Banjo Underground

September 16, 2012 6:50 PM

I Was Climbin The Stairs At Machu Picchu / Found My Cellphone And Tried To Reach You. Chester, Nova Scotia's Old Man Luedecke does what he does best: strums a banjo and tells some wandering stories, live at Toronto's Great Hall. Also in his backyard. On his davenport. In the bathtub. Sometimes he does covers. Sometimes he makes them more interesting by translating them into a language he doesn't speak.
posted by mannequito (7 comments total)

I saw him at the Winnipeg Folk Festival a few years ago and enjoyed tremendously.



We must have the classic I Quit My Job
posted by louche mustachio at 7:38 PM on September 16, 2012

I thought this was going to be another "Call Me Maybe" parody.
posted by bpm140 at 7:54 PM on September 16, 2012

I was born on the south shore of Nova Scotia and wondered why I hadn't heard of this guy, then I realized he wasn't "old" and didn't put anything out until 2003. Then I clicked through the videos and songs and just wanted to point out the only thing unique about his style is that he is touring while the rest of 'em stay home.
posted by pink candy floss at 8:41 PM on September 16, 2012

Learned to love his music when I lived in Nova Scotia, but didn't get to see him play until he did a small but very fun show in Portland Maine.

I also enjoy his anti-Wall Street protest track Woe Betide the Doer of the Deed.

So glad to hear he has another album coming out.
posted by Vectorcon Systems at 9:35 PM on September 16, 2012

I saw him at Rifflandia in Victoria last year, it was great fun.
posted by 0127661 at 10:41 PM on September 16, 2012

Old Man Luedecke is a treasure! The Joy of a Cooking and Proof of Love are two really good songs of his. A lot of the YouTube videos of his stuff have crappy sound, but give the albums a listen, the studio versions are great.
posted by oulipian at 11:37 PM on September 16, 2012

A coincidence! I was actually just listening to I Quit My Job when I saw this post. Though Old Man Luedecke does make up at least a tenth of my at-work background music, so maybe not so unlikely.
posted by magicicada at 6:30 AM on September 17, 2012