda Music)

NEeMA- Unspoken

Watching You Think (Neemaste/Sony)

Kim Beggs- Little Tin Cup

Beneath Your Skin (Out of a Paperbag Productions)

Boreal- Hallelujah

Winterbirds (Boreal)

Manus McGuire- Irish Jig Set

The Copperplate Sessions (Manus McGuire)

La Nef featuring Kate Bevan-Baker- Dark Eyed Sailor

Red Sky at Night (La Nef)

La Bottine Souriante featuring André Marchand- Le rossignol sauvage

Chic & Swell (Mille-Pattes)

La Bottine Souriante featuring Michel Bordeleau- Un coup madame

La Bottine Souriante en Spectacle (Mille-Pattes)

Chris Coole & John Showman- Steamboat Whistle Blues

Much Further Out Than Inevitable: A Fiddle and Banjo Tribute to Some Music of John Hartford (Chris Coole)

Rose Cousins- Denoument

Conditions of Love Vol. 1 (Nettwerk)

Rhiannon Giddens- Shake Sugaree

Tomorrow is My Turn (Nonesuch)

Ladysmith Black Mambazo- Rain Rain Beautiful Rain

Live at the Royal Albert Hall (Shanachie)

Mike Regenstreif & Tim Grimm (2025)

Tim Grimm & The Family Band- Gonna Be Great

A Stranger in This Time (Vault)

Artists for Action- Which Side Are You On? *

Which Side Are You On? – single (Bon Jensen)

*The Artists for Action singers and musicians are, in alphabetical order, Black Umfolosi, Ray Bonneville, Bruce Cockburn, Chris Corrigan, Guy Davis, Ani DiFranco, Maria Dunn, Adam Hill, Bob Jensen, James Keelaghan, Richard Knox, Lucy MacNeil, Tony McManus, Moulettes, Oysterband, Richard Perso, Heather Rankin, Martin Simpson, and Jon Weaver.

Cassie & Maggie- Bow Down

Gold and Coal (Cassie and Maggie)

Rube & Rake- Stephen

Good Time After Bad (LHM)

Rum Ragged- The Road to Lushes Bight (Island Stock)

Gone Jiggin’ (LHM)

The Twangtown Paramours- Stars Without a Heaven

The Wind Will Change Again (Inside Edge)

John McCutcheon- Tikkun Olam

Field of Stars (Appalsongs)

Louise Coombe & Mike Regenstreif (2024(

Louise Coombe- Brothers in Arms

Paris (Zoe Cat Music)

Mike Regenstreif & Tom Paxton (2009)

Tom Paxton- If I Pass This Way Again

It Ain’t Easy (Flying Fish)

Alice Howe & Freebo- Twilight

Live (Know Howe Music)

Tom Mitchell & Mike Regenstreif & Tom Mitchell (1999)

Tom Mitchell- Time Piece

Tom Mitchell (Philo)

Mike Regenstreif & Lucy Kaplansky (2012)

Lucy Kaplansky- No Place to Fall

The Lucy Story: unreleased and rare tracks, 1976-2023 (Lucyricky)

Stephen Fearing- The Empathist

The Empathist (Ging)

Willie P. Bennett- Music in Your Eyes

Tryin’ to Start Out Clean (Bnatural Music)

The Seldom Scene- White Line

Remains to Be Scene (Smithsonian Folkways)

Sultans of String featuring Shannon Thunderbird- Black Winged Raven

Walking Through the Fire (Sultans of String)

HuDost- Fire of Eden

The Monkey in the Crown (Open Sesame Music)

Billy Novick & Guy Van Duser- Gershwin Medley

The New Pennywhistle Album (Green Linnet)

Antonio Andrade- Loony Tunes Medley: This is It! (Intro)/The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down/Merrily We Roll Along/This is It! (Outro)

Here We Go! (Life Shakes)

I’ll be hosting Saturday Morning next on April 19. I also host Stranger Songs on CKCU every Tuesday from 3:30-5 pm.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – February 4, 2025: Remembering Jane McGarrigle and Garth Hudson

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/595/68828.html

Themes: Remembering Jane McGarrigle (1941-2025) and Garth Hudson (1937-2025).

