Scruj MacDuhk


Scruj MacDuhk was a Juno-nominated Canadian folk music group based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The band included singer-songwriter Ruth Moody, current member of the Wailin' Jennys, and also Clawhammer banjo player/vocalist Leonard Podolak, who went on to form The Duhks.

History

Scruj MacDuhk formed in 1995. In 1997 the band released an album, Live At The West End Cultural Centre, which was recorded in Winnipeg in May that year with the cooperation of CBC Manitoba. All five group members, including Moody, contributed to the vocals, and the album featured Podolak on 5-string banjo, Jeremy Penner on fiddle, Dan Baseley on accordion, tin whistle, and steel pan, Joel Fafard on guitar, and Gilles Fournier on bass. Guest musicians Geoff Butler on button accordions and Alistair Dennet on bodhran can also be heard on the album.
The band toured across Canada, including participation in the Stan Rogers Folk Festival, and released a second album, *The Road To Canso, through their label Scruj Tunes in 1999. The album featured Christian Dugas on percussion and guitar with some bass and feet. Moody contributed lead and backing vocals as well as piano and bodhran. Penner on fiddle and Podolak on 5-string banjo and bodhran, also contributed some vocal work. Bassist Oliver Swain also sang and played mandolin on one tune, and Jeremy Walsh contributed guitar, whistle, and some vocal work.
In 2000 Scruj MacDuhk was presented with a Prairie Music Award for best independent album. The band broke up in 2001.

Discography