Mulligan Stew With Terry David Mulligan

Ron Sexsmith has 19 albums in a singular career. His songwriting has been admired by his many peers. There's only one voice like his - which is a blessing in a sea of wouldda/coulda/shoulda. Photo by Kerry Vergeer[/caption]   If you asked him to compare his songs with his idol Gordon Lightfoot, Ron will admit there are few artists as good as  Gordon Lightfoot was, but he continues to honour him. This Wednesday and Thursday, Ron performs at two sold-out Lightfoot Memorial concerts at the National Music Center in Calgary. In Bell Hall.   On this week's Mulligan Stew Podcast Ron Sexsmith opens up about his admiration for Gord. A true storyteller, telling tales.   Ron Sexsmith honours  Gord Lightfoot.

Last Oct 11, Mariel Buckley joined us from a motel room in New Mexico ( I think) as she was touring following the release of her latest album, Strange Trip Ahead. On Saturday night, Mariel and the album won a Juno Award for the 2026 Contemporary Roots Album of the Year. At 3 a.m., I was digging into the audio archives looking for this interview. And I've been following the Coffee Walks that Alan Doyle has been doing on Facebook as he toured Canada. Alan takes a camera and walks around the towns and cities he's playing in, looking for the best coffee, and through the walk finds the heart and soul of the city. When he got to Victoria and the end of the tour,  it became apparent that we should repeat our Feb 10 interview covering the release of his latest EP, Already Dancing. Alan heads for the USA next week but returns June 27 to headline one of the FIFA Fan Festival concerts in Vancouver.  His latest book is The Smiling Land, in which he reveals how little he knows about Newfoundland and Labrador. It's a wond

Guests - Jeff Guignard, CEO, Wine BC Brad Royale - Corp Sommelier Concorde Entertainment Group     Both Jeff and Brad are fully into wine. The growing and pouring. We'll talk about Alberta's tax/no tax on BC wines. The state of Canadian wines and both have lots to recommend at the ongoing 2026 Vancouver International  Wine Festival. www.winebc.com www.vanwinefest.ca     Jeff is the CEO of Wine Growers of BC. Great leadership when it's needed most. Lead the charge to change Alberta taxes against BC wines. They just changed.   Brad is one of the outstanding wine voices in Alberta. The corporate sommelier for Concorde Group. Thery have 22 different restaurants - both east and west. He curates all the wine lists. Besides his valued opinions on the state of wine in Canada, Brad has recommendations for those attending this week's Van Wine Fest. www.concordegroup.ca

The amazing story and success of  Winnipeg's David and Joey Landreth continue with the release of their 9th studio album, Dog Ear. The brothers join us from home base as they prepare for a full European tour and select key American dates this year. The new album deals with finding a balance between making music and raising their families. In the music business, with all its touring, it can be really hard on the whole family.   After having a Grammy hit with the Landreth's  Made up Mind,  their music hero, Bonnie Raitt, asked the boys to send her songs from their new album. She came back saying, "I can't decide which one I want to sing on - so how about two songs?". She sang harmony on Knuckles and background on Half Moon Eyes. David and Joey grew up in a musical family and listened to Bonnie and Little Feat growing up.  They can't begin to describe what it's like to not only meet your heroes but to play and sing with them!!  As you can imagine, it's out of this world. Rarely, I hear people say "yeah..i don't

From his humble beginnings in sketch comedy with the Toronto branch of Second City to his rise to fame in SCTV and Hollywood film classics like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, The Great Outdoors, and Uncle Buck, John Candy captivated audiences with his self-deprecating humour, emotional warmth, and gift for improvisation. Now, for the first time since Candy's tragic death, bestselling biographer Paul Myers tells the full story of the man behind the laughs. Drawing on extensive research and exclusive interviews with many of Candy's closest friends and colleagues, including Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Tom Hanks, Ron Howard, Steve Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, and many more, John Candy: A Life in Comedy celebrates the comedian's unparalleled talent, infectious charm, and generosity of spirit. Through ups and downs, successes and failures, and struggles with anxiety and self-doubt, Candy faced the world with a big smile and a warm demeanor that earned him the love and adoration of fans around the world.