Remembering Jane McGarrigle

Jane McGarrigle, the older sister and frequent collaborator of Kate & Anna McGarrigle, died on January 24 at age 83. Jane was an old friend that I’d known since I started producing concerts with Kate & Anna in 1974.

The next four songs are among Kate & Anna’s recordings that Jane sang and/or played on.

Kate & Anna McGarrigle- Heart Like a Wheel

Tell My Sister: Kate & Anna McGarrigle (Nonesuch)

Kate & Anna McGarrigle- Blanche Comme La Neige

Tell My Sister: Dancer with Bruised Knees (Nonesuch)

Kate & Anna McGarrigle- Perrine Etait Servante

Tell My Sister: Dancer with Bruised Knees (Nonesuch)

Kate & Anna McGarrigle- Move Over Moon

Love Over and Over (Polygram)

Jane McGarrigle sang the lead vocal on “Bon Voyage.”

Jane, Kate & Anna McGarrigle- Bon Voyage

The McGarrigle Hour (Hannibal)

“Love Is” was co-written by Kate, Anna & Jane McGarrigle.

Kate & Anna McGarrigle - Love Is

Heartbeats Accelerating (Private)

The What Four included Jack Nissenson & Peter Weldon of the original Mountain City Four with Jane McGarrigle, Kathleen Weldon, Lily Lanken, John Knowles, Marvin Segal, Andrew Cowan & Stephen Barry.

The What Four- Shenandoah

Mountain City Four (Omnivore)

Remembering Garth Hudson

Garth Hudson – who died on January 21 at age 87 – was the last surviving original member of The Band. Garth played organ, accordion, electric keyboards and saxophone with The Band and was their principal arranger.

After Garth died, Bob Dylan released a statement that said Garth Hudson “was a beautiful guy and the real driving force behind The Band. Just listen to the original recording of ‘The Weight’ and you’ll see.”

The Band- The Weight

Music from Big Pink (Capitol)

The Band- Stage Fright

Stage Fright (Capitol)

The Band- Acadian Driftwood

Northern Lights-Southern Cross (Capitol)

Chantel Kreviazuk with Garth Hudson- Tears of Rage

Garth Hudson Presents a Canadian Celebration of The Band: 10th Anniversary Edition (Curve Music)

Bruce Cockburn & Blue Rodeo with Garth Hudson- Sleeping

Garth Hudson Presents a Canadian Celebration of The Band: 10th Anniversary Edition (Curve Music)

Great Big Sea with Garth Hudson- Knockin’ Lost John

Garth Hudson Presents a Canadian Celebration of The Band: 10th Anniversary Edition (Curve Music)

Kevin Hearn & Thin Buckle with Garth Hudson- You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere

Garth Hudson Presents a Canadian Celebration of The Band: 10th Anniversary Edition (Curve Music)

Garth Hudson also played on many albums as a session musician. The next four songs are some examples.

Leonard Cohen- Our Lady of Solitude

Recent Songs (Columbia)

Eric Andersen- Violets of Dawn

Woodstock Under the Stars (Y&T Music)

Karla Bonoff- The Water is Wide

All My Life: The Best of Karla Bonoff (Columbia/Legacy)

Colin Linden with Rick Danko & Garth Hudson- When the Spirit Comes

When the Spirit Comes (True North)

Garth & Maud Hudson- No Depression in Heaven

The Harry Smith Project: Anthology of American Folk Music Revisited (Shout! Factory)

Next week: Four Strong Winds.

--Mike Regenstreif 

Top 10 for 2024

Here are my picks for the Top 10 folk-rooted or folk-branched albums of 2024. I started with a list of about 30 superb albums released between December 2023 and November 2024. I’ve been over the list several times over the past couple of weeks and came up with several similar – not identical – Top 10 lists. Today’s list is the final one. The order might have been slightly different and there are several other worthy albums that might have been included, had one of the other lists represented the final choice. Any new albums that arrive between now and the end of the year will be considered for my 2025 list. 

