Mulligan Stew Podcast

EP 316 | Rhiannon Giddens Interview 2024

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The last time I had the privilege of interviewing Rhiannon Giddens it was in 2017 at Edmonton Folk Fest.

In the next five years, she became a World star.

For example:

In October 2017, Giddens was named one of the 2017 class of MacArthur “Genius” Fellows.

In 2017 and 2018, Giddens appeared in the fifth and sixth seasons of the CMT‘s

In January 2018, Giddens co-produced Songs of Our Native Daughters for Smithsonian Folkways.

in early 2018, the Nashville Ballet announced that Rhiannon Giddens has been commissioned to write the music for Lucy Negro, Redux. In 2019, Giddens released two studio albums: Songs of Our Native Daughters  and There Is No Other with Italian musician Francesco Turrisi

Giddens earned an Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for her lasting impact on the UNCG community and her work in music. In 2023, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music from Princeton University

In other words, the last 5-6 years have been a delightful blur.

Thus my first question was …what do you remember of the last 5 years?

If anyone is going to change music in her lifetime – it’s Rhiannon Giddens!!

Enjoy.

EP 315 | Colin James brings his 21st album

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Colin’s 21st album is called Chasing the Sun.   Today,   Aug 17 is his Birthday. Happy Day Colin

 

Co-produced by Colin Linden in his Pinhead Studios in Nashville.

Colin’s coming to the  Mulligan Stew Podcast with the complete story of how he and his friends wrote and created these outstanding songs.

 

Colin singing a Lucinda Williams song, Protection, with Lucinda in the studio doing harmony. Two tracks with blues harp legend Charlie Musselwhite, co-writing memorable songs with Tom Wilson, Terra Lightfoot, Thompson Wilson, Jesse Obrien and others. A great rhythm section of Darryl Jones (Stones) Charley Drayton (Keith Richards).

A splendid cover of Paul Butterfield’s classic  In my own dream . Also vocals by  The McCrary Sisters and Ruby Amanfu

Colin Linden leading the all-star band and co-writing with Colin James.

It’s their 6th album together.

Colin and I have been doing interviews for a long time but there are  still events and moments in his life that need retelling.

For example, when the two Colins’  met on the Canadian Prairies Colin James was 13 and Colin Linden was 17. Both were into playing the blues.

A short time later Colin, still a teenager, got to play for Stevie Ray Vaughn. Stevie helped him take the next steps in his career.

This is the complete Interview.

It’s here on the  Mulligan Stew Podcast  and the terrydavidmulligan YouTube Channel

His 2021 album Open Road won the JUNO Award for Best Blues Album and was nominated for Blues Foundation Best Blues Rock Album in 2023.

 

Catching the Sun may very well get the best reception yet.

EP 314 | Rhiannon Giddens Interview in 2020 at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival

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Terry sits down with Rhiannon Giddens in 2020 while at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival in 2020.  Tonight Terry will be speaking to her again to catch up On the past 4 years!

EP 313 | Exclusive Interview with The Grapes of Wrath

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Kevin Kane and The Hooper Brothers  Chris and Tommy have been an original Canadian band for over 40 years.

The Grapes of Wrath.

Same three guys. Still making music.

This podcast is their first complete band interview in over 10 years.

Like many, I had presumed that the guys had moved on to solo efforts or other bands or other dreams.

When I saw that they were playing and selling out The Carleton in Halifax I started to dig and found – amazed – that they were in fact playing the Filberg Festival in Comox, Vancouver Island on August 3.

Also Edmonton, The Maritimes, Vernon and  The Dream Café in Penticton.

Bringing with them songs containing people’s memories, whole lifetimes.

 

Peace of Mind

You may be right

These days

And the still brilliant…

All the things I wasn’t.

 

Platinum records, multiple tours of Canada, the USA and Europe.

In 1992 they went separate ways only to rediscover the power of their friendship and music in 2010 at a festival in Surrey, BC.

The same three guys…Let’s celebrate The Grapes of Wrath. Enjoy the stories and the music.

Tour Dates:

www.grapesofwrath.ca

 

EP 312 | The last two folk fest interviews. Terry Wickham (Edmonton) Jenna Klein Waller (Canmore)

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The last two festival directors join us on The Summer Stew –
Terry Wickham – Edmonton Aug 8-11
Many years now the musical leader at  Edmonton Folk Festival.
As you know, he’s a natural storyteller and this year he’s telling stories of the growing indigenous component of the festival. Also how it all started to grow within the fest, it involves the Chieftains.
Terry talks about how he discovers artists, why certain artists strike a chord in him and how he had to keep a headliner booking secret for 7 months.
The complete interview can be heard on the Mulligan Stew Podcast and the video on the terrydavidmulligan YouTube Channel.
Jenna Klein Waller – Canmore  Aug 3-5
It’s year one for Jenna.  She has stayed in touch with the other artistic directors. Learning even more as she went. The one thing the festival wanted to focus on was finding a younger audience.
Jenna talks about the artists that her younger audience wants to see and hear.

