In Praise of Tom Paxton, Part 3

Folk Roots/Folk Branches with Mike Regenstreif is now a 30-minute feature heard occasionally on CKUT, 90.3 FM in Montreal.

Thursday April 23, 2009

Guest- Tom Paxton

In Praise of Tom Paxton, Part 3

This was the third of three Folk Roots/Folk Branches features in praise of Tom Paxton.

Tom performs Sunday April 26 at the Oscar Peterson Concert Hall, his first Montreal concert since his regular sold-out concerts at the Golem in the 1980s. Call Hello Darlin’ Productions at 514-524-9225 for tickets or information. Tom is one of the all-time greatest folk-based singer-songwriters, and one of my all-time favourite performers. Definitely a don’t miss concert.

MIKE REGENSTREIF- commentary 1

A song written for the first Earth Day, April 22, 1969.

TOM PAXTON- Whose Garden Was This
Tom Paxton 6 (Collectables)

MIKE REGENSTREIF- commentary 2

TOM PAXTON & MIKE REGENSTREIF- conversation

That conversation with Tom Paxton was recorded on April 15th.

MIKE REGENSTREIF- commentary 3

TOM PAXTON- How Beautiful Upon the Mountain
Comedians & Angels (Appleseed)
TOM PAXTON- The Honor of Your Company
Live for the Record (Sugar Hill)

MIKE REGENSTREIF- commentary 4

For more on Tom Paxton, visit http://tompaxton.com/.

Folk Roots/Folk Branches is now a blog featuring Mike Regenstreif’s playlists, CD and DVD reviews, news and commentaries.

http://frfb.blogspot.com/

Sing Out! Magazine

The March/April/May issue of Sing Out! Magazine landed in my mailbox today. The cover story is on legendary songwriter Billy Edd Wheeler.

As usual, this issue of Sing Out! includes a bunch of my CD reviews. Among them:

Stephen Barry & Andrew Cowan- Duo
Jonatha Brooke- The Works
Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson- Rattlin' Bones
Rodney Crowell- Sex & Gasoline
Bob Dylan- The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs
Arlo Guthrie w/The Dillards- 32 Cents/Postage Due
Klez Dispensers- Say You'll Understand
Jez Lowe & the Bad Pennies- Northern Echoes: Live on the Tyne
Old Crow Medicine Show- Tennessee Pusher
Paul Reddick- SugarBird
Roaring Girl Cabaret- In Last Night's Party Clothes
Pete Seeger- At 89
Various Artists- Dancing Alone: Songs of Williams Hawkins
Various Artists- Songs of Social Justice
Various Artists- The Rough Guide to Klezmer Revolution
April Verch- Steal the Blue
Robin & Linda Williams- Buena Vista

Montreal Gazette's Album of the Week

Although my weekly CD reviews are gone from the Montreal Gazette (I promise to start posting reviews here soon), I still occasionally write the Gazette's Album of the Week feature. This week's is my review of Jesse Winchester's new album, Love Filling Station (Appleseed).

Jesse Winchester

Love Filling Station

Appleseed

****1/2 out of five

MIKE REGENSTREIF

SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE

For a little over a decade, beginning with his self-titled debut classic in 1970, longtime Montrealer Jesse Winchester released albums of new material at a relatively prolific rate; seven albums in 11 years, each chock filled with great songs. In the ‘80s, though, the pace slowed to a trickle. There was a new album in 1989, then a decade’s wait until 1999.

Another decade has passed. In the years since, Winchester has remarried and left Quebec – where he lived for almost four decades since arriving at Dorval Airport as a Vietnam War-era draft resistor – for small town Virginia. And, at last, we have a new Jesse Winchester studio album; nine finely-crafted original gems and three excellent covers.

Winchester grew up in Memphis and his music has often blended Memphis R ‘n’ B traditions with country and folk influences. This album also has a very strong influence of early rock ‘n’ roll, particularly the ballad tradition of singers like Roy Orbison, a bit of jazz, and, perhaps in a nod to the sounds that waft through the Virginia countryside where he now lives, a hefty dose of bluegrass. Several of the core backup musicians, including guitarist Russ Barenberg, steel guitarist Jerry Douglas, fiddler Andy Leftwich and singer Claire Lynch have deep roots in bluegrass.

A couple of the songs, Bless Your Foolish Heart and Eulalie, both in country veins, first surfaced on Live from Mountain Stage, a live album put together from Winchester’s appearances on that American public radio program. Both seem fresh and new in these arrangements fleshed out by the fine studio band.

Another previously-heard tune is O What A Thrill, a ‘90s Winchester tune covered by the Mavericks. Winchester reclaims the song for himself with a gently rocking arrangement that highlights his haunting, liquid-like tenor voice. Others in that vein include Sham-A-Ling-Dong-Ding and a version of Stand By Me, the old Ben E. King hit that Winchester convincingly makes his own with his so-very-soulful singing and an arrangement highlighting Leftwich’s fiddling.