1. Perla Batalla – A Letter to Leonard Cohen: Tribute to a Friend (Mechuda Music). Early in her career, in the late-1980s and ‘90s, Perla Batalla toured the world as a backup singer in Leonard Cohen’s band. I remember being mesmerized by her singing as I sat front row, centre at the St. Denis Theatre in Montreal in 1988. In 2004, Perla released the superb collection, Bird on the Wire: The Songs of Leonard Cohen, and now follows up with this sublime album. She includes superb versions of eight of Leonard’s songs; a version of “The Partisan,” a song from the French Resistance in the World War II that Leonard made his own; and two of Perla’s original songs inspired by her friend and mentor.

2. James Talley – Bandits, Ballads and Blues (Cimarron). James Talley has been one of my favorite singer-songwriters since he released Got No Bread, No Milk, No Money, but We Sure Got a Lot of Love in 1974. On Bandits, Ballads and Blues, James sings compassionate songs about old west outlaws, family, a missed dog, and – most importantly – common folk victimized by forces beyond their control.

3. Lenka Lichtenberg – Feel with Blood (Six Degrees). Feel with Blood by Lenka Lichtenberg, the second album that Lenka has done based on poems written by Anna Hana Friesová, her maternal grandmother, while she was a prisoner at the Theresienstadt concentration camp during the Holocaust. While Thieves of Dreams, her first album of this material was largely sung in Czech, this album is largely sung in English translation.

4. Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens – American Railroad (Nonesuch). The Silkroad Ensemble is a multicultural group of musicians founded by Yo-Yo Ma and now under the artistic direction of Rhiannon Giddens. As explained on the Silkroad Ensemble website, American Railroad, was inspired by the impact that African American, Chinese, Indigenous, Irish, and other immigrant communities had on the creation of the transcontinental and connecting railways in North America.

5. Eric Bibb – Live at the Scala Theatre (Stony Plain) and In the Real World (Stony Plain). The always inspiring Eric Bibb, who has been a favorite folk and acoustic blues performer for many years, released both a live album, Live at the Scala Theatre, and a studio album, In the Real World, this year and both are deserving of inclusion on this list, so I decided to bend my list and have two albums share a slot.

6. Chris Rawlings – Two Sides to Your Story (Cookingfat Music). I’ve known Chris Rawlings since circa 1970 and I think that Two Sides to Your Story – featuring stellar backup from Henry Heillig and Jim Hoke – is his best (and best sounding) album yet. Among the highlights is a new version of “Smoker’s Lullaby,” a piece that Chris sang the first time I heard him about 55 years ago, featuring slightly edited lyrics that make a great song even better – and whose opening line gives the album its title.

7. Carla Sciaky – Heart of the Swan (Propinquity). Heart of the Swan, the first solo album in about 30 years by Carla Sciaky, marks a triumphant return of a fine singer and songwriter who was unheard from for too long. This is an album of quiet power with several tracks featuring recurring instrumental or vocal passages from the traditional ballad, “Polly Vaughn,” about a hunter mistakes the woman he loves for a swan.

8. American Patchwork Quartet – American Patchwork Quartet (Carolina Jasmine). American Patchwork Quartet is a multicultural group whose members are both ethnically and musically diverse, traits which they bring to their delightfully re-imagined versions of 14 traditional folksongs that demonstrate how relevant and powerful traditional source material remains for contemporary music.

9. Joel Mabus – Lonesome Road: Suite for Solo Guitar and Voice – Songs of the Lost Generation 1924-1928 (Fossil). Joel Mabus, a longtime veteran of the folk music scene, is a fine singer and player of many stringed instruments. Joel is also an excellent songwriter whose work is well informed by his knowledge of diverse styles including traditional balladry, old-time country, bluegrass, jazz, vintage pop and blues. On Lonesome Road: Suite for Solo Guitar and Voice – Songs of the Lost Generation 1924-1928 Joel offers fine versions of 14 classic songs written between 1924 and 1928.

10. Grayson Capps – Heartbreak, Misery & Death (Royal Potato Family). On Heartbreak, Misery & Death, Grayson Capps, a singer-songwriter from Alabama well-versed in folk and blues styles, turns his attention to really nice versions of traditional folksongs and contemporary folk classics written by the likes of Leonard Cohen, Gordon Lightfoot, Jerry Jeff Walker and Randy Newman.

I will be featuring songs from each of these albums on Stranger Songs, Tuesday December 3, 3:30-5 pm (ET), on CKCU. The program is already available 24/7 for on-demand streaming at this link. https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/67938.html

–Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – November 5, 2024: Addendums to Past Themes

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/595/67577.html

Theme: Addendums to Past Themes.

