Mulligan Stew Podcast

EP 205 | Alex Cuba

May 2, 2022 Mulligan Stew Podcast

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Born in Cuba,  Alex fell in love with a Canadian beauty & immigrated to Canada.  Alex packed into his belonging’s his many songs and sharp knowledge of the history of Cuban music.

Mendo is his 9th album.

With those 9 albums, Alex has won 2 Juno awards and is up for another this month.  He’s also won four Latin Grammy Awards and at the recent 2022 event, he won his first Grammy Award.

Alex is a completely self-contained artist. Put an instrument in front of him and very likely he can play it.

During the Covid pandemic, he decided to collaborate with other players, singers and songwriters. The songs came alive and Mendo became yet another turning point in his career.

Alex has been on Mulligan Stew before. On the Juno couch in Calgary with Jim and Devin Cuddy and again on Zoom.

So happy to welcome back a Spanish-speaking, English riffing star on the rise.

Alex Cuba brings Mendo. (The essence of the soul)

Biography:

Though raised in Artemisa, an hour outside of Havana, Alex Cuba’s artistry is as far-flung as the place he has settled and lived for over fifteen years: Smithers, BC, 14 hours north of Vancouver. His music at once incorporates his roots and is a unique amalgam of styles, having collaborated with artists ranging from Jason Mraz to Ron Sexsmith and Nelly Furtado; and bringing together melodies, popsoul hooks and rock chords in songs that may seem to bear little resemblance to traditional Cuban form.

A forward-thinking, indie-minded artist, Alex has amassed a steadily growing following among critics and fans. With over 20 awards and nominations to his name, including 4 Latin Grammys and two Junos Awards and three Grammy nominations.

Alex carries his Cuba within, incorporating subtle jazz influences, gained from his early years as a bass player in Cuba, and tasteful, sophisticated chords and lyrics expressing his poetry in an undeniably Cuban way. His growing body of work defines a unique musical place in the Latin diaspora.

Building on the 2017 Grammy nominated release Lo Unico Constante with its back to roots introspection, his latest collection of songs was released in September 2019 on the full length album “Sublime”, featuring six songs with Latin American singers and songwriters. Alex joined with Toronto based engineer, John Bailey to record in Gibson’s BC at The Farm Studio.

The decision to record all the instruments came to Alex Cuba years ago when making demos for new songs and wanting to share that undeniable personal sound.

EP 204 | DJ Kearney

April 24, 2022 Mulligan Stew Podcast

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DJ Kearney has trained over a thousand sommelier candidates throughout North America for the International Sommelier Guild and the Wine and Spirit Education Trust and has consulted for many global wine marketing bodies — including Wines of Chile, Wines of South Africa, Wines of California, Jura Wines, Sopexa, and Wines of Argentina — while leading educational master-classes for these entities around North America.

DJ  judges, moderates, presents at wine festivals and competitions around the globe. She brings a truly global perspective to her work.  DJ has been the Drinks Editor for Vancouver Magazine and critic/contributor/judge for Wine Align.

Long-time friend, I asked DJ to comment on the  2021 Wine Align final results.

As for the  Wine  Align Canadian Wine Awards, DJ Kearney  was there, right in the middle of it,  tasting and judging many 100’s of Canadian wines.

I also asked Deej to comment on recent wines from anywhere that made an impression on her,

And comments on BC, Ontario plus wines that make great gifts year-round.

·    PIERRE PAILLARD – LES PARCELLES BOUZY GRAND CRU 750 ml | SKU: 477372 France $67.99

·    POL ROGER – RESERVE BRUT 750 ml | SKU: 51953 France  $73.99

·    PENEDES CABERNET SAUVIGNON – TORRES MAS LA PLANA 2015 750 ml | SKU: 315838 Spain $67.99 on sale from $72.99 On Sale (until Jan 1)

·    CHABLIS – WILLIAM FEVRE CHAMPS ROYAUX 2018 750 ml | SKU: 25270 France $36.99

·    CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA – MAZZEI SER LAPO 2015 750 ml | SKU: 176842 Italy  $29.99 down from  $32.99 On Sale (until Jan 1) 

·

  • Our BC conversation included
  • Syrah
  • Riesling
  • Chardonnay
  • Cab Franc
  • Sparklings

 

  • DJ and I finish with a question we always ask ourselves.
  • Will BC wines ever be truly available in Ontario and other provinces and will Ontario wines show up on shelves in BC?  If you’re a wine fan, perhaps you could ask your local member of parliament.

@djwines

EP 203 | Treve RIng Pours Prosecco

April 16, 2022 Mulligan Stew Podcast

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The podcast feature guest is  Wine Judge and Writer Treve Ring pouring 8 Prosecco’s from the legendary Conegliano Valdobbiadene region of Italy.