Harry Hertscheg pours another glass.    It's a blend uniquely Harry The  47th annual Festival.  March 7/14- on opening the room is filled with information, numbers and a hint of Nardwuar.   The palate is full. Surprising with stories of Bacchanalia (Mar 7), The Soul of Napa (MAR 9), The mid-palate is totally France!  (the feature region) Harry takes us through  The Spirit of Languedoc Roussillon Rioja Chablis.  And, most importantly, fundraising for Bard on the Beach   In 2026, the festival will feature 114 wineries from 14 countries, pouring and discussing their wines at 33 events over seven days. There are 34 wines from Canada. All BC. I think the number represents the resiliency of BC wine growers and makers.  Harry Hertscheg will supply the rest of the numbers. There are lots of numbers, but only one Harry!!   All the details you need can be found at  www.vanwinefest.ca 

AW Cardinal and Jasmine Colette continue to create very new and very different music. The last album was recorded over several days in New Orleans. The new album,  Get Your Feathers Ready, was a meeting of Coast Salish and Treaty 6 in Maskwacis, Alberta. One day of rehearsal with AW, Jas, and the Northern Cree Drummers and Singers. Jas and AW had discovered that early 1920s blues from the deep south and Northern Cree traditional pow wow had a commonality. They each brought their songs and met in the middle. It feels like the start of a historic journey. Two legendary music communities, making new music in 2026. Steve Wood, the much-admired leader and drum keeper of Northern Cree and his son Joel complete the music circle.

The Vancouver personality, born John Ruskin, is among 80 appointees announced on Wednesday,  Unlike most of them, the 57-year-old will be inducted under his stage name, "Nardwuar, the Human Serviette," a rare exception for one of Canada's highest honours that meets the spirit of his off-the-wall personality. For the uninitiated, Nardwuar might be described as a Canadian enigma who gradually invaded pop culture over several decades, propelled by his interviews, which all finish with his trademark phrase "Doot doola doot doo...doot doo." David Friend, Canadian Press I've had the pleasure of knowing Nardwuar since his high school days in West Van. He and Craig Northey would be the first to knock on my front door on Halloween. Looking for record handouts instead of candy. During my years at Much Music as host/producer of MuchWest,  great cameraman Jay Mirus and I would always be running into Nardwar. Usually around the concerts and soundchecks. Jay and Nard became great friends, and eventually, when I moved on, J

We've all been in the right place at the right time.   For me, one of those times was to be hosting and producing MuchWest in Vancouver when Sarah McLachlan moved from Halifax to Vancouver to begin what would become an amazing career. Sarah ended up on the West Coast because in Halifax,  her home,  she had opened for a band from Nettwerk Records in Kitsilano. They wanted to sign her immediately, but Sarah's parents insisted she finish her schooling. It felt like she came to Vancouver with songs already written and ready to go. It wasn't long before  Sarah released her debut album Touch. That's when I first met and interviewed her.   The gift she gave the world was songs cutting deep into memory and self-awareness. Since 1989, the gift she's given me was to tell part of the story through our interviews.   That's one of the reasons why I asked Sarah to come to Thailand and Cambodia with me in 1991 to tell the story of World Vision's battle with the aids epidemic.   Sarah is on record as saying the journey ch

The Smiling Land is a celebration of Alan's Newfoundland, in its legendary past and brilliant future. The music, the bays, towns, villages, and 12-hour ferry rides to get you halfway to where you're going. Alan is the tour guide, something he's actually done! Besides the reader, along for the drives are his beloved wife and teenage son. To go camping,  they're pulling a small trailer home behind.   FYI - Alan hates camping and driving.   I swear,  many of us will find a way to take the same drive - just once in our lives. The history, the legends, the forming of the first real settlements in North America. Characters who thought nothing of leaving their homes, sailing the North Atlantic and starting again in a wild new world. Many towns, bays, lakes, mountains and forests were named after those "characters". And many a song and story has been handed down. The complete Alan Doyle Experience can be heard on The Stew this Saturday. Driven by four Doyle Songs, including his latest.  

