Does anyone remember the moment a couple of years ago at the Edmonton Folk Fest when Paul Janeway left the Broken Bones blasting on stage and took his microphone into the audience and walked halfway up the hill?
He’d still be going but the mic stopped working.
It’s the kind of thing a firebrand preacher might do. That’s part of Paul’s childhood in Alabama.
He didn’t hear any popular music on the radio until his late teens because he and his family only listened to gospel stations.
Paul claims his gateway drug into secular music was early Tom Waits. Good Call.
We talk about the Edmonton Folk Fest, finding his voice, Paul talks about Oasis Pizza. That’s the routine they go through backstage just before they go on.
He talks about how he transforms into St Paul as he walks out to the mic and also fills us in on his best friend and co-founder/bassist Jessie Philips. Jessie’s hometown isn’t Birmingham, Alabama. It’s Fernie, BC.
Paul also proudly brings their new album The Alien Coast. That’s where they all live – on The Gulf of Mexico coastline. Early explorers called it The Alien Coastline.
It’s not exactly the same R&B band you may have fallen for. The groove is still there but the lyrics reference classic art and painters, dream state content, etc.
All this plus 2 hours of hand-picked tunes.
New tracks from John Mellencamp (with Bruce Springsteen), Bahamas, Taj and Ry, Matt Anderson, Walk off the Earth, Aaron Neville, next week’s guest Keb’ Mo’.
The complete Interview with Paul Janeway – with tracks – can be heard on the Mulligan Stew Podcast. Also available on video. Details at www.mulliganstew.ca
Discovering outstanding wines at 2House & Gold Hill plus Little Engine on Naramata Bench
THE SHOW
In 2007, when Tasting Room Radio began in a barn studio on the Naramata Bench, I went looking for the most interesting people making the most interesting wines.
The very first of those guests were Val Tait and Ian Sutherland.
Valeria was consulting a number of wineries/vineyards and Ian was making wine as the founder of Poplar Grove. They took me to wine school every time we talked. They’ve become great friends.
Ian sold Poplar Grove but continued to consult. Val recently said goodbye as GM and Head Winemaker at Bench 1775.
Now, 15 years after first meeting them, they return to Tasting Room Radio as their own winery – 2House. Making singular wines but each with its own expression.
For example, they both make a Cab Franc. One in Val’s cool style and another with Ian’s passion.
Here’s the problem. They have yet to SHARE that Franc with me and frankly you as well. I hear it’s coming.
What they did send to taste and talk about were their collaborative efforts with –
2House 2018 Chardonnay (think Montrachet) WOW!
2House 2017 Tempranillo (one of the very best BC reds I’ve tasted.)
Good grief these are good wines.!
Val Tait is also consulting Gold Hill Wines for the Gill Family. That means she has access to the very best vineyards for the Gold Hill label and at the same time can grow the 2House label into the future.
This time we sample –
Gold Hill
2020 Cab Franc Rose
2020 Sauvignon Blanc
2014 Merlot – A 2014 Merlot is one of their releases. It’s huge.
Same with 2015 Cab Franc.
Trust me on this. When Val gets her hands and talent on those vineyards, in the years ahead the wines at Gold Hill will be keepers.
Steven French co-founder of Little Engine Wines (with wife Nicole)
Steven and Nicole met at the University of Western Ontario and upon graduation moved to Calgary where they spent twenty years, Nicole in education and real estate development and Steven in oil and gas.
Successful entrepreneurs with an inherent family motto of will and determination it was their desire to create that beckoned them to an industry steeped in creativity.
They purchased their first vineyard site in 2011 with the foresight of combining their love for both wine and the rich tradition and culture of winemaking into a brand that would deliver excellence without compromise, the Little Engine brand.
Their family motto: “Dreams don’t come true, dreams are made true.”
This two-part interview started when I saw a mention of a virtual tasting Little Engine was offering online.
I liked the idea because you could playback Stevens commentary – pause and make notes – then carry on.
Three small piccolo bottles showed up.
