Old Man Luedecke Charms Young And Old In Sharbot Lake

Jul 18, 2013

Juno award winner Old Man Luedecke (Chris Luedeke) entertained music lovers at the Sharbot Lake Country Inn at an intimate and up beat show on July 13.

Luedecke, who is a master banjo player /singer / songwriter, was joined on stage by side man Joel E. Hunt of Newfoundland, who more than ably accompanied him on both mandolin and fiddle. Luedecke, who hails form Chester, Nova Scotia, eased into the first set, opening with his song Jonah and the Whale. In his second song, titled The Joy of Cooking, Luedecke quickened his pace and hit the ground bubbling with his own ode to bacon, a tune with a quick, rapid fire, plucky rhythm that manages to find an innovative rhyme for bacon – “If I’m not mistaken, the answer's bacon.”

Luedecke's upbeat originals are friendly and fresh and have for me a certain Paul Simon-esque charm; just substitute bluegrass for Simon's African folk leanings.

Couple that with his natural knack for story telling and it's no wonder his Sharbot Lake audience was completely won over. He engaged the crowd not only musically but by bookcasing his tunes with personal tales of his young family life; how farmers' markets and root veggies are now the foregoing concerns for himself and his family - new found interests that have helped to inspire his most recent recording. He played a wealth of new material from his fifth album, Tender is the Night, which features cover art by his wife.

Tender is the Night is already making waves and was recently long listed for the Polaris prize, a $25,000 award for innovative Canadian recordings. He played the upbeat “I'm Fine (I am, I am)’ a song he described as “not so much about surfing as about getting drunk on the beach”, and he slowed things down with “Little Stream of Whiskey”, a Doc Watson inspired tune that showcased Luedecke's impressive falsetto talents, and foreshadowed some all-out yodeling later in the show

He explained that his “Song for Ian Tyson” was inspired by a Tyson line he heard in a documentary, “I'm like an old wolf in a leg trap” a line that Luedecke felt justified an original song.

He later played the title track Proof of Love from his 2008 award-winning album, and with it cemented his new fan base in Sharbot Lake.

The White family, owners and operators of the Sharbot Lake Country Inn and the Crossing Pub, are continuing to bring a stellar line up of Canadian talent from near and far to local music lovers this summer. Coming up, award-winning blues man Jack de Keyser will be playing an intimate show on July 24. For more information visit www.sharbotlakeinn.com