This is the second of two editions of Stranger Songs airing during CKCU’s 2024 Funding Drive. Your support is meaningful and essential to keeping CKCU’s diverse programming on the air for another year. You can make a donation in support of Stranger Songs and CKCU at this link. Charitable income tax receipts are issued for donations of $20 or more. Thanks for your support. https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/CKCU/p2p/fundingdrive2024/page/stranger-songs

A theme I do every year on the second Stranger Songs funding drive show is Addendums to Past Themes. More often than not, when I choose a theme for Stranger Songs, there are more possible songs to choose from than I can include – and sometimes new music that fits the theme arrives after the show has been produced. So, I’ve chosen a few of the themes from the past year for addendums.

Perla Batalla- A Thousand Kisses Deep

A Letter to Leonard Cohen: Tribute to a Friend (Mechuda Music)

Leonard Cohen- Going Home

Old Ideas (Columbia)

Perla Batalla- Everybody Knows

A Letter to Leonard Cohen: Tribute to a Friend (Mechuda Music)

Scottie Miller- Ah, New York

Carnival Cocoon (Scottie Miller)

Lucy Kaplansky- Love Song/New York

The Red Thread (Red House)

Amy Speace- In New York City

The American Dream (Windbone)

Shelley Posen- The Old Songs Home

The Old Songs Home (Well Done Music)

Madeleine Peyroux- I Hear Music

Careless Love: Deluxe Edition (Rounder)

The Central Park Sheiks- The People’s Key

Honeysuckle Rose (Flying Fish)

Misty Blues- Keep On Movin’ It On

I’m Too Old for Games: A Live Tribute to Odetta (Guitar One)

Eric Bibb & Odetta- ‘Tain’t Such a Much

Friends (Telarc)

Odetta- Look the World Over

Blues Everywhere I Go (M.C.) 

Bob Dylan- My Back Pages

Another Side of Bob Dylan (Columbia)

Ian & Sylvia- You Were On My Mind

Northern Journey (Vanguard)

Sam Cooke- A Change is Gonna Come

Ain’t That Good News (RCA)

Lenka Lichtenberg- Remember the Sun

Feel with Blood (Six Degrees)

Lenka Lichtenberg- After the Flood

Feel with Blood (Six Degrees)

Sid Selvidge- Pearlee

Twice Told Tales (Elektra Nonesuch)

Rosalie Sorrels- One More Next Time

If I Could Be the Rain (Folk-Legacy)

Gordon Lightfoot- Steel Rail Blues

The Original Lightfoot (EMI)

Duke Ellington- Sugar Hill Shim Sham

Ellington in Order, Volume 8 (1937) (Legacy)

Next week: Remembering Barbara Dane (1927-2024).

--Mike Regenstreif

Saturday Morning with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Saturday November 2, 2024

Saturday Morning is an eclectic roots-oriented program on CKCU, 93.1 FM, in Ottawa on Saturday mornings from 7 until 10 am (Eastern time) and available for on-demand streaming anytime. I am one of the four rotating hosts of the Saturday Morning show. 

This episode of Saturday Morning was recorded and can be streamed on-demand, now or anytime, by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/128/67537.html

This is the second of three editions of the Saturday Morning show airing during CKCU’s 2024 Funding Drive. Your support is meaningful and essential to keeping CKCU’s diverse programming on the air for another year. You can make a donation in support of Saturday Morning and CKCU at this link. Charitable income tax receipts are issued for donations of $20 or more. Thanks for your support. https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/CKCU/p2p/fundingdrive2024/page/saturday-morning

Walter Hyatt- In November

King Tears (MCA)

Mary Flower- Brother, Can You Spare a Dime

Bywater Dance (Yellow Dog)

El Coyote- Tip Jar

El Coyote (El Coyote)

Old Man Luedecke- Easy Money

Easy Money (True North)

Bonnie Dobson- Living on Plastic

Take Me for a Walk in the Morning Dew (Hornbeam)

Bill Hearne- Cash on the Barrelhead

Always Trust Your Cape (Howlin’ Dog) 

