Basic Folk (The Bluegrass Situation)

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Editor's note: Lizzie No interviews Dar Williams on Basic Folk! Be sure to got back and listen to Lizzie's previous guest host spots on the pod and subscribe, so you never miss Lizzie! Dar’s new album, ‘I’ll Meet You Here,’ is out now.

Dar Williams, originally from Mount Kisco, NY, grew up in an era and a household where everyone was tearing down the old ways of doing things, and learning new ways of expressing themselves. For Williams this meant participating in theater and learning to play instruments. She attended Wesleyan University where she studied theater and religion. A deep engagement with matters of the heart and spirit continues to permeate her work today.

After college Dar found herself in Boston, immersed in the singer-songwriter scene. She wrote and released her album ‘The Honesty Room,’ which changed everything. That album started her on a path to becoming a venerated performer in the folk space. She was on the original Lilith Fair lineup, which included too many musical legends to name here. It was a dream come true to talk with Dar about that experience, about what it might take for another Lilith Fair to happen, and about the current climate for women in the music industry.

Dar’s new album, ‘I’ll Meet You Here,’ will be released on October 1st. This beautiful collection of songs was mostly recorded pre-Covid, but then hit a number of road bumps on its way to release. It deals with time, acceptance, places, and small towns, topics about which Dar Williams is a master storyteller.

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Dave Simonett, lead singer and songwriter of the bluegrass-adjacent Trampled by Turtles, is a talented musician AND a great outdoorsman. From the small town of Mankato, Minnesota, to the vibrant music scenes of Duluth and Minneapolis, Simonett shares his upbringing in a musically-inclined, nature-loving family, shaped by the sounds of church hymns and classic rock. In our Basic Folk conversation, he opens up about his dual passions for music and the great outdoors, recounting his experiences with pheasant hunting and conservation efforts in Minnesota. He reflects on the parallels between the camaraderie found in hunting and playing music, emphasizing the importance of trying new things and embracing the unknown. We also delve into the evolution of Trampled by Turtles' unique sound – described as a "butterfly's heartbeat" – and the band's journey from traditional bluegrass to their own distinct style.

Elsewhere in the episode, Simonett talks about the challenges and rewards of maintaining artistic integrity in the music industry while balancing creative growth with commercial pressures. He shares insights on his band's latest project, Always Here, Always Now, a dual EP featuring recordings by both Trampled by Turtles (Always Here) and his solo project, Dead Man Winter (Always Now). He wrote five songs and instead of picking a band to record the tracks, he handed them over to both bands to do what they will to the music. The results are very cool to listen to side by side. The episode wraps up with a fun lightning round, where Dave reveals his dream supergroup and favorite hunter orange accessory (gotta be safe out there!).

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The Oregon-bred indie folk music outfit Blind Pilot goes on a deep spiritual journey on their new album In the Shadow of the Holy Mountain (produced by Josh Kaufman). The music inspiration for frontman Israel Nebeker lay in his songwriting process. After struggling with writing for years (this is the first Blind Pilot album in 8 years), he set aside the songs he *had* been working (which will be included on a new solo record in 2025). Nebeker gave himself a month to write an album's worth of songs to present to the band. He demoed the songs and headed out for a trip centered around spiritual growth in Norway.

Searching for ancestral connections, Israel sought out the Samí culture and community (a semi-nomadic Scandinavian people), in which he has roots. He participated in a Samí shamanic journey exploring indigenous spirituality. A Sámi shaman took him on a drum journey and invited him to listen for ancestors and visions. He had a vision where his ancestors were beckoning him to a path that led straight to a mountain, which was clearly his family legacy and origin. Back in the studio with the band, he relistened to his songs and was very surprised to realize that the album was about his ancestors. The connection that the rest of the band felt in delivering the music is palpable. The special emotional dynamic that always exists on a Blind Pilot is supercharged on the new album In the Shadow of the Holy Mountain. 

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Originally from Charlottesville, Virginia, Caroline Spence came from this cool family that always seemed to be messing around with music: listening and playing music. She’s recently been discovering and sharing home movies from when she was a kid: scooting around in diapers on a guitar case, singing with her grandfather and mother. The clips, which she used in the video for “Clean Getaway,” were a gift in which she was able to see her true personality and genuine love of music from a young age. She was emboldened to perform and write by her musical aunt, who invited Caroline to open for her as a teenager.

She came to Nashville for a job in the music industry and slowly started putting herself out there as a songwriter for other musicians. Her writing is based in honesty and she opens up about her relationship to the truth in our conversation. We also get into how she had to develop ego, why it matters and how she let herself have access to ego. We discuss her love of flowers and how she relates the songs on her new album True North to different flowers. Caroline is an avid reader of Mary Oliver and even has a new song named after her as the poet feels devotional and spiritual. Enjoy Caroline Spence!

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John Hiatt's latest is a collab with bluegrass great Jerry Douglas, with Jerry as producer and his band as backup for Hiatt. John's digging into some serious past memories for these songs, which include a song about his older brother Michael. Michael died by suicide when John was only 9 and it's only until now where he's chosen to write about the experience in his music in the song “Light of the Burning Sun.” Jerry knew that the material was very serious and approached it very lovingly with John and the band. On the pod, John expands on his grief and giving himself the time and space to mourn. We also talk about the importance of radio in John's young life: he would listen to WLAC Radio from Nashville as a kid around 11 years old. There was a show on Sunday night they'd have a gospel show and they'd go to a different Black church every week and just broadcast the service. John has said “Those gospel shows used to scare the shit out of me." That opened his world to a completely different way to relate to music in terms of faith.

John picked up the guitar at 11 years old to cope with the trauma involved in being an overweight child. This was especially hard because he was a bigger kid at a time when it was rare for a child to be heavier. He discusses how music and surprisingly how drugs and alcohol helped him overcome his weight issue. Which then of course, the drugs and alcohol led him to new problems in his adult years requiring him to overcome that addiction and live a sober life. John talks about his kids, which includes the musician Lilly Hiatt. Lilly said in an interview once: “I was crying over the fact that my career seemed stalled and I wasn’t the flavor of the month, and dad said, “Lilly, we will never be hip. We’re just not those people.”” John's been a steadfast songwriter since the 70's who's written many well loved songs like "Have a Little Faith in Me," "Cry Love" and, of course, "Thing Called Love." The writing on his latest album spans several decades and confronts some of his most vulnerable feelings. To be able to talk to John Hiatt about this project was a sincere privilege and I hope you enjoy!

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It’s hard to put into words why I love MC Taylor so much, but I know when it started. His band, Durham’s Hiss Golden Messenger, stopped by to play live at WYEP in Jan of 2017. They were the first band I interviewed after Tr*mp was inaugurated. Like a lot of people (and like the white liberal woman that I am), the state of things had shocked me awake. I decided to use my platform differently and this was the first interview where I attempted that and Mike picked up what I was laying down. I got him to talk candidly about Trump, he declared his band was against Trump and stood with marginalized people, but still invited anyone who supported Trump to his show. After that interview I felt some pressure and anxiety inside of me release and then I never forgot his grace and bravery. This guy is so full of wisdom and we get to experience that through his music and his person. I’m so thrilled to talk to him about his music and latest album Quietly Blowing It. Although he’s also just released a Hiss Golden Messenger holiday album, O Come All Ye Faithful, and a companion holiday release from his new project, Revelators which he refers to as “spiritual jazz and dub-influenced.” The guy is prolific.