EP 311 | Artistic directors Kerry Clark from the Calgary Folk Fest and Fiona Black from the Vancouver Folk Fest.

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It’s festival season. Full ON.

Everywhere you go someone is kicking off a festival.

We’re concentrating on the music festivals of Western Canada.

I couldn’t do them all…

Vancouver Island and Winnipeg  festivals  have started

This weekend our guests are – artistic directors Kerry Clark from the Calgary Folk Fest and Fiona Black from the Vancouver Folk Fest.

We finish our festival updates July 20 with Jenna Klein Waller artistic director from Canmore Festival and Terry Wickham artistic director of Edmonton Folk Music Festival.

 

Check out the artist lineups at

www.calgaryfolkfest.com  July 25-28

www.thefestival.bc.ca  July 19-21

EP 310 | Mulligan Stew Summer Music Festivals in Canadian West

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It all started as a single interview about the Edmonton Folk Festival. We seemed to be talking about the “other“ festivals and could they survive the Covid years.

That conversation turned into the first group interview with the artistic directors of Calgary, Winnipeg, Canmore and Vancouver Folk Festivals.

It was fun and informative, so I’m hoping  to make it a yearly gathering.

Here’s the guest lineup this year.

They each bring with them stories of the artists they booked and why.

Vancouver Island Music Festival

Doug Cox – July 12-14 Vancouver Island Music Festival (Courtney)

Chris Frayer – July 11-14  Winnipeg Folk Festival

Fiona Black – July 19-21 Vancouver Folk Festival

Kerry Clark – July 25-28 Calgary Folk Festival

Jenna Klein Waller – Aug 3-5 Canmore Folk Festival

Terry Wickham – Aug 8-11 Edmonton Folk Festival

 This week our interview guests are…

Artistic Directors of Vancouver Island Music Festival (Doug Cox) & Winnipeg Folk Festival

(Chris Frayer)

Both festivals start next weekend. Next Saturday it’s Fiona Black from Vancouver FF and Kerry Clark from Calgary FF.  Bringing insights into their artist guest list and special events.
The complete interviews can be seen on  the terrydavidmulligan YouTube Channel

EP 309 | Canada Day Weekend with Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy from Blue Rodeo & Jim brings his new solo album.

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They are Canadian music royalty.  Who better to have joined us on the Canada Day weekend than Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy from Blue Rodeo?

AND  Jim brings his 6th solo album All the World Fades Away.

There is much to talk about. In the first half of the Podcast Greg and Jim take us through Blue Rodeo’s plans for their 40th year together in 2025.

Taking part in the Lightfoot celebration at Massey Hall. Being inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.. Then Greg bugs out and Jim and I talk about his 6th solo album with The Jim Cuddy band.

It’s called All the world fades away and it’s a beauty.

Stories about his Father, our friend the late  John Mann and his family, his early years on The Yukon, and his duet with Greg on the solo album. The dialogue between the two of them on the meaning of the song is WILD!

We talk tours and plans for the year.  Comments about playing the Canmore and Edmonton Folk Festivals this summer. Our thanks to the boys…

Enjoy – Happy Canada Day

EP 308 | Two Artists/Two Albums. Celeigh Cardinal/Bridget Kearney (Lake Street Dive)

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Two remarkable guests this week

Celeigh Cardinal and her new album Boundless Possibilities and Bridget Kearney – Bassist and songwriter for Lake Street Dive

Both guests have albums that came out Friday.

Celeigh Cardinal has her latest dropping Friday – Boundless Possibilities.

Personally written songs that describe the feelings of losing her son’s Father in a murder and the death of a friend by suicide.  Also surviving the pain and loss and changing her life forever.

It’s not your average album and certainly not your average interview. Open, bare and loving.

The second guest is Bridget Kearney. Bassist, vocalist and songwriter for Lake Street Dive. The album is Good Together and after  20 years together, they’ve decided to write songs and play together in the same room. It shows in the exceptional songs.

They appeared this week on Colbert and they’re on tour. One of the dates is Madison Square Garden.

EP 254 | Bruce Cockburn- Reflections on Gord & New album ‘O Sun O Moon’ -Repeat

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The Stew is Bruce Cockburn..bringing stories of  his 35th album O Sun O Moon. Plus memories of Gordon Lightfoot and his place in the music of the World and especially Canada.

Answers the question: Was/is Gord the Sound of Canada?

Could you hear the space and place in his songs?

The Podcast is the complete interview with Bruce Cockburn on the release of his 35th album O Sun O Moon. And his thoughts on the music of and the loss of Gordon Lightfoot.

The YouTube this week is the video version of both conversations.