EP 137 | A dozen interview guests who all made the CKUA Top 100

January 2, 2021

hello

There are a few times over the path of a year that shows create themselves.

This is one of those shows and it was perfect for the podcast.

Our guests leave us with comments about how their songs got written and how albums got made. How they survived Covid19 lockdowns, the loss of stages and tour dates, the JOY of staying home and rediscovering family life. Statements were taken from various interviews over a wild and dark 2020.

These were many of the albums that listeners repeatedly told us got them through a lost and lonely year.

Every one of these artists made the CKUA Radio Top 100 album list and one of them – Frazey Ford – was the #1 album of the year. (most spins over the year)

https://ckua.com/read/top-100-albums-of-2020/

Frazey Ford (Vancouver)

Margo Price (Nashville)

William Prince (Winnipeg)

Ron Sexsmith (outside Toronto)

Roy Forbes (North Vancouver)

Andy Shauf (Toronto)

Mike Plume (Edmonton)

Corb Lund (rural Alberta)

Nathaniel Rateliff (Denver, I think)

Bahamas (Halifax)

Elvis Costello (Vancouver Island)

Tami Neilson (Auckland NZ)

Happy New Year – all of Y’ALL

EP 136 | Christmas In The Round 2020

December 18, 2020

hello

Christmas is all about traditions.

Handed down from generation to generation.

The December 19th edition of the Mulligan Stew Podcast is all about traditions.

In the late ’70s at CBC Radio in Vancouver producer, Susan Englebert created a holiday show called Christmas Jam

Singer/Songwriters sitting around a studio – playing songs and telling tales.

We lost Susan Englebert oi Cancer and really this show is meant as a tribute to her.

Flip the calendar to 2020 and you’ll find – in the studio – two of the original “jammers.”

Shari Ulrich and TDMulligan. With Barney Bentall. Bill Henderson and Murray McLauchlan.

Each with their own career. Each friends with the other.

Barney and Shari on Bowen Island – just outside Vancouver

Bill Henderson – on Salt Spring Island – outside Victoria

And Murray McLauchlan in Toronto.

Please join us for Christmas in the Round Year 4

EP 135 | Alan Doyle

December 12, 2020

hello

Hello Friends…

Thank you for subscribing to Spotify or Google Play or Apple Podcasts.

Then the Podcast comes to you automatically. Like heartburn after a hotdog.

The guest this week is a delightful man Alan Doyle.

I give him a bit stick by reminding him that he’s been called “beloved” in some articles.

We’ve been friends a long time which is tough to do because he’s in the Maritimes in the very far East and I’ve always been on the West Coast

So maybe we see each other once/twice a year.

Now that he’s not touring for a while he’s turned his considerable skills to writing another book.

His third is called All Together Now (A Newfoundlander’s Light Tales for Heavy Times)

The tales come from his imaginary corner stool in his local bar – The Duke.

On the set of Robin Hood. The Russell Crowe film. Conversation with his son Henry in the car. (I’ll play the role of Henry, he’ll play Alan Doyle)

His strong connection to his Maritime fans in Alberta.

Alan truly misses “the road”. Lots of stories there.

The man is a natural-born story-teller. Come along, you’ll see.

Here’s the complete interview with the beloved Alan Doyle

EP 134 | Elvis Costello

December 5, 2020

hello

Hands up – is there anyone out there who hasn’t heard of Elvis Costello?

Not many of you. And I’m worried about those of you over there.

Right from the first notes, he’s staked his claim as a singular artist.

He was following nobody.

Elvis rose to prominence on the strength of three albums. One after the other.

My Aim is True, This Year’s Model and Armed Forces.

Never afraid to speak his mind or get in trouble for it he was branded a troublemaker. That got my attention right away.

His latest album is Hey Clockface.

Photo by Diana Krall

Recorded in Helsinki Finland and Paris France.

The Paris session was an amazing 9 songs in 2 days.

Elvis adlibbing his way through lyrics while being accompanied by French Jazz musicians, also adlibbing.

In several cases, Elvis spoke the words rather than sing them.

There’s a nod to Fats Waller & Tin Pan Alley.

There are elements of rap, hip hop, 1920’s Ukulele Ike traditional jazz songs, crooning like a Mel Torme session, and much more.

This is the complete interview. Wherein he talks about his new musical A Face in the Crowd, now stalled because of the Pandemic, and sings a song from the musical.

The re-release of Armed Forces, the possibility of working again with Nick Lowe, a fantastic story of Chuck Berry and Leonard Cohen.

His life growing up in England.

And a bag load of other moments in his life.

We welcome Elvis Costello to The Mulligan Stew Podcast

EP 133 | Sandra Oldfield, Kurtis Kolt, Rhys Pender. Helping Restaurants and Wineries in the year ahead

November 29, 2020

hello

You may have noticed that our Podcast has a subtitle

Music. Film. Food. Wine. Those are the subjects I keep coming back to.

We do lots of music and film and some food but the wine pods have been few and far between. That’s going to change.

The stories and interviews that stand out for me are the interviews affecting people everywhere.

This week it’s how we – the food and wine fan – can support our local restaurants and wineries, cideries, breweries, distillers.

The pandemic has caused many restaurants to close or hold on for dear life.

Wineries will disappear over the next year. The same with brewers, cider makers, and distillers.

I really wanted to hear from three voices that deal with this community every day. The question – what can we do. How can we help?

Sandra Oldfield – 20 years a winemaker and X-CEO of Tinhorn Creek Winery. Now head of Elysian Projects, assisting and guiding wineries and restaurants.

Kurtis Kolt – Wine writer, judge, and educator. Many years in the restaurant business in downtown Vancouver.