Mike was always playing music, thanks to his music loving parents. His dad played guitar; outside of his school teaching career he would play occasional gigs around their home in Orange County, California. He spent some time in San Francisco in a hardcore punk and alt country band. He became burnt out on playing music and headed East to The University of North Carolina to study folklore. He decided to start writing and recording some music under the name Hiss Golden Messenger (an homage to his complicated feelings about religion and love the the lo-fi). He’s since released a dozen or so albums and EPs under that name with a rotating cast of players backing him up. In our conversation we cover topics including uncertainty, boundaries and the state of music journalism. He also told me what the C stands for in MC Taylor. He said no one ever asks that and no one knows, so I’ll just keep that one to myself.

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Frontman ​Ryan ​Miller joins us ​to ​talk ​about ​all ​things ​Guster. ​From ​their ​tried ​and ​true ​collaborative ​writing ​process ​to ​the ​theatrical ​delights ​of ​their ​recent "We ​Also ​Have ​Eras" ​tour, ​to ​what ​it ​really ​looks ​like ​to ​make ​environmental ​sustainability ​a ​priority ​on ​tour. Guster ​has just released ​their ​9th ​studio ​album, ​Ooh ​La ​La. ​As ​we ​talked ​about ​the ​new ​record, ​Ryan talked ​about ​how ​these ​new ​songs ​touch ​on ​questions ​that ​the ​band ​has ​been ​asking ​throughout ​their ​over ​30 ​year ​career. For ​example, ​"Maybe ​We're ​Al​right" ​calls ​back ​to ​the ​collectivist ​spirit ​that ​we ​loved ​in ​2003's ​Keep ​It ​Together. ​​"Gaugin, Cezanne (Everlasting Love)" ​talks ​about ​God ​in ​a ​way ​that ​brought ​up ​new ​questions ​for ​me ​about ​2010's ​album, ​Easy, ​Wonderful, ​and ​so ​on. ​This ​is ​what ​makes ​being ​a ​Guster ​fan ​so ​rewarding. ​The ​longer ​you ​listen ​to ​these ​guys ​and ​the ​deeper ​you ​dig, ​the ​more ​you ​feel ​empowered ​to ​ask ​questions ​about ​the ​world ​around ​you ​and ​approach ​the ​answers ​with ​playfulness. ​Guster ​is ​a ​band, ​but ​it ​is ​also ​a ​place ​where ​we ​all ​meet ​to ​dance ​away ​the ​big ​questions ​with ​whimsy ​to ​the ​beat ​of ​tasteful ​hand ​drums.

It ​is ​no ​exaggeration ​to ​say ​that ​lizzie ​has ​waited ​over ​20 ​years ​to ​talk ​to ​Ryan. ​They became ​a ​fan ​of ​the ​New ​England ​indie ​outfit ​in ​2003 ​when they opened ​for ​John ​Mayer ​at ​the ​West ​Point ​Military ​Academy, ​of ​all ​places. ​The ​vibe ​in ​the ​room ​was ​a ​little ​stiff, ​but ​Guster ​was ​anything ​but. Their ​exuberant, ​generous, ​harmony ​filled, ​idiosyncratic ​performance ​blew her ​teenage ​mind. ​As lizzie ​dug ​deeper ​into ​their ​lore, ​they ​discovered ​that they were ​a ​part ​of ​a ​vast ​network ​of ​weirdos: The ​Guster ​fandom. ​

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I (lizzie) first came across Becca Stevens via her collaboration with string group The Attica Quartet. Her new album, Maple to Paper, is really different from her previous releases. If you think you know everything that there is to know about Becca Stevens as a singer, songwriter, arranger, and producer, you are wrong. And you are going to be so amazed by this new record. It's completely stripped down, featuring just her guitar and her voice. During the pandemic, Stevens started getting inspired to write songs about her family, about her mom, about grief, about becoming a mother. She decided to record Maple to Paper in her home in Princeton, New Jersey. The result is a super intimate and adventurous, bold and personal album which is full of amazing performances.

In our Basic Folk conversation we also got to talk about some of her notable collaborations. The most interesting one, to me, was hearing about how she considers the late David Crosby a continuous spiritual co-writer. In addition to her friendship with Crosby, Stevens has collaborated with so many more incredible musicians including Jacob Collier and Sufjan Stevens on the Illinoise Broadway musical. She has a really unconventional approach to infusing pop, jazz, and folk into her work. Maple to Paper became an instant classic for me the minute I heard it. I'm really excited for our listeners to hear the song, "Shoulda Been There for Me," which feels like an old school R&B tune, but arranged for a contemporary folk record.

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You probably know Gary Louris as the leader of The Jayhawks – or as they refer to themselves, “a band from Minnesota.” The Jayhawks are pioneers of roots rock, alt-country, and Americana. Whatever you wanna call it, they’ve been making records where rock, pop, country, and other forms of American roots music overlap since the mid-1980s.

But Louris’s hidden superpower is that he’s kind of like a musical Swiss Army knife – he’s basically got a creative skill for any application. Want him and his band to serve as accompanists for some of the most distinctive singer-songwriters, like Wesley Stage and Joe Henry? He can do that. Looking for achingly-perfect, near-fraternal harmonies on hit songs like Counting Crows’ “Mr. Jones”? He can (and did) do that. If you’re the Tedeschi Trucks Band or The Chicks and you’re looking for someone to write you some catchy, melodic, roots-pop songs? Gary’s your guy. If that’s not enough, he has also produced records for artists like Dar Williams, The Sadies, and The Jayhawks, too. Whatever your musical need may be, chances are that Gary Louris can do it.

In between all these varied musical roles, Louris has also found time to release several solo albums, the newest of which – 'Dark Country' – was released earlier this month. He recorded it mostly solo in his home studio and the word on the street is that this collection of songs, inspired by his wife, is his most intimate and romantic album yet. I’ve been a big fan of Gary Louris for basically my entire adult life and enjoyed our wide-ranging Basic Folk conversation, touching on the way technical limitations can shape an artist’s style, what he’s learned from a career’s-worth of collaborations, his process working on his new solo album, the relationship between versatility and longevity, and what the influence of romance on his songwriting looks like now, in the fifth decade of his music career.

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Lizzie No interviews Ken Yates!

Ken Yates grew up in the college town of London, Ontario and he is truly Canada’s Next Top Model, by which I mean he is wonderfully talented, disarmingly nice, and from Canada, obviously. Ken is a Berklee College of Music graduate, and I took the opportunity to talk with him about that experience. Why would somebody choose to go to music school, what were you hoping to gain, and what did you actually get out of it, are questions that are fascinating to me, and Ken’s answers were super interesting. One takeaway I learned from his stories of Berklee is that even some of the most talented musicians feel like they have no idea what they’re doing. 

