Grab a grown up and get ready to dance, kids! Award-winning Canadian fiddler Gordie MacKeeman’s new album Folk for Little Folk Volume 1 is so infectious that toes will tap and heads will sway from the rousing opening track “All Around the Kitchen” (and referenced on the album’s playful cover art).
MacKeeman has collaborated with folk musician friends to interpret 17 tracks with a rollicking verve that makes familiar folks songs – a mix of traditional bluegrass, Western swing, and classic country – feel fresh and exciting. “I really put a lot of work into finding a wide range of folk music for this album,” MacKeeman offers. And they recorded Folk for Little Folk mostly live because he wanted to capture the feeling of musicians playing in a living room.
Born in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, he began performing when he was just 6 years old: step dancing in parades and winning fiddle competitions throughout the Maritime provinces. At the age of 14, he played the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival for the first time, alongside established performers like Ron Hynes and Ken Whitely. It was there that he earned his nickname of “Crazy Legs.” Since moving to Prince Edward Island in 2000, MacKeeman has collaborated with artists such as Scott Parsons, Nudie and The Turks, The Grass Mountain Hobos, and – more recently – with his own group Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys. His international performances span four continents and include Denmark’s Tonder Festival, the UK’s Cambridge Folk Festival, Merlefest in North Carolina, and the Port Fairy Folk Festival in Australia. And you can add to that numerous performances on television and radio.
When he’s not on the road, MacKeeman has worked as a daycare teacher/autism assistant for more than 10 years. He is also a father of three beautiful children. As a musician, he noticed a lack of diverse, high-quality, diverse music for children. “I think, just like adults, children should listen to different styles of music, not just the typical ‘children’s music’,” he offers. And more specifically, “I really wanted an album that parents will keep listening to, even if the kids fall asleep!” So, having grown up surrounded by music, Mackeeman shortlisted favourite songs for the album that he was already listening to with his own young family.
What distinguishes Folk for Little Folk is its toe-tapping, full and real sound. Much like the family shows by The Second City, Folk for Little Folk is built to hook young audiences and delight their grown ups: “I wanted it to be a ‘Family Album’ and not just a kids’ album. I also don’t think that music has to have the typical ‘kid’ sound to be appreciated by children.” His own family provides ample proof: “Kids pay attention to everything we listen to as adults. I noticed that my daughter Annie, who is five, listens to the music my wife and I listen to, even when we don’t think she’s listening. On more than one occasion she has surprised us by belting out a Dolly Parton song that we didn’t even know she knew!”
His family experience also provided proof of the adult appeal of good children’s music. When Annie was born, a friend in England gave MacKeeman and his wife an unexpected gift. “His family had recorded some children’s albums that were mostly old British folk songs, and not only did Annie love it, but my wife and I loved it as well. That really inspired me to create something similar.” MacKeeman reiterates his belief that children should be exposed to all styles of music, not just folk, but “that is what I am able to record well, so that’s what I wanted to contribute.” And most important of all, he wanted to make an album that families could listen to together, much as his own family does: “I want the old and the young to put this album on and spend some quality time dancing or singing together.”
So what do young listeners – those most honest critics – have to say about the album? “The kids love it!” MacKeeman beams. “My kids have been hearing these songs for two years now, and they aren’t sick of them yet! They know all the words, and I think they feel responsible for some of them!” He has also played the songs at his daycare early in the recording process. It was “like having my own little focus group. I didn’t tell them it was me playing or singing, so there was no bias. And they really love dancing to the album! They continue to come up and request these songs all the time.”
Folk for Little Folk contains 17 tracks in all: “Snaccident” is a “country patter” song with a unique sound and style that showcase MacKeeman’s precise – and fast – vocals. Other highlights include his version of the nostalgia-inspiring Sesame Street classic “Ladybugs’ Picnic,” “Big Rock Candy Mountain,” and a rousing rendition of the traditional fiddling tune “Hop High Ladies.” Also included is the country standard “Mama Don’t Allow,” in which listeners will marvel at the dexterity of MacKeeman’s jigging bow, plus some other surprises. And Folk for Little Folk glides to a soothing end with the lyrical waltz “Dreamland.”
Though fulsome, Folk for Little Folk is not MacKeeman’s last word on family music. When he began recording it, MacKeeman knew right away that he would not be finished even when the album was done. “I had so much fun, and I had many more songs I wanted to add,” he explains. After the album grew to 17 songs, a friend proposed the solution by suggesting he call it “Volume 1”. “And now it’s destined,” he smiles. “I don’t want to be a liar. It’s kind of like buying tickets to a concert. Once you buy the tickets you kind of have to go!”
So we can expect a Volume 2, and in the interim, we can tap our toes and sing along to the sizable sonic riches of Volume 1. Like many artists, MacKeeman has not been able to tour and perform due to COVID-19 restrictions but considers himself lucky to have been able to use the downtime to create this album. He was the one at home with his two young daughters during lockdown because his wife is an essential worker, so the trio spent wonderful days immersed in music and dancing.
“That was an experience I’ll never forget, and I think that joyful experience is reflected on this album. It has been a difficult time for all of us, but I’m really glad I was able to use the time for something positive, and I really hope that this album will bring some happiness and joy to everyone out there.”
Folk for Little Folk Volume 1 is available on www.crazylegs.ca and iTunes.
© Arpita Ghosal, SesayArts Magazine, 2021
