Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – September 23, 2025: "If It Were Up to Me" and Songs of Cole Porter

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/595/72082.html

Themes: Part 1 – “If It Were Up to Me”; Part 2 – Songs of Cole Porter (1891-1964).

Part 1 – “If It Were Up to Me”

Cheryl Wheeler wrote “If It Were Up to Me” more than 25 years ago about the epidemic of gun violence in the United States – an epidemic that was bad then and which has only grown worse since.

The Advocate Collective included Aaron Parnell Brown, Andy Rogovin, Beth Wood, Crys Matthews, Danielle Miraglia, Erik Balkey, Genevieve, Joe Crookston, Kim Moberg, Lilli Lewis, Lisa Bastoni, Monique Byrne, Mya Byrne, Neale Eckstein, Pat Wictor, Rod MacDonald, Tom Prasada-Rao, Tret Fure, and Vance Gilbert.

The Advocate Collective- If It Were Up to Me

If It Were Up to Me – single (Hudson Harding Music)

Eric Bogle- Roll Call

A Toss of the Coin (Greentrax)

Ellis Paul- When Angels Fall

55 (Rosella)

HuDost- Broken Down in America

The Monkey in the Crown (Open Sesame Music)

Kemp Harris- Don’t You Hear Them America

The America Chronicles (Righteous Mischief)

Tom Paxton- Johnny Got a Gun

Wearing the Time (Sugar Hill)

Friction Farm- Louder Than Guns

Stone By Stone (Friction Farm)

Eric Andersen- Dangerland (Love People Not Guns)

Eric Andersen in (Spoken) Pieces (EARecords)

Magpie- What If, No Matter

A Tiding (Longtail)

Part 2 – Songs of Cole Porter (1891-1964)

Cole Porter was one of the songwriters responsible for the standards referred to as the Great American Songbook.

Martha Wainwright- Allez-vous-en

The McGarrigle Hour (Hannibal)

Billie Holiday- Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love)

The Quintessential Billie Holiday, Volume 9 (1940-1942) (Columbia/Legacy)

Susie Arioli Swing Band featuring Jordan Officer- What is This Thing Called Love

It’s Wonderful (Susie Arioli Swing Band)

k.d. lang- Love for Sale

Recollection (Nonesuch)

Mose Scarlett- Miss Otis Regrets

The Fundamental Things (Pyramid)

Noa- Anything Goes

Afterallogy (Naïve)

Mary McCaslin- Don’t Fence Me In

Old Friends (Philo)

The Bill Hilly Band (The Bills)- Begin the Beguine

All Day Every Day (Borealis)

Nikki Yanofsky- I Get a Kick Out of You

Nikki By Starlight (MNRK Music Group)

Sophie Milman- My Heart Belongs to Daddy

Sophie Milman (Linus)

Harry Connick, Jr..- Just One of Those Things

True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter (Verve)

Lew London- Night and Day

Swingtime in Springtime (Philo/Rounder Archive)

Anita O'Day- You’re the Top

Anita (Verve)

Next week: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – February 11, 2025: Four Strong Winds

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/595/68904.html

Theme: Four Strong Winds.

Ian & Sylvia- Four Strong Winds

Four Strong Winds (Vanguard)

John Stewart- Chilly Winds

Cannons in the Rain/Wingless Angels (One Way)

Mike Regenstreif & Jesse Winchester (2006)

Jesse Winchester- Blow On, Chilly Wind

Let the Rough Side Drag (Stony Plain)

Mike Regenstreif & Bill Staines (1993)

Bill Staines with Guy Van Duser- Canadian Winds

Old Wood and Winter Wine (Mineral River)

Amy Helm- Mandolin Wind

This Too Shall Light (Yep Roc)

Boreal- Cold North Wind

Winterbirds (Boreal)

Mike Regenstreif & Mary McCaslin (1999)

Mary McCaslin- Wayward Wind

Old Friends (Philo)

Mike Regenstreif & Jimmy LaFave (2017)

