Grandpa's Songs
Nathaniel Rateliff and Gregory Alan Isakov, Michigan Rattlers, Watchhouse, and recording grandpa's songs
And he passed it onto me, like granddaddy's rifle
—Stephen Wilson, Jr., Father’s Søn
Another week, another Swap. Last week’s edition brought in some new friends. If you’re new to the Swap, welcome! Here’s a rundown of our format:
Intro lyric to kick things off
Three song recommendations from our Music Swap contributors
Bonus Track: A guest joins us for a deeper dive on a music topic
This week’s intro lyric sets the stage for our Bonus Track. A good friend of the Swap recently recorded four songs passed down from his grandpa and they’re fantastic. Scroll down to read about the story and sample the songs. On your way, check out some song recommendations from Jonathan, Kody, and Ben.
Flowers by Nathaniel Rateliff and Gregory Alan Isakov (Jonathan)
I love collaborations, especially when the artists are two of my favorites. This joint effort, written by long-time friends Nathaniel Rateliff and GAI, was released this week, five years after they started writing it. I love both of their voices, which go great together in this beautiful song. It sounds like a song about lost love, or maybe love not found—I'm not sure. Listen to it and let me know what you think it’s about.
Heaven by the Michigan Rattlers (Kody)
I’m a fan of the Rattlers, and I like their new album, “Waving From A Sea.” The band describes it as their “most immersive album to date, sitting at the perfect intersection of The War on Drugs and Bruce Springsteen.” That’s bold, and I’m here for it. I definitely hear some Springsteen in the first track, Heaven. Enjoy!
All Around You by Watchhouse (Ben)
“Home - can’t you feel it, right behind you — ain’t it always just ahead and all around you.”
Watchhouse explores the idea of home on a single they released this week. It feels fresh while staying in the center of their sound. A new album (Rituals) is on the way — it will be fun to hear what else they do with this project.
Bonus Track: Grandpa’s Songs Volume 1 by Brett Rudder
My Grandpa Wayne was a songwriter in the 1960s.
He’s still a songwriter today—but for some reason, being a songwriter in the 1960s carries a little more weight. It probably shouldn’t, but doesn’t everyone today just use AI to write songs? (Kidding!)
Anyway, it’s true. John Wayne Rudder toured the United States, trying to “make it big,” with my Nana and my kid-dad in tow. I’ve heard stories, scattered here and there, about venues near and far and about sharing audiences—and sometimes even living room furniture—with people like John Denver. I’ve ridden with him a hundred times (usually in the truck bed) in that old 1980 Dodge, driving up the snowy mountain road to the hand-built home he still shares with my Nana. And I’ve listened to the recordings he made many years later, trying to find a way to share his poetic tunes from the mountain with the world.
But it gets harder to play as you get older—and harder still to record, mix, and produce music from a DIY studio with old equipment. These songs, though, and the stories they tell—I wish more people could hear them. And I know he does, too. Not because he’s full of himself; he certainly isn’t. I haven’t asked him why, but I suspect it’s because he’s a music listener, too.
Everyone has had a moment—probably several—where a song written for someone else, by someone completely removed from their life, lands in their heart. It sparks emotions, memories, thoughts, and maybe even prayers that didn’t seem to exist before. It’s a mysterious gift from the Father, but it’s a beautiful one.
So I recorded these songs. I picked four of my favorites from Grandpa’s vast collection of poetic folk tunes—some written in 1969 and others as late as 1991 (the year I was born). Then I collaborated with my dear friend and fellow songwriter Andrew Tyson to share Grandpa’s songs with the world. I don’t know if they’ll resonate in your heart the way they do in mine, but I hope so.
You can listen to Grandpa’s Songs: Volume I by Brett Gregory Rudder on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, Bandcamp, and more.
P.S. “One Summertime” is about his grandson.
Brett Rudder played his first "real gig" with a band called Hot Jam Factory, opening for The Pink Spiders at the Chameleon Club. His most recent "real gig" was a house show in Seneca, SC, playing songs written by his grandfather. When he was 13, his parents bought him a guitar, and when he was 15, they bought him a vinyl record player. He's been a flailing songwriter ever since. It all started with a couple of Ramones records and "Smile" from Brian Wilson. His favorite live music experience is opening for The Wallflowers with his band, The Gregory's, in 2022.
Well done, Brett! We hear a little Josh Ritter in your voice. Thank you for sharing these songs with the world, and thank you, everyone, for reading the Music Swap. See you next week!
-TheMusicSwap
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So good.
Love this whole theme. Thanks for sharing.