No/Lo spirits, wine, cider, and beer have been "trending" for many years now.  The search for wine and beer replacements has always been there.  A number of producers began to find results after they made their wine and beer, then stripped the alcohol out and substituted the taste with other elements. Fruit, tea, spices, etc.  Suddenly, some of the replacements tasted even better than the originals.   Kurtis Kolt, sommelier and wine educator, wine judge, and co-founder of Top Drop Vancouver, has organized a second Free Spirit Vancouver.      The first was in January of this year, when he hosted 10 vendors pouring, collectively, just under 20 brands. Monday, Dec 8, 630-830, Heritage Hall  3102 Main Street Free Spirit Vancouver will have almost 60 producers pouring no/lo.   That, my friends,  is called "Trending" with a capital T.   Please check out the free spirit link below to see the producers' list and to follow along with Kurtis Kolt's interview. Be sharp, he motors through a lot of labels and tastes.   M

How do you celebrate a 40-year music career? If you're Blue Rodeo, you tour Canada in 40 dates, and the last two are in Massey Hall. We're showcasing Blue Rodeo with separate one-on-one  interviews with co-founders and co-writers/singers Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy. ,  Blue Rodeo and the guys have multiple Junos, Hall of Fame inductions, Songwriters Hall of Fame, Canadian Walk of Fame Orders of Canada, a really good documentary and just this year,  a stamp and a beer.     To me, I hear the sound of Canada in their high harmonies.   They started out as a hot bar band after returning from a disappointing series of months in New York. New York said "You can't have two lead singers and you can't do country, rock and roots.  You must have a clear image of who the audience sees you as".   Back in Canada. None of that existed.  We loved them  just as they were. The boys knew where they belonged, and it showed up in the joy of their music.   Enjoy this conversation between three music fans who lived those 40 years. And

The amazing story and success of  Winnipeg's David and Joey Landreth continues with the release of their 9th studio album, Dog Ear. The brothers join us from home base as they prepare for a full European tour and select key American dates this year. The new album deals with finding a balance between making music and raising their families. In the music business, with all its touring, it can be really hard on the whole family. After having a Grammy hit with the Landreth's  Made up Mind,  their music hero, Bonnie Raitt, asked the boys to send her songs from their new album. She came back saying, "I can't decide which one I want to sing on - so how about two songs?". She sang harmony on Knuckles and background on Half Moon Eyes.David and Joey grew up in a musical family and listened to Bonnie and Little Feat growing up.  They can't begin to describe what it's like to not only meet your heroes but to play and sing with them!!  As you can imagine, it's out of this world.

Following a celebrated national headline tour and a wonderful run supporting the legendary Bonnie Raitt, Dear John sees  Royal Wood collaborating with five-time Grammy-winning Mixer Ryan Freeland (Bonnie Raitt, Ray LaMontagne).  Royal describes Dear John as a "letter to a younger Royal". The album captures both his sincerity and artistry.     Royal Wood's music continues to resonate worldwide, amassing over 30 million streams.   Royal stepped away from the music business and his strong part in it,  to have 2 sons and make the family home much more important than the stage.   He and his family also decided to move from Ontario to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He makes music wherever he goes.        His last album, What Tomorrow Brings, received critical acclaim and was considered for "Best Folk Album" at the 2024 Grammy Awards.    Known for translating his recorded work into captivating live performances, Royal Wood has headlined prestigious venues like Massey Hall in Toronto and Paradiso in Amsterdam, and toured e

Juno Winner Aysanabee headlines his first national tour.     Two-time JUNO Award-winning Oji-Cree artist Aysanabee has been riding a powerful wave for over three years, and this fall he's bringing it coast to coast.  Following the release of his June release album Edge Of The Earth on Ishkōdé Records,  Aysanabee kicks off The Way We're Born Tour on November 6 in Edmonton, with more than 20 dates across Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, and Ontario.   Tour Dates:  www.aysanabee.com/tour    Aysanabee  once again announced that each show will feature local Indigenous opening artists. "I had the best time featuring and connecting with local Indigenous artists on the first leg of my headlining tour this past winter, and I couldn't wait to do it again for this next run." -     "Every song on this record offers a window into very transitional moments in my life. Over the last few years I was faced with decisions that often took me inwards and made me question the core of my creativity, 'What drives me to

