Show Notes
An artist who blends Americana, folk, gospel, soul, and blues to create something she calls "organic moonshine roots music," June grew up in western Tennessee, a part of the world where different musical traditions meet, something that is reflected in her special sound. She was raised in a musical family where everybody sang. She is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who plays banjo, guitar, and ukulele. She's also an author, a poet, and a certified mindfulness instructor who sees joy as something fierce, powerful, and radical—a form of resistance. She told The New Yorker, "I'm basically an ambassador for joy, and people are oftentimes like, 'That's so fake, you're bypassing shit.' But that's not my truth. My truth is understanding the darkness and understanding the night and the hard times and choosing to be in a place of joy."
"Valerie June has built a devoted following by ignoring expectations. She is simultaneously rural and cosmopolitan, historically minded and contemporary, idiosyncratic and fashionable, mystical and down-to-earth." — New York Times
Valerie June
She's playing some great shows and festivals, making stops: July 16 – Toronto, ON – TD Music Hall July 17 – Ottawa, ON – Ottawa Bluesfest July 19 – Vancouver, BC – Vancouver Folk July 22 – Edmonton, AB – Horowitz Theatre July 23 – Calgary, AB – Calgary Folk
Valerie June-Owls, Omens and Oracles
Valerie's critically acclaimed sixth studio album, Owls, Omens and Oracles, came out last summer on Concord Records. It was produced by M Ward and included one of the best songs of 2025, "Joy Joy"!
"Getting the courage to do something small Lifting the spirits of all that you saw Feeling the tiniest spark in your heart Only an ember can light up the dark Are you ready to see A world where we could all be free As branches of an endless tree?"
One of a kind and driven by writing songs of truth and justice.
We welcome back Valerie June.
More from Mulligan Stew
Bruce Cockburn has spent more than five decades writing some of the most enduring songs in Canadian music, and on his new album, The Blood of Others, coming Oct. 16, he turns his attention to the songs that shaped him long before he wrote a single lyric of his own. The album gathers material written by others, tracing a musical lineage that stretches from the gospel and blues records he heard as a child in Ottawa to the folk clubs and coffeehouses where he first found his voice. "What began back in the 80s as a vague notion grew over time into a strong desire to put together a collection of material, written by others, that I found sticking to the edges of my musical landscape," Bruce explained. Few songs on the record carry the personal resonance of "I'll Be Seeing You." Bruce described hearing a version on the radio in the '90s, in the aftermath of what he called "a brief but heart-opening relationship," and mishearing a lyric that reshaped how he understood the song. "I thought that version ended with the line, I'll be looking at someone, but I'll be seeing you," he said. "That's not in the original lyrics. They only refer to the moon, but it hit me in a powerful way." That memory led him to give the song a rhythmic treatment inspired by "I Only Have Eyes for You." "The accumulation of these songs started in the 60s, before I'd even begun to try to create my own." He sings That's All Right, not Elvis' version but Arthur Crudup's. Yellow Dog Blues was the first song he ever sang on stage as himself. He tells us he was terrified" To honour Bruce and his legacy, we play covers of various Cockburn songs by Frazey Ford BN Ladies, k.d.lang Wonderful storytelling here, which is why I recommend the Mulligan Stew Podcast: The complete version of Bruce's Story
Amos Garrett. Guitarist, singer, trombonist, born in Detroit on 26 Nov 1941. Amos played lead guitar 1968-70 for Ian and Sylvia (appearing on their groundbreaking country-rock LP, Great Speckled Bird). Moving to Woodstock, NY, in 1970, Amos toured and/or recorded with Maria Muldaur, Paul Butterfield's Better Days, Todd Rundgren, Jesse Winchester, and others. His solo on Muldaur's 1974 hit 'Midnight at the Oasis' is considered a classic of its kind and is typical of the style that has been highly influential on other pop, rock and blues guitarists.
We have a total of 10 Guests. Nine of them come from the hot-rising Edmonton band Second Hand Dream Car. For the first time, all 9 members showed up to talk.
I lovingly think of Steve Dawson as the Swiss Army Knife of music. Player.Producer. Writer. Arranger. Mentor. Creator. Recording engineer. Specializes in guitar and pedal steel. Touring band member for Allison Russell's Birds of Chicago and Matt Anderson. First noticed Steve as half of Zubot and Dawson. Then long time producer / co-writer for Jim... The post EP 403 | Steve Dawson and the Volcano Brothers-New Album appeared first on Mulligan Stew.