Barney Bentall is bringing The Last Roundup through the West. Next Friday at Bella Hall in Calgary.
It’s the final tour of the Caribou Express.
Over 20 years of seasonal touring, Barney and various members of Caribou Express raised Millions for charities all across Canada.
Especially, serious money for food banks late in the year when they really need it.
Barney gives us an update on the last lineup, the lives of his Express friends over the years and final thoughts on what lies ahead for the rocker and rancher.
Look who’s on a Roll – It’s this week’s guest, Author Luke Whittall
Luke and his Sipster’s Pocket Guides Books.
In the third volume in the popular Sipster’s Pocket Guide series, wine expert and educator Luke Whittall presents his latest top 50 British Columbia wines under $50 (including many under $30) and along the way shares his thoughts on wine country and common misconceptions about certain grapes, and offers up tangents on everything from scented candles to middle children to jazz hands.
With food and activity pairings that range from Thai noodles and pool noodles to classic rock and hootenannies, and an index of attitudes that lets you choose a wine based on your mood (come hither, dressed to kill, razzle-dazzle), the Sipster’s guides are equal parts freewheeling and focused.
Divided into chapters on sparkling, white, rosé, red, and dessert wines, the latest volume of Sipster’s will snap you out of a catatonic funk in the liquor store and stick around for a quiet evening paging through a book—perhaps this book and perhaps there’s even a wine for that.
Welcome to Volume 3, where a Viognier can be a lot like a bouncy castle, a red blend that is the icing on top of another layer of icing and also a wine that will upstage Taylor Swift and Kayne and an adventurous evening calls for a certain Trebianno (not the guy from Friends . . . but then again, maybe?).
The Sipsters series are written in language anyone can understand. Words we all use and can remember a day later.
Make no mistake, Luke knows his wines from the vineyards to the bottle. He just makes the journey much easier than it really is.
We also start TRR with a conversation about vineyard damage & recovery, plus the coming discovery of BC Wines made with Washington grapes.
So those damaged vineyards, wineries and wine-farming families can survive the next couple of years.
And heads UP – The Sipster’s Ontario Vol 2 is coming – just in time for Christmas.
Then surely, the Luke Whittall film starring Ryan Reynolds.
Wine Witch on Fire Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation and Drinking Too Much.
For all of you who bought and read Natalie’s book Red, White and
Drunk All Over and listened to her podcast Unreserved Wine Talk, this memoir is a completely different read.
She discovers her husband of many years is leaving the relationship and at the same time, her wine rivals decide to tell the wine world that she’s not nearly as accomplished as we think.
Despite multiple awards for her writing and knowledge, Natalie has to rebuild her career, fight for her son and find an elusive second chance in a business that rarely gives you any.
All of this drama is played out in a wine world where many women are taken for granted and rarely given credit for their skills.
Yup – Wine Witch is a thriller. And it’s funny, just in time for Christmas.
You can get Natalie MacLean’s new memoir Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much in paperback, ebook or audiobook from these retailers.
We meet Blue Moon Marquee – Al Cardinal and Jasmine Colette – on the stage at the Osbourne Bay Pub in Crofton, Vancouver Island.
That stage was the first place they met and then played together many times as Blue Moon Marquee.
They’ve come a long way since that stage.
Juno Winners, sweeping the 2023 Maple Blues Awards and still winning awards, including this week.
After a decade of stages and touring comes the 5th album New Orleans Sessions. Recorded in New Orleans in two days – Four hours each day. One track Trickster Coyote was a first take. Recorded with some of the very best New Orleans players.
Lots of stories and new music.Also news of the next two projects they intend to present.
They start their next tour October 26th at Festival Place, Sherwood Park. October dates in Lloydminster, Daysland and Athabaska. – and April 5 at the Arden
(complete interview on Mulligan Stew Podcast)
We start the Mulligan Stew Podcast Stew remembering the man and celebrating the life and music of the late Kris Kristofferson.
From the Mulligan Stew archives we replay the Kris Kristofferson interview we did 2006 backstage at Calgary Folk Festival.
Answering media questions, including my own:
Kris talks about Johnny Cash, Willie and his sons, Hank Williams, movies, performing solo, the Nashville Underground, songwriters these days John Prine, Todd Snider, Shooter Jennings, and how nervous he gets singing for 12,000 people.
