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 

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – January 28, 2025: Harmonica

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/595/68751.html

Theme: Harmonica.

Jerry Jeff Walker- Harmonica Talk

Bein’ Free (Atco)

Sonny Terry

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee- Harmonica Blues

Sonny Terry’s New Sound (Folkways)

Guy Davis & Fabrizio Poggi- Freight Train

Sonny & Brownie’s Last Train (M.C.)

Paul Rishell & Annie Raines- Key to the Highway

I Want You to Know (Tone-Cool)

James Cotton with Joe Louis Walker & Charlie Haden- Country Boy

Deep in the Blues (Verve)

Michael Jerome Browne with JJ Milteau & Eric Bibb- Shake ‘Em on Down

Gettin’ Together (Borealis/Stony Plain)

Vince Halfhide with Steve Marriner- Sonny Boy Said

Vince Halfhide (Vince Halfhide)

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band- Blues with a Feeling

An Anthology: The Elektra Years (Elektra)

Corky Siegel

Corky Siegel- Movement I – Filisko’s Dream

Symphonic Blues No. 6 (Dawnserly)

Corky Siegel- Movement II – Slow Blues

Symphonic Blues No. 6 (Dawnserly)

Corky Siegel- Movement III – Allegro

Symphonic Blues No. 6 (Dawnserly)

Larry Adler- Blues in the Night

Harmonica Virtuoso (Audio Fidelity)

Paul Reddick- Breathless Girls

Sugar Bird (NorthernBlues Music)

Mike Stevens- Clarinet Polka

The World is Only Air (Borealis)

Saul Broudy- Bei Mir Bist Du Sheyn

Travels with Broudy (Saul Broudy)

Shtreiml- Uncle Tibor’s Spicy Paprikash

Spicy Paprikash (I.J. Rosenblatt)

Toots Thielmans- Five O’Clock Whistle

The Soul of Toots Thielmans (Dr. Jazz)

John Sebastian & David Grisman- Harmandola Blues

Satisfied (Acoustic Disc)

Grant Dermody- Waterbound

Lay Down My Burden (Grant Dermody)

Charlie Musselwhite- Blues Up the River

Mississippi Sun (Alligator)

Marc Nerenberg- This Time Around: A Banjo Harmonica Duet

Little Birdie: Birds, Beasts & Banjo Blues (Marc Nerenberg)

Next week: Remembering Garth Hudson (1937-2025).

--Mike Regenstreif

Saturday Morning with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Saturday January 25, 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/128/68698.html

Mike Regenstreif & Garnet Rogers (2006)

Garnet Rogers- Small Victory

The Best Times After All: Live (Snow Goose Songs)

John McCutcheon & Carrie Newcomer- Field of Stars

Field of Stars (Appalsongs)

Chris Rawlings- Deep Blue Sea

Two Sides to Your Story (Cookingfat Music)

Mike Regenstreif & Priscilla Herdman (1978)

Priscilla Herdman- The Coast of Marseilles

Forgotten Dreams (Flying Fish)

The Twangtown Paramours- A Room in Bordeaux

The Wind will Change Again (Inside Edge)

Melón Jimenez & Lara Wong- Paraná

Confluencias (Scatcat Music)

Mike Regenstreif & Jesse Winchester (2009)

Jesse Winchester- Wintry Feeling

A Touch on the Rainy Side (Stony Plain)

Mike Regenstreif, Bill Garrett & Sue Lothrop (2014)

Bill Garrett & Sue Lothrop- The Hill

Red Shoes (Borealis)

Neale Eckstein- January Thaw

Never Too Late (Neale Eckstein)

Nanci Griffith- Ten Degrees and Getting Colder

Other Voices/Other Rooms (Elektra)

Amy Speace- I Break Things

The American Dream (Windbone)

Cindy Kallet- The Poet

Ride in the Light (Sleepy Creek Music)

Boreal- Winterbirds

Winterbirds (Boreal)

Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens- Rainy Day

American Railroad (Nonesuch)

John McCutcheon- MS St. Louis

Field of Stars (Appalsongs)