Jimmy LaFave- Catch the Wind

Cimarron Manifesto (Red House)

Eve Goldberg & Mike Regenstreif (2013)

Eve Goldberg- Sweet Sorrow in the Wind

Ever Brightening Day (Sweet Patootie Music)

Dakota Dave Hull & Sean Blackburn- The Wicked Wind of Fargo

River of Swing (Arabica)

Mike Regenstreif & Bruce Cockburn (2017)

Bruce Cockburn- High Winds White Sky

High Winds White Sky (True North)

Sam Cooke- They Call the Wind Mariah

Sam Cooke (RCA)

Mike Regenstreif & David Amram (2004)

David Amram- Wind from the Indies

No More Walls (Flying Fish)

Mike Regenstreif & David Francey (2019)

David Francey- Wind in the Wires

Torn Screen Door (Laker Music)

Jim Ringer- Any Old Wind That Blows

The Band of Jesse James: The Best of Jim Ringer (Philo)

Barrence Whitfield & Tom Russell- A Little Wind

Cowboy Mambo (Stony Plain)

Wenzel- Blow, Big Wind

Ticky Tock: Wenzel Sings Woody Guthrie (Conträr Musik) 

James Gordon- Wild Wind Blows 

Wrinkles and Scars (James Gordon) 

Mike Regenstreif & Priscilla Herdman (1978)

Priscilla Herdman- Wild Wind

The Road Home (Redwing Music)

Tex König- Wild Winds

Königsblende (Music Cellar)

Wendy Grossman- South Wind

The Last Trip Home (Riverlark Music)

Andy Cohen- Windy and Warm

Road Be Kind (Earwig)

Next week: Songs from the Gullah Traditions.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – October 29, 2024: Stars & Skies

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/595/67488.html

Theme: Stars & Skies – all the songs have something or other to do with stars and/or skies.

This is the first 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

Jesse Winchester- North Star

Third Down, 110 to Go (Stony Plain)

Mike Regenstreif & Jesse Winchester (2006)

Jesse Winchester- How Far to the Horizon?

Learn to Love It (Stony Plain)

Mason Daring & Jeanie Stahl- Counting on the Stars

The Early Years (Daring)

James Keelaghan- My Skies

History: The First 25 Years (Borealis)

Mike Regenstreif & Connie Kaldor (2015)

Connie Kaldor- Sky with Nothing to Get in the Way

Sky with Nothing to Get in the Way (Coyote Entertainment)

Mike Regenstreif & Lynn Miles (2013)

Lynn Miles- We’ll Look for Stars

We’ll Look for Stars (Must Have Music)

Martha Seyler & Robert Resnik- Blue Skies

Martha Sings & Robert Plays (Martha Seyler & Robert Resnik)

Dave Van Ronk- Would You Like to Swing on a Star?

Sunday Street (Philo)

Mike Regenstreif & Bruce Cockburn (2017)

Bruce Cockburn- Whole Night Sky

Rarities (True North)

The Wailin’ Jennys- Bright Morning Stars

Bright Morning Stars (True North)

Mike Regenstreif & Bruce Cockburn (2007)

Bruce Murdoch- I Sit and Count the Stars

Matters of the Heart (Bruce Murdoch)

Cindy Church, George Koller, Joe Sealy- Stardust

The Nearness of You: A Tribute to the Music of Hoagy Carmichael (Seajam)

Vance Gilbert- Ten Thousand Skies

Unfamiliar Moon (Disismye Music)

Steel Rail- Prairie Sky

The Road Less Travelled (Crossties)

Caroline Doctorow- Prairie in the Sky

I Carry All I Own: The Songs of Mary McCaslin (Narrow Lane)

Tom Paxton & John McCutcheon- Prairie Star

Together (Appalseed Productions) 

The Wainwright Sisters- Dusty Skies

Songs in the Dark (MapleMusic)

Mike Regenstreif & Mary McCaslin (1999)

Mary McCaslin- Ghost Riders in the Sky

Prairie in the Sky (Philo)

