MadToast Live hosted by Mary Gaines and Chris Wagoner is a unique show. At first their music and interview program might seem a little odd to the newcomer (whether they are on stage or in the audience) who wonders why they are talking so much. Their intent is to find out about the songwriting process as much as it is to hear the songs played. For the first several months it seemed even stranger because the program was conducted solely for the audience on hand. Wagoner was taping them, but only a handful of people ever heard the show. They have now started podcasting the program, and it is available on iTunes or at madtoastlive.podbean.com. Being pod-less, I don’t quite understand the concept, but I do know that it means more people can listen to it.
The quality of each show relies heavily on the guest. An eloquent musician makes for an interesting program while one less expressive can bog it down. They hit the jackpot when Peter Mulvey accepted their invitation. A fantastic musician whose quick wit and vast stores of knowledge has long made him one of my favorite, though admittedly intimidating, live performers, Peter can hold an audience rapt just by reading a letter written to his niece- I know because I’ve seen it. The fact that his history with Gaines and Wagoner extends back to his first records and his band Big Sky made for an even richer interchange.
Having seen Peter dozens of times over the last decade you would think that I would already know all his stories. Turns out I didn’t. For instance, I had no idea how he found his voice. Surgery on his hand years ago led to him tuning his guitar down a half step to make it easier to play, which then found him writing all his songs lower. With as stunning as his voice is, it would seem that he would have naturally fallen into that range. Another thing I didn’t know was how difficult the first couple legs of the “No Gas” bicycle tour had been. Just the relatively short distance between Ft Atkinson between and Madison had been difficult. Now as a veteran of two tours and the proud owner of a recumbent bike, he’s booking the “Long Haul” tour which will take him all over the east coast on an ambitious and moderately insane route.
Songs were interspersed between the interview segments. Sometimes they were related to the topic, such as the always welcome “Trouble with Poets” was suggested as an appropriate song after talking about writing, “The Knuckleball Suite” after mentioning its inspiration Fort’s charming Café Carpe, other times not. They only thing the tunes did have in common were that the hosts hadn’t played them before. Even so, they joined in as they do with all their guests, Wagoner on mandolin or fiddle, Gaines on cello or bass. The pair has a perfect song sense and their additions never seem forced or out of place.
As Peter spends time closer to home to work on his next record there are even more opportunities to see him than usual. Following his appearance on Mad Toast Live is a pair of gigs at the Carpe with violinist Randy Sabien, followed by his annual appearance at Folk on State where he will be playing with Blake Thomas whom Peter calls “seriously kick-ass.” Good call Peter, I concur.
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