Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday September 12, 2023: Part 1 – Conversation and Songs with author David Eisenstadt; Part 2 – Songs of Dave Carter

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/595/61910.html

Themes: Part 1 – Conversation and Songs with author David Eisenstadt; Part 2 – Songs of Dave Carter.

Part 1: Conversation and Songs with David Eisenstadt. My conversation with David was recorded on August 14 via Zoom. The songs heard before and during the interview are by artists featured in David’s new book, Musicians Under the Radar: 36 Notable Canadian Jewish Performers. Visit https://undertheradarbook.com/ for more information about David and his books. 

Theresa Tova- Der Saksofon Shpiler (The Saxophone Player)

You Ask Me Why: Tova Sings Beyle (Tova Entertainment)

Colin Linden- Angel Next to Me

bLOW (Highway 20)

Nikki Yanofsky- Comes Love

Nikki By Starlight (MNRK Music Group)

David Buchbinder- Freylekhs Tumbao

Odessa/Havana (Tzadik)

Socalled (Josh Dolgin) with The Kaiser Quartett- Roumanishe Kretchme

Di Frosh and other Yiddish Songs (Membran)

Part 2 – Songs of Dave Carter (1952-2002)

Dave Carter was a very fine singer and songwriter who died suddenly of a massive heart attack on July 19, 2002, less than a month before he would have turned 50. Dave was in his mid-40s when he teamed up with fiddler and singer Tracy Grammer to form a duo that took the folk music world by storm.

Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer

Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer- Annie’s Lover

When I Go (Dave Carter)

Ronny Cox- When I Go

Ronny Cox Live (Ronny Cox)

Priscilla Herdman- Gentle Arms of Eden

The Road Home (Redwing Music)

Tracy Grammer- Mother, I Climbed

Flower of Avalon (Signature Sounds)

Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer- Tanglewood Tree

Tanglewood Tree (Signature Sounds)

Lucy Kaplansky- Cowboy Singer

The Red Thread (Red House)

Diane Zeigler- Gentle Soldier of My Soul

Paintbrush (Diane Zeigler)

Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer- I Go Like the Raven

Drum Hat Buddha (Signature Sounds)

Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer- Seven is the Number

Seven is the Number (Tracy Grammer Music)

Full Frontal Folk- Cat-Eye Willie Claims His Lover

Sweet Mystery of Life (Full Frontal Folk)

The Kennedys- Gypsy Rose

Songs of the OPEN ROAD (Appleseed)

Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer- Farewell to Saint Delores

Tanglewood Tree (Signature Sounds)

Next week: September Songs – That’s How the Summer Slips Away.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday May 16, 2023: Remembering Gordon Lightfoot

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/595/60419.html

Theme: Remembering Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023).

One of our greatest singer-songwriters – whose songs have done much to help define Canadian identity and culture – Gordon Lightfoot passed away on May 1st at age 84.

Gordon Lightfoot- Long River

The Original Lightfoot (EMI)

Bruce Cockburn- Ribbon of Darkness

Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot (Borealis/NorthernBlues)

Matthew Alexander- Steel Rail Blues

Soul River (Caravan)

Ilsey Juber- The Way I Feel

Ladies Sing Lightfoot (Sunset Blvd.)

Gordon Lightfoot- Bitter Green

Songbook (Warner Archives/Rhino)

Johnny Cash- For Lovin’ Me

The Man in Black 1963-’69, Plus (Bear Family)

George Hamilton IV- Did She Mention My Name

In the 4th Dimension (RCA)

Stephen Fearing- Early Morning Rain

Vejpoesi (Stephen Fearing)

Gordon Lightfoot- Alberta Bound

Songbook (Warner Archives/Rhino)

Murray McLauchlan- Home from the Forest

Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot (Borealis/NorthernBlues)

Katy Moffatt- Canadian Railroad Trilogy

Ladies Sing Lightfoot (Sunset Blvd.)

Connie Kaldor- If You Could Read My Mind

Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot (Borealis/NorthernBlues)

Gordon Lightfoot- Cold on the Shoulder

Songbook (Warner Archives/Rhino)

The Kennedys- Cotton Jenny

Ladies Sing Lightfoot (Sunset Blvd.)

