Folk Roots Radio Episode 229: Lynn Jackson Interview & More New Releases

Kitchener-based singer-songwriter Lynn Jackson joins us on New & Noted this week to chat about her new recording “Songs of Rain Snow & Remembering”, an album that sees her broadening her musical palette with the addition of piano and cello to add texture to her acoustic guitar driven songs. As always, we also including a good selection of music from the new releases that we’ve received. We also pay our own tribute to one of Canada’s greatest songwriters, Newfoundland’s Ron Hynes who sadly passed away last week.

We started off the show with our tribute to Ron Hynes, another songwriter gone too soon, and what a songwriter he was. A man who, by all accounts, fought his demons right to the end, but left behind a wonderful legacy, and a love for his music that will grow over the years. With so many songs to pick from we decided to showcase two songs by the man himself, and two that show his influence on others and what I’m sure will be an enduring legacy. We started off with Ron Hynes with “A Good Dog Is Lost” from his 2003 album on Borealis, “Get Back Change”, and followed it with probably his most famous song “Sonny’s Dream”, this time performed a cappella by The Once from their 2014 album “Departures”. We also included a live version of “Godspeed (Requiem For Gene MacLellan)”, a song inspired by the tragic death of another fine songwriter, Gene MacLellan who took his own life in 1995 and originally featured on Ron Hynes’ 1997 album “Face To The Gale”. You can find the live version of Godspeed on the wonderful tribute album “Snowbird – The Songs of Gene Maclellan” (2013, True North Records) recorded at Zion Presbyterian Church in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island in 2012. And finally, a song about Ron from someone else, New Brunswick singer-songwriter Brent Mason with “Hynesight (for Ron Hynes)” from his 2014 album “All The Pretty Horses”. A sad loss but I have no doubt Ron Hynes legend will endure.

Lowell Levinger – Banana from The Youngbloods has just released an album of Youngbloods songs from the 60s entitled “Get Together – Banana Recalls Youngbloods Classics” (2015, Grandpa Raccoon Records). It’s much more than just retread of the golden age of The Youngbloods, and features some great rearrangements and some outstanding musicians including Ry Cooder, David Grisman and fellow Youngblood Jesse Colin Young among others. This week we played a new version of the Jesse Colin Young classic “Darkness Darkness” featuring Ry Cooder on slide guitar and Darol Anger on fiddle. “Get Together – Banana Recalls Youngbloods Classics” as a great album in its own right, and well packaged, which makes it a fun read as well as a listen. We’ll definitely be playing a track or two more from that on future shows.

Kitchener-based Singer-songwriter Lynn Jackson has just released her eighth album “Songs Of Rain, Snow and Remembering”, out now on Busted Flat Records. As with her last record, “The Acoustic Sessions”, the new album was co-produced by Norman Blake from Teenage Fanclub. The coming year will see Lynn embark on a tour of Western Canada in the spring, and head back to Eastern Canada later in the year. We caught up with Lynn at home in Kitchener to chat about the new album. For more information visit lynnjackson.net. Listen to the full interview HERE.

We wrapped the show with The Changing Room, from Cornwall in the UK with “I’ll Give You My Voice” from their album “Behind the Lace”. A song written by Tanya Brittain, and inspired by vocalist Sam Kelly’s relationship with his Irish granddad. A rather fitting way to end the show.

Well, that’s all we have time for. Check out the full playlist with artist links below and 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 show again on Mixcloud by following the link below.

Folk Roots Radio: Episode 229 New & Noted by Folk Roots Radio on Mixcloud

Nicolas & The Iceni (Theme)
Lucy She Rises (Demo)
Roll Right (expected 2015)

Ron Hynes
A Good Dog Is Lost
Get Back Change (2003, Borealis Records) CDN

The Once
Sonny’s Dream
Departures (1997, EMI Music) CDN

Ron Hynes
Godspeed (Requiem For Gene MacLellan)
Snowbird – The Songs of Gene Maclellan (2013, True North Records) CDN

Brent Mason
Hynesight (for Ron Hynes)
All The Pretty Horses (2014, Left Handed Records) CDN

Bob Ardern
Sangiovese
Eight Winds (2015, Self) CDN

Dione Taylor
Love Is
Born Free (2015, Matay Records) CDN

Lowell Levinger
Darkness Darkness
Get Together – Banana Recalls Youngbloods Classics (2015, Grandpa Raccoon Records)

Lori Yates
Sweetheart Of The Valley
Sweetheart Of The Valley (2015, Self) CDN

Lynn Jackson
The Sky Looks Like Rain
Songs of Rain Snow & Remembering (2015, Busted Flat Records) CDN

Interview: Lynn Jackson joins us to chat about her new album “Songs of Rain Snow & Remembering”. Listen to the full interview HERE.

Lynn Jackson
Riding Out The Storm
Songs of Rain Snow & Remembering (2015, Busted Flat Records) CDN

The Changing Room
I’ll Give You My Voice
Behind the Lace (2015, Self)