One of the reasons that autumn is one of my top four seasons is its changeable nature.  At this season of year, every time I drive out to the Townships to my garden there the forests and the lands look different.  Crops are changing colour.  Leaves are glowing.  It's not like summer, where it is just one insufferably hot day after another.  Or winter, where day follows day of blinding sunshine on the glittering snow!  No, autumn is full of potential for change - as if to say, "don't get too comfortable, because this won't last!"  So, on today's set of September Rambles, I'll try to adopt that same potential for change - so you don't quite know what might come next.

I have energetic Scottish preludes, earthy sea shanties, ballads of outlawed fashion options, lazy Sergeant Majors (are there any other kind?), inspiring medicine songs, neo-Appalachian hipsters, stirring Zimbabwean harmonies, a mini-set of Irish music from the Windy City, a Central Ontario happy anthem, and acoustic flatpicking breakouts.  From musicians like Heron Valley, The Young’uns, Catherine-Ann MacPhee, Ralph Shaw, Buffy Sainte-Marie, James Gordon, Emerald Rae, Nobuntu, Joseph Sobell, Maureen O’Shea, Baal Tinne, Rick Fines, and Steve Kaufman.  Throw away that leafblower and join me.

Routes & Branches & Beyond show # 337 2024 09 19

Recording (3)

made up on the spot - henceforth shit, but true

Don't Rape

But What About You

I'm Sorry About This Speech - Blame Gin

Well friends -- it's been a blast! This is it -- the last episode of Georgian Bay Roots Radio! Join hosts Kailey, Lloyd, Kelly, Tom and our founding host Jon Farmer as we take turns saying "so long for now" and spin one last song each to sail off into the sunset to. 

We've had so much fun curating these shows for you over the last 8 years. Thank you SO much to the Georgian Bay Folk Society for this wonderful opportunity to make these shows and for keeping us on the air, thank you to Steve Ritchie at CFOS for making us sound good on the radio, and thank you to each of you for tuning in week after week and for all your support and kind words. Take care of yourselves and each other, support local and live music, and we'll see you at Summerfolk!!!

Featuring music by The Clumsy Lovers, Murray McLauchlan, Bram Morrison, Iris Dement, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Scott Cook, and Stan Rogers!

Georgian Bay Roots #428 December 29 2024 (with Kailey)

Played at the drummer's wedding, 11/24/24

Grim - Live Wedding Performance 11/24/24

The Well Song - Live Wedding Performance 11/24/24

Top of the Mornin' - Live Wedding Performance 11/24/24

We have just made it through a time of year that tends to be highly-structured.  Indeed, on some days, you maybe had no time that was unplanned.  Maybe you scooted from one event to another like an overbooked operatic soloist who specialized in singing the Messiah!?  Well, to counteract such a highly-structured season, here on Routes & Branches and Beyond we're going to have a Random January.  I'll play just whatever lights my fancy (and let's all hope that at least some of it lights your fancy as well...).  I won't conform to some overall theme, like they teach you at all the finest Folk DJ Schools!

Today we'll hear fiddling premiers, braw sailing, Lake Erie Newfoundlanders, shaky towns, eclectic klezmer blues, love at the country fair, secrets of the bride, stone cold cathedrals, Breton gatherings, dark eyes, and static in the system.  All from musicians such as Glen Graham & Rodney MacDonald, Eric McDonald, The Immigrants, James Keelaghan, Chris While & Julie Matthews, The Gypsy Jive Band, Greg Hobbs, David Bradstreet, Dale Nikkel, John Whelan, Boukman Eksperyans, Alex Cuba, and The Winnipeg Mandolin Quintet.  Put down that calendar and join me.

Routes & Branches & Beyond show # 352 2025 01 02

Order and organization are clearly over-rated in today's culture.  That is one sign of the sad and impoverished state of our social world - the obsession with planning and the suspicion about trusting random processes to work their magic.  But, as we learn from the success of evolution, we rely on random processes for beauty and diversity and even life itself.  Can you imagine a planned world created by a committee?  I've seen hints of that, and I don't want to live in such a place.  No, today on Routes & Branches & Beyond we continue to celebrate the creativity and beauty of randomly choosing tracks off random shelves to create a show of meaningful musical diversity.  And who knows what patterns of brilliance we'll find by putting our faith in randomness.  

We'll hear old-soul music with grit and abandon, anti-colonial African anthems, Cajun hiphop slamgrass, Finnish 5-row button accordion polskas, fiery je ne sais quoi, classical prog-folk, prairie roots with Appalachian tendencies, the merry sisters of fate, dusty songs from the distant past, multicultural Canadian joy, misty-eyed songs about animals, and Macedonian 4-tuba wedding bands.  From musicians like The Lonesome Ace Stringband, Tony Bird, The Paperboys, Maria Kalaniemi, Andre Marchand & Lisa Ornstein & Normand Miron, Jethro Tull, Oh my Darling, Lúnasa, The Joyful Hour, Garnet Rogers, Donné Roberts, Tara Nevins, and Kočani Orkestar.  Throw away that "Best Practices Grid" and join me.

Routes & Branches & Beyond show # 337 2024 09 19

Ivan Emke

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