Anne Hills- Pleiades

Bittersweet Street (Redwing Music)

Eric Bogle- One Small Star

At This Stage (Greentrax)

Jane Voss & Hoyle Osborne- The Galaxy Song

Beyond the Boundaries (Ripple)

Mike Regenstreif & Priscilla Herdman (2000)

Priscilla Herdman- Underneath the Stars

Into the Stars (Stardreamer Music)

Guy Van Duser & Billy Novick- Stars Fell on Alabama

Stride Guitar (Rounder)

Next week: Addendums to Past Themes (CKCU Funding Drive)

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday April 11, 2023: Old Friends

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/595/60053.html

Theme: Old Friends – all the songs relate, in one way or another – to friendship. The five songs on the show called “Old Friends” are all different songs.

Guy Clark- Old Friends

Old Friends (Sugar Hill)

Andy Cohen- Bob Dylan’s Dream

Tryin’ to Get Home (Earwig)

Tom Russell- These Friends of Mine

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

Nanci Griffith, Dave Van Ronk & Eric Taylor- He was a Friend of Mine

Other Voices, Too (A Trip Back to Bountiful) (Elektra) 

Sneezy Waters- Circle of Friends

Sneezy Waters (Sneezy Waters)

Tom Mitchell, Mike Regenstreif & Mary McCaslin (1999)

Mary McCaslin- Old Friends

Old Friends (Philo)

Ronney Abramson- Three O’Clock Ride

Three O’Clock Ride – single (Ronney Abramson)

Jane Voss & Hoyle Osborne- To All My Friends in Far-Flung Places

Sparkle and Shine (Front Hall)

Shelley Posen- Having a Drink with Jane

The Old Songs Home (Well Done Music)

Tom Mitchell- You Save Everything

When the Moon is Right (Truesongs)

Huxtable, Christensen & Hood- Oldest of Friends

Wallflowers (Philo)

Frida’s Brow- Old Friends

Frida’s Brow (Frida’s Brow)

John McCutcheon- That’s All

Cabin Fever: Songs from the Quarantine (Appalsongs)

Bill Staines- Dear Friend

The Second Million Miles (Red House)

Mike Regenstreif, Bruce Murdoch & Sneezy Waters (2014)

Bruce Murdoch- Farewell My Friend

Singer-Songwriter Project (Elektra)

Tom Paxton- Comedians and Angels

Comedians & Angels (Appleseed)

Lucy Kaplansky- Old Friends

Everyday Street (Lucy Kaplansky)

Terra Spencer & Ben Caplan- Good Friends

Old News (Terra Spencer & Ben Caplan)

Durham County Poets- With a Little Help from My Friends

Hand Me Down Blues (Durham County Poets)

Rosalie Sorrels & Mike Regenstreif (1993)

Rosalie Sorrels- Sweet Loving Friendship

Borderline Heart (Green Linnet)

Pete Seeger with Arlo Guthrie & Shenendoah- Precious Friend You Will Be There

Precious Friend (Warner Bros.)

Gathering Time- Old Friends

Old Friends (Triple-G Records)

Next week: The Philosophy of Modern Song.

Find me on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday October 11, 2022: Remembering Loretta Lynn and Mary McCaslin

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 prerecorded and can already be streamed on-demand by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/57903.html

Themes: Remembering Loretta Lynn and Mary McCaslin.

Legendary country singer Loretta Lynn (1932-2022) died on October 4 at age 90. Loretta Lynn came from humble beginnings as a coal miner’s daughter from Butcher Hollow, Kentucky. Her autobiography, the feature film that was based on it, and her signature song are called “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”

Loretta Lynn- Coal Miner’s Daughter

All Time Greatest Hits (MCA/Decca)

Eilen Jewell- I’m a Honky Tonk Girl

Butcher Holler: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn (Signature Sounds)

Ian & Sylvia- After the Fire is Gone

The Lost Tapes (Stony Plain)

Little Willies- Fist City

For the Good Times (Milking Bull)

Loretta Lynn- Whispering Sea

Full Circle (Sony/Legacy)

Rhiannon Giddens- She’s Got You

Tomorrow is My Turn (Nonesuch)

Emmylou Harris & The Nash Ramblers- Blue Kentucky Girl

Ramble in Music City: The Lost Concert 1990 (Nonesuch)

April Verch- You Ain’t Woman Enough

Once a Day (Slab Town)

Loretta Lynn- Who’s Gonna Miss Me?

