Burk’s Falls, Ont. is a strange place to find magical music on a Monday night.

Located about three hours north of Toronto off Highway 11, Burk’s Falls is a sleepy village of about 1,000 people. But this past Monday night, it came alive and hosted an extraordinary experience, despite rain and cold.

Old Man Luedecke was my favorite performer by far (not counting Rod Stewart offsite), the banjo picker at a jam doing one song about infertility that almost ripped my throat out.

The banjo-picker calls his discovery of the banjo “a real gift.” We call his album, Proof of Love, one of the best of 2008.

by Tara Thorne

“It seemed like a loser’s instrument, you know, like a real underdog,” says Old Man Luedecke of his chosen tool, the banjo. “Here’s this happy-sounding thing that’s full of life and totally unknown to me and everything I’ve known.”

Fast talking, fast picking (on the banjo) Old Man Luedecke’s just telling stories on these snappy new tracks from his third and latest album, Proof of Love. Although Old Man doesn’t really look that old, his narrative style and attention to detail and tradition certainly reflect a degree of maturity and experience.

Chris Luedecke, one suspects, is very much a glass half full person. Despite the presence of the odd dark note or two on “Proof of Love” on the likes of “Sad As A Forest” or “Ain’t Goin’ My Way” in the main his music is sunny and optimistic and as such something of a breath of fresh air.

The third full-length album from Old Man Luedecke. It is particularly interesting that this album was recorded live in the Factory Studio in Vancouver. As such, this album captures the true spirit of Luedecke and his band playing without lots of unnecessary studio tweaking and overdubs. Chris plays banjo on most of these tracks which adds threads of bluegrass into the music.

Consider this album the first installment in what’s going to be a new generation of campfire songs. (Yes, “There’s A Tear In My Beer” is on the verge of obsolescence.) Halifax transplant Chris Luedecke has thus far been one of Canada’s best kept secrets, but Proof Of Love should change that.

A follow-up from the critically acclaimed album Hinterland, Old Man Luedecke’s new album captures the ad lib words and feelings of the tender hearted. Recorded in two days flat, Old Man sums up the spirit of the ages and the search for proof of love in under three minutes on each song.

Moving from an underground quirk to the position of a serious roots contender was merely a matter of time for this good-natured eastern banjo player. Old Man Luedecke, first name Chris, is emerging, no longer a secret within these Canadian borders.

Nova Scotia charmer Old Man Luedecke has quite a record on his hands with Proof of Love, fleshing out his banjo-and-voice dynamic with full-band arrangements that augment his earthy lyricism. With his command of witty, rollicking folk and earnest, sombre balladry, Luedecke sounds like a direct descendant of Hank Williams, self-effacingly playful yet sad and sore-hearted all the same.

With an uncommon knack for storytelling and conveying simple emotion, Halifax’s Chris Luedecke is the type of artist whose songs are so solid, they sound 100 years old. There’s nothing flashy about Proof of Love.

It’s hard to pin down which part of banjo player Chris “Old Man” Luedecke’s journey added the most texture to his career. Was it completing an English degree in Montreal while pondering diverse worlds, thoughts and times, or living in a tent in Dawson City while washing dishes and playing banjo in a gambling hall for the cancan girls?

Part Dock Boggs, part Walt Whitman and part aphorism-peddler is Old Man Luedecke, a hillside Nova Scotia songster who gently plays a banjo, turns phrases awfully well, falls down and picks himself up again.

almost weightless. Instead of dragging you down into your own loneliness, these songs play like conversations between friends. Sure, some might be more serious, but that is the comfort you feel with your friends.

I was going to write about how Old Man Luedecke’s Proof of Love is a bluegrass album that even people who wouldn’t count themselves as fans of the genre would enjoy…and then I found that Herohill had said that already, and a lot more eloquently than I possibly could have. So before I say anything else, I’ll suggest you go take a quick look, and meet me back here when you’re done.

After showing boatloads of promise with his 2006 “Hinterland” full-length debut, Chris “Old Man” Luedecke takes his music

If you’re not familiar with the Black Hen Music label from up north of the border (Canada for those of you who are geographically illiterate), you’re missing some really solid and diverse music that digs to the roots. It’s run by a man of the name Steve Dawson who, when not recording his own albums, pulls together some great talent.

Last night I tried to get people to get people to come out with me to check out Old Man Luedeke, who was launching his new album Proof of Love at The Yellow Door. Apparently my friends are all scared of the banjo, because my attempts were unsuccessful. I think many people have some pretty rigid preconceptions about this instrument.

