In all the hoopla about Paul's King Leary novel, we (OK, Stuart) managed to miss this item on the CBC's website, in which Paul responds to ten questions about the novel. It's fascinating reading – and it's only been online for five months or so...

UNCUT Magazine is a popular U.K. monthly publication based in London. Our debut Way Past Midnight CD (now available in Europe on the Wildflower Records label) received this lovely review in Uncut's July issue: "Got Them Ol' Literary Salon Blues Again..."
"Blues songs about Ernest Hemingway and Booker winner Michael Ondaatje? Given that the delta pioneers were mostly illiterate, this latest contribution to the current blues revival is an improbably highbrow affair that reflects the status of main songwriter Paul Quarrington as one of Canada's leading novelists. Quarrington possesses a fine voice that sounds uncannily like James Taylor (remember his 12-bar homage "Steamroller" on Sweet Baby James?) and the band–complete with bassist moonlighting from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra–can choogle and boogie with the best."
Nigel Williamson, Uncut Magazine

Incidentally, the Mariposa Festival's 2008 commemorative CD is a beautifully packaged set, and features tracks from 19 of this year's featured performers. We were surprised and pleased to see our own Gotta Love A Train first on the track listing!

Porkbelly made its debut at Orillia's legendary MARIPOSA FOLK FESTIVAL over the weekend, playing to overflow crowds in the "Mariposa Pub", really a spacious awning on an huge expanse of lush grass. Saturday was very special, a gorgeous summer evening with pleasure boats rocking on their moorings just offshore. We had mischievously decided to tamper with the mellow, mellow mood of the festival, and luckily, the crowd was ready. Not to put too fine a point on it, we rocked the place out.
The next afternoon saw us paired with A & R for a "Blues and Reggae" workshop, and if anything, the crowd was even bigger. A & R's trio instrumentation includes box drum and steel pan, so we had absolutely no idea what to expect. Amazingly, it worked a charm, with Chas and Marty spontaneously laying down a solid foundation to the reggae tunes, and our own stuff receiving a fresh new sound from A & R.
Everything just felt so comfortable, and some of the grooves (helped by Rebecca's cowbell) simply wouldn't quit. Stuart got a roar from the crowd for attempting, in a single song, to solo on four different instruments. (He only dropped one, but he almost dropped them all.) Fronting Porkbelly, of course, was P.Q., in great voice and with his guitar amp set to maximum raunch. Wouldn't it be great if life were like this all the time?
Now we look forward to our Ottawa Blues Festival show Saturday afternoon. Thank you, Mariposa!!