Folk Roots Radio Episode 345: We’re All About The Music!

We’re holding back the interviews on Episode 345 of Folk Roots Radio to check out more of the best new releases we’ve received over the last few months. Join us for some great tracks from Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers, Lynn Jackson, Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage, Shawn William Clarke and more. Check out the full playlist below.

Show Notes

Notes about some of the new music on our radar that made it into Episode 345 of Folk Roots Radio.

The Steep Canyon Rangers have reunited with banjo playing comedic actor (or should that be comedic acting banjoist) Steve Martin for a third time on their long-awaited album, entitled… “The Long Awaited Album”. They previously worked together on 2011’s “Rare Bird Alert,” 2013’s “Love Has Come for You” and 2014’s “Live.”

On this episode, we play “On The Water”, a song written by Steve Martin and Graham Sharp and features a vocal from the Steep Canyon Rangers’ Woody Platt, who shares vocal duties with Steve Martin on the album.

This album features something for both bluegrass purists and Steve Martin fans – half of the songs are straight up bluegrass composition while others feature some distinctive Steve Martin comedic wordplay (“Caroline”, “Night In The Lab”, “Strangest Christmas Yet” etc). The musicianship in all the songs is top drawer. So there you are, something to please everyone.

The teaser video that Steve Martin created for the album is also worth checking out.

We’ve already raved about the Shawn William Clarke album “Topaz”. On this episode, we play Shawn’s lovely duet with Abigail Lapell on the enchanting “Young In Love (At The End Of The World)”.

According to Shawn, “Young In Love (At The End Of The World)” was a song that came together very quickly as if driven by some external muse.

“Young In Love… was the final song written for the album, and I wrote it quickly. It’s an open letter about innocence amidst an ever-changing world – a testament to how we grow as people and what we carry. While our daily existence might not always be what we want, there’s room for feelings of falling in love, having a crush, and approaching something with naivety. I knew it was something special when I finished it. When I sent it to my producer James Bunton, it was an instant favourite.”

The song features Colleen Peterson Songwriter Award winner, Abigal Lapell. “To capture the spirit of the composition, I simply asked Abigail “to be herself.” The more she used her own voice, the more it took a form of its own. “Young In Love…” Sometimes it’s all about finding what’s in front of us to gain that perspective.”

Visit Shawn William Clarke online at shawnwilliamclarke.com.

Cambridge UK folk duo Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage are releasing their version of “Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key” to coincide with their latest UK tour. The song from the Billy Bragg/Wilco Mermaid Avenue sessions features a Woody Guthrie lyric set to a Billy Bragg tune. It’s now 50 years since Woody’s death (October 3rd).

“We have opened our sets for the last year with Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key as a reminder of the footsteps we travel in” says Hannah “and because it sets the stage for what we sing for today – joy, irreverence, and an integrity of sound and feeling, we feel this is crucial to music right now.” You can find Hannah and Ben online HERE

Kitchener Ontario’s Lynn Jackson has just released her ninth album “Follow That Fire”. Produced by the Cowboy Junkies Michael Timmins (who clearly is in demand these days), the album is an intimate and occasionally low key affair. On this episode, we play “Mystery Novels, Short Stories & Car Songs”, a song that’s all about life on the road. For more information, visit lynnjackson.net.

Speaking of Michael Timmins, we found time on this episode to play Jerry Leger‘s “Big Smoke Blues” from the “Nonsense” side of his great double collection “Nonsense & Heartache” – which was again produced by Michael. Nonsense features some great electric bluesy band numbers, while “Heartache” is a more of an introspective acoustic style album.

And finally, another – just about to be released – Michael Timmins production – the Skydiggers new album “Warmth Of The Sun” lands in a couple of weeks. On this episode ,we play “Show Me The Night” which features vocals from Jessy Bell Smith. The song was written by Josh Finlayson with Tom Wilson and Stephen Fearing from Blackie & The Rodeo Kings with Tom’s son Thompson Wilson.

Well, that’s all we have time for, this time around. Thanks to all the artists who share their music with us, and thank you for listening. We have a lot of great music and interviews to bring you on future shows. I hope you’ll join us!

Listen

You can listen to this episode again on Soundcloud by following the link below. You can also listen to episodes of Folk Roots Radio, on demand, via iTunes, Mixcloud, Stitcher and Tune-in Radio. (Click on the highlighted link to reach your chosen platform.)

Playlist

Nicolas & The Iceni (Theme)
Lucy She Rises (Demo)
Roll Right (Pre-release, self)

Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers
On The Water
The Long Awaited Album (2017, Rounder Records)

Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys
If I Were A Blackbird
Pretty Peggy (2017, Navigator)

Kim Beggs
Said Little Sparrow
Said Little Sparrow (2017, Self) CDN

Annie Sumi
Helpless Dancer
In The Unknown (2017, Self) CDN

Rob Lutes
Spence
Walk In The Dark (2017, Lucky Bear Records) CDN

Shawn William Clarke
Young In Love (At The End Of The World)
TOPAZ (2017, Self) CDN

Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage
Way Over Yonder In A Minor Key
(Single) (2017, Self)

Harpeth Rising
In The Singing
Against All Tides (2017, Midwest Records)

Merlin Snider
One Light Many Windows
One Light Many Windows (2016, Barking Dog Music)

David Myles
Night & Day
Real Love (2017, Little Tiny Records) CDN

Jerry Leger
The Big Smoke Blues
Nonsense And Heartache (Nonsense) (2017, Latent Recordings) CDN

Lynn Jackson
Mystery Novels, Short Stories & Car Songs
Follow That Fire (2017, Busted Flat Records) CDN

Chesterfield & The Sofa Kings
Thunderbolt
The Rise Of The Recliner (2017, Self) CDN

Gabrielle Papillon
Three Years
Keep The Fire (2017, The state51 Conspiracy) CDN

Skydiggers
Show Me The Night
Warmth Of The Sun (2017, Latent Recordings) CDN

Ian Sherwood
Don’t Want To Leave
Bring The Light (2017, Self) CDN