Perla Batalla- Sisters of Mercy

A Letter to Leonard Cohen: Tribute to a Friend (Mechuda)

Dave Van Ronk- Bird on the Wire

Van Ronk (Polydor)

Martin Simpson- The Stranger Song

Vagrant Stanzas (Topic)

Leonard Cohen- Famous Blue Raincoat

Songs of Love and Hate (Columbia/Legacy)

Perla Batalla- The L of Your First Name

A Letter to Leonard Cohen: Tribute to a Friend (Mechuda)

Carla Sciaky- Dear Mr. Bowers

Heart of the Swan (Propinquity)

Tom Mitchell & Mike Regenstreif (1999)

Tom Mitchell- Wasted Rose

1976 live recording – used with permission

Amy Speace- Love is Gonna Come Again

The American Dream (Windbone)

Lenka Lichtenberg- Wintry Dusk

Feel with Blood (Six Degrees)

Mike Regenstreif & Brendan Nolan (2023)

Brendan Nolan- Packing Her Bag

Beneath White Stars: Holocaust Profiles in Song (AlmondSeed Media)

Chava Alberstein & The Klezmatics- Mayn Shvester Khaye (My Sister Khaye)

The Well (Rounder)

Lenka Lichtenberg- Feel with Blood

Feel with Blood (Six Degrees)

Ian Robb & James Stephens- God and The Orange Clown

Declining …with thanks (Fallen Angle Music)

Resistance Revival Chorus featuring Rhiannon Giddens- All You Fascists Bound to Lose

This Joy (Righteous Babe)

John McCutcheon- If I Had a Hammer

To Everyone in All the World: A Celebration of Pete Seeger (Appalseed)

Perla Batalla- Democracy

A Letter to Leonard Cohen: Tribute to a Friend (Mechuda)

Connie Kaldor- Set You Free

Keep Going (Coyote Entertainment) 

Carolyn Shulman- Bolt Out of the Blue

Heart on a Wire (Carolyn Shulman)

Kurt Anderson- Whistlers and Jugglers

Life on Interstate 40 (Riverlark Music)

Neale Eckstein & BettySoo- Like a Poem Needs a Rhyme

Never Too Late (Neale Eckstein)

Rik Palieri- When the Circus Leaves Town

Hands of Time (Rik Palieri)

Geneviève Racette- X2

Golden (Geneviève Racette)

Eric Bibb- Make a Change (Chains & Free)

In the Real World (Stony Plain)

Reggie Harris- The Times They are A-Changin’

Ready to Go (Reggie Harris Music)

Bettye LaVette- A Change is Gonna Come

Change is Gonna Come Sessions (Anti-)

Jerron Paxton- Things Done Changed

Things Done Changed (Smithsonian Folkways)

Moses Crouch- Hillbilly Willie’s Blues/Travelin’ Railroad Blues

Earth Music (Riverlark)

Joel Mabus & Mike Regenstreif (2001)

Joel Mabus- Blues in a Bottle

Lonesome Road: Suite for Solo Guitar and Voice – Songs of the Lost Generation 1924-1928 (Fossil)

Misty Blues- Weepin’ Willow Blues

I’m Too Old for Games: A Live Tribute to Odetta (Guitar One)

Odetta with Dr. John- Oh Papa

Blues Everywhere I Go (M.C.)

Terra Spencer & Stephen Fearing- East to West

Sunset (Terra Spencer)

Steve Lundquist- The Great Northwest

The Great Northwest (Steve Lundquist)

Tish Hinojosa- If I Could Only Fly

With a Guitar & a Pen (Tish Hinojosa)

Sav Sankaran- Looking for the Moon

Bluegrass Sings Paxton (Mountain Home)

Amir Amiri Ensemble- Raghseh Choobi (Dance of the Wooden Sticks)

Ajdad – Ancestors: Echoes of Persia (Fifth House)

I’ll be hosting Saturday Morning next on November 30. I also host Stranger Songs on CKCU every Tuesday from 3:30-5 pm.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – September 24, 2024: Leonard Cohen at 90

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/595/66939.html

Theme: Leonard Cohen at 90.

Leonard Cohen was born in Montreal on September 21, 1934 and died in Los Angeles on November 7, 2016 at age 82. He first gained recognition for his poetry in the 1950s, and for two novels in the 1960s, before emerging as one of our greatest songwriters.