Special Consensus- Brave Mountaineers

Great Blue North (Compass)

John McLachlan with Marc Atkinson & Scott White- The Patriot’s Dream

50 Years Since Don Quixote: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot (John McLachlan)

Gordon Lightfoot- The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Songbook (Warner Archives/Rhino)

Darling West- Sundown

Ladies Sing Lightfoot (Sunset Blvd.)

Tony Rice- Walls

Tony Rice Sings Gordon Lightfoot (Rounder) 

Quartette- Song for a Winter’s Night

Rocks and Roses (Outside Music)

Gordon Lightfoot- A Painter Passing Through

A Painter Passing Through (Reprise)

Next week: The traditional folk and blues songs of Bob Dylan.

Find me on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday December 6, 2022: Songs of Eric Andersen

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/595/58558.html

Theme: Songs of Eric Andersen

Eric Andersen, who will turn 80 on February 14, and who is still actively performing and writing, has been a significant singer-songwriter since he started on the folk scene in the early-1960s. I’ve known Eric for about 40 years – the first time he played at the Golem, the folk club I was then running in Montreal, was on February 12, 1983.

Eric Andersen & Mike Regenstreif (2000)

Eric Andersen- Thirsty Boots

Woodstock Under the Stars (Y&T Music)

Pete Seeger- My Land is a Good Land

God Bless the Grass (Columbia/Legacy)

Peter, Paul & Mary- Rolling Home

Album 1700 (Warner Bros.)

Eric Andersen- I Shall Go Unbounded

Woodstock Under the Stars (Y&T Music)

Mary Chapin Carpenter- Violets of Dawn

Tribute to a Songpoet: Songs of Eric Andersen (Y&T Music) or The Village: A Celebration of Greenwich Village (429)

The Kennedys- Waves of Freedom

Tribute to a Songpoet: Songs of Eric Andersen (Y&T Music)

Cliff Eberhardt- Dusty Box Car Wall

Tribute to a Songpoet: Songs of Eric Andersen (Y&T Music)

Dom Flemons- Song to J.C.B.

Tribute to a Songpoet: Songs of Eric Andersen (Y&T Music)

Happy Traum- Mary, I’m Coming Back Home

Tribute to a Songpoet: Songs of Eric Andersen (Y&T Music) or There’s a Bright Side Somewhere (Lark’s Nest Music)

Denice Franke- Baby, I’m Lonesome

Tribute to a Songpoet: Songs of Eric Andersen (Y&T Music)

Eric Andersen- Sign of a Desperate Man

Eric Andersen (Warner Bros.)

Alice Howe- Is It Really Love at All

Tribute to a Songpoet: Songs of Eric Andersen (Y&T Music)

David Buskin & Robin Batteau- Wind and Sand

Tribute to a Songpoet: Songs of Eric Andersen (Y&T Music)

Linda Ronstadt- (I Ain’t Always Been) Faithful

Tribute to a Songpoet: Songs of Eric Andersen (Y&T Music) or Linda Ronstadt (Capitol)

Jim Wurster- Sheila

Tribute to a Songpoet: Songs of Eric Andersen (Y&T Music)

Amy Helm- Blue River

Tribute to a Songpoet: Songs of Eric Andersen (Y&T Music)

Lucy Kaplansky- Eyes of the Immigrant

Tribute to a Songpoet: Songs of Eric Andersen (Y&T Music)

Eric Andersen- Rain Falls Down in Amsterdam

Woodstock Under the Stars (Y&T Music)

Eric Andersen (2019)

Eric Andersen- Just a Country Dream

A Country Dream (Vanguard)

Next week: Joni Mitchell.

Find me on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday August 31, 2021: Remembering Nanci Griffith (1953-2021)

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/595/53257.html

Theme: Remembering Nanci Griffith (1953-2021)

Nanci Griffith – a superb and influential singer, songwriter and performer – died on August 13th at age 68. The show includes some of Nanci’s recordings, some of her collaborations with other artists, and some of her songs performed by other artists.

Nanci Griffith- There’s a Light Beyond These Woods
There’s a Light Beyond These Woods (Philo)

Nanci Griffith- Julie Anne
Poet In My Window (Philo)
Kathy Mattea- Love at the Five & Dime
Walk the Way the Wind Blows (Mercury)
Nanci Griffith- Daddy Said
Once In a Very Blue Moon (Philo)

It's been a long time since I’d seen her or been in touch, but Nanci and I were close in the 1980s when she came to Montreal frequently to play concerts at The Golem, the folk club I was then running. She'd always stay with me and we had some great times. One day she wrote the song, “Banks of the Pontchartrain,” in my apartment.

