Music is cathartic.
Whether you sling a guitar strap over your shoulder and strum a few chords, or lie on your bed and listen to someone else, the melodies and choruses strings you along on a journey.
It takes you away.
No one appreciates that more than Tom Lindsay, who can recall sitting down to read the liner notes inside his records to learn more about the songs and the people who wrote them. Aside from the fantasy worlds the songs would lead him to, the precious information behind the song would lead him to other artists, especially when the performer and song writer where not one and the same.
This natural curiosity and appreciation for music is shared with his friend Michael Eck, who, together, represent the complimentary halves of the duo Lost Radio Rounders.
Through the course of nine years, Lost Radio Rounders has developed a local following for fans of classic folk music. “We don’t play anything that’s less than 50 years old,” said Lindsay. With that said, being a nose beyond 50 years old themselves, it means they spend time playing someone else’s music.
The duo has spent nearly a decade playing exclusively to live crowds. Critically acclaimed for keeping a dynamic atmosphere on stage and maintaining a humorous report, all while demonstrating a sharp sense of musicianship. The duo has a number of discs cataloging these performances, but, until recently, never a studio album.
About two years ago, Lindsay and Eck found themselves inside a recording studio. Hardly serendipitous, it was the only way the two could find time to play music together. Life was getting in the way. In particular, doctors diagnosed Lindsay’s mother, Helene, with a terminal illness.
Lindsay needed something to take him away.
“The fact that my mom went slowly was difficult for my mom and difficult for all of us to watch,” said Lindsay. “But, it allowed us to have those conversations and make things as right as they can be.”
Eck was no stranger to a recording studio, which Lindsay admitted, made him anxious. His mind on his mother and his family had put his mind in a different place, and he was afraid the two friends were “going to butt heads.” The nervousness went away when Eck suggested Lindsay take charge. “I was the one emotionally invested in it.”
The end product is “Hard Trials,” a collection of songs that help reveal “What’s going on in the mind of someone who is dealing with a family member who is terminally ill,” said Lindsay. “The topic may seem serious, but every song and every performance is built on joy. There is an arc here, and Hard Trials is, ultimately, an uplifting album dedicated to an incredible woman with a welcoming and generous heart.”
The release will be celebrated with a free concert, Friday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. at Hamilton Union Presbyterian Church in Guilderland. For more information, visit www.lostradiorounders.com.
“We are a live act,” said Eck, “but sitting down in the studio to make this disc not only brought us back to our own roots, but made us stronger as players and performers. We’re very proud of this record.”
