Mulligan Stew

• EP 371 | After 5 years away from his career, Royal Wood returns with Dear John

  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 extensively with acclaimed artists including Bonnie Raitt and David Gray.     The interview includes 5 tracks from Dear John. Back Home. End of the Road, Killer Love, To be in Love, Fever.    Tour Dates NOV 07 - Madison, WI - Overture Centre NOV 14 - Toronto, ON - Koerner Hall - Make Music Matter Event x Matthew Perry House NOV 28 - Calgary, AB - Dalhousie Community Centre NOV 29 - Lethbridge, AB - Geomattic Attic NOV 30 - Lethbridge, AB - Geomattic Attic DEC 02 - Canmore, AB - ArtsPlace FEB 04 - East Lansing, MI - Wharton Performing Arts FEB 05 - Yellow Springs, OH - The Foundry Theater APR 09 - Truro, NS - Marigold Cultural Centre APR 10 - East Margaretsville, NS - Evergreen Theatre APR 11 - Liverpool, NS - The Astor Theatre

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• EP 370 | Juno Winner Aysanabee heads west on The Way We're Born Tour

  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 make art and how much would I be willing to sacrifice for it?' I mulled over calling the record 'Reflections" 'or 'Patterns,' but landed on Edge of the Earth, because oftentimes these decisions would take me to the edge of an unknown and leave me wondering if I was ready to take a leap of faith. I can't say I was ready , but I can tell you how it felt, and it is in these songs."   My thanks to journalist Lynn Saxburg  for taking all of us through the highs and lows of Aysanabee's early childhood and adult life. Outstanding Journalism!!   https://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/meet-aysanabee-the-first-artist-signed-to-ottawa-based-indigenous-label      

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• EP 369 | Bahamas New Album 'My Second Last Album'

  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

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• EP 368 | Mariel Buckley releases New Album Strange Trip Ahead /Complete Canadian tour with Matt Anderson

  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 loitering around with a bad cup of coffee.  Almost Nomadland-like,  it feels like a slice-of-life vignette; a glimpse into the less-than-glamorous underbelly of being a working artist. Our interview starts with talking about our favourite track from the album. We both picked the last track.... Lucky.  (A complete gem.) It also includes the album title in the lyrics. Nashville Now - Builds slowly and gets darker with every bar and chord. Somewhere else, which mentions drinking a $13.00 wine  Vending machine - glorious harmonies smothered in beautiful dark lyrics. "Dreaming and drowning, disdain and devotion to a career spent adoring travel and the limelight. Packing and unpacking. Feeling sorry for myself." Mariel calls these songs her most honest work to date. There is a glimmer of light, I hope you can find and shine on the corners of your mind.  That feeling is too dark to bear. Hang on, buddy - the best is yet to come." Mariel starts a complete coast-to-coast tour with Matt Anderson Jan 24 in Glace Bay, NS and finishes in Victoria, BC March 2.  (Feb 25 Calgary - Feb 26 Edmonton) @mariel_buckley www.marielbuckley.com 

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• EP 367 | Terra Lightfoot Guests. New Album 'Home Front'

  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 an unplugged session in more ways than one.     In Terra's words ..... "This house is a special place. "It sits all by itself between woods and streams that go on for acres and acres and a beautiful wetland teeming with wildlife. I find myself living more comfortably in my own bones than ever before when I'm here. There is a deep quiet here, in the house that backs onto the beaver marsh. Blue herons fly, and moose and bears walk the forest path out back. It is a place where I can't help but be more connected to the natural world. Being so engrossed in the world of loud rock 'n' roll guitar doesn't leave a lot of space for field recording or softly strummed nylon strings. Home Front is the place where I can share all those softer and sweeter moments." Home Front releases Oct 17th.   Next Week - Mariel Buckley and her newest album Strange Road Trip which premiers' same day Oct 17 

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