Coming Down from Red Lodge from 2002
with Rhonda Vincent, Peter Ostroushko, and the Hopeful Gospel Quartet,
Do you subscribe to our Substack page? It’s free and delivers an extra GK column weekly plus “Post to the Host.” If you opt in to the paid Subscription page, The Back Room, you will unlock a full archive of published goodies from the past year. Three thousand-plus subscribers have been treated to a weekly monologue from the early years (the 1980s), poems and lyrics from the archive, articles, photos, and show videos. We have recently uncovered a few recordings from our “Rhubarb” and “Night Out” shows, “Literary Friendships,” and “Comedy College.” Over the next few months, we will be posting these to The Back Room as well. The subscription dollars help pay for the production of the newsletters and the support of the archive.
Listen to the March 16, 2002 show
This week, we travel back to 2002 for a show that was broadcast live from the Fitzgerald Theater, with Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, Mollie O'Brien, Robin and Linda Williams, Peter Ostroushko, and accordionist Dan Newton.
Highlights include “End of the Line” from Garrison and the Hopeful Gospel Quartet, a rousing “Caught in the Crossfire” from Rhonda Vincent, “Wild About my Loving” from Dan Newton and the band, the Peter Ostroushko original “Coming Down from Red Lodge,’ plus Catchup, the history of broadcasting, talk of St. Paul, and the latest News from Lake Wobegon. Listen to the show.
Rhonda Vincent was barely five years old when she began performing with her family band, the Sally Mountain Show. She’s been in the spotlight ever since. Named Female Vocalist of the Year seven times by the International Bluegrass Music Association, this ace mandolinist has dozens of albums to her credit, including her latest, Music Is What I See.
Mandolinist, composer, arranger Peter Ostroushko, who made his first Prairie Home Companion appearance in 1974, grew up listening to tunes played at family get-togethers in the Ukrainian community of northeast Minneapolis. It’s the music that provided the basis for many of his compositions — works that have been performed by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Kremlin Chamber Orchestra, among others. Peter won an Emmy for the score of Minnesota: A History of the Land. He passed away in 2021 and below is a compilation of some of his work on our show.
The Hopeful Gospel Quartet makes an appearance on this week’s classic show, and it makes sense to check in with Robin & Linda Williams, who along with Mollie O’Brien and Garrison, comprise this formation of the quartet.
Robin and Linda Williams
For decades, Robin and Linda Williams were frequent guests on A Prairie Home Companion starting in 1976. They have made numerous television appearances on the Nashville Network’s Fire on the Mountain, Nashville Now, and Music City Tonight. The duo has also been heard on other nationwide radio programs, including the Grand Ole Opry, Mountain Stage, and NPR’s All Things Considered. With more than two dozen recordings and three musicals to their credit, they are considered to be among the finest songwriters in the folk-country tradition. That tradition continues with their latest CD, A Better Day A-Coming. We asked them a few questions about the new music.
Tell us a bit about the new CD, which is called A Better Day A-Coming.
We feel we had “the gift of time” for our new CD, A Better Day A-Coming. We recorded it in three sessions, from August 2019 through August 2020, in our living room, with its 10-foot ceilings and plaster walls, with our good friend Kevin McNoldy assisting as co-producer and engineer. Bassist Mark Schatz and multi-instrumentalist David McLaughlin came by the house for the second session, and we sent digital files to our friends Richie Dworsky, Kevin Maul, and Patrick McAvinue and had them add their parts. During the final session, we recorded one last song and began mixing the CD. The “gift of time” was especially important with the mixing and sequencing of the songs. We did most of it by emailing files back and forth, we took our time, and we were able to make sure we were all satisfied with the final product.
How did you go about choosing the songs?
We started by recording eight original songs. Then we added five other songs, three by other songwriters and two from the public domain that we felt we had made ours by developing personal and unique versions.
What is the most personal song on the CD and why?
I’d say it’s probably “The Old Lovers Waltz” since it’s essentially about us and our long marriage. There are several other original songs that are about people we’ve known over the years. Of those, I’d say “We Don’t Know What To Say” would be a close second to “The Old Lovers Waltz” because it’s about a neighbor and a friend.
What is the most exciting part and most challenging part of self-releasing this album?
One exciting aspect of this record was that our living room sounded so doggone good, as good as some high-priced studios we’ve recorded in. Another exciting aspect is the strength of the performances. Everything is in good pitch and in good time and the recording has good energy and solid dynamics.
The most challenging part of the CD has been the postproduction work. This is our first self-release and now we know how diligent the record companies had to be in dealing with the mountains of minutiae involved in getting a CD out to the public. Talk about teaching old dogs new tricks! We’ve learned a lot, and we wouldn’t have gotten through it without a lot of help from our musician and music-business friends who freely shared their knowledge.
Read the full Guest Interview >>>
Listen to “A Better Day A-Coming” >>>
Purchase A Better Day A-Coming >>>
CHEERFULNESS from Garrison Keillor
Pick up a copy of Garrison’s new book and bring a more “cheerful” spirit to your life! Free shipping on the book from our store! Get the book here.
A Prairie Home Companion Trucker's Hat
Two-tone trucker’s-style hat featuring a mesh back that will help keep you a bit cooler. The Prairie Home Companion microphone logo is displayed on the front. The hat is adjustable so one size fits most.
Lake Wobegon Family Reunion
From America’s favorite storyteller, here are 19 memorable monologues, handpicked from over 15 previously released collections and 40 years of A Prairie Home Companion live broadcasts. This is the closest that we have gotten to compiling a “very best of Garrison Keillor” collection. It was assembled using fan input regarding their best-loved stories. The product pages for the CDs in our store have been updated with detailed track listings and easily downloaded links from Amazon and iTunes. Here is “Bruno, The Fishing Dog” as featured on this week’s listeners’ choice special and on this special collection of stories. Get the CDs or download.