Nova Scotia’s Chris Luedecke charmed Moncton last fall when he opened for Feist at the Capitol Theatre with his easy-going, warm personality, fun between- song banter and his upbeat banjo pickin’.

Old Man Luedecke has translated that charm to his third album, chock full of old-style folk tunes all written by Luedecke except for traditional tune “Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier”.

How can you not like a “banjo songster” from Chester, Nova Scotia? Old Man Luedecke does things the old-fashioned way, his vocal skills accompanied only by his 5-string. The story goes that the Old Man left Toronto for the Yukon wilderness, fell in love, moved to Halifax, then back to the Yukon and…. Sheesh. Like any good warbler, Mr.

Old Man Luedecke (who’s given name is Chris) is a Canadian banjo player who has taken Americana folk music north of the border to show us how it’s done. With all that wide open land up there, it makes sense that a Canuck would take so well to rural sounds.

Banjo in hand, Old Man Luedecke stands on the front cover of his latest outing, Proof of Love. There’s a charm to the artwork, the man and the music.

In the tradition of Woody Guthrie, Nova Scotia troubadour Chris Ludecke’s third release is a joyous set of folk stories, featuring simple but solid banjo playing and his warm down home vocals. His past recordings have been pretty much a one-man show, but this time the old man is joined by various members of the Be Good Tanyas and The Bills for a fuller, slicker sound.

Although Proof of Love has more studio production and backing musicians than his past releases, Chris Luedecke – who is not an old man – continues to write songs like “Just Like a River” and “Little Bird” that combine old-time banjo traditions with his own contemporary lyrics. He also includes a couple of traditional songs to remind us of the older musicians who inspired him.

Chris Luedecke is a little concerned that his lyrical affection for bacon might be his epitaph. He can imagine the news anchor announcing, “As Old Man Luedecke once said [in his popular song ‘Joy of Cooking’], ‘If I’m not mistaken, the answer is bacon.’”

Halifax-based Chris Luedecke has an interesting, old-timey take on music, writing a lot of tunes that have a sturdy, rubbed-oak quality to them. He’s also alert enough to surround himself with West Coast talent like über-producer Steve Dawson at the board and a variety of instruments, plus ace mandolinist John Reischman and the gospel choral group The Sojourners.

Don’t be fooled by the apparent simplicity of Proof of Love.

Chris (Old Man) Luedecke’s third album is direct, immediate and unpretentious, but it’s not simple.

JUSTIN BRAKE
Special to The Telegram

“I figured I would grow into it,” laughs Old Man Luedecke, referring to his name.
Fact is, Chris Luedecke isn’t old at all. He’s 32 and adopted the moniker when he was in his early 20s.

Chris “Old Man” Luedecke charmed audiences at this year’s Winnipeg Folk Festival with his funny stage banter and simple songs about hard times, love and kids named Monsanto. While he performs live with just his voice and five-string banjo (with the occasional foot-stomp thrown in for good measure), Luedecke’s alt-folk songs get the full band treatment on Proof of Love, his third CD.

A banjo is a special instrument. It seems to fit very well in country music or east coast fiddling songs. It can evoke feeling of happiness and sadness, almost simultaneously and will always make your foot stomp incessantly.

Old Man Luedecke—who really isn’t very old at all—travels in a distinctly old-timey genre of music, accompanying himself on his banjo, but he always keeps the subject matter of his songs rooted firmly in the present. “I just admire the naturalness of this music that was made before it was made to sell, when it was a community effort,” he explains.

Just as the good weather took it’s time getting to Toronto this summer, I’ve taken my time coming around to the music of Old Man Luedecke. Doing my best to rectify that, I’ve been taking a crash course on the Nova Scotian banjo player and “Proof of Love,” the title-track to his 2008 album, is a great place to start.

Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Luedecke gives new voice to the banjo with a little help from a kazoo & a cardboard box…

Shifting between optimistic hippie poetry and darker, more foreboding themes, Haligonian Old Man Luedecke writes songs in the banjo songster style. A young man with an old soul, Luedecke pays homage to folk tradition while addressing contemporary issues that give his music relevance beyond its twang-y appeal.

Great advice from OML- “Discard your store-bought realities, don’t let them take the joy that you make on your own”. That pretty much sets the tone for this CD. Folk-wise lyrics, solid thumpin’ straight ahead banjo pluckin’ and not the slightest trace of big-box influence anywhere.

The first you should know about Old Man Luedecke is that he’s not an old man. Chris Luedecke is barely 30 years, lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia and takes the bus back and forth across Canada playing folk festivals and small clubs.

Mellow, Groovy and Kicks Jack Johnson Ass.