Full Circle (Sony/Legacy)

Mary McCaslin (1946-2022) was a folksinger, songwriter and pioneering open-tuning guitarist, who died on October 2 at age 75 following a seven-year battle with progressive supranuclear palsy. Mary was an old friend who I first met, circa 1973, when we both became part of a circle of friends centered around The Barn in North Ferrisburgh, Vermont, then the headquarters of Philo Records.

Mary McCaslin- Music Strings/Oh Hollywood

Way Out West (Philo)

Caroline Doctorow- Way Out West

I Carry All I Own: The Songs of Mary McCaslin (Narrow Lane)

Stan Rogers- Down the Road

From Coffee House to Concert Hall (Fogarty’s Cove)

Sneezy Waters- Circle of Friends

Sneezy Waters (Sneezy Waters)

Mary McCaslin- Young Westley

Way Out West (Philo)

Mary McCaslin & Jim Ringer- The Bramble and the Rose

The Bramble and the Rose (Philo)

Mary McCaslin- Suzanne

Rain: The Lost Album (Bear Family)

Mike Regenstreif & Mary McCaslin (1999)

Mary McCaslin- Ballad of Weaverville

Prairie in the Sky (Philo)

Caroline Doctorow- Back to Salinas

I Carry All I Own: The Songs of Mary McCaslin (Narrow Lane)

Tom Russell- Prairie in the Sky

Song of the West: The Cowboy Collection (HMG)

Mary McCaslin- My Love

Prairie in the Sky (Philo)

Mary McCaslin- Someone Who Looks Me

Broken Promises (Philo)

Mary McCaslin- Old Friends

Old Friends (Philo)

Next week: Songs of Jimmie Rodgers.

Find me on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday January 4, 2022: The Folk Roots of Rock ‘n’ Roll and The Rock ‘n’ Roll Branches of Folk Music

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU in Ottawa on Tuesday afternoons 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 prerecorded at home and can already be streamed on-demand by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/54758.html

Theme: The Folk Roots of Rock ‘n’ Roll and The Rock ‘n’ Roll Branches of Folk Music – rock ‘n’ roll artists sing folk songs and folk-rooted artists sing rock ‘n’ roll songs.

The Animals- House of the Rising Sun
The Animals (ABCKO)
Dave Van Ronk- Alley Oop
Dave Van Ronk and The Hudson Dusters (Verve Forecast)
Little Richard- Rock Island Line
Folkways: A Vision Shared – A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly (Columbia)
Ian & Sylvia- Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa
Play One More (Vanguard)

David Johansen and the Harry Smiths- James Alley Blues
David Johansen and the Harry Smiths (Chesky)
Last Forever- Duke of Earl
Trainfare Home (StorySound)
Rod Stewart- Man of Constant Sorrow
Handbags and Gladrags: The Essential Rod Stewart (Spectrum)
Original Sloth Band- Get a Job
Whoopee After Midnight (Sloth)

Ronnie Hawkins- John Henry
The Folk Ballads of Ronnie Hawkins (Edsel)

James Stephens, Finest Kind, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger & Mike Regenstreif (2009)

Finest Kind- Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?
Silks & Spices (Fallen Angle Music)
John Oates- My Creole Belle
Arkansas (PS)
Chaim Tannenbaum, Kate & Anna McGarrigle & Lily Lanken- Young Love
The McGarrigle Hour (Hannibal)

The Band- Ain’t No More Cane on the Brazos
The Band: 50th Anniversary Edition (Capitol)
Tom Rush- Too Much Monkey Business
Tom Rush/Take a Little Walk with Me (BGO)
Bruce Springsteen- Jacob’s Ladder
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (Columbia)
Brooksie Wells- I’m a Believer
Stops Time (Down Home Dive)

