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Old Man Luedecke: Hoping for Something Good

Interview

Old Man Luedecke is the recording name of JUNO-winning singer-songwriter Chris Luedecke. He’s known for poignant songs about family life, work, and making music. “Easy Money” is an anthem about how touring takes him away from his family. “The Early Days” has become a favourite among parents who know that time flies.

Recently, Luedecke enlisted the help of producer Afie Jurvanen, AKA Bahamas, who lives near him in Nova Scotia. “We make maple syrup in our backyard, and we spend days outside at a fire. His family started coming over, and one day when we were making syrup, he said, ‘We should make a record.'”

At Jurvanen’s suggestion, Luedecke swapped the banjo for his guitar. “Afie was not a big booster of the banjo,” he laughs. “And I had been playing more guitar anyway. So I sat down every day and hoped for something good.”

Once the instrument in his hands was different, the music changed as well. The new album, She Told Me Where To Go, has a fresh sound. Luedecke’s voice is familiar, but the songs have different textures and themes. “On this record I decided to let some of the darker songs dominate,” he says.

In “Going On the Mountain,” he sings, “I can see it now that push has come to shove, Nothing here is certain in this world below.”

He’s getting ready for four solo shows in Alberta. “There’s a great power in being a lone banjo player on stage. I tell stories about what’s going on in my life. I bring guitar and banjo, and play old songs and new.”

As for the new record, he says, “The songs had a long time to grow. I’m proud of this album. Even if it’s an anxious record in some ways.”

The song “My Status is the Baddest,” for example, looks further down life’s road. “It’s about when the kids won’t pose for pictures anymore. The father’s complaint.”

As children grow up and the world changes, Luedecke is still able to find joy in small moments. “The world seems cheerier today because we all went skiing yesterday.”

Old Man Luedecke has shows in Canmore, Edmonton, Olds, and Pincher Creek in February. Find all the details at oldmanluedecke.com

Old Man Luedecke will also be Tom Coxworth’s guest on Folk Routes, on Sunday, January 26. Don’t miss this conversation “from the road” in the second hour. Folk Routes airs Sundays from 11am to 1pm MT on CKUA. 

“Going on the Mountain” is from Old Man Luedecke’s album She Told Me Where to Go.