The amazing Treve Ring is a wine writer and editor, judge and speaker, and perpetual traveler. A certified sommelier, WSET diploma holder, French wine scholar, instructor, and Sherry instructor, Treve is based in Victoria,   though is most often found on a plane or in a vineyard.

This Podcast story begins in Conegliano Valdobbiadene, a hilly area in North-East Italy, 50 km from Venice and around 100 from the Dolomites. Here, for over three centuries, people have grown the grapes that produce Prosecco Superiore, whose success began with the founding of Italy’s first School of Winemaking in 1876. The production area covers 15 communes and represents the heart of the world of Prosecco; it is one of Italy’s historic denominations, recognized in 1969. In 2009, with the reorganization of the denominations for Prosecco, the Ministry of Agriculture classified it as a Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin (D.O.C.G.), the highest level of quality for Italian wines.

Treve brings 8 Proseccos from Conegliano Valdobbiadene. The heart of Prosecco Superiore  D.O C.G.

Treve Ring presents a Master Class in Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco.  Enjoy!

EP 202 | Duke Robillard

April 9, 2022 Mulligan Stew Podcast

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Duke Robillard.
He’s blues royalty. Name and all.
With his 37th album, They called it Rhythm and Blues on Stony Plain Records he’s come full circle back to where his heart lives.
Jump Blues.

It’s the uplifting jazz, blues, And gospel music that got people through the end of WW2 and handed off to Bill Haley, Elvis, and the Rock era in the mid-50s.
77 years later it’s truly needed for the end of a devastating pandemic.
People need spirits lifted and music that can be part of the healing.
And here comes The Duke Robillard Band breathing life into Jump Blues 2022.
Duke is a storyteller.

Have a listen. Great tracks from the album included.
Watch for Duke on tour.
Check out the video  on our YouTube Channel (TerryDavidMulligan)
Let’s Jump.

EP 201 | Valerie June

April 2, 2022 Mulligan Stew Podcast

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“Call Me a Fool” is up for best American roots song because there’s no category for most transcendent modern soul ballad that feels like foundational gospel. For people who love Motown and the Alabama Shakes, Adele and Al Green, there’s Valerie June. For anyone who loves music, there’s Valerie June.

Boston Herald

There’s only one Valerie June.

 Vocally, emotionally, mentally and  creatively  Tennessee’s Valerie June completely stands out in an artistic world filled with stunning sameness.

In her career and creative decisions, she  shows a respect for those who came before her.  We talk about Mavis Staples who Valerie June calls Saint Mavis and Memphis legend Carla Thomas  her partner on the Grammy nominated Call me a Fool.

She’s on a busy tour now. Using everything from a 13 piece orchestra to herself and a bassist.

Valerie June’s latest album is The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers..

Also watch out for a new single Use Me.

Greatness.

 

 

EP 200 | Joni Mitchell From The Archives

March 26, 2022 Mulligan Stew Podcast

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Episode #200 – it’s a blur but I think captures what the times were like during a pandemic. The role that music played in getting people through.

Joni and I shared a band house in Regina. For 10 days.  Maybe 1966.

Then we reconnected when I hosted the first Greenpeace concert that Joni headlined in Vancouver. We would cross paths much later at The Last Waltz.

Joni Mitchell – MuchMusic Interview from Nathan Delphini on Vimeo.

This is a video interview I can’t remember doing. I also had forgotten the Greenpeace concert for some bizarre reason.

She talks about  The Last Waltz, being incorrectly painted as a Canadian ex-pat in LA,  the effect her songs have on people, the changing of “the old guard” at the Last Waltz, and how she wasn’t ready to retire.

We cover a lot of subjects and her music history.

How she calls her songs “her babies” and that it’s part of female nurturing

She waxes about Dylan, Steely Dan and answers the question do we know her as well as we think we do? Joni speaks out strongly on Indian rights!!

Backstage at Los Angeles Fashion Week FW/19 Powered by Art Hearts Fashion at The Majestic Downtown on March 21, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.

Neither one of us mention an album or name a song.  So I’m not exactly sure when this was recorded. But I’m thinking 1982???

I mention she’s on a speaking tour and Joni talks about organizing a date with  Sting,  Peter Gabriel, Bryan Adams that speaks of The Human Rights Concerts (Live in New Jersey). That first concert was in 1986..so let’s call this interview mid-80s.

The time of

82’s Wild Things Run Fast

86’s Dog Eat Dog

88’s Chalk mark in a rainstorm

Being influenced by Steely Dan, Thomas Dolby, Willie Nelson, and Peter Gabriel.