Perla Batalla- The Partisan

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

The Klezmatics & Susan McKeown- Gonna Get Through This World

Wonder Wheel: Lyrics by Woody Guthrie (Jewish Music Group)

Rosalie Sorrels- Mehitabel’s Theme

Always a Lady (Green Linnet)

Peggy Lee- The Alley Cat Song

I’m a Woman: Expanded Edition (Capitol)

Phil Harris- Thomas O’Malley Cat

Disney’s Jazz Album: Big Band & Swing (Disneyland)

Eliza Gilkyson & Mike Regenstreif on Zoom (2022)

Eliza Gilkyson- Bare Necessities

Your Town Tonight (Red House)

Doug McArthur & Jeffra- Angels of the Mission Trail

Angels of the Mission Trail (Tableaux Vivants)

Eric Taylor with Nanci Griffith- Mission Door

Live at the Red Shack (Blue Ruby)

Ana Egge- Mission Bells Moan

Sharing in the Spirit (StorySound)

Rosanne Cash- Girl from the North Country

The List (Manhattan)

Ian & Sylvia- Tomorrow is a Long Time

Four Strong Winds (Vanguard)

Penny Lang & Mike Regenstreif (1976) photo: Felicity Fanjoy

Penny Lang- One Too Many Mornings

Stone + Sand + Sea + Sky (Borealis)

Moses Crouch- Banjo Blues

Earth Music (Riverlark)

The airdate for this show, January 25, is Robbie Burns Day. The next nine songs were written or collected by the great Scottish poet, Robert Burns, who was born on January 25, 1759 and died at 37 on July 21, 1796.

Jean Redpath- A Parcel of Rogues in a Nation

The Songs of Robert Burns, Volumes 1 & 2 (Philo)

Dougie MacLean- Scots Wha’ Hae

Tribute to Robert Burns, Neil Gow and Robert Tannahill (Dunkeld)

The Short Sisters- Ca’ the Yowes

Downsized (Black Socks Press)

Andrew & Casey Calhoun- A Rosebud By My Early Walk

Skeins (Waterbug)

Mike Regenstreif & Brendan Nolan (2023)

Brendan Nolan- Green Grow the Rashes O’

Familiar Brew (Ould Sagosha)

Bett Padgett- Ae Fond Kiss

Beneath Blue Water (Ceildhe’s Music)

Mallory Chipman- A Red, Red Rose

Songs to a Wild God (Tunnel Mountain)

Bobby Watt- Westlin’ Winds

Watt Next? (Glenashdale Music)

Highland Weavers- Auld Lang Syne

Going Home (Highland Weavers)

Christine Lavin featuring Robin Batteau- Mercury & Mars (Jan. 28, 1977)

Drum School Dropout (Christine Lavin)

Tom Mitchell- Sing to Me Now

Outamongum Again (Cowlick)

Laura Smith & Mike Regenstreif (2013)

Laura Smith- Gypsy Dream

As Long As I’m Dreaming (Borealis)

Christopher Kearney- Rocking Chair Ride

Christopher Kearney (Capitol)

Carol Crittenden- The Fields of Athenry

Glimmer (Carol Crittenden)

I’ll be hosting Saturday Morning next on February 22. I also host Stranger Songs on CKCU every Tuesday from 3:30-5 pm.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – January 21, 2025: Blood on the Tracks Revisited and A Complete Unknown

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/595/68626.html

Themes: Blood on the Tracks Revisited and A Complete Unknown.

Blood on the Tracks Revisited

It was 50 years ago this week, on January 20, 1975, that Bob Dylan released Blood on the Tracks, one of his greatest albums. On this program, we revisit the songs from Blood on the Tracks, in order, played by various artists.