Ken’s breakout 2016 album, ‘Huntsville,’ earned him the Emerging Artist of the Year award at the Canadian Folk Music awards. It was not just a huge and competitive honor, but it was also a defining moment where Ken started getting categorized as a folk artist. 

Ken released a beautiful album, ‘Quiet Talkers,’ in 2020, and instead of touring in support of that album, he had to do a bunch of covid-era online shows. I was impressed with how gracious and level-headed he seemed despite the crappy circumstances. This grace, perspective, emotional openness, and flexibility, are a big part of what makes his new album, ‘Cerulean,’ so special. ‘Cerulean’ came out in 2022 and it bridges the gap between folk and indie rock, between skepticism and hope, between the pain of losing someone and the possibility of embracing what you have. ‘Cerulean’ has a distinct groove, features vocals from Americana stars like Kathleen Edwards, Liz Longley, and Katie Pruitt, AND some of the prettiest production I’ve heard all year.

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Kora Feder came from a musical family. Her mother is the well regarded singer/songwriter, Rita Hosking. Growing up, she was surrounded by music, so it's not a surprise that she naturally gravitated toward performing and singing with her musical mom and dad. Her vacations were spent going on tour around the west coast and in the UK. When she headed off for college, she knew she wanted to travel while staying in school. She spent her college years living immersed in places like Thailand and China studying and observing cultures that are far different from her native Davis, CA.

Kora is an incredibly gifted songwriter in that she is able to write about challenging subjects like poverty and gun control, with unshakeable grace. We talked about the challenges faced with wanted to address global, political issues, while being fully aware that, at 25 years old, she doesn't have answers and is still learning so much about the world and herself. Her debut full length album In Sevens, was released last year. The songs are striking, as is her very interesting phrasing. It's like she's able to jam all these thoughts, feelings and words in beautifully without sounding pretentious. Enjoy Kora! She is an exciting up and coming talent.

 

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Chris Eldridge won his first Grammy this year with The Punch Brothers. After 8 nominations between Punch Brothers, The Seldom Scene and his work with Julian Lage, this award was very overdue! Eldridge, who goes by the nickname Critter, grew up around bluegrass with his dad being a member of The Seldom Scene and being around influential players like Tony Rice.

 

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Stella Schindler is one half of the DC area Americana band Kentucky Avenue, who's been (safely) working on their sophomore album throughout the pandemic. Stella, an English teacher at an all-girls Catholic School, has led a transient path throughout her life, but music was always constant. She lived in a number of different places growing up; not living anywhere for more than two years and it wasn't until she started teaching that she remained in one place (DC). Because of all the moving around, she initially felt pretty shy about singing in front of her family. She tells a story about how her mom was surprised when she first heard her perform publicly. Despite that, she is actually really connected to her family, particularly with her name. She's the fourth Stella in a row and talked about that connection and what it was like growing up having the name "Stella."

Stella speaks beautifully about the freedom and delight she felt what she first sang out loud. She is a joyful performer who makes the most eye contact I've ever seen from someone on stage. She is also a devoted Catholic, who loves folk and country, but does enjoy that separation of Church and State when it comes to music during the Mass. Her dad is a theologian and philosopher who encouraged Stella to follow her passions. He told her when she was thinking about college “You can study anything but with one condition, provided that it is not useful.” She followed his advice and majored in Art History at Notre Dame. After college, she found herself in Omaha, Nebraska, moving there on a whim and working at a record store. This is where she had a chance encounter with Bob Dylan! This was also right before she relocated to DC to start a teaching job. Stella is an amazing person and I love listening to her talk and love hearing her sing. Enjoy! Also enjoy the thunderstorm rolling on in the background of this interview. Lookout for Kentucky Avenue's new album, Ballad of the Past, this fall.

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Singer songwriter Hannah Connolly, originally from Eau Claire, WI (same as Justin Vernon and the Bon Iver crew!) has just released her second solo album, Shadowboxing. Written to reflect musical and life transitions, it was recorded in beautiful Idyllwild, CA, just outside of her new hometown of Los Angeles. While in the mountain town, Hannah reconnected with nature through hiking and found joy in connecting with her friends and collaborators in music. The process of making the record was crucial for her mental health in music that was celebratory and fun. Her debut album centered around the trauma and healing she and her family faced after her little brother Cullen was killed by a drunk driver in 2015. Born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Cullen was the life of the party and a bright light in every room he entered. Being able to process and mourn his loss through the making of her first record was not only extremely difficult, but also very necessary for Hannah. We talk about who Cullen was and how he continues to influence Hannah's life and music. These days, Hannah is looking for the fun and lightness again, which is exactly what her little brother would want her to do.

Even though Hannah's visual storytelling and folky roots are strong, they are no match for her love of emo music, which has influenced her since she was a teenager. She even performed, recorded and toured in an emo band prior to going solo. Hannah gets into her emo past, her childhood stint in musical theater and, of course, cheese curds. She also gives us the all important update on wedding planning! She recently got engaged to Eric Cannata of the alternative rock band Young the Giant. I'm so happy for Hannah not only for her future marriage, but also for creating this joyful new album. 

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Denison Witmer's music is gentle and kind, he's a skilled woodworker, an avid birdwatcher and until 2020 hadn't made a record for 7 years. Growing up in Lancaster, Denison was lucky enough to get some guitar lessons from Don Peris of The Innocence Mission, a well loved indie-folk band. This led to one of many lasting relationships in music as Don went on to produce some of Denison's early projects. He also counts Sufjan Stevens and Rosie Thomas among his friends and long-time collaborators, with Sufjan signing Denny to his label and saying something to the effect of “I don’t care if you never sell one album, releasing your music is a public service.” Rosie Thomas, who is the only person, I guess besides me now, that calls him Denny, has experienced life and career in parallel. He talks about what it's been like to have someone to grow up with like Rosie.

Denison has a beautiful skill in that he is able to truly notice and truly see others. He gets into how this skill has made him a better person and a better songwriter. His latest album, American Foursquare, is written in tribute to his hometown Lancaster, PA, which he and his wife moved to in 2013 and where they have decided to raise their family. Denison talks about raising kids, calling it "the most creative thing that I can do."  He has also been working on songs for a side project called "Uncle Denny," where he wrote a song for every day of January 2020. That project has produced some beautiful songs and is available on Bandcamp, a must listen!!

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Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno, known as Viv & Riley, dive deep into the nuances of old-time music, folk influences, and the process behind their album, Imaginary People. The duo, who ​met ​at ​a ​music ​camp ​in ​Port ​Townsend, ​Washington, trace their roots from Riley's disciplined musical practice to Viv's intuitive approach. The two found inspiration from growing up in the Seattle area listening to KEXP (Riley), to living in Portland, Oregon to their current home in Durham, North Carolina. Drawing on their experiences at fiddlers conventions and music camps, Viv & Riley reflect on the transformative power of collaboration and the vibrant community that has shaped their unique sound in their duo as well as their other band, The Onlies.

As they share insights into their songwriting process, the episode unravels the intricate layers of Imaginary People, delving into the harmonious blend of indie roots and experimental production that defines their latest release. With a nod to their eclectic influences, including the supportive atmosphere of Durham, NC the duo discusses the evolution of their sound under the guidance of producer Alex Bingham from Hiss Golden Messenger, who produced their latest album. 