Nanci Griffith- Banks of the Pontchartrain
The Last of the True Believers (Philo)
Tom Russell & Nanci Griffith- St. Olav’s Gate
The Long Way Around (HighTone)
Suzy Bogguss- Outbound Plane
Aces (EMI)

Nanci Griffith- Time Alone
Once In a Very Blue Moon (Philo)

Nanci Griffith & Arlo Guthrie- Tecumseh Valley
Other Voices/Other Rooms (Elektra)
Nanci Griffith- Up Against the Rain
The Loving Kind (Rounder)

Nanci Griffith- Ten Degrees and Colder
Other Voices/Other Rooms (Elektra)
Nanci Griffith- You Were On My Mind
Other Voices, Too (A Trip Back to Bountiful) (Elektra)
Nanci Griffith & Tom Russell- Summer Wages
Other Voices, Too (A Trip Back to Bountiful) (Elektra)
Nanci Griffith & Ian Tyson- Canadian Whiskey
Other Voices, Too (A Trip Back to Bountiful) (Elektra)
Jimmy Buffett & Nanci Griffith- Someone I Used to Love
License to Chill (Mailboat)

Caroline Doctorow- Trouble In the Fields
Trouble In the Fields: An Artists’ Tribute to Nanci Griffith (Paradiddle)
Red Molly- Lookin’ for the Time
Trouble In the Fields: An Artists’ Tribute to Nanci Griffith (Paradiddle)
The Kennedys- I’m Not Drivin’ These Wheels
Trouble In the Fields: An Artists’ Tribute to Nanci Griffith (Paradiddle)
Nanci Griffith- Hell No (I’m Not Alright)
Intersection (Hell No)

Nanci Griffith with The London Symphony Orchestra- Late Night Grande Hotel
The Dust Bowl Symphony (Elektra)
Emmylou Harris & Willie Nelson- Gulf Coast Highway
Duets (Reprise)
Nanci Griffith with Carolyn Hester- Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m Bound
Other Voices/Other Rooms (Elektra)
Lucy Kaplansky- I Wish It Would Rain
Everyday Street (Lucy Kaplansky)
Nanci Griffith- The Wing and the Wheel
The Last of the True Believers (Philo)

Nanci Griffith- Spin On a Red Brick Floor
One Fair Summer Evening (MCA)

Next week: A Tribute to The Everly Brothers

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

And on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Sid Selvidge 1943-2013

I was deeply saddened this evening to learn that Sid Selvidge, the great Memphis folk and blues artist, passed away today after a battle with cancer.

Sid had an astounding knowledge of traditional and contemporary roots music. In addition to his solo work, he played in several bands and was the executive producer of the Beale Street Caravan radio program.

I first discovered Sid in 1993 when Sing Out! magazine asked me to review an album of Sid’s called Twice Told Tales. Although he was a veteran performer by then, it was the first time I heard of him. The album, now long out-of-print blew me away – the Sing Out review is below – and it’s been a favorite of mine ever since. “Watch and Chain,” a song from Twice Told Tales was the first thing I played on the pilot edition of the Folk Roots/Folk Branches radio show on January 16, 1994 on CKUT in Montreal.

I met Sid and hung out with him some when I visited Memphis in 1998 for the Folk Alliance conference. And when Folk Alliance came to Montreal in 2005, I did an astounding program of all live-in-the-studio performances with a bunch of great guests: Full Frontal Folk, Andy Cohen & Ragtime Jack Radcliffe, Natalia Zukerman, The Kennedys, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Tracy Grammer & Jim Henry, Anne Hills & Michael Smith, and Sid Selvidge. Sid played great versions of “Long Black Veil,” “Buffalo Skinners” and “Judge Bouche.”

Sid was not a prolific recording artist and when his next album, A Little Bit of Rain, came out in 2003, I eagerly reviewed it for both Sing Out and the Montreal Gazette. The Sing Out review of that one is also below.

SID SELVIDGE
Twice Told Tales
Elektra Nonesuch 

(This review appeared in Sing Out! magazine in 1993.)

Because we hear so much dross, record reviewers are always delighted to come across a terrific album.  Doubly so when the album is by an artist that we're previously unfamiliar with.  This is one such album and Sid Selvidge is one such artist.

