Van Wine Fest Part Two (plus 2 very special guests)
THE SHOW
Walking into the Vancouver Wine Festival at the Convention Centre, as an interviewer, is like working the field at an All-Star Game.
Familiar wine star faces and voices are everywhere.
I think I did a dozen interviews and these are the last three. However, I needed one more, So I decided to re-run one of my all time favourite interviews.
Proudly Sponsored by Harbour Air
From our coverage of the 2019 VanWineFest on Tasting Room Radio we present California wine royalty.
Gena Gallo and her winemaking husband Jean Charles Boisset.
Not just talking about their wines but about surviving cancer, raising their twin daughters and their love of Vancouver and the wine fest.
Gina Gallo, Vice President, Winemaking – Estate Wines. E. & J. Gallowww.gallo.com
Gina Gallo, JC Boisset, TDM
Gina Gallo developed a deep respect for the land early on. After studying winemaking at the University of California at Davis, Gallo became an apprentice winemaker at E. & J. Gallo Winery, under the careful guidance of her grandfather Julio. Today, as the winemaker behind the Gallo Signature Series, she carves out specific blocks on Gallo’s most sought-after vineyards to hand-craft limited batches of wine.
Jean-Charles Boisset was born into the world of wine in Vougeot, Burgundy, France. Under his leadership, the Boisset Collection operates 24 wineries in California, France, and Canada. Decanter magazine has included him on its “Power List” of the 50 most important people in the wine world each year of its publication since 2007.
His many honours include Meininger’s International Wine Entrepreneur of the Year, “Innovator of the Year” from Wine Enthusiast Magazine and the first-ever French-American Partnership Award from the French America Foundation.
Susan Tedeschi co-partner with Derek Trucks in life and music is our guest this week.
Tedeschi Trucks Band has created “one of those albums” that will become the standard by which all other such albums are created.
It’s an amazing story and we are thrilled to have Susan share it with us . It’s our complete 30-minute interview – with the tracks from the first album.
The concept behind I Am The Moon, the GRAMMY-winning band’s fifth studio recording, was suggested by TTB vocalist Mike Mattison in May 2020, two months after the band was forced off the road by the pandemic.
The 12th-century poem Layla & Majnun by Persian poet, Nizami Ganjavi, was the title inspiration for Eric Clapton’s 1970 double-LP with Derek and the Dominos, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs – an influential album for Tedeschi Trucks Band . Interestingly, Ganjavi’s source material resonated with Mattison and the rest of the band in an altogether different way. Finding complex themes and storylines that inspired their creative process, they forged a new, modern interpretation of the vast 100-page poem.
I Am The Moon was written collectively and collaboratively, with band members contributing their own unique perspectives on the work. By January 2021 the band was recording at Tedeschi and Trucks’ home studio, Swamp Raga, in Jacksonville, FL, with Derek behind the soundboard as producer and long-time studio engineer, Bobby Tis, in charge of recording and mixing.
Operatic in scope, Tedeschi Trucks Band explores romantic relationships, collective struggle, faith, and the human experience on I Am The Moon.
“It’s amazing,” Trucks says, “because we wrote most of this music in a pretty short time span. There are even chord changes that mirror other tunes on the albums – themes and variations, lyrical allusions, that pop back up.” He continues: “You always want to do something bigger and thematic. This is the first time it happened naturally.”
The decision to sequence and release I Am The Moon in four distinct episodes came “when we started thinking of records we love,” Derek says, citing Axis: Bold as Love, the 1967 LP by the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
“It’s 36 minutes long. That’s the way to digest a record.”
With that approach in mind, TTB will also present I Am The Moon: The Film, immersive visual companions to each album. The corresponding films will debut three days prior to each audio release, offering fans an early opportunity to digest each album in its entirety as a communal listening and viewing experience via the band’s YouTube channel.
TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND – I AM THE MOON: ALBUM + FILM RELEASE DATES:
I Am The Moon: I. Crescent
Film Premiere: May 31
Album Release: June 3
I Am The Moon: II. Ascension
Film Premiere: June 28
Album Release: July 1
I Am The Moon: III. The Fall
Film Premiere: July 26
Album Release: July 29
I Am The Moon: IV. Farewell
Film Premiere: August 23
Album Release: August 26
I Am The Moon – All Vinyl Configurations: individual LPs + the 4-LP Deluxe Box available September 9.
Tedeschi Trucks Band tour:
June 24 – Jacksonville, FL – Daily’s Place Amphitheater
June 25 – Mobile, AL – Mobile Civic Center
June 26 – Tuscaloosa, AL – Tuscaloosa Amphitheater
June 28 – Indianapolis, IN – The Amphitheater at White River State Park
June 29 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre
July 1 – Canandaigua, NY – Constellation Brands – Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center
July 2 – Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
July 3 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
July 6 – New Haven, CT – Westville Music Bowl
July 8 – Philadelphia, PA – The Mann Center
July 9 – Essex Junction, VT – Midway Lawn at Champlain Valley Expo
July 10 – Patchogue, NY – Great South Bay Music Festival
July 12 – Lewiston, NY – ArtPark
July 13 – Cincinnati, OH – PNC Pavilion at Riverbend
July 15 – 16 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre
July 19 – Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap
July 20 – Richmond, VA – Virginia Credit Union LIVE!
July 21 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park
July 23 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
July 24 – Huber Heights, OH – Rose Music Center at The Heights
July 26 – Aurora, IL – RiverEdge Park
July 27 – St. Louis, MO – Fabulous Fox Theatre
July 29 – 30 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
August 18 – San Diego, CA – Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheater
August 19 – Los Angeles, CA – The Greek Theatre
August 20 – Berkeley, CA – The Greek Theatre
August 23 – Sacramento, CA – Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
August 24 – Eugene, OR – Cuthbert Amphitheater
August 26 – Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheater
August 27 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater
August 28 – Reno, NV – Grand Sierra Resort & Casino
August 31 – Boise, ID – Outlaw Field at the Idaho Botanical Garden
September 1 – Bonner, MT – Kettlehouse Amphitheater
September 3 – Moorhead, MN – Bluestem Center for the Arts Amphitheater
October 17 – Copenhagen, DK – Amager Bio
October 18 – Copenhagen, DK – Amager Bio
October 20 – Randers, DK – Vaerket
October 21 – Oslo, NO – Sentrum Scene
October 22 – Stockholm, SE – Cirkus
October 25 – Berlin, DE – Verti Music Hall
October 26 – Hamburg, DE – Edel-optics.de Arena
October 27 – Prague, CZ – Forum Karlin
October 30 – Rotterdam, NL – RTM Stage
November 2 – Dublin, IE – The Helix
November 4 – London, UK – The London Palladium
November 5 – London, UK – The London Palladium
November 6 – London, UK – The London Palladium
November 9 – Manchester, UK – Manchester Academy
November 10 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy Glasgow
November 12 – Paris, FR – Le Trianon
November 13 – Paris, FR – Le Trianon
November 15 – Paris, FR – Bataclan
I’ve spent a lot of time attempting to describe who he is and what he does.
-Winnipeg born now Montreal. Became the go-to guy for guitar work. ..precise vocal harmonies – and very interesting songs.
I still can’t explain what he does with the guitar, that is until you hear him play. WOW.
He came to prominence with The Bros. Landreth then went solo.
Latest EP is Downtown. Releases Mid July but we have several tracks for you.
Anyway. Because I can’t do the man and his playing justice I’ll leave you with some quotes from his last tour in the UK 2020.
Possibly the best guitar solo I’ve heard in 12 years of owning a music venue! Keep Watching!