Leonard Cohen- The Stranger Song

Songs of Leonard Cohen (Columbia/Legacy)

David Clayton-Thomas- Suzanne

Canadiana (Antoinette/ILS)

Leonard Cohen- Les Vieux

Six Montreal Poets (Folkways)

Judy Collins- Story of Isaac

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

Dave Van Ronk- Bird on the Wire

Van Ronk (Polydor)

Crowes Pasture- Tonight Will Be Fine

Edge of America (Crowes Pasture)

Leonard Cohen- So Long, Marianne

Songs of Leonard Cohen (Columbia/Legacy)

Annabelle Chvostek- Dance Me to the End of Love

Dance Me to the End of Love – single (Annabelle Chvostek)

Perla Batalla & David Hidalgo- Ballad of the Absent Mare

Bird on the Wire: The Songs of Leonard Cohen (Mechuda Music)

Jennifer Warnes- Came So Far for Beauty

Famous Blue Raincoat: The Songs of Leonard Cohen – 20th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)

Leonard Cohen- Night Comes On

Various Positions (Columbia)

SONiA disappear fear- Hallelujah

By My Silence (Disappear)

Rob Corcoran & The Necessary Evils- Tower of Song

Grand Declarations (Rob Corcoran)

Rachelle Garniez- Anthem

Gone to Glory (StorySound)

Daniel Kahn & Jake Shulman-Ment- Di Tsukunft (The Future)

The Building and Other Songs (Oriente Musik)

Anne Hills- Alexandra Leaving

Points of View (Appleseed)

Leonard Cohen- Democracy

Live in London (Columbia)

Leonard Cohen with Cantor Gideon Zelermyer & The Shaar Hashomayim Choir- You Want It Darker

You Want It Darker (Columbia)

Next week: Part 1 – Conversation and Songs with David Eisenstadt; Part 2 – Songs of Tim Hardin.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – July 23, 2024: When the Saints Go Marching In

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/595/66100.html

Theme: When the Saints Go Marching In.

All of the songs on this show refer, in one way or another, to saints. Some of the songs are about specific saints. Some refer to saints in generic terms, and some refer to places named for a saint.

Bruce Springsteen & The Sessions Band- When the Saints Go Marching In

Live in Dublin (Columbia)

Darrell Scott- Saint Cecilia

Jaroso (Full Light)

Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer- Farewell to Saint Delores

Tanglewood Tree (Signature Sounds)

Nanci Griffith- Saint Teresa of Avila

Blue Roses from the Moons (Elektra)

Mary Chapin Carpenter- The Moon and St. Christopher

Sometimes Just the Sky (Lambent Light)

Dr. John with The Neville Brothers- Litanie des Saints

Goin’ Back to New Orleans (Warner Bros.)

Mike Regenstreif & David Francey (2019)

David Francey- Saints and Sinners

Torn Screen Door (Laker Music)

Jamie O’Reilly & Michael Smith- Song of Bernadette

Songs of a Catholic Childhood (J. O’Reilly Productions)

Jennifer Warnes & Leonard Cohen- Joan of Arc

Famous Blue Raincoat: The Songs of Leonard Cohen – 20th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)

Jessica Rhaye & The Ramshackle Parade- I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine

Just Like a Woman: Songs of Bob Dylan (Jessica Rhaye)

Jack Hardy- Saint Clare

Noir (Great Divide)

Katy Moffatt- St. Anthony with Broken Hands

Midnight Radio (True North)

Gretchen Peters- Saint Francis

Hello Cruel World (Scarlet Letter)

Little Miss Higgins- St. Louis Blues

Junction City (Little Miss Higgins)

Tom Russell & Mike Regenstreif (2000)

Tom Russell & The Norwegian Wind Ensemble- St. Olav’s Gate

Aztec Jazz (Frontera)

Kate & Anna McGarrigle- Complainte pour Ste-Catherine

Tell My Sister: Kate & Anna McGarrigle (Nonesuch)

Jimmy LaFave- On a Bus to St. Cloud

Favorites 1992-2001 (Music Road)

Ken Tizzard & Amelia Curran- St. John’s Waltz

A Good Dog is Lost: A Collection of Ron Hynes Songs (Booth Street)

Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers- When the Saints Go Marching In

Miss Smith to You! (Fat Note)

Next week: Remembering Happy Traum (1938-2024).