Rhys Pender – Master of Wine, Winemaker at Little Farm Wines. Educator via WinePlus. A calm voice inside all the noise.

EP 132 | Daniel Lanois Interview

November 20, 2020

hello

We’ve been long-distance friends since the ’60s but like many, I’ve followed his amazing career.

Best known for his producing work on landmark albums like Joshua Tree, Wrecking Ball, and Time out of Mind. His work with Peter Gabriel, Neville Brothers, EmmyLou, Willie, Robbie Robertson, Neil Young. Tinariwen etc earned this praise from Rolling Stone Magazine.

“His unmistakable fingerprints are all over an entire wing of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame”

In April he releases his next solo album Heavy Sun with a joyous/soulful band that blends gospel call and response, soul harmonics, and deep grooves. The intent is to “lift people’s spirits”. Lifted mine.

Because the album doesn’t drop until April 2021 this interview covers the first single (under a) Heavy Sun. Then Daniel takes us through his work with Leonard Cohen, Robbie Robertson, and that moment when Bob Dylan walked in on a Neville Brothers Yellow Moon session to hear their version of With God in our side.

EP 131 | Geeking Out on Island Pinot!

November 18, 2020

hello

The Stew Podcast has a subtitle

Music. Film. Food. Wine. Those are the fields where my interviews come from.

Lots of music.

Increasing film conversations.

The Food file is getting thicker

But I’ve been shortchanging the Wine stories.

I do many wine features for Tasting Room Radio but the podcast interviews have to be special.

This week it’s a complete geek out on Point Noir.

The most complex grape on the planet. Growers call it “the heartbreak grape”

It requires care, time, and attention to detail with no guarantee that the wine will be drinkable after a year of growing, harvest, and cellaring.

Great Pinot loves certain growing conditions found in France, German, New Zealand, Chile, and California/Oregon in the USA.

Now, because of global warming, it may become Vancouver Island’s turn. The winemakers of VI have long talked about such a possibility. Now they’re certain.

This gathering all took place at this year’s Victoria Wine Festival.

It started with a panel discussion and ended with a one-on-one group gathering (with masks) outside in the courtyard.

Mike Rathjen – Winemaker. Rathjen Cellars (Saanich)

Daniel Dragert – Winemaker Kutatas (koo-ta-tass) (Salt Spring Island)

Dan Wright – Winemaker Unsworth (Cowichan Valley)

Layne Craig – Winemaker 40 Knots (Comox)

Brent Rowland – Winemaker Averill Creek (Cowichan Valley)

Mike Neirychlo – Winemaker Emandare (Cowichan Valley) and panel host

Please remember, these are WINEMAKERS who love to geek out on Pinot.

IF you ever wanted to know more about the heartbreak grape this is your Podcast.

If you have a comment or opinion let us know…and Please subscribe on your favorite platform.

We’ll just “show up” after that.

NEXT week artist/producer/writer Daniel Lanois.

EP 130 | Kurt Vile

November 6, 2020

hello

It was always the name that got me. Kurt Vile. Got to be a punk, thrash metal guy right?

Turns out Kurt became a truly great singer/songwriter.

The voice is blue-collar but the songs and the way he sings them are unlike 99.9 % of the others.

He’s gone through the band phase with The War on Drugs. Then launched his solo career with a band of misfits called The Violators. Nice misfits mind you.

Dude has released a handful of albums and 18 EPS.

The latest is Sound, Speed, Lonely KV (EP)

It begins with a John Prine song and the second to last track is also a John Prine song, .WITH John Prine.

Enjoy the stories and the man.

Two Words….

Kurt Vile

John Prine

EP 129 | Sam Roberts- ALL OF US

October 31, 2020

hello

Happy Halloween…make it a safe one.

Sam Roberts (Sam Roberts Band) joins us on this week’s Mulligan Stew Podcast

They have just released their 7^th album All of Us.

Sam had most of the songs written out and recorded when he had a change of heart and something started making him re-write..

He’s glad he did. These are outstanding “open my heart “ songs. His fans are going to love these tunes.

We found Sam at home in Montreal on the Zoom machine.

Ladies and gents – Sam Roberts

EP 128 | The Trial of The Chicago 7- Aaron Sorkin

October 21, 2020

hello

For people of a certain age…The Chicago 7 represents a disturbing time in
American History.

For those who were too young to have experienced the events all across
America, simply look around you today.

Large groups of protesters in the streets and parks.

Violence between police/militia and citizens. Politics at its center with
changes in cultures a close second.

Racism was a spark…Martin Luther King Jr had been assassinated months
earlier.

1000’s had died in the war in Vietnam and Richard Nixon was in the White
House.

The Democratic National Convention was in Chicago, along with the National
Guard, 12,00 Chicago Police Officers, and 10,000 demonstrators.

The demonstrators were lead by the Yippies (Youth International Party) and
their leaders were Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin along with Tom Hayden and
Rennie Davis. There was an 8th defendant Bobby Seale a founder of the Black
Panther Party.

The lawyers who represented the accused were perfect for this legal battle.
William Kunstler and Leonard Weinglass. The action in the courtroom was so
wild, The 7 and their lawyers were charged with over 150 contempt’s of
court

It’s fair to say that the timing of this film and its subjects are perfect
for today’s audience which has been watching the Trump administration make
many of the same moves as Nixon.

Our guest is Aaron Sorkin, the writer, and director of The Trial of the
Chicago 7. (just premiered on Netflix this week)

You know him from The West Wing and Network. He wrote the screenplay for A
Few Good Men, Moneyball and won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
for The Social Network

This film ranks as one of his very best.

The audio was captured from a virtual press conference several weeks ago…

Enjoy Aaron’s great background on the story and the shoot. Makes the film
experience even better.