2018 Little Engine Chardonnay
2018 Little Engine Pinot Noir
2018 Merlot
I got Steven to turn off his front-end loader and get in touch. No easy task.
I had a bag full of questions about Little Engine and he answered all of them and more.
Because of the commitment by Nicole and Steven, Little Engine Wines are always going to be singular, outstanding, and better each year.
Thoroughly enjoyed this conversation with Steven. I hope it shows. Cheers!!
Congratulations to the winemaking team, led by Scott Robinson. Well Done!
Carefully assembled from the most powerful performances of a three-night residency at Calgary’s historically iconic blues mecca, the King Edward Hotel, between February 15th and 17th, 2019, Live at the King Eddy arrives as the latest installment of an already storied career that has to date produced six stunning studio releases. Following the independently released, raw folk and country-blues excursions of 2007’s The Blues Can Kill and the following year’s eponymous album, vocalist and harmonicist Shawn Hall – the Harpoonist – and guitarist Matt Rodgers – the Axe Murderer – truly hit their stride and found their sound on 2012’s Checkered Past.
Now. Three years after capturing these live recordings on The Stones Mobile, Harp and Axe release the finished product. Live at The King Eddy.
It’s a pumped and beautifully greasy set. Slick and unhinged at the same time.
Here’s a conversation with Shawn Hall – The Harp. We’ve showcased 5 tracks for you.
“The Harp”Shawn Hall joins me for a glorious walk through the new live album Live at The King Eddy by The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer. (And our pal Dawn Pemberton is a wonderful part of the mix)
All of the beautiful noise at The King Eddy was captured 3 years ago by the legendary Rolling Stones Mobile.
(Led Zeppelin, The Who, Dire Straits. Bob Marley Live, Exile on Main Street, Sticky Fingers, etc) Complete interview on Mulligan Stew Podcast.Video on YouTube
Also, a donor asked for All along the Watchtower but didn’t specify which of the many artists who’ve covered Dylan’s classic.
So we played “a few” to start the show.
Playing for change (Neville Family)
Ritchie Havens
Brothers and Sister with Merry Clayton
Bob Dylan
Also a donor suggestion – they were making plans to go to London for concerts, etc but COVID delayed plans so….we play live tunes recorded in London…
Graham Pierce – Winemaker and GM at Kitsch Wines. (also on video)
Graham Pierce
If you’re a fan of BC Wines then you certainly have heard about or enjoyed the wines that Graham has created.
Summerhill, Mount Boucherie, Black Hills, Time Family Wines and now Kitsch Wines in East Kelowna.
Graham proudly walks us through his first vintage of wines at Kitsch. Each wine tastes like a celebration.
Kitsch 2020 5Barrel PinotNoir
Cellar Door pricing..
2020 – Riesling $26 Pair: Curry, Thai anything,
2020 -Esther’s Block Riesling $32. Both from Family Estate. Esther’s has neutral French Oak 4 months. Veggies. Tacos
2020 – Pinot Noir $43 a blend of earth and fruit. Duck. Caprese Salad
2020 – 5 Barrel Pinot Noir. Both a blend of Clones 115 and 777. $69 (releasing later this Spring. FYI 2019 available as well) Berries, spice, fennel! Memorable!! Crab. Blue Cheese, Parma Pasta.
Not all the interviews we present on the Stew Podcast are brand new.
I’ve been at this interview thing since 1964 so there are always the possibilities of archival interviews.
Many are tied up in legal issues. Some were never kept or lost to time.
However, occasionally they just get “discovered”
The Sarah McLachlan interviews we present this week are the discovered type.
The first was in 1988. Sarah with her late 80’s Halifax Hair. Me, holding her new album on Solace on cassette.
Then a large jump to 1992.
The year before Sarah had released Solace and was touring hard, working on the songs for ‘93’s Fumbling towards Ecstasy.
Everything changed right there. She had the songs, the voice, and the drive to become – what she became – a 40 Million album selling, Lilith Faire producing, and Grammy/Juno winning music star.
Sarah and I would later tour Thailand and Cambodia for World Vision. That’s another interview.
