A Prairie Home Companion: October 23, 2004

Special Guests
Saturday, October 23, 2004

Robin and Linda Williams

Robin and Linda appeared on our show in 1975, the year they recorded their first album here in town on the Flashlight label; Peter Ostruoshko was on that album, along with Mike Cass and Dave Hull. They recorded their 17th and latest album here as well, on Red House and titled Deeper Waters; it has received enthusiastic reviews, like their albums do. One critic called it "nothing short of a masterpiece." Others said, "the real deal," and "shine like diamonds amid rhinestones," and "rich in harmonies, original songs and acoustic brilliance." They aren't from here. Linda is from Anniston, Alabama, and Robin was born in Charlotte, North Carolina; they've made their home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia for many years. A fine elderly farmhouse, it is, with a driveway that can hold a semi. But they spend so much time on the road every year that we see them about as often as if they lived in South St Paul. Which we think is a very good thing. Joining them as Their Fine Group are Jim Watson, on bass and Jimmie Gaudreaux, on mandolin

Peter Ostroushko

He grew up in a musical community, Ukrainian Northeast Minneapolis as it used to be, and he learned to play a number of instruments early on. He was hired in high school to compose and play the music for a one-man staging of A Christmas Carol, at the Children's Theater School. In the thirty years since that beginning he has been sideman to and traveled with the very famous, been a session player on three or four hundred CDs, has written and produced nine of his own albums and has composed works performed by the St Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Minnesota Sinfonia, the Kremlin Chamber Orchestra, and the symphony orchestras of both Rochester and Des Moines. He's written film scores for Ken Burns' documentaries Lewis & Clark and Mark Twain. He is a musician's musician and has a press kit filled with superlatives; everything from "solemn grace" and "joyfully funky" to "breathtaking, technically brilliant music." But Jethro Burns put it best when he said: "Go out of your way to see Pete."

Dan Newton

The man is in eight bands, in addition to the one on stage tonight. He also does solo acts in two incarnations, one as the sophisticated Accordioniste and the other as the funky Daddy Squeeze and His Ethnoclectic Accordion. The bands all get good reviews; people write things like "quietly dazzling" and "the Cafe' Accordion Orchestra is the real deal." He says he just likes to play music and the only way to do that is to keep working. His bands cover everything from Paris, France, to Paris, Texas, and they can stop in Chicago, Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans on the way.

Prudence Johnson

She was a founding member of the jazz ensemble Rio Nido, with whom she recorded three albums, one of which, High Fly, is still available on cassette from Red House Records. She stepped out on her own with Vocals, a successful debut bringing on board some 30 musicians from various facets of the Twin Cities music scene, plus an appearance in there by Manhattan Transfer.

She recorded three albums on her own and did two tours to the Soviet Union—one with Women Who Cook, and the other with The Good Life, her own band. She appeared on stage in the Steven Dietz play, Ten November (Actor's Theater of Saint Paul), in The All Night Strut (Music Box Theater, Minneapolis), and in Gershwin's The Klezmer (San Diego Repertory Theatre). She also had a cameo role in Robert Redford's A River Runs Through It.

Jay Peterson

He is originally from Anoka and goes back with our show to when he designed the Powdermilk Biscuit logo, as well as playing the guitar and singing. He now lives in Maine near the home of E.B. White and has a radio show called Rhythm Ranch, on station WERU out of Blue Hill. He lives near the coast in Sedgewick and, in addition to his music business, does freelance sign painting and varnishing on sailboats. There are 60 boat works within 20 miles and the boats need re-lettering every couple of years. He plays in a local band here with Dan Newton when he's in town. They do early Country & Western and Western Swing music. The band is called Paradise Ranch.