Album Notes

Paradise Public Radio brings together the creative husband and wife team of Craig Wood and Amy Melmock. Their music, which is grounded by strong melodies and a love of storytelling, is influenced by traditional jazz, musical theatre, folk, and country swing. Craig Wood is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist (guitar, plectrum banjo, and mandolin) and songwriter who started his musical career as a tap-dancing banjo player with the Las Vegas show band “The Rhythm Masters.” In the late 1960’s, Craig founded one of Vancouver’s most eclectic rock groups “Papa Bear and the Medicine Show,” before penning the Number One Canadian single “Peter and Lou,” for folk artist Valdy.

Craig and Amy met in the historic goldrush town of Barkerville, B.C. in 1986 and moved to Guysborough County in 1996. Since arriving in Nova Scotia, Craig has worked as an actor and composer, writing original scores for both theatre and film, and producing recordings for various Nova Scotia artists. Amy Melmock has been writing and performing songs since her teens, and has been featured as a songwriter at the Cowichan Folk Festival (Vancouver Island) and the Stan Rogers Festival (1998). Her unique voice appears on Craig and Amy’s first album of old-time jazz standards, Paradise Public Radio,” and on their latest recording of original material Change Direction.