The Hatch becomes Jason Parkes Customs/Emily Walker Wine List/New Emandare pours
THE SHOW
Jason Parkes is….
A former member of a punk band whose van broke down and he needed money to fix it – so he made wine.
the hub of an ever-expanding wheel.
The dark star at the center of a distant universe
Lead singer of the house band Proper Man
Founder, winemaker, visionary winery owner who surrounds himself with like-minded thinkers and doers.
Actually, his greatest talent is being a husband and father. From that family base comes his strength to start The Hatch, then create, build, open, or buy Hatching Post Brewery, Crown and Thieves, Black Swift Vineyards, Screaming Frenzy, Truck 59 CiderHouse, Smoke Show by JPC, Gobsmacked, and Jason Parkes Customs.
Team JPC
JPCustoms will become the new name of the overall company.
That’s why it was time to slow the man down long enough to talk things through and get a sense of what the road ahead looks like.
There are very few BC wineries expanding at this rate. Not just creating new wines and new destinations but whole new concepts in how to reach people, how to entertain them, and at times speak an entirely different language. Best of all, the wines are as memorable as the man.
(a video of Emily’s interview and her wines can be found below)
Emily Walker – working it
Imagine you’re Emily Walker and you are the Wine Director of the historic Naramata Inn in the village of Naramata.
The Inn is surrounded by 100’s of wineries. As far as the eye can see.
Naramata Heritage Inn
Every one of those wineries would like to be on Emily’s wine list but only a select few are chosen.
It’s those choices I wanted to know more about. Many of the wines she chooses are small lots. Perhaps as few as 25 cases.
But in between those hard-to-find wines, you’ll find gems that we can all search for. They’re all worth the chase.
Emily Walker is up to the task. Running wine programs at The Four Seasons Vancouver, the group Sommelier at all Tap and Barrels, and the opening of the Fairmont Pacific Rim in time for the Winter Olympics. Emily Walker brings all that big room experience into a dining room built-in 1907. You are going to love the experience.
I asked Emily to choose a handful of wines to tell us about.
Lightning Rock – 2021 Rose Pet-Nat $29 (Summerland)
No sugar. No yeast. Whole cluster & double pressed. One night on skins. Fermented in concrete tanks. Cloudy. Lower alcohol. Yummy!
Pedro Parra, renowned soil expert proclaimed their soil conditions Top 15% in the World. Matured in a combination of new oak, concrete, and stainless steel… Notes of nutmeg and caramel. Mighty texture and finish. Award-winning chardonnay!!
Made in Georgian Clay Vessels. Neutral oak. Unfined and unfiltered. A very different wine. Unpolished. Layered and textured.
And gorgeous. Special Syrah from a very special spot.
Nichol Vineyards St Laurent. A medium-dark red. The oldest St Laurent in Canada. Ripe blueberry and cassis on the nose. Tannins, acidity, and pepper in the mouth. Unfined & unfiltered. Cellared in Neutral French Barrique.
Mike Nierychlo Co-founder (with wife Robin) and winemaker of Emandare Wine (Cowichan Valley)
Team Emandare
It was raining ugly when Mike showed up for a quick pour.
I turned on the recorder and Mike took it from there.
He was pouring his new releases from Emandare.
2020 Alice $40 Traditional Method Rose made from 100% Cowichan Pinot Noir. Named after Robin and Mike’s 2nd daughter.
20ALICE
Strawberry, peach, and citrus scents and flavors abound. It is a great pour but very little was made. If you see it – buy it.
A big congratulations to everyone involved. Especially the label artists.
2020 Estate Pinot Noir – Mike and Robin’s original vines. Some 20 years in the ground now. They present a juicy, cherry, and cranberry-driven experience. Also, a texture that surprises. These are very happy vines.
2020 Estate Marechal-Cabernet Foch. $35 Flavours of ripe blackberries and black current. Cracked pepper delights.
2021 (From the Valley) – Farm Fresh Foch. $25 85% M. Foch and 15% Pinot Noir. It’s Mike’s Beaujolais.
