Mike Rud Blends Jazz, Storytelling, and the Supernatural in Dazzling New Album
Mike Rud has always stood at the intersection of intellect and imagination. A Juno Award-winning jazz guitarist, vocalist, and composer born in Edmonton, Alberta, and based now in Nelson, BC, Rud unveils the latest chapter of his creative journey: The Paranormal Adventures of Uncle Mike. With his new single, “The Lonely Sea Monster of Pigeon Lake, Alberta,” Rud delivers a poignant and whimsical tale from his youth—one that blends folk roots, jazz textures, and a touch of the otherworldly.
“The Lonely Sea Monster” is a mythical romp through prairie memory and emotional introspection, set against a lonely lakeside and an encounter with a seven-story creature. “Inside you lives a beast a lot like me / Don’t be that way,” the monster warns. It’s a line that speaks to Rud’s lyrical depth—this is a song about heartbreak, empathy, and learning not to hide from who you truly are. Jazz, roots, and nostalgia intertwine as he tells stories soaked in memory and metaphor.
Recorded in Paris, Montreal, and Edmonton, the album was produced by Paul Johnston for Bent River Records and features a remarkable cast:
- Mike Rud: vocals, guitar, guitar synth, all songwriting and lyrics
- Karl Jannuska: drums
- Yoni Zelnik: bass
- Chris Andrew: piano, accordion, electronic keyboards, theremin
- Paul Johnston: additional upright bass on “Edna and Maurice”
- Cynthia Hamar and Annaletha Boateng: backing vocals
Describing his latest work, Rud says, “It’s a travelogue of Canada—sort of. Filtered through monster movies, prairie dreams, and the heart’s truth of an 11-year-old boy in the ‘70s.” Each song takes listeners into a fictionalized-yet-familiar Canada, from haunted manor houses in Streetsville, Ontario, to UFO sightings at CFB Southport, Manitoba.
Notes on Montreal, an album praised for turning Montreal’s literature, such as Leonard Cohen, into jazz songs. Now, with The Paranormal Adventures of Uncle Mike, Rud fully leans into his love of storytelling, where music becomes a stage for memory, fantasy, and identity.
“The Paranormal Adventures” is also a tribute to Rud’s roots. Raised in both Edmonton and Montreal, he’s taught jazz at McGill University, mentored rising musicians, and performed alongside greats like Herb Ellis and Kenny Wheeler. But this project—part concept album, part autobiography—is perhaps his most ambitious yet. “The songs are fiction,” he admits with a wink, “but they’re also my deepest truths.”
Thanks to support from Selkirk College and MacEwan University, and guided by Johnston’s vision, the album’s production matches its sweeping creative intent. From the surf-jazz tones of theremin to the shimmering accordion that evokes ghost towns and seashores, each instrument feels like a character in Rud’s world.
Whether it’s “The Lonely Sea Monster of Pigeon Lake,” the tragic love story of “Edna and Maurice,” or the spooky hilarity of “Your Neighbourhood Witch,” Rud’s new album invites listeners into a world that is at once nostalgic, otherworldly, and emotionally true. It’s the sound of Canada through the eyes of someone who’s seen its magic—and lived to write the soundtrack.
Hi, Mike! Good to meet you! Care to introduce yourself to the readers for those not familiar with your music?
Good to meet you, too! My music combines two quite different streams. The first stream is the singer/songwriter pop music I grew up on from the 70s to the 90s. These would be artists like Randy Newman or Kate Bush. The second stream would be the jazz music I learned, almost like you’d learn a trade. That is, by going to schools and by apprenticing on the bandstand in Edmonton, Montreal, and BC. In that regard, I strongly patterned my guitar playing on that of musicians like Jim Hall (who was my teacher in the 90s in New York).
Let’s start with the single—what inspired “The Lonely Sea Monster of Pigeon Lake,” and how did that childhood memory evolve into a metaphor for heartbreak and identity?
Lately, I’ve been watching a lot of monster movies (Godzilla, etc.), and the ‘monster’ started striking me as a misunderstood creature. A sympathetic character, in pain — essentially a ‘good dog,’ gone tragically off the rails.
Pigeon Lake really is a place I’ve spent a fair bit of time at, back since I was a little kid, and I always loved the idea that there would be a monster in it. I’m especially entertained by the idea that a gigantic monster would come up from it, because it’s only about 30 feet at its deepest. Also I was tickled by the idea that such a misbegotten creature might not only live there, but have advice to give.
…Or perhaps it all really happened 😉 Why does nobody believe me?!
You describe the album as a “travelogue of Canada” filtered through monster movies and prairie dreams. What drew you to blend folklore and fantasy with autobiographical elements?
My dad was in the Air Force, so as a kid, we constantly moved. That itchy foot stayed with me as an adult. So the travelogue is something I’ve wanted to write for a long time. But I wanted there to be something special about this travelogue. I decided to mix it with my overactive imagination to communicate the magical feelings I have about all these places.
Also, I must insist that these events really occurred. …sort of. At any rate, Pigeon Lake has a magic about it, one that really would not be improved by the addition of a sea monster.
You’ve taught jazz, collaborated with legends, and released albums rooted in literature like Notes on Montreal. How does The Paranormal Adventures represent a shift or expansion in your creative path?
I like to think that I keep getting more and more courageous about just being myself, with each album. My daughter heard some of the early mixes of the material and said, “This is the most Mike Rud thing ever.” I think that’s my long-term goal.
In some sense, the jazz improvising guitarist in me is just a whole other guy from the singing songwriter. The thing I love about performing this music as jazz is that it makes every show its own special event.
Just now in Montreal at our album launch at the Diese Onze club, I had Kate Wyatt, Adiran Vedady, and Rich Irwin with me on piano, bass, and drums, respectively. The jazz traditions allow us to play these pieces together in a very different, open way. Kate and Adrian played so many fascinating games while still supporting the music. Jazz is just a distinct type of musical craft, one that I’ve been growing at for a few decades now. I love bringing that toolkit to bear on these pieces.
The same goes for the original musicians on the recording. Karl Januska on drums and Yoni Zelnik on bass, whose parts we recorded first, in Paris, and Chris Andrew, who recorded for us in Edmonton on piano, keyboards, accordion, and even Theremin! All these high-caliber players bring decades of language and the love of spontaneous interaction.
If a listener only had time to hear one track from the album to understand your world, which would you pick—and why?
Probably the one we started off with today, the Lonely Sea Monster of Pigeon Lake, Alberta. It’s got the whole band: Karl and Yoni from Paris, and Chris Andrew on magnificent keyboards from Edmonton, Alberta.
That tune captures the mystical element as well as a happy vibe. This is a cheerful album.
I need to mention that if anyone other than Paul Johnston at Bent River Records had produced this, it wouldn’t be within a hundred miles of being the same. That man is an absolute magician. He is so skilled in seeing what an artist has, and encouraging it, framing it, allowing it to breathe and grow, and then adding brilliant judgments of his own.
I also need to thank Selkirk College, the great school I teach at in Nelson, BC, for supporting this project, and MacEwan University in Edmonton, for publishing and supporting as well, through its marvelous label, Bent River Records.