The Beach Boys- Sloop John B
Fifty Big Ones: Greatest Hits (Capitol)
Jesse Winchester- Whispering Bells
A Reasonable Amount of Trouble (Appleseed)
Creedence Clearwater Revival- Cotton Fields
Willy and the Poor Boys (Fantasy)
Kathy & Carol- Searchin’
The Village Out West: The Lost Tapes of Alan Oakes – Field Recordings of the 1960s California Folk Music Scene (Smithsonian Folkways)

Mike Regenstreif & Mary McCaslin (1999)

Johnny Rivers- Long Time Man
Johnny Rivers Rocks the Folk (Imperial)
Doc Watson- Shake, Rattle and Roll
Docabilly (Sugar Hill)
Brook Benton- It Takes a Worried Man
The Boll Weevil Song (Mercury)
Mary McCaslin- Pinball Wizard
Old Friends (Philo)

Sting- Shallow Brown
Rogues’ Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys (Anti-)
Huxtable, Christensen & Hood- Mr. Blue
Melancholy Babies (Front Hall)

The Roches- Come Softly to Me
Another World (Warner Bros.)

Next week: Songs of Winter.

Find me on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday October 26, 2021: Songs of Randy Newman

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU in Ottawa on Tuesday afternoons 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 prerecorded at home and can already be streamed on-demand by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/53908.html

Theme: Songs of Randy Newman

Randy Newman (Twitter)

Randy Newman- She Chose Me
Dark Matter (Nonesuch)

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee with Arlo Guthrie- Sail Away
Sonny & Brownie (A&M)
Randy Newman- It’s Lonely at the Top
Sail Away (Reprise)
Dave Van Ronk- Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear
To All My Friends in Far-Flung Places (Gazell)
The Duhks- Political Science
Sail Away: The Songs of Randy Newman (Sugar Hill)

Randy Newman- Burn On
Sail Away (Reprise)
Sussex- Dayton, Ohio – 1903
Parade Day (Lucky Bear)
Tracy Nelson- God’s Song (That’s Why I Love Mankind)
Homemade Songs/Come See About Me (Flying Fish)

Chris Smither- Old Kentucky Home
I’m a Stranger Too (Tomato)

Caroline Doctorow- I Think It’s Going to Rain Today
Dreaming in Vinyl (Narrow Lane)
Odetta- Mama Told Me Not to Come
Odetta Sings (Polydor)
Randy Newman- I’ll Be Home
Randy Newman Live (Warner Bros.)

The Del McCoury Band- Birmingham
Sail Away: The Songs of Randy Newman (Sugar Hill)
Judy Collins- Marie
Hard Times for Lovers (Elektra)
Randy Newman- Mr. President (Have Pity on the Working Man)
Good Old Boys (Warner Bros.)
Madeleine Peyroux- Guilty
The Blue Room (Decca)
Michael Jerome Browne- Louisiana 1927
That’s Where It’s At! (Borealis)
Mollie O'Brien- Rollin’
Big Red Sun (Sugar Hill)

Jeanie Stahl- Texas Girl at the Funeral of Her Father
Mysteries (Daring)
Peter Mulvey- In Germany Before the War
Ten Thousand Mornings (Signature Sounds)
Nina Simone- Baltimore
Baltimore (Epic/Legacy)
Randy Newman- Old Man on the Farm
Little Criminals (Warner Bros.)