Ben Sidran- Tangled Up in Blue

Dylan Different (Bonsai)

Dave's True Story- Simple Twist of Fate

Simple Twist of Fate: DTS Does Dylan (BePop)

Emma Swift- You’re a Big Girl Now

Blonde on the Tracks (Tiny Ghost/CRS)

Lucinda Williams- Idiot Wind

Bob’s Back Pages: A Night of Bob Dylan Songs (Highway 20)

Barney Bentall & Valentino Trapani- You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go

Cosmic Dreamer (True North)

Sloan Wainwright- Meet Me in the Morning

Rediscovery (Derby Disc Music)

Tom Russell, Eliza Gilkyson & Joe Ely- Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts

Indians Cowboys Horses Dogs (HighTone)

Erik Balkey- If You See Her, Say Hello

If You See Her, Say Hello – single (Hudson Harding)

Crowe’s Pasture- Shelter from the Storm

Edge of America (Crowe’s Pasture)

Dave Van Ronk- Buckets of Rain

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

Bob Dylan recorded two other songs during the sessions for Blood on the Tracks that he left of the original album. "Call Letter Blues" and "Up to Me" were included, though, on More Blood, More Tracks: The Bootleg Series Vol. 14, a 2018 box set that included every take of every song Dylan recorded for Blood on the Tracks.

Bob Dylan- Call Letter Blues

More Blood, More Tracks: The Bootleg Series Vol. 14 (Columbia/Legacy)

Bob Dylan- Up to Me

More Blood, More Tracks: The Bootleg Series Vol. 14 (Columbia/Legacy)

A Complete Unknown

A Complete Unknown is a partly true, partly fictional account of Bob Dylan from his arrival in New York City in 1961 until his first electric performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival.

As a movie, I really enjoyed A Complete Unknown and thought the main cast members –  Timothée Chalamet as Dylan, Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Elle Fanning as the Suze Rotolo character renamed Sylvie Russo, and the rest – were all very good. 

Fo the most part, I didn’t mind the many historical inaccuracies I recognized in the film and thought A Complete Unknown did a good job of capturing the essence of Dylan’s rise in the first half of the 1960s.

Timothée Chalamet- Song to Woody

A Complete Unknown soundtrack (Columbia)

Monica Barbaro- Silver Dagger

A Complete Unknown soundtrack (Columbia)

Edward Norton- Wimoweh (Mbube)

A Complete Unknown soundtrack (Columbia)

Timothée Chalamet & Edward Norton- When the Ship Comes In

A Complete Unknown soundtrack (Columbia)

Monica Barbaro &  Timothée Chalamet- It Ain’t Me, Babe

A Complete Unknown soundtrack (Columbia)

Timothée Chalamet- Like a Rolling Stone

A Complete Unknown soundtrack (Columbia)

Next week: Harmonica.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – January 14, 2025: Remembering Peter Yarrow

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/595/68573.html

Theme: Remembering Peter Yarrow (1938-2025).

The theme on this edition of Stranger Songs is Remembering Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary. Peter died on January 7 at age 86 following a four-year battle with bladder cancer.

This program includes songs performed by Peter and Peter, Paul & Mary, as well as some songs from his or their repertoire performed by several other artists.

Peter Yarrow- Don’t Ever Take Away My Freedom

Peter (Warner Bros.)

Peter, Paul & Mary- Puff (The Magic Dragon)

Moving (Warner Bros.)

Dave Van Ronk- River Come Down (Bamboo)

Down in Washington Square (Smithsonian Folkways)

Priscilla Herdman- Autumn to May

Stardreamer (Stardreamer Music)

Kronos Quartet with Sam Amidon, Brian Carpenter, Lee Knight & Aoife O'Donovan- Where Have All the Flowers Gone

Long Time Passing: Kronos Quartet & Friends Celebrate Pete Seeger (Smithsonian Folkways)

Bethany Yarrow with Peter Yarrow- The Cruel War

Rock Island (Little Monster)

Peter, Paul & Mary- Blowin’ in the Wind

In the Wind (Warner Bros.)

Peter Yarrow & Richie Havens- The Great Mandala (The Wheel of Life)

Lifelines Live (Warner Bros.)

Cliff Eberhardt- 500 Miles

500 Miles (Red House)

Grayson Capps- Early Morning Rain

Heartbreak, Misery & Death (Royal Potato Family)

Penny Lang- If I Had a Hammer

Live at the Yellow Door (She-Wolf)

Peter, Paul & Mary- Rich Man Poor Man

Late Again (Warner Bros.)

