Two-time JUNO Award winner Old Man Luedecke returns to the music world in 2024 with his new album "She Told Me Where to Go" - Written while at sea on a scallop boat, it is a journey through the darkness and light of mid-life, and wrestles with the value of an artist in a time when music is ingested in 15 second increments. Produced by Afie Jurvanen (AKA Bahamas) over 2 years, "She Told Me Where to Go" finds Luedecke abandoning his banjo for exhilarating parts unknown.
"I was just going over to my neighbour's house to get some scallops for dinner", says Chris Luedecke. "Knowing that the live music world had slowed, he asked me if I wanted a job on his boat". And so, Chris began going out to sea in the North Atlantic, not far from his Nova Scotia home. He was giving up the game of music.
During downtimes, Chris' family would tap their maple trees and host all-day sap boils over an open fire. A frequent visitor was Afie Jurvanen (Bahamas). "What about not playing the banjo on your next record?" Afie suggested. Afie's question was rooted in how much of a fan he was of Chris's song writing, and that maybe perceptions of the banjo distracted from that. "I was a banjo player, known for my old-time Appalachian sound, and Afie thought that I should just write songs without the instrument in mind."
It might have been easier to just quit the game and stick to scallops, but being able to let go of the instrument that made him brought new life to Luedecke - to his songs and the album that sprang from it.
Single "She Told Me Where to Go" is prominently featured in "Pacific Drive" - out February 22 on PlayStation PS5.