Mary McCaslin- Living Without You
Way Out West (Philo)
Peggy Lee- Love Story
Is That All There Is (Capitol)
Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton & Emmylou Harris- Feels Like Home
Trio II (Asylum)
Randy Newman- Harps and Angels
Harps and Angels (Nonesuch)

Next week: CKCU Funding Drive – Show Us the Money, Please

Find me on Twitter. www.twitter.com/mikeregenstreif

And on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Martin Grosswendt & Susanne Salem-Schatz – Old Songs, New Hats

MARTIN GROSSWENDT & SUSANNE SALEM-SCHATZ

Old Songs, New Hats

martingrosswendt.com

Martin Grosswendt, whose recordings over the years have appeared all too rarely, has been one of my favorite blues artists for about four decades. He is also rather accomplished at various other traditionally based roots styles and his eclecticism is more than evident on this seven-song, 22-minute EP marking the first release from his duo with Susanne Salem-Schatz as they draw on blues, real deal country music and contemporary folk music.

Martin and Susanne are a self-contained unit with Martin on guitar and banjo, Susanne on guitar and mandolin, and both trading lead and harmony vocals. Among my favorite tracks is Martin’s version of Larry Murray’s great song about an old Cajun barroom singer, “Mama Lou.” I’m sure I must have heard Martin backing up our mutual friends Jim Ringer and Mary McCaslin on “Mama Lou” at some point back in the 1970s.

Other highlights include “How Can You Have the Blues,” with Martin as Georgia Tom and Susanne as Kansas City Kitty, and Susanne’s take on the classic blues “After You’ve Gone.”

Find me on Twitter. twitter.com/@mikeregenstreif

And on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Martin Grosswendt – Payday!

MARTIN GROSSWENDT

Payday!

martingrosswendt.com

In 2004, reviewing Call and Response, Martin Grosswendt’s second album in Sing Out! magazine, I wrote, “Hey Martin, I surely do not want to wait another 25 years for your third album.” Yes, that superb sophomore album came out a quarter-century after Dog on a Dance Floor, released by Philo Records in its pre-Rounder Vermont era.

Well, the wait for Payday! Martin’s third album, was considerably shorter at only a decade, but still too long – but, like its predecessor, it was well worth the wait.

The Philo studio in Vermont was about a two-hour drive from Montreal and it was one of my main stomping grounds for much of the 1970s. I first met Martin there, circa 1973 or ’74, when he was recording with artists like Bruce “Utah” Phillips, Mary McCaslin, Jim Ringer, Tom Mitchell and many others. I don’t think he’d turned 20 yet, but I knew from the first time I heard him play that he was already one of the finest interpreters of traditional country blues (and other kinds of music as well).

Coming about 40 years after that first encounter, Payday! is the work of a masterful musician who performs songs drawn from the great blues legends – and from several contemporary songwriters, including himself – with a deep-from-the-well authenticity and intensity that is rarely achieved by contemporary interpreters. And that authenticity applies to his singing as much as it does to his playing.

While it’s a completely solo album – Martin plays guitar on most tracks but switches to banjo or fiddle occasionally – there is a fullness to Martin’s arrangements that makes other musicians unnecessary.

While he can growl with the best of them – as on his own song “Liquored Up and Twisted,” where his solo guitar seems like a full Chicago-style band – Martin is one of those too-rare artists who can be tender in his singing and bring an appreciation of the real poetry of the blues. This is particularly evident in his masterful interpretations of such songs as Mississippi John Hurt’s “Payday,” “Delia,” and Uncle Dave Macon’s “Mournin’ Blues,” a slowed down, sorrowful version of “Morning Blues,” that brings new meaning to the song.

Martin’s inventive use of the banjo on Muddy Water’s “I Can’t Be Satisfied” and J.B. Lenoir’s “Down in Mississippi,” gives those songs such a different spin from the originals that I hear them, too, in whole new lights.

And the instrumental fiddle medley of his own “Blues for Danny Poullard” and Joseph “Bébé” Carriere’s “Blue Runner” beautifully combines Cajun and blues influences.

Two of my favorites on the album are contemporary songs I first heard Martin perform live decades ago. His versions of Richard Thompson’s “Down Where the Drunkards Roll” and Bobby Charles’ “Tennessee Blues” are both definitive and beautiful.

Hey Martin, I surely do not want to wait another decade for your fourth album.

Find me on Twitter. twitter.com/@mikeregenstreif

And on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif