Show Notes
Our guest this week is songwriter, storyteller and singer with a one-of-a kind voice, Ron Sexsmith. I think the older I get, the clearer those memories become—and the more precious," Friday of this week he released his 18th album Hangover Terrace. It's a wonderfully complex album born during Ron's extended stay in the UK after his Sexsmith at Sixty tour. Recorded at London's Eastcote Studios with longtime producer Martin Terefe, the sessions marked a turning point—ushering in a more introspective sound. "This record speaks to the hangover I feel from the last few years of pandemic and life knocking us around," Gone is the gentle optimism of his recent work, The Vivian Line & Hermitage—Hangover Terrace is marked by personal loss, shifting friendships, and emotional grit. Ron Sexsmith proves, once again, that no one captures life's quiet truths quite like he can. "The version of me that wrote those early records couldn't write these songs," he says. "Don't give up. Stay focused on what's real." There was a celebration of Gordon Lightfoot and his songs at Massey Hall not too long ago. Missing was the biggest fan of Gord, Ron Sexsmith. Ron organized his own celebration for Gord at Hugh's Room in Toronto from Jan 31 to Feb 2. It was all Gord and each show was sold out. For the Mulligan Stew Podcast and the Terry David Mulligan YouTube Channel, Ron lays the whole story out. He also takes us through songs like Easy for you to say "I wear my heart on my sleeve, where's you heart at? Cigarette and Cocktail "what comes for us, we can't outrun" Damn well please - "I've got one life, that's all I know" Burgoyne Woods "up to no good in Burgoyne Woods. A band of misfits from the land of hosers." Must be something wrong with her "she says I'm lovely but the mirror says otherwise"
Ron Sexsmith tour dates include Oct 31 Festival Place Sherwood Park Nov 1 The Grand Calgary Nov 4 The Winspear. Sidney BC Nov 5 Parksville, Vancouver Island Nov 7 The Hollywood, Vancouver.
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.