Or because it’s from the Cowichan Valley it’s perhaps Cowjolais. It’s very drinkable. Restaurants are going to love this as a house pour.
Mike explains “from the valley”. It’s a neighborhood thing.
As you know, I’ve had the honor and giddy pleasure of following Holger’s 2 hours of Natch’l Blues for 27 years.
The majesty of The Blues has a profound effect on The Stew. This week, for example, I started thinking about how new life was breathed into the blues by the British Invasion of the mid-’60s. Blues artists who were ignored or taken for granted in America could find a new audience in Europe and especially the UK.
That new audience included teen-aged members of The Rolling Stones, The Animals, Led Zeppelin, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Jeff Beck., Rod Stewart, Steve Winwood, etc. When those young Brits refashioned the blues into blues rock, the music world shifted into high gear and turned the volume up to 10.
America got its own music back. It was reimagined and very exciting.
Back to Back Laverne Baker and The Animals doing See See Rider
Back to back Muddy Waters and The Stones.
Steve Winwood – Gimme Some Loving
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – Bobby Moore’s Searching for my baby
Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart – Willie Dixon’s I ain’t Superstitious
Throw in some donor-requested Fats Domino / Wilbert Harrison and we’re Off and Running.
New music from Courtney Barnett, Brandi Carlile, The Lumineers, Corb Lund, The Fretless, and Dan Mangan!
And we finish with
Tower of Power, Gerry Garcia Band doing The Temptations, Cat Stevens, William Prince, Dylan, etc.
And our feature interview guest is Joey Landreth from The Bros. Landreth.
Joey and brother David grew up in a house in Winnipeg where their musician Father played Little Feat, The Byrds, CSN etc.
Joey’s new solo album is called All that you dream and is a tribute to Lowell George and Little Feat.
The whole two hours has the jam to lift your spirits. You in?
“this bench is like Goldilocks. Not too hot. Not too cold. Just right” Dwight Sick
Nathan Todd President and GM Foxtrot Winery (Naramata Bench) www.foxtrotwine.com
Even though he made his name working in very serious wine sales out of New York City he did have a early connection to the Okanagan Valley. Harvesting fruit to make ends meet.
Years later he blind tasted a Foxtrot Pinot. It may have changed his life. He never forgot that wine and years later convinced his wine friend Douglas Barzelay to eventually buy the winery from the Allander family. Barzelay is one of the World’s leading authorities on Burgundian wines. Their wine consultant is Veronique Drouhin from Domaine Joseph Drouhin. Torsten Allander’s son Gustav was retained as winemaker. Quite a team.
Nathan poured:
2 versions of Foxly Rose 2019/2020 (both instantly likeable. $24)
An Estate Vineyard 2019 Pinot Noir. (everything a great Pinot should be. texture. balance. Defines a long finish.)
Nathan Todd Foxtrot
Wilbert and Joka Borren – Co-founders/Co-owners of Four Shadows. (Upper Bench . Naramata) www.fourshadowsvineyard.com
What a great story. Joka and Wilbert were pig farmers in Lacombe Alberta with four growing sons. They dreamed of moving to the Okanagan and being farmers there. That’s exactly what they did. They bought a forgotten vineyard on Upper Bench and decided to bring back the vineyards and plant their own vines to then sell the fruit to wineries.
Wilbert and Joka Borren
Along the way it made much more sense to become a winery and Four Shadows was born. The name is from a photo of their four sons.
Did I mention they had no wine knowledge but they knew how to farm pigs. I mean, how tough can it be to grow grapes?
They had amazing mentoring from Lindsay and Graham O’Rourke at Tightrope and consultant Pascal Madevon. It paid off. They learned well.
You say “Pigs to Pinot” They say “Swine to Wine.”
They poured
20o20 Rose 2020 Riesling Classic, 2020 Riesling Dry, 2020 Riesling sparkling, 2018 Pinot Noir and 2018 Merlot.
Thank you Tina Baird, Naramata Bench. Thank you Barry and Carol Beecroft for “the swim”.