2,420,174 views Feb 5, 2020, Canadian guitarist, singer, producer Ariel Posen played at Fat Lil’s in Witney, UK on Tuesday 4th February 2020. I knew he’d be good because he used to be in Brothers Landreth, but didn’t expect to hear this incredible, dynamic solo. Combining slide techniques, finger picking, dissonance and a fuzz tone to die for. It builds and builds. I was totally blown away! And I think it is possibly the best (to my taste) I’ve heard in all the years of owning the club
I’ve been playing guitar for 15 years and not once have I ever played one of those notes. What a pro.
This kind of style is the future of rock. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good ole CCR riff. However, today’s scene can barely keep up with consistently putting out new and original content. These are the kinds of brave and avant-garde performances that will be shaping the guitarists of tomorrow. This dude HAS IT
That’s a modern-day Jimi Hendrix experience right there! Thanks for sharing
Dan Wright – Winemaker Unsworth unsworthvineyards.com
Bailey Williamson – Winemaker Blue Grouse bluegrouse.ca
Dan Wright
Jim Moody
Lorin Inglis-tdm Enrico
Bailey Williamson
Tony Stewart – CEO Quails Gate Estate Winery (West Kelowna)
The news came as a wonderful surprise to many.
Quails gate Winery
Two beloved BC wine families have come together, with an eye and considerable heart on the future.
The Stewart Family at Quails Gate (N. Okanagan) has leased 30 acres of Black Sage Road vineyards from Julie and Lanny Martiniuk at Stoneboat. (South Okanagan)
Tony Stewart
After replanting and pollination, just think of the wonderful wines that will appear on our shelves in about 4-5 years..
I love the fact that two iconic BC wine families have enough trust and respect to make this partnership work.
Tony Stewart explains the details. Truly hope there’s more of these kinds of stories.
While I had Tony’s attention, I asked about new releases from Quails Gate.
Fairview Cellars – Danielle and Dermott Hutton New Co-owners (Golden Mile)
Bill Eggert and the Hutton Family
Fairview Cellars was the home and consuming passion of Bill Eggert.
Bill Eggert
A legendary winemaker who at one point in his life, was teaching winemaking at the valley college. Fair to say, he kept some of his secrets to himself.
Several years ago Bill let it be known that he was looking for new owners so he could move on to the next chapter of his life..
It took considerable time but he found them in Danielle and Dermott Hutton.
Danielle became the GM and Dermott learned how to get along with a tractor and farm vineyards.
Now the vineyard has changed hands. Good hands.
Bill simply would not sell his beloved vineyards to just anyone.
We’ll talk to Bill Eggert down the road but right now it’s the Hutton Show.
They’ll explain how it all came together and then walk me through the new releases.
Sending love to the great tasting room manager – Mindy Ward.
How is it possible that he sings and plays with the cool of Chet Baker and the fire of Miles?
Not just a string bender but he brings
Tone
Balance
Amazing Song construction
Grew up in a Winnipeg household where music was everything
Parents lead a Klezmer band.
Became the go-to guitar and harmony guy.
I Discovered Ariel in the @CKUA tent at Edmonton folk fest with Bros. Landreth.
Now fully into a solo career that’s taken him to new audiences all over Europe and the US. New EP Downtown is still 2 months away but the singles are driving the buzz right now. (Have a listen to his funky one-off with Corey Wong – Spare Tire)
In other words – check out Ariel Posen. Fully formed and ready.
www.arielposen.com
The Complete interview on Mulligan Stew Podcast and the video version on our You Tube Channel (terrydavidmulligan)
Playlist includes
New Norah Jones/Frazey/Corb/Taj & Ry/Willie/The Stones/Bonnie/Waterboys/Mavis & Levon
Plus a 22-minute set that attempts to tie together, through musical influences…
Bob Dylan- The Beatles – Pink Floyd – Procol Harum.
Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and
Scott Thompson are Kids in the Hall.
Many people consider KITH the funniest sketch comedy show ever to appear on TV and Film. The other half are fans of the absurdist genius of Monty Python etc.
