Episode 282: Martha Renaud

Singer-songwriter Martha Renaud joins us on this episode to chat about her latest album, “Time & Tide”, produced by multi-instrumentalist J. P. Cormier in Nova Scotia. We also continue our review of the nominees for the 2016 Canadian Folk Music Awards – this time we focus on the category of English Songwriter of the Year.

As usual, there are some top notch songwriters nominated English Songwriter of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. Juno nominated Donovan Woods has been creating all kinds of buzz for his excellent 2016 album “Hard Settle, Ain’t Troubled”. On this episode we played “What Kind Of Love Is That?” and followed it with another band that we’ve been playing a lot – The Small Glories featuring Cara Luft and JD Edwards. This week we played a song the Small Glories wrote with Lewis Melville (long time musical partner of Tannis Slimmon), the beautiful “Home” from their CFMA nominated debut “Wondrous Traveller”. Also nominated for English Songwriter of the Year, are singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Royal Wood for his latest pop crossover album “Ghost Light” which is very much a Royal Wood record – I think he also plays on about 90% of the record. Royal’s also nominated for Producer of the Year with Bill Lefler. We followed that with another band that have successfully crossed over from folk to pop with their singalong lyrics, hooks and ear worms – it’s The Strumbellas with “We Don’t Know” from their latest album “Hope”. And finally… environmentalist, altruist and all round good guy, Danny Michel with “Nobody Rules You” from his latest “Matadora”.

And this episode’s instrumental featured Canadian guitarist Don Alder from Vancouver in BC with “Going Rogue” from his latest release “Armed & Dangerous”. He’s nominated in the Instrumental Solo artist of the Year category at the CFMAs.

The Canadian Folk Music Awards weekend takes place in Toronto on Friday and Saturday December 2-3. You can check out the full list of nominees at folkawards.ca. And we’ll be continue our look at the Canadian Folk Music Awards on future editions of Folk Roots Radio

Martha Renaud has just released her second album, the J.P. Cormier produced, “Tide & Tide”. A strong songwriter with a warm and welcoming folk singer-songwriter style, we recently enjoyed a fabulous performance from Martha to close out the Sunday summer concert season at the Two Creeks Conservation Area in Wheatley Ontario. Featuring support from David Light on guitar and John Takle on stand-up bass. It was a great show, and, one that will live long in the memory.

Among the songs we played when Martha Renaud joined us in the studio were a couple of songs recorded live for a new initiative we’re involved in, the Sun Parlour Coffee Sessions. It’s an exciting video project taking place at the Quantum Sounds Productions studio in Kingsville ON. Artists are invited into the studio for a five song set and a short interview with yours truly for broadcast on Cogeco Windsor/Leamington community channels 11 and 700. You can check out other artists from the Sun Parlour Coffee House Sessions online at sunparloursessions.com. You can visit Martha Renaud online at martharenaud.com.

We wrapped this episode with another fine songwriter, with a lyrical ability that draws similar to Springsteen and Dylan, Michael McDermott from Chicago w/ “What Dreams May Come” from his latest “Willow Springs” (2016, Pauper Sky Records).

And that’s all we have time for this time around. You can check out the full playlist with artist links below. Please share your love for all the great folk and roots music out there. Thanks to all the artists who share their music with us, and thank you for listening. We have a lot of great music to bring you on future shows. I hope you’ll join us!

You can listen to this episode again on Mixcloud by following the link below.

Nicolas & The Iceni (Theme)
Lucy She Rises (Demo)
Roll Right (expected 2016)

Donovan Woods
What Kind Of Love Is That?
Hard Settle, Ain’t Troubled (2016, Self)

The Small Glories
Home
Wondrous Traveller (2016, Self)

Royal Wood
Long Way Out
Ghost Light (2016, Cadence Music Group)

The Strumbellas
We Don’t Know
Hope (2016, Six Shooter Records)

Danny Michel
Nobody Rules You
Matadora (2016, Six Shooter Records)

Don Alder
Going Rogue
Armed & Dangerous (2015, Self)

Martha Renaud
Sea of Oblivion
Time & Tide (2016, Self)

Interview: Martha Renaud discussing her new album “Time & Tide” (2015, Self).

Martha Renaud
Withered Hands & Weathered Wood
Live at Sun Parlour Coffee House Sessions (2016)

Martha Renaud
Last Child
Live at Sun Parlour Coffee House Sessions (2016)

Martha Renaud
Fly
Time & Tide (2016, Self)

Michael McDermott
What Dreams May Come
Willow Springs (2016, Pauper Sky Records)