Other standouts include It’s A Shame About Him, an infectious country-swing tune that would have done Roger Miller proud, and the simply gorgeous I Turn To My Guitar which captures the feelings that have led to the creation of so much music by so many people over so many years.

The album ends with a terrific honky tonk duet that has Winchester trading lines with Lynch on Loose Talk, Carl Smith’s huge country hit from 1955.

In Priase of Tom Paxton, Part 2

Folk Roots/Folk Branches with Mike Regenstreif is now a 30-minute feature heard occasionally on CKUT, 90.3 FM in Montreal.

Thursday April 2, 2009

In Praise of Tom Paxton, Part 2

This was the second of three Folk Roots/Folk Branches features in praise of Tom Paxton.

Tom performs Sunday April 26 at the Oscar Peterson Concert Hall, his first Montreal concert since his regular sold-out concerts at the Golem in the 1980s. Call Hello Darlin’ Productions at 514-524-9225 for tickets or information. Tom is one of the all-time greatest folk-based singer-songwriters, and one of my all-time favourite performers. Definitely a don’t miss concert.

One of the things Tom is known for is his topical songs. Many comment on the news of the day and he often refers to those as his “short shelf life songs.” Many others, like the next four songs, are timeless.

MIKE REGENSTREIF- commentary 1

TOM PAXTON- Dogs at Midnight
Tom Paxton 6 (Collectables)
TOM PAXTON- Peace Will Come
Politics Live (Flying Fish)

MIKE REGENSTREIF- commentary 2

SALLY ROGERS- Mother
Generations (Flying Fish)
TOM PAXTON, ANNE HILLS, BOB GIBSON- She Sits on the Table
Best of Friends (Appleseed)

Tom was playing many of the same coffee houses, clubs and folk festivals as Mississippi John Hurt in the early-to-mid-1960s. Tom’s classic song, Bottle of Wine, was inspired by John Hurt’s style. So was his tribute song, Did You Hear John Hurt.

MIKE REGENSTREIF- commentary 3

DAVE VAN RONK- Did You Hear John Hurt
Somebody Else, Not Me (Philo)
TOM PAXTON, ANNE HILLS, BOB GIBSON- Bottle of Wine
Best of Friends (Appleseed)

Tom Paxton is also well known for his great love songs.

MIKE REGENSTREIF- commentary 4

TOM PAXTON- Me and a Couple of Angels
Looking for the Moon (Appleseed)

MIKE REGENSTREIF- commentary 5

For more on Tom Paxton, visit http://tompaxton.com/.

Folk Roots/Folk Branches is now a blog featuring Mike Regenstreif’s playlists, CD and DVD reviews, news and commentaries.

http://frfb.blogspot.com/

CD reviews will start in mid-April

I mentioned in an early post that, in the wake of the Gazette cutting CD reviews, I'd be using this blog to post CD reviews. I'll be getting started on that in mid-April just as soon as I finish all the Sing Out! Magazine reviews that are currently on my plate.

Pete Seeger's 90th birthday party

Pete Seeger's 90th birthday will be celebrated at a huge hootenanny-style concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City on May 3. I wish I could be there.

The line-up of artists is amazing. I was happy to see a bunch of friends on the list. But I must say there are several performers on the list that I would have forsaken in favour of more appropriate artists like Mike Seeger, Peggy Seeger, Rosalie Sorrels, Ronnie Gilbert, Peter, Paul & Mary, and a bunch of others I could easily think of.

Don't miss Tom Russell next weekend

I recently wrote the liner essay for The Tom Russell Anthology: Veteran’s Day, a 2-CD, career-spanning retrospective of the artist I consider to be the finest singer-songwriter of my generation – the generation that started making its mark 10 or 15 years after Dylan.

I’ve been a big fan of Tom’s writing since I started hearing people like Bill Staines, Nanci Griffith and Ian Tyson singing them in the 1970s and early-‘80s. Then I started collecting Tom’s albums – LPs and then CDs – and every one has been among the best, if not the best album of its year. One of them, The Man From God Knows Where, was, in my opinion, the most important folk-rooted album of the past 25 or more years.

I first crossed paths with Tom at a folk festival in the mid-1980s and he proved to be as compelling a live artist as he was a songwriter and recording artist. Since then, I’ve seen Tom perform (God knows how) many times. To me, he’s one of those very rare never-miss artists.

Folks in the Ottawa and Montreal areas have two chances to see Tom next weekend.

On Saturday, March 14, 8:30 pm, he’s at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield (near Ottawa). www.theblacksheepinn.com/

On Sunday, March 15, 8:00 pm, Hello Darlin’ Productions is presenting him at Petit Café Campus, 57 Prince Arthur East, in Montreal. http://hellodarlinproductions.com/upcoming_concerts.htm

Like I said, not to be missed.