The Kids mixed that absurdist humor with irony.
The winner is us – the audience.
KITH are “older”!
The youngest kid is 59-year-old Dave Foley.
However, what keeps them funny and relevant is the high wire that they walk.
The Kids embrace risk and even make fun of that possible failure waiting to happen.
The guests this week are Bruce McCulloch and Scott Thompson
One of the things we talk about in this Zoom Interview is how lucky they were to not only find each but discover that they all viewed the planet and the people on it as flawed and great subjects for funny. Why are they so good? Well, they’ve been making us laugh – at ourselves – since 1984.
After 27 years of No Kids. No Hall. They’re back with a series on Prime Video/Amazon and a fascinating documentary “Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks”
Like all other events in our day-to-day lives, there was no Top Drop during the pandemic.
However, Top Drop wine fans are a very loyal bunch and I never thought for a minute that there might never be another Top Drop.
Why the loyalty?
“The one wine tasting of the year you shouldn’t miss”
Western Living Magazine
Kurtis Kolt and his partners have dedicated themselves to finding and inviting wineries that display a sense of place and craft.
Kurtis Kolt
A great many are organic and all farm sustainably. Some are large but many are small and finding them is like finding a prize.
The participants are so thoroughly vetted, that it makes the invited list feel like an all-star game.
The two-day event took place May 10 & 11 in the very comfortable surroundings at The Roundhouse in Yaletown. 40 international wineries pouring!
As usual, I couldn’t get to everyone in the room. But I did stalk and talk to :
Bella Wines – Jay Drysdale (Naramata Bench) A stellar sparkling wine house focused on single-vineyard expressions. Especially Gamay.
Creek & Gully Cider – Annelise Simonsen and Alyssa Hubert (Naramata Bench) A family farm, 65 acres of Organic Apples. They use apples deemed “undesirable”
Ciders are proudly unfined, unfiltered, and ambiently fermented in the bottle and can. We also talk about saving Okanagan orchards.
Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards – Gordon Fitzpatrick. (Summerland) Focused on traditional method sparkling wine. From 40 acres of vines separated into 12 smaller blocks.
Hedges Family Estate – Christophe Hedges (Red Mountain. Washington) Farmers first, winemakers second, the Hedges Family were pioneers of the modern Washington Wine Industry. Christophe leads the next generation.
Lightning Rock Winery – Jordan Kubek Winemaker (Summerland) Creating electric, juicy wines. Jordan and Tyler desire to express each vineyard in the glass.
Martin’s Lane Winery – Shane Munn Winemaker (East Kelowna) Pinot and Riesling only. Vineyards are farmed and certified organic. Gravity-fed winery. Outstanding wines and winery.
Okanagan Crush Pad – Darryl Brooker New CEO and Matt Dumayne. Winemaker. (Summerland) What a success story is Okanagan Crush Pad. Creating their own wines Haywire, Narrative, and Free Form. Concrete tanks, native yeasts, and no messing with the wines.
Orofino – John and Virginia Weber. Winemaker & Co-owners (Similkameen Valley) Minimal intervention in the solar-powered, strawbale winery. Premium wines that John described as “gulp able”. From beautiful Rieslings to knockout Syrah plus Outstanding vineyards in a spectacular valley. It all adds up to Orofino!
Terravista Vineyards – Nadine Allander Winemaker (Naramata Bench) Producers of small-lot specialty white wines including Spanish varietals: Albarino and Verdejo plus French beauties Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier. A tribute to the vineyards and those who planted them.
Ursa Major Winery – Rajen Toor Owner/Principal. (South Okanagan. Black Sage Bench) Organically farmed vineyards on prime land. Working with many varietals but especially Bordeaux grapes to see if they can showcase a different side of the grape. Much buzz about this winery.
Owen Knowlton – Stable House Award-winning Wine Director. Pouring Wines of Bordeaux
Kurtis Kolt – Co-Founder of Top Drop Vancouver and Wine Educator