Tom Paxton- The Last Thing On My Mind

The Compleat Tom Paxton (Even Compleater) (Rhino Handmade)

Peter Yarrow- Tall Pine Trees

Peter (Warner Bros.)

Stan Rogers- Delivery Delayed

Between the Breaks…Live! (Fogarty’s Cove/Borealis)

Peter, Paul & Mary- Day is Done

The Very Best of Peter, Paul & Mary (Warner Bros./Rhino)

Noel Paul Stookey & Peter Yarrow with The Paul Winter Consort- Et Misericordia

Something New and Fresh (Neworld)

Peter Yarrow- Freedom Medley: Woke Up This Morning with My Mind on Freedom/Oh Freedom/This Train is Bound for Glory/Twelve Gates to the City/Down by the Riverside/We Shall Overcome

Lifelines Live (Warner Bros.)

Peter Yarrow- Weave Me the Sunshine

Peter (Warner Bros.)

Peter, Paul & Mary with Tom Paxton, Fred Hellerman, Ronnie Gilbert, Odetta, Richie Havens, Dave Van Ronk, Susan Werner, Buddy Mondlock & John Sebastian- River of Jordan

Lifelines Live (Warner Bros.)

Next week: Blood on the Tracks Revisited.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – January 7, 2025: Remembering Josh White, Jr. , Alan Senauke and David Mallett

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/595/68479.html

Theme: Remembering Josh White, Jr. (1940-2024), Alan Senauke (1947-2024) and David Mallett (1951-2024).

The theme on this edition of Stranger Songs is Remembering Josh White Jr., Alan Senauke and David Mallett, three old friends who passed away last month. I’d known all three of them since the 1970s and all of them had played at the Golem, the Montreal folk club I ran in the 1970s and ‘80s.

Josh White, Jr. died on December 28 at age 84. Josh – who was affectionately known as Donny off stage – began his career at age 4 when his father, Josh White, the legendary blues and folk singer and guitarist, began bringing the young boy up on stage to perform a song or two with him. Josh White Jr. had a remarkable career that literally spanned 80 years. Josh was a wonderful performer of folk and blues material and a masterful interpreter of his father’s repertoire.

Josh White, Jr.- Say a Prayer for a Stranger

Live at the Raven Gallery (Silverwolf)

Josh White, Jr.- The Dutchman

Live at the Raven Gallery (Silverwolf)

Josh White, Jr.- It’s Chilly Out Tonight

Live at the Raven Gallery (Silverwolf)

Josh White, Jr.- Cortelia Clark

Cortelia Clark (Silverwolf)

Josh White, Jr.- One Meatball

Live at the Raven Gallery (Silverwolf)

Josh White, Jr. & Robin Batteau- St. James Infirmary

Jazz, Ballads & Blues (Ryko)

I first met Alan Senauke – who died on December 22 at age 77 – in the late-1970s when he was the editor of Sing Out, the authoritative folk music magazine, and performing with Howie Tarnower as The Fiction Brothers. He was also a member of several other groups including The Blue Flame Stringband – with Kate Brislin and Suzy & Eric Thompson – and a solo artist.

Country Cooking with The Fiction Brothers- The Harder They Come

Country Cooking with The Fiction Brothers (Flying Fish)

Country Cooking with The Fiction Brothers- Joe Hill’s Will

Country Cooking with The Fiction Brothers (Flying Fish)

Alan Senauke- Wise County Jail

Wooden Man: Old Songs from the Southern School (Native and Fine)

Alan Senauke- Meeting is Over

Wooden Man: Old Songs from the Southern School (Native and Fine)

Blue Flame String Band- Blues Stay Away from Me

Blue Flame String Band (Flying Fish)

David Mallett was a gifted singer and songwriter from Maine who died on December 17 at age 73. In addition to his own recordings and performances, David’s songs were widely sung and recorded by many other artists.

David Mallett- Fire

Inches & Miles 1977-1980 (Flying Fish)

Peter, Paul & Mary- Garden Song

Around the Campfire (Warner Bros.)

