It’s the long weekend, and even we take a day off now and again, so we’re pre-taped this week, but there’s plenty going on with Folk Fest firing up this week, so this episode is the OFFICIAL Winnipeg Folk Festival preview. Since he wasn’t invited to play this year, Fred Eaglesmith is coming to town and going head-to-head with the Festival, so we’ll preview his show and wish him well also.
The beginning of today’s show is inspired in large part by the amazing Colin Linden shows I witnessed last night. We’ve also got some great new music including the long, long, long awaited new album from Gillian Welch! And, this past Thursday on Steel Belted Radio I did an oddball, unexpected hip-hop set, and what’s a guy to do when he does something weird (but fun), except do it again! We’re having a hick-hoppin’ good time today.
Some stellar all-time classics to start off today’s show, before we veer off to preview the Winnipeg Jazz Festival, including the Colin Linden shows on Saturday. And, we’ve done some weird things on this show in the past, but a hip-hop set? It’s finally happened, Mudge has lost it.
You’ve got to be careful to avoid whiplash on today’s show, because we’re looking back & forth all over the place. We look back at last night’s amazing Sunset Saloon show, Jack Marks in Winnipeg, as well as the amazing work of “The Big Man” Clarence Clemons. We’ve got great new music, some that’s out already (back) and some that’s coming out soon (forth). And, it’s Jazzfest in Winnipeg, and there’s plenty of us non-jazz lovers to enjoy.
This weekend I had the opportunity to see the fabulous new movie “The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom,” and it got me to thinking about what a great songwriter she is, so we had to pay a bit of a tribute. We also look forward to some great shows next weekend, including Chris Carmichael live at Sunset Saloon, and Jack Marks’ Winnipeg debut at the High & Lonesome Club. We’ve got Folk Fest music, new music, and one of the greatest guitar solos of all time.
Tonight we’re throwing the doors open wide and hosting our first Open House event where listeners are invited to come and tour our new facilities. T-Bar even showed up in honour of the occasion. Sometimes, a party ends a little early, and this is one of those, as we’re off to the West End to see Del Barber & Meaghan Smith. Meaghan stopped by the station this afternoon and had a chat with music director Michael Elves and played some songs live. We’ve got that special session for you when we head off. For party tunes, we’ve got some Steel Belted classics, new music, and previews of some upcoming shows.
Usually I come down to UMFM on Sunday afternoons and sit alone behind closed doors. That works fine, but today it’s party time, as we’re kicking off UMFM’s Open House week, where we throw the doors open wide to show off our fancy new studios. We celebrated with friends, family, treats, prizes, and special guests Ron from Lockport and Del Barber!