He's no Johnny-Come-Lately though.  It turns out that Selvidge, an anthropologist by vocation and musician by avocation, has had a long history on the Memphis music scene dating back to the early 1960s when he met, befriended and learned from such blues legends as Furry Lewis, Bukka White, and the "Mississippis": John Hurt and Fred McDowell.

On about half the album, Selvidge, who acknowledges his sources, plays solo with terrific interpretations of traditional blues and folk songs.  On the rest he delves into close-to-the-roots gospel, blues, swing and rock and roll with subdued backing by four or five other musicians.  Three of the 13 songs are from Selvidge's own pen.

On occasion, most notably on Mississipi Fred McDowell's version of "Watch and Chain" and on the traditional western ballad "Buffalo Skinners," Selvidge achieves a powerful intensity that is downright scary.  Elsewhere, he does a playful, swingtime version of the classic Hank Williams hit "Lovesick Blues," that sounds like he's having a lot of fun.  On "Tell Me Why You Like Roosevelt," Selvidge seems to have absorbed what made early-Sam Cooke such a great gospel singer and on "Since I Met You Baby," he shows his facility as a band leader on a more jazzy-than-delta kind of blues.  This album merits a strong recommendation. –Mike Regenstreif

SID SELVIDGE
A Little Bit of Rain
Archer

(This review appeared in Sing Out! magazine in 2003.)

A decade ago, Sing Out! asked me to review Twice Told Tales by Sid Selvidge, a Memphis-based artist that I was not previously familiar with.  It was a great album, one that I’ve returned to often over the years.  Finally, 10 years later, Selvidge, now the executive producer of the syndicated Beale Street Caravan radio program, has done a follow-up.  Beginning with a sweet version of Fred Neil’s title song, and ending with “Arkansas Girl,” a lovely country waltz and the only Selvidge original, the CD is a seamless blend of blues, traditional country, folk music, rhythm and blues and rock ‘n’ roll in settings that range from solo voice and guitar to a cooking full band with horn section and backup vocalists.  There are few performers with the musical vocabulary to so convincingly sound like he’s at home with all of these different styles.

One of my favorite tracks is “Swannanoa Tunnel,” a haunting Appalachian song associated with traditional artists Roscoe Holcomb and Bascom Lamar Lunsford that Selvidge performs solo with just his guitar.  Interestingly, he points out that Lunsford is the great uncle of his daughter-in-law.  He also does a nice version of “Hobo Bill,” a song recorded more than 70 years ago by Jimmie Rodgers.  Selvidge is particularly adept at the blues and offers a fine arrangement of “Mama You Don’t Mean Me No Good,” that’s halfway between urban sophisticate and down home jug band.  His version of “Long Tall Mama” recalls Big Bill Broonzy’s early Chicago period.  Lets hope that Selvidge’s next record won’t take another decade.  –Mike Regenstreif

Find me on Twitter. twitter.com/@mikeregenstreif

And on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

This week in Folk Roots/Folk Branches history (February 23-March 1)

Folk Roots/Folk Branches with Mike Regenstreif was a Thursday tradition on CKUT in Montreal for nearly 14 years from February 3, 1994 until August 30, 2007. Folk Roots/Folk Branches continued as occasional features on CKUT and is now a blog. Here’s the 26th instalment of “This week in Folk Roots/Folk Branches,” a weekly look back continuing through next August at some of the most notable guests, features and moments in Folk Roots/Folk Branches history.

February 27, 1997: Guests- Sam Gesser; Steve Fruitman.
February 25, 1999: Guest- Corky Siegel.
March 1, 2001: Extended feature- Seal Maiden: A Celtic Musical by Karan Casey.
February 26, 2004: Black History Month feature- Blues in the Mississippi Night, recorded by Alan Lomax on March 2, 1947, with Memphis Slim, Big Bill Broonzy and Sonny Boy Williamson.
February 24, 2005: All live music show with guests- Full Frontal Folk; Andy Cohen & Ragtime Jack Radcliffe; Natalia Zukerman; Sid Selvidge; The Kennedys; Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer; Tracy Grammer with Jim Henry; Anne Hills & Michael Smith.
February 23, 2006: Show theme- A pre-Mardi Gras Celebration of New Orleans.
March 1, 2007: Guests- Dave Clarke & Ellen Shizgal of Steel Rail.

--Mike Regenstreif