Miscellaney of Folk- Moon Upon the Left

Atlantic Sounds (Miscellaney of Folk)

Tommy Makem & Liam Clancy- Ballad of St. Anne’s Reel

The Makem & Clancy Collection (Shanachie)

David Mallett- Dulcimer

Inches & Miles 1977-1980 (Flying Fish)

David Mallett- Open Doors & Windows

Open Doors & Windows (Flying Fish)

Kathy Mattea- Summer of My Dreams

Time Passes By (Mercury)

Priscilla Herdman- Thanks to Mother Mercy

Seasons of Change (Flying Fish)

David Mallett- Hope for One and All

…In the Falling Dark (Vanguard)

Next week: Remembering Peter Yarrow.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – December 3, 2024: Top 10 for 2024

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/595/67938.html

Theme: Songs from my top 10 folk-rooted and folk-branched albums of 2024.

The annotated and illustrated list is posted on the Folk Roots/Folk Branches blog at this link. https://frfb.blogspot.com/2024/11/top-10-for-2024.html

Number 10 – Heartbreak, Misery & Death by Grayson Capps

Grayson Capps- Hallelujah

Heartbreak, Misery & Death (Royal Potato Family)

Number 9 – Lonesome Road: Suite for Solo Guitar and Voice – Songs of the Lost Generation 1924-1928 by Joel Mabus

Joel Mabus- The Lonesome Road

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

Number 8 – American Patchwork Quartet by American Patchwork Quartet

American Patchwork Quartet- Shenandoah

American Patchwork Quartet (Carolina Jasmine)

Number 7 – Heart of the Swan by Carla Sciaky

Carla Sciaky- Standing by a River

Heart of the Swan (Propinquity)

Carla Sciaky- This Forsaken Garden

Heart of the Swan (Propinquity)

Number 6 – Two Sides to Your Story by Chris Rawlings

Chris Rawlings- Bastille Day

Two Sides to Your Story (Cookingfat Music)

Chris Rawlings- Smoker’s Lullaby

Two Sides to Your Story (Cookingfat Music)

Number 5 – Live at the Scala Theatre and In the Real World by Eric Bibb

Eric Bibb- Bring Me Little Water, Sylvie 

Live at the Scala Theatre (Stony Plain) 

Eric Bibb- Best I Can

In the Real World (Stony Plain)

Number 4 – American Railroad by Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens

Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens- Swannanoa Tunnel/Steel-Driving Man

American Railroad (Nonesuch)

Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens- Tamping Song

American Railroad (Nonesuch)

Number 3 – Feel with Blood by Lenka Lichtenberg

Lenka Lichtenberg- Feel with Blood

Feel with Blood (Six Degrees)

Lenka Lichtenberg- Wintry Dusk

Feel with Blood (Six Degrees)

Number 2 – Bandits, Ballads and Blues by James Talley

James Talley- The Love Song of Billy the Kid

Bandits, Ballads and Blues (Cimarron)

James Talley- If We Could Love One Another

Bandits, Ballads and Blues (Cimarron)

Number 1 – A Letter to Leonard Cohen: Tribute to a Friend by Perla Batalla

Perla Batalla- A Singer Must Die

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

Perla Batalla- You Want It Darker

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

I’m taking the next four weeks off and Stranger Songs will feature some repeat shows from 2022. You can see the playlists and stream the shows at the following links.

December 10: Songs of the Mountain City Four and Kate & Anna McGarrigle. https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/57707.html

December 17: “Acapella Stella” and other a capella songs. https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/57170.html

December 24: Happy Holidays. https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/58701.html

December 31: Songs of – or inspired by – Jesse Winchester. https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/56097.html

New programs will resume on January 7.