Afie Jurvanen (aka Bahamas) has announced My Second Last Album, his seventh studio release and the follow-up to Bootcut. The record arrived everywhere on October 24, 2025 and finds Afie back in Nova Scotia, trading Nashville's storied studios for the coastal quiet of a backyard shed. Recorded at DreamDate, the compact studio built by friend and collaborator Joshua Van Tassel, My Second Last Album was shaped almost entirely by the two musicians, who played every instrument across its 10 tracks. The result is one of the best Bahamas albums yet. The first listen to My Second Last Album comes with the expected driving country-funk, equal parts groove and grit. As always, Afie's lyrics capture both humour, heart and a  loose, spirited energy that defines the album. Enjoy!! My Second Last Album

Americana singer-songwriter Mariel Buckley announces her just-released album – Strange Trip Ahead, out Friday, October 17, 2025, via Birthday Cake Records. It finds Mariel venturing into new sonic ground for her, embracing an indie-rock song box that leans away from her country and Americana roots. The album reveals a deep dive into themes of adolescent shame, secrecy, and queer longing. With complex songs that take the listener through the emotional turbulence of youth, crafting a listening experience that feels like floating in uncertainty, suspended one moment, crashing the next. Mariel begins a bold new direction with this Strange Trip Ahead.  "I was itching to try something a little heavier than my previous stuff," she shares. "I wanted to move away from synths and keys in general, citing references from indie rock, pop music, and alt-country."  The album offers an honest portrait of empty hotel rooms, long stretches of highway, and the quiet loneliness found in mundane rituals like pumping gas and loite

A long-distance pal returns to The podcast. Sensational Singer- Prolific Songwriter - Road Warrior.   Terra Lightfoot   Terra Lightfoot has a well-earned reputation as a tireless live performer, with a tour history mapped across the globe and awards testifying to every mile logged along the way. To date, Lightfoot's marathon tours have touched down in eight countries across four continents. She also conceived, created, curated, produced and co-headlined The Longest Road Show, an all-female touring revue.     Most fans would reasonably assume that the singer-songwriter’s natural element is in the spotlight. But even accomplished touring artists like Lightfoot feel the insistent tug of home. That place, which for Lightfoot is a scenic hideaway, is captured in warm detail on the artist’s intimate new album, Home Front. In stark contrast to the anthemic alt-pop riffs of 2017’s New Mistakes and 2023’s Healing Power (each of which earned the artist JUNO Award nominations and Polaris Music Prize mentions), this is a

Award-winning writer/director/actor Ben Immanuel’s feature film Are We Done Now? was released for VOD in Canada on September 30.  The film makes its U.S. Premiere at the SOHO International Film Festival from October 7-14. Are We Done Now, starring Gabrielle Miller with Favour Onwuka, Natalie Farrow, Eliot Ramsey, Giacomo Baessato, Jennifer Spence, and Camille Sullivan, promises to resonate with audiences on both comedic and deeply emotional levels.  The film won the Audience Award for "Most Popular Canadian Feature Film" at its Canadian Premiere at the Available Light Film Festival, and Natalie Farrow recently won a Leo Award for “Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture” for her role as “Lennon.”  This thought-provoking dramedy will resonate with audiences on both comedic and deeply emotional levels. Shot between 2020 and 2024, Immanuel brings to the screen a profoundly relatable story following Pamela, a therapist (played by Gabrielle Miller of Corner Gas and Unspeakable: The Murder of JonBené

Not only is he outspoken and focused,  Jeff also spent 10 years in Ottawa. He knows well which doors to knock on or kick down.   Jeff has been traveling to the various wine growing regions of BC and learning firsthand the challenges brought by climate and dealing with Crafted in BC wines. We'll talk about the future of specific varietals in BC (Syrah, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and more) Jeff brings comments on "generational opportunities", getting more BC wines on store shelves and all the challenges ahead. He brings strong commentary on Interprovincial shipping and relationships in Alberta. Also,  Jeff reminds us that Wine BC kicks off Fall For BC. Inspiring visitors to explore BC Wine Country. Discover new memories and experiences. Get connected or reconnected to wine country.  Come meet the new voice and face of BC Wine. - Jeff Guignard. www.winebc.com