--Mike Regenstreif

Saturday Morning with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Saturday July 13, 2024

Saturday Morning is an eclectic roots-oriented program on CKCU, 93.1 FM, in Ottawa on Saturday mornings from 7 until 10 am (Eastern time) and available for on-demand streaming anytime. I am one of the four rotating hosts of the Saturday Morning show. 

This episode of Saturday Morning was recorded and can be streamed on-demand, now or anytime, by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/128/65969.html

Geoff Bartley- July

Interstates (Magic Crow)

Lui Collins- The Wildflower Song

The Seasons Project: Summer (Christine Lavin)

Robin Batteau- How Can You Love Me

The Seasons Project: Summer (Christine Lavin)

Tina Ross- Summers Like These

The Seasons Project: Summer (Christine Lavin)

Cosy Sheridan- Here Comes the Rain

The Seasons Project: Summer (Christine Lavin)

Kami Thompson- The Solitary Traveller

Linda Thompson: Proxy Music (StorySound)

Lynne Hanson- Just a Little Bit

Just a Poet (Lynne Hanson)

Terre Roche- The Man Who Can’t

Inner Adult (Terre Roche)

Michael Jerling- I Talk to Dead People

Halfway Home (Fool’s Hill Music)

Teresina Huxtable- First and Only Tango

Wallflowers (Philo)

Sonya Cohen & Penny Seeger Cohen- Oh, Blue

You’ve Been a Friend to Me (Smithsonian Folkways)

Sonya Cohen & Peggy Seeger- A Squirrel is a Pretty Thing

You’ve Been a Friend to Me (Smithsonian Folkways)

Sonya Cohen & Pete Seeger- When I was Most Beautiful

You’ve Been a Friend to Me (Smithsonian Folkways)

Last Forever- Hide and Seek

You’ve Been a Friend to Me (Smithsonian Folkways)

Sonya Cohen  Cramer & Elizabeth Mitchell- You’ve Been a Friend to Me

You’ve Been a Friend to Me (Smithsonian Folkways)

Tim Isberg- Better Times Ahead

Prairie Fire (Tim Isberg Music)

Lynn Miles- Night Owl

tumbleWeedyWorld (True North)

David Francey- Daughter

The Breath Between (Laker Music) 

Kathleen Edwards- Options Open

Dogs and Alcohol (Dualtone)

Ian Tamblyn- That Boxcar in Algoma

Scenes Through a Mirror (North Track)

Keith Glass Band- Can’t Blame Me

Different World (Stump)

Ruth Moody- Wanderer

Wanderer (Blue Muse/True North)

Adam Karch- My Birmingham

Some Awkward Country Ahead (Adam Karch)

Martha Wainwright- Or Nothing at All

Linda Thompson: Proxy Music (StorySound)

Ken Tizzard & Music for Goats- Barstools and Broken Hearts

The DAGG Sessions (Ken Tizzard)

Miranda Hardy- The Price of Happiness

The Price of Happiness (Great Divide)

Ian Robb & James Stephens- Charming Molly

Declining …with thanks (Fallen Angle Music)

Finest Kind- Blue Mountain

Lost in a Song (Fallen Angle Music)

Shelley Posen- The Old Songs Home

The Old Songs Home (Well Done Music)

Jubal Lee Young- Jig

Wild Birds Warble (7Bridges Entertainment)

The Roches- Hammond Song

Where Do I Come From: Selected Songs (StorySound)

Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Rufus & Martha Wainwright, Loudon Wainwright III & Chaim Tannenbaum- Schooldays

The McGarrigle Hour (Hannibal)

Waterson:Carthy- Rackabello

Common Tongue (Topic)

The Copper Family- Come Write Me Down, Ye Powers Above

The Ultimate Guide to English Folk (Arc)

Richard & Linda Thompson- For Shame of Doing Wrong

Dreams Fly Away: A History of Linda Thompson (Hannibal)

Teddy Thompson- Those Damn Roches

Linda Thompson: Proxy Music (StorySound)