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Sarah Jarosz is what happens when young women are taken seriously. A huge part of the mandolinist’s story is that she had supportive male mentors and that has added to her confidence. We all know the age old story of “Young woman shows promise, gets exploited by the patriarchy and it affects her work.” We need to hear stories like this. Starting in her hometown of Wimberley, Texas, just 45 minutes outside of Austin - the live music capital of the world, Sarah found the mandolin at ten years old. Labeled a prodigy and thanks to the encouraging spirit of folk music, she found music mentorship with seasoned professionals like David Grisman, Ricky Scaggs, Tim O’Brien and Bela Fleck. After her time at The New England Conservatory of Music, she moved to New York and would go on to collaborate with people like Chris Thile in the Live From Here House Band and her trio I’m With Her, featuring Aoife O’Donovan and Sara Watkins and won four Grammys.

After making the move to Nashville, on her latest album, the very impressive and sonically expansive Polaroid Lovers, Jarosz collaborated with producer Daniel Tashian, which originally was just a low-stakes co-writing project. The success of her first co-writing experience with Daniel led her to pursue other songwriting sessions with Ruston Kelly and Natalie Hemby. The collaboration found on the record has opened Sarah up to new sounds and new experiences. In our conversation, we talk about Sarah stepping into her own voice with confidence on this record and knowing her musical self enough at this point in her life. She describes her experience with ​confidence using the ​Dunning–Kruger effect, in which people with limited competence in a particular domain overestimate their abilities. AKA Fake it till you make, AKA Leap and the net will appear. She also talks about her parents' influence on her early musicality and how her mom is doing with her cancer remission. An overall theme of this conversation is that Sarah never lost sight of her goal: keeping it all about the music and don’t let noise get in the way of your important work.

Also! For those interested in Sarah's #1 skincare product: HERE YOU ARE.

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Once Baltimore claw-hammer banjoist, radio host and community organizer Brad Kolodner got a banjo in his hands, it was game over. Brad had previously played the cello in the school orchestra and had held a strong interest in sports, but his true passion for old time was realized at Meadowlark Music camp in Maine. He signed up for the banjo for beginners class after his father (the renowned fiddle and hammer dulcimer player Ken Kolodner) brought him along to the camp under the condition that he was to play some kind of music that week. While Brad had grown up around traditional music through his father's performances with his band Helicon, dad's recordings and music lessons at the house, he wasn't drawn to that particular style of music. Once he started on the banjo, however, he began going down YouTube rabbit holes, going out to jams and soaking in as much as he could. Brad went to school in Ithaca, NY, where he started hosting a folk radio show that further deepened his love of old time. Once he returned home to Baltimore, he became invested in community organizing with weekly jams and music festivals.

Brad's released albums with his band Charm City Junction, as Ken & Brad Kolodner and recently, he's put out his debut solo record, Chimney Swifts. The album focuses on what he calls “private music.” This is what musicians play when they first pick up their instruments, it’s familiar and evokes time and place. In our conversation, he goes into detail about what that means and how the pandemic has impacted his practice of "private music." He also talks about his most recent project The Birds' Flight with Pete Sutherland and Timothy Cummings. Pete and Tim were working on Scottish songs and then decided to bring Brad in since he has an affinity towards genre-mixing and is a kick-ass banjo player. As a DJ, you can hear Brad on Folk Alley, Radio Bristol for the Old Time Jam and on Bluegrass Country Radio, you can find him playing at the Baltimore Old Time Jam, Baltimore Square Dance, Baltimore Old-Time Music Festival. And you can find him online teaching banjo and making everyone feel comfortable at the slow jam.

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Editor’s note: Basic Folk is pleased to introduce our listeners to one of our favorite podcasts by sharing an episode in our feed!

Do you ever find yourself watching, reading, or listening to something truly amazing and wondering, “How did they do it?”. That's why we wanted to share an episode of American Masters: Creative Spark, the award-winning podcast from PBS.

American Masters: Creative Spark shares the creative journeys of artists and legends across disciplines. Recently, host Joe Skinner sat down with Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Jewel to discuss her latest project The Portal: An Art Experience by Jewel, which integrates music, behavioral health concepts, and visual arts into an immersive experience centered around the "three spheres" philosophy. The episode dives deep into Jewel's personal life and career, recounting her journey navigating a traumatic childhood and channeling its challenges into better understanding herself.

Needless to say, American Masters: Creative Spark is the perfect companion podcast to Basic Folk. So make sure to follow American Masters: Creative Spark on your favorite podcast app.

You can learn more about “The Portal: An Art Experience” here: https://crystalbridges.org/news-room/jewel-presents-immersive-art-experience-at-crystal-bridges-museum-of-american-art/

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Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls graciously joins me on Basic Folk this week. An iconic figure in modern folk rock, Emily gets into it about the history of her guitar playing, expanding her horizons on her first solo album (Murmuration Nation), her dedication to hip-hop and reflections on Indigo Girls, which was released 30 years ago this week (February 28, 1989). This was an extremely enjoyable interview! I hope you like it and share it with anyone else who might be interested. 

 

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Carolyn Kendrick's latest project explores complex themes of moral panic, tradition, and the figure of the devil (AKA Satan, AKA Lucifer). The LA-based songwriter opens up about the inspiration behind her album, 'Each Machine,' which is accompanied by a thought-provoking zine. In our Basic Folk conversation, she discusses the significance of the color red in her work, symbolizing themes of anger, danger, and familial ties, and how it contrasts with the black and white imagery used throughout the project.

Carolyn also shares her unexpected journey into researching the devil, sparked by a podcast project that ended up overtaking her life, leading her to interview the leader of the Satanic Temple, among many others. This deep dive into the topic became a way for her to process the overwhelming political and cultural landscape. She candidly discusses the challenges of maintaining balance while being consumed by such a heavy subject matter (spoiler alert: she did not maintain balance AT ALL).

We also touch on Carolyn's work in podcasting (You're Wrong About, You Are Good) and how it has influenced her approach to music. She reflects on the importance of integrating culture and music, creating a world-building experience that connects various aspects of her life. Carolyn's creation of the Gender Equity Audio Workshop, along with co-producer and 'Each Machine' collaborator Isa Burke, highlights the power of women supporting each other in the music industry, fostering an environment where questions can be asked without fear of judgment.

She expands on her exploration of traditional songs through a devilish lens, which allowed her to examine how their meanings shift when viewed in this context. She also discusses her dual versions of the hymn "Are You Washed in the Blood," inspired by Naomi Klein's book 'Doppelganger,' and how they represent different facets of her musical identity.

Throughout this episode of Basic Folk, Carolyn Kendrick offers insights into forgiveness and harm, emphasizing the need for solution-focused actions in today's society. Our chat concludes with a fun and quirky Satan-themed lightning round, where Carolyn shares her favorite pop culture depictions of Satan and imagines a music festival in hell. The devil is fun again!

