“Proof of Love” is the follow up to Old Man Luedecke’s widely acclaimed second album Hinterland. Produced by multi Juno Award winner Steve Dawson, this recording finds the pride of Chester, Nova Scotia, well loved for the stark joyous simplicity of his powerful banjo driven solo shows, working with a full band for the first time.
Recorded live off the floor in just a couple of days at the Factory Studio in Vancouver, “Proof of Love” captures the thrill of hearing music made in the moment. The band includes John Raham (The Be Good Tanyas, Kinnie Starr) on drums, Mark Beaty (The Be Good Tanyas) on bass, Adrian Dolan (The Bills) on fiddle, Steve Dawson on guitars and Alice Dawson, Rose Cousins, and the Sojourners on back-up vocals. The result is a hooky unique take on folk music that swaggers with a breezy depth reminiscent of John Prine or a more lyrical John Hartford. The songs remain, as always, powerful early folk-inspired offerings that continue to marry the warmth and complexity of Old Man Luedecke’s banjo interplay with the emotional lyricism that has won him a devoted following.
“Proof of Love” has some unusual heroes painted in some of the best and most exciting language we’ve had from Old Man Luedecke yet. There’s Zoe, who finds lawns a yawn and plants a garden instead at her suburban home and thus is the “Spirit of the age, a breaker of the cage, she’s a proof of love”. There’s the hero of “Ain’t Goin My Way”, the everyman that sings about overstretching himself who’s “inner napoleon” hastens him to a fall. “Sad as a Forest” details the bitterness of a single leaf in the fall whose life could have been brilliant but feels, instead, “sad as a forest that’s all been cut down”. “Big Group Breakfast” is a celebration of the hangover meal where friends gather in a diner and the song revels in how such rituals help get them through it all. Old Man Luedecke’s “Proof of Love” shows again that special catchy poetic quality which makes his music so endearing and enduring.
Old Man Luedecke has been busy since the release of his last album. He has been a hit at many major North American folk festivals and has supported acts such as Feist, The Be Good Tanyas, Corb Lund, and Joel Plaskett at both club shows and soft seater venues. He has appeared on festival stages with the likes of Kris Kristofferson, David Francey, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Jill Barber and Buck 65. It was in fact, Luedecke’s driving banjo riff on Buck’s 65’s “Indestructible Sam” that won the CBC Radio 3 Bucky Award for “Best Hook” for his fellow east coast songwriter.
Old Man Luedecke will continue to tour relentlessly and watch for him as he brings his “Proof of Love” to your town.
Press Reaction For Hinterland
“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 twangy-y appeal. Clearly a labour of love by a capable and committed musician.” Exclaim! (National)
“Hinterland is a beautiful blend of traditional play-your-heart-out and stomp-your-foot recording mixed with tasteful engineering. Recorded in Vancouver and Halifax, it draws inspiration from everywhere in between. “The Coast (Halifax)
“…hard-scrabble banjo tunes and vivid, thoughtful lyrics ("I love the silver on your hands / I love the way you wreck my plans") in a frank and reedy baritone that deserves to be heard more widely.” The Globe And Mail (National)