It’s the perfect interview to celebrate Podcast 200.

(Thank You Elliott Garnier and Corey Wood for getting me there)

God Bless Joni Mitchell

EP 199 | Shawn Edwards – 2022 Critics Choice Awards

March 18, 2022 Mulligan Stew Podcast

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Shawn Edwards.

Film Critic. Entertainment Journalist. (WDAS Kansas City).  Creator. Producer. On the board of the Critics Choice Assn in LA.

Producer of A Celebration of Black Cinema. Currently shaping The Black Movie Hall of Fame in Kansas City.

Shawn returns to share a recap of the 2022 Critics Choice Awards last Sunday (in LA and London)

How those winning might affect The Oscars.

Plus The Super Awards winners.

We deep dive into

The Power of the Dog

King Richard

Tammy Faye

Jane Campion – Director

Halle Berry

Ted Lasso

We welcome back to the MulliganStew Podcast #199  Shawn Edwards.

NEXT WEEK – Joni Mitchell

EP 198 | Remembering Solomon Burke- Never before played interview

March 12, 2022 Mulligan Stew Podcast

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Moving is never “fun” but along the way (if you’re lucky) you find little treasures.

During our latest move, I found boxes and cases with interviews.

It got me to thinking – where is that Solomon Burke Interview?

We had talked at the Edmonton Folk Festival several years earlier and in 2010 when he was releasing a new album Nothing’s Impossible.

Produced by Willie Mitchell in Memphis. Same Studio, producer, musicians as Rev Al Green!

We had a great chat and off he went – passing away weeks later as he passed through Amsterdam’s airport.

I simply couldn’t find the heart to go back and listen to the interview. Every time I heard the first words I started to tear up.

So. I walked away from the interview thinking the day will come when I can deal with it.

Well, today’s the day.

Solomon Burke was asked in an interview “are you a gospel/church singer or a blues singer?”..Solomon’s reply was “I’m a soul singer”

He was the first artist to use the phrase.

The man was a preacher, singer, writer, mortician!  When it came to the music business he was not to be messed with.

If you get a chance check out his life story. It’s a wild ride.

Solomon Burke by-the-numbers

Performed 55 years. 38 studio albums. 17 record labels. Grammy winner. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 17 million albums sold.  In 2008 was #89 of Rolling Stone Magazine’s 100 greatest singers of all time.

AND Father 21 children and Grandfather of 90 Grandkids.

 

EP 197 | Kevin Hearn-There And Then

March 5, 2022 Mulligan Stew Podcast

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Kevin Hearn has released a stark album called There and Then:  Solo Piano Improvisations.  3 distinct rooms, 3 pianos, and 3 days of playing, each only for 3 hours.
No demos. No rehearsal. No real conversation between himself and producer Mark Howard.
Yes. The same Kevin Hearn who was a member of the Corky and the Juice Pigs Band, bandleader for Lou Reed, and a star member of Bare Naked Ladies.
Kevin worked for years with Gord Downie. Right up until Gord was lost to Cancer.
There and Then honors Gord (Among the Stars) and  Lou (Lou) and Garth Hudson (The Garth Hudson Institute) and the basic elements of great music.

The album cover was painted by Gord’s daughter Willo. Lou Video was directed by Mike Downie.
Rather than paint a word picture I’ve decided to let Kevin tell the tale of how all this came to be.
THIS is an album that will become a balm for the World we all live in.
Well done Kevin and Mark.

EP 196 | Keb’Mo’

February 26, 2022 Mulligan Stew Podcast

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It’s fair to say Keb Mo is simply one of the most popular choices for anyone’s playlist.  An easy pull.

He delivers thoughtfulness, groove, and joy every time.

So imagine my delight in having him Zoom guest from his home in Nashville.

Keb’s new album is Good to be. It reflects the loss of his mother, returning  to Compton to remodel and freshen up the home he was brought up in and to reconnect with “the community”.  That’s one thing we talk about – I never thought of Compton as a community because everything I read and heard only referenced the toughness of the streets and what could be a hard life. (NWA!!)

Keb references and hangs with The Compton Cowboys.. real-life people. Legends in  Compton history. (Check out the video below)

Speaking of video – You can see the Zoom Interview on the Terry David Mulligan YouTube Channel!  His smiles and laughs make the session come alive.

Keb also talks strongly about his thoughts on  Black History Month, working with Vince Gill, Old Crow Medicine Show, covering his friend Bill Withers, etc.

He answers the last question straight up – Did you find the blues or did the blues find you?

The complete audio and zoom interview drops right after The Stew.  Details  at www.mulliganstew.ca