Message from Margo Price:
I’m lighting a candle for Kris Kristofferson and remembering every song he ever wrote. I’m thinking about of how lucky I was to come into his orbit if even for a short time, because he was, without a doubt, one of the best songwriters to ever walk the face of the earth. Kris was, like the words of his song; ‘The Pilgrim, Chapter 33,’ a poet, a picker, a prophet, a pusher, a pilgrim and a preacher and a problem when he was stoned. He was also a song crafter, a storyteller, a movie star, a soldier, a helicopter pilot, an activist, a Rhodes Scholar, a Renaissance man, a father, a family man, a veteran and a true blue American hero.
Bob Dylan once said, “Kristofferson came into Nashville like a wildcat that he was and just changed everything. You can look at Nashville pre-Kris and post-Kris.” Kris was politically charged, often outspoken and sometimes misunderstood.
Karrnnel Sawitsky and Trent Freeman – one-half of The Fretless join us.
Saturday in the first hour.
Their album – GlassWing is brilliant. With 3 songs cowritten and sung by Madeleine Roger.
Classically trained, raised on rock, jazz, blues, folk and heritage roots, they take all those influences and combine them into a sound unlike any other
group.
They take 100 year old shanty’s and reshape the song without losing the original melody so it can last another 100 years.
In GlassWing, they write all their own tunes. Three co-written with Madeleine Roger.
There is such joy in hearing violins, violas and cellos driving the beat where normally the drums and bass would be.
Impressive my friends. Very impressive.
Have a listen to Pipe Dreams!
The Queen Nancy – named after a car and a make-believe BC Ferry.
Icarus – a Madeleine beauty
Or the lead track Lost Lake.
This marks a new chapter The Fretless. With Lights, sound and stage design created especially for this album, these songs and this tour.
This week we welcome Donovan Woods and his latest albumThings Were Never Good if They’re Not Good Now.
Wonderful insight into his songwriting and his place in the music business.
The first time he played in Victoria, he couldn’t believe the audience knew the words to his songs.
And in the past year, he played in Australia and remembers an audience in Perth who sang the words louder than he could.
He has come a very long way has Donovan.
Struggling to find things to sing about or sing at all. A series of failures led to an addiction counselling program and committed himself to getting to “the bottom of myself“
He changed his mind about a lot of things.
” It turns out the truth does really set you free”
“I won’t be cheesy and say I feel like this is my first album, but it certainly feels like a new start”
Joel Plaskett’s eleventh album—One Real Reveal is special for several reasons.
Joel sat down with a small Telefunken KM56 microphone and a 4-track recorder and recorded the tracks for One Real Reveal ON CASSETTE TAPE starting with the brilliant High Summer.
This album and its music is bare. Because it is, you find yourself focusing on the music and especially the lyrics. These are words and melodies that will still the air in a concert hall.
IF you can get in.
Joel’s current tour out west is Sold Out. Fittingly, the tour ends at Massey Hall in Toronto.
It too will be Sold Out.
Discover the new sounds of Joel Plaskett. Just like the old Joel Plaskett only quieter, more reflective.
I’ve been waiting many years to have Joel to myself. Just to exchange ideas and passions.
My timing couldn’t have been better. One Real Reveal was well worth the wait.
www.joelplaskett.com
The other welcome guest is our pal Leeroy Stagger. Host of Dirty Windshields Radio Hour on CKUA Saturdays.
But before Leeroy joined us, he was a highly respected singer/songwriter and he continues to write, record and perform his very personal songs.
Leeroy has just released his latest album 3 am Revelations.
In it, Leeroy reflects the life around him. The road, family, social issues and seeking the answers to all his inner questions.
3 am Revelations rocks. Bangers like Watermelon Pink, Count to 10, These Days.
Then finds balance with reflective gems like It’s gonna be alright (someday), Alberta Stars, Life’s a Drag, etc.
It’s good to have friends and partners like Leeroy Stagger. Great album Leeroy! You nailed it.
I’ve been waiting for new music from Winnipeg’s Madeleine Roger for four years.
That’s how long it’s been since I discovered her voice, playing and gifted songwriting.
Maddy took a solo career detour through the stellar chops of The Fretless.
They needed an exceptional vocalist who understood and was comfortable with, classical music.
Madeleine needed a different “band” to shine with. Perfect!
So here we are in early September and both artists are releasing new albums.
Madeleine has just released NERVE a new album filled with tales of lost love and found freedoms.
Produced by Josh Kaufman (Anais Mitchell, Bonnie Light Horseman) Recorded in four days. They threw away the headphones and sat 8 feet apart..making music .
There are actually four extra songs waiting to be released.
I am here to state – in my opinion – an exceptional new star has risen – her name is Madeleine Roger.
Enjoy the complete interview and the music included.