In Praise of Tom Paxton, Part 1

Folk Roots/Folk Branches with Mike Regenstreif is now a 30-minute feature frequently heard occasionally on CKUT, 90.3 FM in Montreal.

Visit the Folk Roots/Folk Branches blog at http://frfb.blogspot.com/.

Thursday March 5, 2009

In Praise of Tom Paxton, Part 1

This was the first of three Folk Roots/Folk Branches features in praise of Tom Paxton.

Tom performs Sunday April 26 at the Oscar Peterson Concert Hall, his first Montreal concert since his regular sold-out concerts at the Golem in the 1980s. Call Hello Darlin’ Productions at 514-524-9225 for tickets or information. Tom is one of the all-time greatest folk-based singer-songwriters, and one of my all-time favourite performers. Definitely a don’t miss concert.

MIKE REGENSTREIF- commentary 1

MARA LEVINE- The Last Thing on My Mind
Mara’s Gems (Mara Levine)
JUDY COLLINS- My Ramblin’ Boy
Judy Collins 3 & 4 (The Judy Collins Concert) (Wildflower)
NANCI GRIFFITH w/CAROLYN HESTER- Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m Bound
Other Voices / Other Room (Elektra)

MIKE REGENSTREIF- commentary 2

Many years ago, Tom wrote a series of three beautiful songs that I’ve always loved about a woman named Annie. They’re such vivid songs and the Annie character seemed so real that I once asked Tom about her. Tom’s a friend of mine and I knew how deeply committed he’s always been to Midge, his lovely wife, so I was pretty sure that Annie wasn’t a real person. Tom confirmed that Annie was, indeed, fictional.

TOM PAXTON- Has Annie Been in Tonight?
Up & Up (Mountain Railroad)
TOM PAXTON- When Annie Took me Home
Even a Gray Day (Flying Fish)
TOM PAXTON- Annie’s Going to Sing Her Song
Even a Gray Day (Flying Fish)

MIKE REGENSTREIF- commentary 3

A few weeks ago, the Grammy Awards gave Tom a Lifetime Achievement Award for the tremendous body of work that he’s produced over the past 45 or so years. Tom has never been one to rest on his laurels and continues to write great songs. His 2008 album, Comedians and Angels, was also nominated for a Grammy.

TOM PAXTON- Comedians and Angels
Comedians & Angels (Appleseed)

MIKE REGENSTREIF- commentary 4

For more on Tom Paxton, visit http://tompaxton.com/.

Folk Roots/Folk Branches is now a blog featuring Mike Regenstreif’s playlists, CD and DVD reviews, news and commentaries.

http://frfb.blogspot.com/

Montreal Gazette cuts weekly CD reviews

The Montreal Gazette’s CD weekly page of CD reviews was published for the last time this past Saturday (February 28). I’ve been covering roots (country, blues, folk) albums since the page began back in the late-1990s. Before the Gazette decided to combine all its CD reviews in a weekly page, I wrote a CD review column in my specialty area that appeared once every three weeks for several years. My Gazette reviews were frequently republished in many other Canadian newspapers including the National Post, Ottawa Citizen, Winnipeg Free Press, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Vancouver Sun, Halifax Daily News and Kingston Whig Standard.

That run as a Gazette music critic – from 1995 to 2009 – was actually my second. I wrote concert and album reviews – they were LPs in those days – for the Gazette from 1975-1978.

Cutting the CD review page was part of the latest round of severe budget cuts taking place throughout the Canwest chain. At least for the time being the Gazette will continue to run its album-of-the-week feature, and I might still contribute to the occasional review to it, but the weekly collection of CD reviews encompassing all genres of music is gone.

That was part of the impetus for setting up this blog. The reviews I would have done in the Gazette will appear here for the time being. And I’ll have a lot more freedom to say what I want to without the tight word and format restrictions I was under there. I’ll have my first CD review up here soon.

Welcome to Folk Roots/Folk Branches

Welcome to Folk Roots/Folk Branches. Folk Roots/Folk Branches was the weekly radio show I hosted on CKUT in Montreal from 1994-2007 on Thursday mornings. The focus of the show was on “music rooted in or branching out from some sort of folk tradition. I gave up the show when I accepted an editor’s job in Ottawa (although my schedule sometimes varies, I’m usually in Montreal on weekends).

Since giving up the full weekly show, I’ve continued Folk Roots/Folk Branches as half-hour feature segments that are heard occasionally on CKUT.

I’ll be using the blog for annotated playlists for the Folk Roots/Folk Branches features and for CD and concert reviews, concert suggestions, news views and miscellaneous commentaries. I’m hoping to post at least once or twice a week, sometimes maybe more. So please check back often and spread the word.