--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

Saturday Morning with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Saturday November 30, 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/128/67920.html

Willie Nelson- Last Leaf

Last Leaf on the Tree (Legacy)

Mike Regenstreif & Tom Paxton (1994)

Tom Paxton- Has Annie Been in Tonight

Up & Up (Mountain Railroad)

Bob Dylan- Annie’s Going to Sing Her Song

Another Self Portrait 1969-1971: The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 (Columbia/Legacy)

Tom Paxton- When Annie Took Me Home

New Songs for Old Friends (Reprise)

Laurie Lewis- Central Square

Bluegrass Sings Paxton (Mountain Home)

Chris Rawlings & Mike Regenstreif (2007)

Chris Rawlings- Smoker’s Lullaby

Two Sides to Your Story (Cookingfat Music)

Jesse Winchester & Mike Regenstreif (2000)

Jesse Winchester- Defying Gravity

Learn to Love It (Stony Plain)

Ronney Abramson & Mike Regenstreif (2016)

Ronney Abramson- Purify My River

Ronney Abramson (Capitol)

Bruce Murdoch- (Can I) Come Across to You

Bruce Murdoch (Radio Canada International)

Kevin Head & Mike Regenstreif (2013) photo: Vanessa Burnett

Kevin Head- Digby Lament

Hear Them Callin’ (Kevin Head)

Mason Daring & Jeanie Stahl- The Ring

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

Neale Eckstein- The Lighthouse (NE & Eric Schwartz)

Never Too Late (Neale Eckstein)

Howard Gladstone- Sea of Sorrow

Crazy Talk (Howard Gladstone)

Carolyn Shulman- No Sad Songs

Heart on a Wire (Carolyn Shulman)

Ball & Chain & The Wreckers- Man with the Pain

Satisfied (Moo Music)

Paul Mills- Stubbs Stomp

The Other Side of the Glass (Borealis)

Rufus Wainwright & Anohni- Going to a Town

Folkocracy (BMG)

Ferron- It Won’t Take Long

Shadows on a Dime (Lucy)

Moonfruits- Brittle Earth

Salt (Co-Op)

Jay Linden- Dreamers on a Sailing Ship

Ordinary Sunrise (Americana North)

Albert & Gage- I Used to be Lonesome

Burnin’ Moonlight (MoonHouse)

Efrat- We Just Need Love

We Just Need Love (Efrat)

Tom Mitchell & Mike Regenstreif (1999)

Tom Mitchell- Soap and Powder

Old Cloth (Yabut Music)

Rosalie Sorrels & Mike Regenstreif (1993)

Rosalie Sorrels- The Pine

Live at the Great American Music Hall (Flying Fish)

Shelley Posen & Mike Regenstreif on Zoom (2023)

Shelley Posen- Having a Drink with Jane

The Old Songs Home (Well Done Music)

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

Sparkle and Shine (Front Hall)

Michael Jerome Browne & Mike Regenstreif (2005)

Michael Jerome Browne- Where is the Song?

That’s Where It’s At! (Borealis)

Paul Geremia & Mike Regenstreif (2012)

Paul Geremia- Kick It in the Country

Self Portrait in Blues (Red House)

Little Birdie (Orit Shimoni)- Can’t Stop This Train

Bare Bones (Little Birdie)

Perla Batalla- Awakened

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

Leonard Cohen- By the Rivers Dark

Ten New Songs (Columbia)

Perla Batalla- Take This Waltz

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

Chris Rawlings- Lifting the Darkness

Two Sides to Your Story (Cookingfat Music)

Kate & Anna McGarrigle- Come Back Baby

Pronto Monto (Omnivore)

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

Chaim Tannenbaum- Belfast Louis Falls in Love

Chaim Tannenbaum (StorySound)

Tom Russell & Mike Regenstreif (2018)

Tom Russell- All on a Belfast Morning

Folk Hotel (Frontera)

Mike Regenstreif & Bruce Murdoch (2014)

Bruce Murdoch- Rompin’ Rovin’ Days

Singer-Songwriter Project (Elektra)

Kat Goldman- Take It Down the Line

The Workingman’s Blues (Kat Goldman)

Kurt Anderson- 900 Miles

Life on Interstate 40 (Riverlark Music)

Sonya Cohen Cramer- No Place to Fall

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

Grayson Capps- Columbus Stockade Blues

Heartbreak, Misery & Death (Royal Potato Family)

The Wailin' Jennys- The Parting Glass

40 Days (Jericho Beach Music)

I’m taking some time off in December so I’ll be hosting Saturday Morning next on January 25. I also host Stranger Songs on CKCU every Tuesday from 3:30-5 pm.

--Mike Regenstreif