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Canadian Spaces
Saturday August 31st, 2019 with Chris White
A tribute to Mitch Podolak: Paul Mills, Leonard Podolak, Campbell Woods, Miriam Dawn, Elle Crites

The world lost an amazing individual on August 25 in the form of Mitch Podolak, a person whose passion for folk music and human rights fuelled the creation of the Winnipeg Folk Music Festival, the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, the West End Cultural Centre (Winnipeg), the Stan Rogers Festival, the Home Routes national house concert network and much, much more. Leonard Podolak talks about his father and his mother, Ava Kobrinsky, and their massive contributions to musicians, audiences and communities. Radio show and record producer Paul Mills (a.k.a.'Curly Boy Stubbs') talks about Mitch's support for his work and for Stan Rogers' first album. Paul describes Mitch's massive and enduring impact on all of us. Singer-songwriter Campbell Woods calls in with updates from the recording studio and the tour circuit. He plays at the Black Sheep in Wakefield this evening on a bill with Victory Chimes. Miriam Dawn fell in love with folk music and recently recorded an album of folk classics entitled "Vineyard". Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6fsJ2DJh1FlX7oic2Dflnh YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnxwxisBneE Elle Crites is a young singer-songwriter whose career is receiving support from an Ottawa-based company callled Artist Alliance. She's launching her new single with local label Young Wild & Free Records this evening at Bar Robo, 692 Somerset Street West ($10).
Northwest Passage
Stan Rogers - Northwest Passage Canadian
12:00 – Leonard Podolak talks about his father, Mitch Podolak, and his mother, Ava Kobrinsky, and their massive contributions to musicians, audiences and communities across the country.
Thoughts about Mitch Podolak and Ava Kobrinsky
Leonard Podolak - . Canadian
Build a Bed
West My Friend - In Constellation Canadian New
Everywhere Wild
Jabbour - Saint Bernard Canadian New
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
Eliza Gilkyson - Roses at the End of Time
Leave the Light On
Chris Smither - Leave the Light On
Skybound Station
David Wiffen - Coast To Coast Fever Canadian
Heavy Lifting
The Lynnes - Heartbreak Song for the Radio Canadian
Safe Home Sweet Light
Laura Smith - Everything Is Moving Canadian
Who Will Sing for Me?
Finest Kind - Heart's Delight Canadian
50:00 – Interview with Miriam Dawn
Sweet Sir Gallahad
Miriam Dawn - live in the studio Canadian
Rhiannon
Miriam Dawn - live in the studio Canadian
63:00 – Interview with Paul Mills about Mitch Podolak, Stan Rogers, "Touch the Earth" and the Winnipeg Folk Music Festival.
Fogarty's Cove
Stan Rogers - Fogarty's Cove Canadian
76:00 – Interview with Campbell Woods
Picture of You
Campbell Woods - . Canadian
Georgian Bay
Gentlemen of the Woods - The Great Unknown Canadian
96:00 – Interview with Elle Crites
Company
Elle Crites - . Canadian
Stubbs Stomp
Paul Mills - The Other Side of the Glass Canadian
Parkette
Bob Snider - Caterwaul and Doggerel Canadian
My Blue Sweater
Missy Burgess - Pour Me a Song Canadian
One Sky
Shari Ulrich - Everywhere I Go Canadian
Interactive CKCU
Jim Mountain
Mitch taught me all the essentials for staging an outdoor folk festival. I worked with him to host the 1980 Travelling Folk Festival and Medicine Show in Alberta that he talked the Province's Culture department into funding. The busload of amazing performers he brought to us included Stan Rogers , Garnet Rogers , Sylvia Tyson, Stringband, Duck Donald and Cathy Fink, John Allan Cameron, Connie Kaldor, Paul Hann, Joan MacIsaac, Jim Post and from southern Alberta I programmed a host of other musicians. The festival was on the August 23 weekend...held in the river valley of Lethbridge Alberta and it launched us in to hosting other outdoor festivals and many concerts thereafter, and in a way the wonderful South Country Fair Festival - 33 years running Fort Macleod - http://southcountryfair.com/ is a legacy of his mentoring. Mitch taught me that location and natural setting were crucial, that volunteers were all to be valued ( he did not like how the orginal Mariposa festival excluded volunteers from meeting/hanging out with the performers ( a lesson I maintained ever since) food, hospitality for performers was critical, involve artisans, artists ..and finally that the show had to be exceptionally and technically good. He was a trickster, a teaser, a challenger, a disdainer of bureaucracy and a mentor, loved a good joke, and was so committed to the music and performers over and above everything else. We always had a connection ever since, and shared other experiences, (hanging out with him and Pete Seeger into the wee hours after the 1985 Winnipeg Folk Festival's Saturday night) but that first time was very special. His passing hit us very hard in this household up the Ottawa Valley here and all week we've played music from those times that he put on the stage. Getting older truly sucks when the good ones leave us too soon .

11:24 AM, August 31st, 2019
Randy
hey Chris,i know how much Mitch loved ya,i personnaly have been fighting back tears listening to your show this morning and i could go on about our dear friend but i wont.Just wanted to share my condolences to all the people who have been touched by this beautiful soul. SO Grateful to you Chris for having this tribute!! PEace Long Live Podolak!!!

11:38 AM, August 31st, 2019
judymq
hey Chris this is also a very good song for people living with disabilities that need accompanying help!

11:45 AM, August 31st, 2019
judymq
that's re: Elle's song company.

11:46 AM, August 31st, 2019
Chris White (host)
That's a good point, Judy! Elle Crites' song "Company" is available on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/4ELmMC1UCqM

3:19 PM, August 31st, 2019
Chris White (host)
To Jim Mountain: Thank you very much for posting your thoughts about Mitch and his influence!

4:37 PM, August 31st, 2019