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Editor's note: Lizzie No interviews Alisa Amador on Basic Folk! We're so pumped for you to hear this conversation with Lizzie and Alisa. Be sure to got back and listen to Lizzie's previous guest host spots on the pod and subscribe, so you never miss Lizzie! Alisa Amador's EP Narratives is out on 9/17/2021

It was such a treat to talk with Alisa Amador. I love the way that she talks about life and connecting with people. One thing about Alisa that stood out to me right away was that she has been doing the work of performing since long before she thought of herself as a musician. She got her start as a backup singer for her parents’ band when she was four years old. Her own artistry has developed as she has discovered her own taste, her love for the guitar, and her voice as a songwriter.

Alisa has also developed a unique point of view as a bilingual songwriter, which goes way beyond simply singing in two languages. Alisa draws on a variety of Latin-American cultures in her music which makes for a huge imaginative universe. Not only is she using the vocabulary of English and Spanish, but she incorporates a variety of ways of looking at the world.

I talked with Alisa about performing, connecting with people, and about her new EP ‘Narratives,’ which I think our listeners will love. It’s folksy, jazzy, intimate, personal, and timeless. Everyone should look out for Alisa as a star on the rise because she has one of the coolest voices I’ve ever heard. Like a magical elf calling out beyond the scope of time.

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Fruit Bats have been on the indie rock radar since the early 00's, so I'd say that calls for a double album compilation documenting their 20 years of music! However, the brains behind FBs and it's only regular member, Eric D. Johnson, is a man who tends to solely look forward. Thankfully for us, he rolled up his sleeves, dug into some old hard drives and sifted through two decades of MP3s, WAVs, AIFFs and the like that make up the band's brand new collection: Sometimes a Cloud Is Just a Cloud: Slow Growers, Sleeper Hits and Lost Songs (2001–2021). On Basic Folk, Eric talks about growing up constantly moving around and the impact on him then and now. He also gets into his time working at Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. His time there allowed Eric to evolve and embrace his folk musicality as well as the punk side he was nurturing in Chicago's scene.

He also gets into reframing career aspirations after he saw a lot of his friends' careers, who came up in indie rock at the same time he did, reaching new heights that Fruit Bats just simply weren't. He was affordable many amazing opportunities before he was ready, recording Fruit Bats debut album with Tim from Califone and then getting signed to Sub Pop thanks to The Shins and Modest Mouse's advocacy. He talks about how he felt about those chances back then and how he reflects on them now. His time playing with The Shins allowed him to "climb into someone else’s work a little bit," which gave him perspective on his own. There was a time when Eric ditched the Fruit Bats name to record under his initials, EDJ, in what he calls “career stalling move,” but I pressed him to expand on the fact that it might have been a really necessary move for him personally. He's been recording and playing under Fruit Bats again since 2015, which he sees as a new era for Fruit Bats, which he gets into. I also brought up Bonny Light Horseman and the incredible vocal pairing of himself with Anaïs Mitchell, who he calls his "main singing partner" these days. Eric D. Johnson is the nicest guy in indie rock and I'm here for that!! Enjoy!

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Paula Fuga is a magic person. The Hawaiian singer/songwriter has lived through some of life's horrors. When she was young, her living situation was extremely unstable for several years. She lived with her mom, who suffered from addiction, on the beach around a pretty shady crowd of people. She accounts her survival to her dream of being a performer. That dream would manifest itself into visions Paula would experience. As a young person, she had no idea what the inside of a recording studio looked like, but would have these tiny peaks into her future where she would see herself recording a song or see herself on stage performing. She was actually able to place her very first vision of a live performance at a specific venue: Red Rocks. Paula still has not played Red Rocks, but she plans to get there and she plans to headline.

One fateful day Paula and her band were performing at a kickball tournament. One of the players happened to be the extremely famous and influential singer/songwriter, Jack Johnson. From that day on, Jack has been one of her biggest supporters and dearest collaborators. She talks about what it was like to meet and then become close friends with Jack, who actually appears on her newest album, Rain on Sunday. She and Jack perform his song "If Ever," which he wrote about the death of his father. Sadly, Paula's father had recently passed away and she shares how she processes that kind of grief through making music and how the song helped. There are one million quotes in this interview that I want printed on t-shirts! Get to know and enjoy Paula! Aloha!

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Carl Nichols (aka Buffalo Nichols) found out that he liked playing guitar way more than anything else when he was around 12 years old. He took his older sister's guitar (what? she wasn't using it) and started obsessively learning to play. He'd listen to songs 200 times in a row to get it right. Very soon, he was out performing his peers as a young teen. He started playing gigs around town in many different bands and many different styles, over extending himself. He was perhaps best known for being in the folk duo, Nickel & Rose, who released music from 2017 - 2019. He eventually got burnt out and realized he wanted to play music that resonated with him. He gave himself a break and went overseas to West Africa and Europe. There he discovered there was a way to connect tradition in music with modernism.

Carl uses the blues on his self-titled debut album to tell and express Black stories and the Black experience. He chose the stage name Buffalo Nichols because he was fascinated with the Buffalo Soldiers. He actually learned his grandfather was part of an all-Black infantry in the Korean War also called the Buffalo Soldiers. The writing process for the album was a new venture for Carl. Normally, he works on songs slowly and takes his time (he is more of a cat friend, even though he's allergic to them). For this album, he just let the songs flow out of him without overthinking or over editing himself. The end result is a raw record from someone who's pushing himself outside of his comfort zone. However, don't be surprised if he abandons that free flowing process in the future!

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Lizzie No interviews Caleb Caudle on Basic Folk!

Caleb Caudle has lived a lot of his life on the road. His father was a truck driver and Caleb learned early on that making a living often meant long days away from home. The North Carolina-born Caudle started out in a rock band before he found his calling as a thoughtful alt-country singer-songwriter. When Caleb released his debut solo album, ‘Red Bank Road,’ in 2007, he was just beginning to realize what made his songwriting voice distinctive, and his numerous releases since then have been a journey deeper into his own sound and point of view.

Caleb has driven a hard road in music, releasing albums and touring relentlessly since ‘07. Albums like Carolina Ghost and Better Hurry Up gained him a reputation as one of the Americana performers to watch in Nashville. As Caleb opened up about getting sober and being more intentional about his legacy, his gifts as a songwriter truly started to blossom. He recorded his latest release, ‘Forsythia,’ at the Cash Cabin with a close group of trusted collaborators. It is an album whose imagery brings you home with him to North Carolina and into himself. He even came full circle with a new recording of “Red Bank Road,” the title track from his debut album. 

Caleb brings the past with him while challenging himself to make something new with his life and with his art.

This song was mentioned in the episode:

Caroline Reese, "(I'm Not Selling the) Telecaster"

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Editor’s note: Lizzie No interviews Leon Timbo on Basic Folk! Be sure to go back and listen to Lizzie’s previous guest host spots on the pod and subscribe, so you never miss Lizzie!

When Leon Timbo was a teenager, he prayed for a singing voice. As a young poet and the child of a preacher, he was a born storyteller, but he dreamed of being able to sing. Leon’s remarkable artistic journey has been the answer to that prayer. 

