Banjo player extraordinaire Chris Luedecke is the genius behind Old Man Luedecke (loo-deck-ee); the Chester, Nova Scotia-based musician was in town for not one but two shows last night at downtown Victoria restaurant Northern Quarter.
The venue was perfect for this show, but not for obvious reasons.
First of all, Northern Quarter is actually quite small; because the show was sold out, the host ended up having to sit groups together at tables. We were sitting with a lady and two other gentlemen; that may sound uncomfortable, but it totally worked for this show.
The style of music made me think of small towns on the East Coast where the whole town crowds into the one pub to enjoy drinks and the company of others; for one evening we were indeed amiably crowded together to enjoy really good food and drink, and fantastic entertainment.
The other thing that was notable about the crowd was the diversity in demographic. I had seen Luedecke a few years ago at Lucky Bar, and had noted how all ages and types were there to see him play. Last evening saw the same kind of crowd; a young couple had even brought their baby along.
Luedecke’s skill with the banjo is pretty fantastic to watch; seeing him play his simple, wholesome songs about love, family, and daily life from his most recent album, Domestic Eccentric, and his older releases, was a treat.
The show was a complete success, and I thoroughly enjoyed the self-deprecating and humorous stories in the introductions to his songs; they hit a chord of truth, just like Old Man Luedecke’s songs themselves.