Mason Daring & Jeanie Stahl- Pack Up Your Sorrows

Recordings Celebrating 50 Years of a Musical Partnership (Mason Daring & Jeanie Stahl) 

Rory Block- Like a Rolling Stone

Positively 4th Street: A Tribute to Bob Dylan (Stony Plain)

Erin Ash Sullivan- Goat on a Stone Wall

Signposts and Marks (Erin Ash Sullivan)

Enzo Garcia- I Wanna Hold You

Calicoustic (Recaredo)

Deb Seymour- Sometimes You Gotta Wear Boots

Sometimes You Gotta Wear Boots (Herkimer Productions)

Ish Theilheimer & Friends- The Wilno Chicken

The Wilno Chicken and Other Songs for My Community (Ish Theilheimer)

Leonard Cohen- Story of Isaac

Songs from a Room (Columbia/Legacy)

Art of Time Ensemble featuring Sarah Harmer- Dance Me to the End of Love

Songs of Leonard Cohen Live (Art of Time Recordings)

Two of a Kind- We Give Thanks in Hard Times

Let the Light In (Magillicutty Music)

I’ll be hosting Saturday Morning next on August 10. I also host Stranger Songs on CKCU every Tuesday from 3:30-5 pm.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – January 23, 2024: Holocaust Remembrance

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/595/63632.html

Theme: Songs for International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day falls on January 27 – the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. In these times of exploding antisemitism and other forms of racism and hatred, it’s important for us to pause and remember the lessons of the Holocaust when Hitler’s Nazi Germany systematically murdered 6 million Jews – about two-thirds of the Jews who lived in Europe.

Mara Levine- By My Silence

Facets of Folk (Mara’s Creations)

Brendan Nolan- Packing Her Bag

Beneath White Stars: Holocaust Profiles in Song (AlmondSeed Media)

Mella Barnes- Between the Lines

Beneath White Stars: Holocaust Profiles in Song (AlmondSeed Media)

Lenka Lichtenberg- Kam jsme to zašli? (What is this place?)

Thieves of Dreams (Six Degrees)

June Tabor- Di nakht (The Night)

Aleyn (Green Linnet)

Sasha Lurje- Tif iz di nakht (Dark is the night)

Jac Weinstein’s Helsinki Yiddish Cabaret (Global Music Centre)

Lee Oskar- Never Forget

Passages Through Music: Never Forget (Dreams We Share Productions)

Psoy Korolenko- Babi Yar

Yiddish Glory: The Lost Songs of World War II (Six Degrees)

Psoy Korolenko- Misha tserayst Hitlers Daytchland (Misha Tears Apart Hitler’s Germany)

Yiddish Glory: The Lost Songs of World War II (Six Degrees)

Perla Batalla featuring Bill Gable- Dance Me to the End of Love

Bird on the Wire: The Songs of Leonard Cohen (Mechuda Music)

Chuck Brodsky- Your Violin

Them and Us (Chuck Brodsky)

Leonard Cohen- The Partisan

Songs from a Room (Columbia/Legacy)

Theodore Bikel- Partizaner-March (March of the Partisans)

While I’m Here (Red House)

Henry Sapoznik- Itzik Vitnberg

Partisans of Vilna (Flying Fish)

Payadora Tango Ensemble featuring Marta Kosiorek- A Prayer for Rescue

Silent Tears: The Last Yiddish Tango (Six Degrees)

Payadora Tango Ensemble featuring Aviva Chernick- The Numbers on My Arm

Silent Tears: The Last Yiddish Tango (Six Degrees)

Chava Alberstein & The Klezmatics- Mayn Shvester Khaye (My Sister Khaye)

The Well (Rounder)

Noel Paul Stookey- Jean Claude

Just Causes (Neworld)

Zisl Slepovitch Ensemble & Sasha Lurje- Shotns (Shadows)

Shotns-Shadows (Fortunoff Video Archive)

Zisl Slepovitch Ensemble & Sasha Lurje- Geto, getunyu (Ghetto, My Dear Ghetto)

Shotns-Shadows (Fortunoff Video Archive)

Lee Oskar- Miracle Children

Passages Through Music: Never Forget (Dreams We Share Productions)

Next week: Conversation and Songs with Garnet Rogers.

--Mike Regenstreif