Timbo started writing and performing songs on DIY solo tours in his native Florida, eventually expanding his reach across the United States. He focused on connecting with each audience member and immediately started building a loyal following. It was on one of these tours that musician and actor Tyrese Gibson fell in love with Leon’s music and storytelling and invited him to open for him. Gibson’s mentorship helped Leon hone his sound and opened massive doors of opportunity.

Each step of Leon’s musical path has been guided by faith, spirituality, and the power of human connection. He has performed with the legendary Fisk Jubilee Singers and hung out at a bar with Quincy Jones. He has a unique take on Americana, R&B, gospel, and folk music. His new album, ‘Lovers & Fools, Vol. II,’ is a vehicle for his hopeful worldview, and of course, for his spectacular voice.

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Zack Hickman is bound to go down in folk history for his incredible handlebar moustache, but fellow bandmates in his numerous groups know him for his extreme talent and keen ability to bring together musical projects. Born in Lynchburg, VA to physician parents, he grew up on a micro farm where his family grew produce, flowers and (of course) tended to bees. He eventually found his way to Oberlin College where he met and started performing with Josh Ritter, whom he still performs with today.

 

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Let's get folking special! We're closing out 2023 with an exclusive live recording from folk mothership Club Passim, the historic folk venue located in Cambridge, MA, celebrating the bi-annual festival campfire. and its remarkable 25th anniversary. It started as a way for the club to book a slow holiday weekend and now 25 years later, campfire. is still held every Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend and remains an extremely popular fundraiser for Passim. Cindy and lizzie host this live show featuring captivating performances by lizzie, Zachariah Hickman, Kara McKee, and Mercedes Escobar. Additionally, listeners are treated to a rare on-stage interview with Managing Director and campfire. founder Matt Smith and Club Manager and campfire. programmer Abby Altman, providing unique insights into the festival's evolution and the passion that fuels its success.

The episode highlights the unpredictability of campfire., where both emerging artists and legends like Peter Wolf share the sacred stage. Matt Smith and Abby Altman's dedication shines through as they discuss their exhaustive efforts in planning, booking, and executing nearly 60 campfires, showcasing the heart and soul behind this beloved festival. 

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Julian Saporiti is the brilliant mind behind No No Boy, a recording project that tells the incredible stories of historical triumphs of Asian Americans making their way in the United States. Julian, an Italian American and Vietnamese American, has always been drawn to history and music and has used his two passions to elevate these stories. He was truly inspired by his doctoral research at Brown University on “Asian American and transpacific history focusing on sound, music, immigration, refugees and everyday life.” Julian began to explore his family’s history, pore over archival material, and conduct interviews; and found untold musical stories of Asian American artists like himself.

Julian got the No-No Boy name from Japanese Americans who were forced to live in internment camps during World War II, soon after the Pearl Harbor attack in 1942. They were asked to serve in combat and swear allegiance to the United States. Those who answered “no” to those two demands on the government’s “Loyalty Questionnaire” became “No-No Boys.” and Those who refused were sent to concentration camps. It’s also a novel by Asian American author John Okada (also a song by The Spiders). Our conversation covers his own family history, in which he also unabashedly shares his perspective on the concept of “generational trauma” (he’s not super into it). He expands on the influence of Asian musicians who have learned and perfected the music of the oppressor, like the George Igawa Orchestra, which was a jazz band held at an internment camp led by the Los Angeles musician George Igawa. When he was forced to relocate to the camp, he could only bring what he could carry, which, to him, meant his instruments. He formed a group in the camp where they would play parties and even outside beyond the confines of the camp’s barbed wire.

Julian’s identity and the identity of No No Boy is solidly rooted in his Asian American experience, but I decided to start our interview with questions about his dad’s work in the music industry. Julian’s father was a major player in Nashville’s country music industry and he would often take Julian with him to work. This left huge impressions on young Julian, so of course, I had to dig into that first thing!

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Basic Folk is making trouble at sea with Ani DiFranco and Carsie Blanton! Hosts Lizzie and Cindy had the opportunity to speak with the two like-minded radical songwriters aboard the 2025 edition of Cayamo, a roots music cruise. Our conversation kicks off with Ani sharing her transformative experience performing as Persephone in the Broadway show 'Hadestown,' delving into the challenges of acting and the lessons learned from stepping outside her musical comfort zone. We navigate through Ani's journey of independence, discussing 'Unprecedented Sh!t,' her first album with a producer besides herself in 23 years – BJ Burton – and what it means to relinquish control in the creative process.

In Ani's memoir, 'No Walls and the Recurring Dream,' she writes about how her creativity is aligned with her menstrual cycle. She described the most creative part of her cycle as "THE WINDOW." Cindy asked all three artists onstage to reflect on how their creativity relates to their periods. What resulted was a discussion on how creativity is impacted by not only menstrual cycles, but menopause and ovulation and how that has evolved over time. The conversation also touches on the significance of hair as a form of self-expression and how societal perceptions of women change with their appearances.

Ani and Carsie speak to the power of songwriting in addressing historical and political issues, emphasizing the importance of music as part of a larger movement for justice. They share insights on the necessity of community and collaboration among artists in a challenging industry, encouraging listeners to find strength in solidarity rather than competition. To wrap up, they reminisce about their parallel wild, youthful experiences and how those versions of themselves continue to influence their art today. As Ani had to leave the stage early, Carsie brought it home with an Ani DiFranco-theme lightning round.

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Sometimes it strikes me just how much power can emanate from a creative mind. Speaking with Denitia was one of those times. When the indie music artist comes across an unfamiliar musical concept, she goes “sponge mode” until she understands it. Then she seamlessly integrates it into her artistic vocabulary. This relentless curiosity and sense of play can be heard across Denitia’s catalog, from her early work as half of the New York indie R&B duo denitia & sene to her breakthrough country album, “Highways.” Her fluency with multiple genres gives her a refreshing approach to record-making, sound, and fashion alike.

Since moving to Nashville and pivoting from R&B to indie country, Denitia has been grabbing audiences’ attention with her gorgeous voice and catchy-as-hell cool girl indie songwriting. Denitia was selected for the CMT Next Women of Country class of 2024, and her forthcoming album, ‘Sunset Drive,’ delivers on the hype. Denitia and her longtime songwriting partner, Brad Allen Williams, have painted classic country landscapes against which tales of escape from the ordinary are told with longing and warmth. The new record is something of a full-circle moment for the Texas-born artist, and a showcase for her prodigious talents as a vocalist. Lizzie No leads the conversation in our singer-songwriter interview with Denitia where she offers music industry insights, vocal warm-up techniques and music marketing strategies. Also, we definitely dig into FASHION: from her New York streetwear days to thrifting vintage clothes in Nashville.

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Isa Burke, of Americana/folk trio Lula Wiles, is an opinionated white lady in America and I literally cannot get enough of her. The Maine native rebelled at a young age (under 10!) against her parents' folky disposition and devoured as much rock and roll as she could find. Eventually, her parents convinced her to attend Maine Fiddle Camp, where they attended as performers and teachers to campers of all ages (babies to grandparents). And what do you know? Isa love the hell out of fiddle camp and met some important friends while she was there: Eleanor Buckland and Mali Obomsawin, who, years later, came to form the trio Lula Wiles. Camp was also the first place that Isa saw young people taking on the folk tradition in a modern way. This excited her to no end thus began a life-long affair with traditional music.

Isa talks about the lessons she learned at Maine Fiddle Camp and how they are reflected in her musicality and in her band. It also rooted in her a a love of playing music for the sake of feeling good (vs playing to sell a lot of records). We also get into her lead guitar playing: what made her start, how she approaches her role and what it means to be a female lead guitarist in this patriarchal society. My favorite part of this interview (and maybe any interview, really) are Isa's candid comments about body image issues. She introduced my to the idea of "body neutrality" and talks about working to cultivate that and the struggle that comes along with trying to figure out how to feel about your body. Like I said, I can't get enough of her. Love her, would recommend talking to her for an hour.

 

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Welcome to Folk Debate Club, our occasional crossover series with fellow folk-pod Why We Write! Today, to discuss Lyrics vs Melody, we welcome our panel of guests: music journalist and former singer/songwriter, Kim Ruehl, Isa Burke (Lula Wiles, Aoife O’Donovan), illustrious male folk singer Willi Carlisle, musician and Basic Folk guest host lizzie no, and yours truly, Cindy Howes, boss of Basic Folk.

In music (and life), there is debate over authenticity versus performative. On stage, in written music, online and in person: what is the artist going for? Realness or entertainment? It doesn’t seem that simple. There are many examples of artists who do both very well and I think the best art is created at the intersection of the two.

There is no question: it’s hard to pull off. We want to try and break down what each of these elements is in music, how to achieve each and what is more important: to perform a personality or just be your genuine self?

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Brett Dennen is a songwriter, painter and summer camp enthusiast. His camp experience was instrumental in developing his musicality. He attended Camp Jack Hazard in the Sierra Nevada Mountains where young Brett was enamored with the music his camp counselors would play on guitar around the campfire. He was introduced to Paul Simon, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and John Denver thanks to his counselors and his parents. He really developed as a songwriter in college at UC Santa Cruz. After school, he wove himself into the LA songwriter scene, which in the early 2000’s was a haven for musicians like himself, Alexi Murdoch, Damien Rice and Josh Ritter. He developed a large fanbase that remains loyal to this day.

Brett talks about running his own summer camp, Camp Dennen, which allows him to create community through nature and art. He shares his experience of writing and thinking about being a dad and how that relates to the reality of fatherhood. And he talks about decidedly not being in the cool crowd and also not caring about it… well not caring about it as much as he used to. Brett’s written some of my favorite songs of the 21st century. It was an honor to have him on the pod!

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William Prince spent a long time recording his debut album. By the time ‘Earthly Days’ was released in 2015, Prince had lived a lot of life and was ready for the sort of instant stardom that would throw a lot of emerging singer-songwriters for a loop. A number of extraordinary things happened followed the release of ‘Earthly Days:’ the song “Breathless” was a hit on the Billboard adult contemporary music charts, Prince won the Juno Award for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year, and Prince toured the hell out of the record for several years, opening for artists like Neil Young. This extended tour gave him the opportunity to basically perfect his live set in a way many new artists don’t get to.

William has gone deeper and deeper and deeper with subsequent releases. He describes love and loss and self and community and fear and courage with universal appeal on 2020’s ‘Reliever.’ He reinterprets the orthodoxy and aesthetics of his Christian upbringing through an indigenous lens on ‘Gospel First Nation.’ He synthesizes varied traditions and flexes impressive vocal chops almost casually.

William’s new record, ‘Stand In The Joy,’ comes out April 14th on Six Shooter Records, and it is a catchy, ambitious testimony about the power of love and hope. Talking about the album with William gave me the chance to ask him about his evolving spirituality, the tension between tradition and trendiness in roots music, how the loves of his life change how he shows up as a performer, what it’s like to work with superstar producer Dave Cobb, and what freedom looks like from a Peguis first nations perspective.

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Former trumpet player and anxious adventurer Caroline Cotter had been constantly on the move performing hundreds of live shows since 2015. At the dawn of the pandemic she had a full album in the can and ready to go. When the world shut down, so did she. She set her songs to the side and didn't pick up her guitar for a long while. She left her city of Portland, Maine and headed even more north to the Acadia region and reconnected with nature: i.e. hugging as many trees and rocks and one woman can. Also during that time, she had the opportunity to sit with her shelved album. She discovered something amazing in that stillness: She, along with co-producer Alec Spiegelman, had made a fucking bomb record. She went forward with release plans, blew up her Kickstarter goal and finally gave us her third album, Gently as I Go, this past August.

In our conversation, Caroline talks about what she's like to work with in the studio (hint: she is not a relaxed and calm dreamboat) as well as her relationship to rest. As someone who has struggled with anxiety, she did not take to rest naturally, however, she’s cultivated a yoga and meditation practice in order to maintain calm. We also dig into her history: talking about how the ocean has remained a constant in her relationship to home. Growing up in Rhode Island, she and her siblings all took piano lessons. Heading to college, she majored in art with a minor in Spanish. She has a reputation for being a globe-trotter, which began in her travels to Thailand, Spain and Portugal as an international educator. She quit her day-job in 2015 to pursue music with a basically nonexistent fanbase. These days, Caroline's fans are many and they are dedicated. You don't find many independent musicians with such a devoted crowd as Caroline: they buy her music, they attend her shows, they put her up when she's in town. So hello all you Cotter-Kickers, hope this conversation does your favorite songwriter justice.

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The dynamic songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Susan Werner talks to us onboard the Cayamo cruise, which she describes as a "paid vacation." Reflecting on her upbringing on a working farm, Susan discusses the hard work that shaped her, but also how she’s learning to embrace rest and relaxation. With humor and insight, she navigates the balance between a hardworking mindset and the need for downtime, revealing her strategies for managing stress and expectations in both life and music.

Her latest album, 'Halfway to Houston,' is a continuation of her exploration of a place through its music. Previous releases found her examining New Orleans and Florida. In this particular case, she is focusing on the state of Texas, including the interconnectedness of communities across borders; the song "Sisters" is about twin sister cities El Paso, Texas and Juárez, Mexico. As a seasoned artist, Susan dives into the importance of consistency and authenticity in her craft, emphasizing that hard work alone doesn’t guarantee success – it's about being consistently excellent. She also touches on the political landscape and how her songs aim to foster empathy and understanding, even in divided times.

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Tom Rush's career is a wonder. After stepping away from record labels and major tours in the 70's, he's managed to cultivate a dedicated audience that has loyally shown up for decades. His relationship to music had a rocky start with a dozen years of unenjoyable piano lessons. Tom talks about his cousins, Beau Beals, who taught him ukulele and how to find joy and fun in music. Rush started college at Harvard as a marine biology major, but switched to English lit and kept his love of music and writing strong throughout school. In fact, he did struggle with focusing on studying due to his very frequent trips to The Club 47, which is right around the corner from the Harvard Square campus in Cambridge, MA. Tom actually was able to start playing around town and soon recorded an album, which was a novelty at the time. He became known as "the guy with the record."

His sound started off very traditional, recording versions of Lowland Scots and Appalachian folk songs. After a few albums in, he started looking for new material to record and came across a few unknown songwriters for his 1968 album, The Circle Game. Tom Rush was the first person to record songs by unknowns Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Jackson Browne. After a few albums into the 70's, Rush was burnt out, his label dropped him and he needed a well deserved break. In the 80's, Tom reinvented his career and laid the foundation for what it could look like for an independent musician to thrive. He established The Club 47 Concerts at Boston Symphony Hall, an upscale event that allowed his fans to enjoy folk rock in style. He became a champion of up and coming musicians like Nanci Griffith and Shawn Colvin. That nimbleness has followed him throughout the years and has proven most useful during the pandemic. Tom quickly created Rockport Sundays, his weekly video series where fans can support him via Patreon. Tom Rush! Still doing the damn thing in 2021!!

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Molly Venter of Red Molly and Goodnight Moonshine has a style reminiscent of the clearest folk singers from the 60's combined with a classic 50's rock vibe. On top of all this, she's an incredibly delightful person. Molly's story begins in New Haven, CT, where she was raised by two parents whose past times included sailing and performing music. Molly actually learned how to play guitar while on a sailboat. After college, she moved around a lot: Idaho, Mexico and finally Austin, TX for quite awhile before eventually coming back to New Haven.

We talked about her connection with her hometown, joining up with Red Molly and her partnership with Eben Pariser (husband and bandmate). My favorite part of the conversation was when we talked about her dad, Josiah Venter, who died in 2011. From what I read about him, Josiah was a special person with a very meaningful presence for Molly. I'm grateful to have been able to talk with Molly for the podcast. I had only known her for a short time, but she's so easy to talk to and so open, it feels like I've known her for a long time.

 

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Singer-songwriter Amythyst Kiah joins us this week. She can be heard along side Layla McCalla, Allison Russell and Rhiannon Giddens in the Grammy nominated project Songs of Our Native Daughters. Amythyst talks about growing up an independent worker in Mississippi and how music forced her into collaboration. She recounts how writing songs helped her through some of the most difficult family strive, and she explains her effortless class with her gender non-conforming fashion sense. Enjoy!

Check out all the podcasts over on the American Songwriter Podcast Network. 

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John Doe's career has gone from poetry to punk to country to acting to punk to folk and back again several times. Frontman for the extremely influential LA punk band X, John was there at the dawn of West Coast punk and has written about it (twice) in his books Under the Big Black Sun and More Fun in the New World. He actually sourced out most of the books’ chapters and had his friends and other people who were there give accounts, which makes them both pretty well rounded. John grew up mostly in Baltimore, under the influence of John Waters and Divine. He worked odd jobs and ran a poetry group there. He moved to Los Angeles in the mid 70's and met his future X bandmates Exene, Billy Zoom and D. J. Bonebrake. John's been in countless films and TV shows since 1987. He kind of stumbled into acting by getting an agent after he was in the indie film Border Radio. You may have seen him in films like Road House or Boogie Nights or series like Carnivale. He's lived in Austin, Texas since 2017 and loves to tell people it's terrible, so no one else moves there.

John Doe's latest album Fables in a Foreign Land takes place in 1890's and surrounds a young man who's found himself alone in a cruel hard world. The album’s sound was developed through weekly jam sessions in his bassist's backyard. This time around, John's played up his interest in folk and roots music, all the while keeping that punk sensibility. John says "These songs take place alone, wandering, searching and hungry accompanied by horses not machines." And speaking of horses, John's got a couple and it seems they've kept him grounded especially during the pandemic, so yeah, I ask the guy about his horses. That and we also talk about controlling the ego, listening to intuition, taking care of your physical health and his cameo in The Bodyguard (yes the Whitney Houston movie). Thanks Joe Doe!

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Wesley Schultz has one of the most recognizable modern voices in folk music. His band, The Lumineers, are arguably the most popular group of the genre embarking on stadium tours worldwide to support their chart-topping records. From afar, he also seems like one of the most humble and good-natured people to have lived. After doing a deep dive into his history and being able to talk to him in this capacity, I can confirm that the rumors are true: Wesley Schultz is very kind, thoughtful and generous. Well, at least I can confirm, he is the nicest person I've talked to that also has a signature Frye boot.

Wesley grew up in Ramsey, NJ with his parents, including his clinical psychologist father, who sadly died during Wes' teen years. He became very close with his future bandmate Jeremiah Fraites after Jeremiah's brother and Wes' good friend Josh died of an overdose. The two bonded through grief, which they expressed through performing music. Eventually they would make their way to Colorado as The Lumineers and found massive success with their debut album, which included the huge hit "Ho Hey." Two more hit albums followed. 2020 included plans for a world tour in support of the latest record, III. Once the pandemic hit and the world stopped, Wes and Jeremiah found themselves with free time. Jeremiah just released a beautiful instrumental album, Piano Piano. Wes also released his solo debut album, Vignettes, a covers album as a way to introduce people to songs they might not know. He performs songs by Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, Tom Waits, Counting Crows and for me, it came at exactly the right time. The album is calming and it grounded me in a way that only music can do. I am so fortunate for the opportunity to talk to Wes about his music. I hope you enjoy and learn something new about this very special musician!

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Anaïs Mitchell goes track by track through her new self titled release (out now!) and holy smokes what a volcano of an album! It’s been a decade since she last released an album’s worth of new material and since then, Mitchell’s been keeping very busy with the game-changing Tony Awards winning Broadway sensation, Hadestown. She started working on the folk opera in the early 00’s, she’s also recently been performing with Bonny Light Horseman (with Eric D. Johnson and Josh Kaufman) and is the mom of two young kids, so very busy!! It took a global pandemic to stop everything and allow her to concentrate on her own inner world. All of the songs on Anaïs Mitchell are truly biographical, which is not the norm for the Vermont songwriter. She was actually 9 months pregnant when the pandemic hit, and thanks to a tip from a Seattle friend, she packed up her family and left the city for her home state. She ended up spending lockdown in her grandparents house on her family’s Vermont compound. There, she unearthed some embarrassing teenage journals (which she promptly burned) and had the opportunity to reconnect with her younger self. Those perspectives and more were sown into this incredible new album. Let’s get into it!!

It was truly a gift to be able to dive deep with Anaïs and producer Josh Kaufman (who briefly joined us for this episode!). Hope you get into this album as deeply as I did. I look forward to many more inspired works of art from Anaïs! She is a treasure and I’m so glad she’s in our world. After you get into this episode, you can go way back to Basic Folk Episode 8 and listen to Anaïs’ first appearance on the pod. One of my favorite interviews ever!

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Tracking with her brand: “an old soul inside a 30-something millennial,” Alice Howe‘s latest was recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, AL. Although the legendary studio has seen massive icons like Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett and Etta James recording their biggest hits, the building itself is quite unremarkable. Regardless, Alice was able to soak up the incredible vibe that ugly wood-paneled space offers over the course of the recording sessions, which was done in two parts. Freebo, her frequent collaborator and bassist, helmed the production and joined us for this interview. The two gave some insight into the way they communicate and how that works itself out in a studio setting.

We dig into some of the songs on the new record Circumstance, including “What About You,” which comes along with a music video featuring some very playful sides of Alice, including some very femme scenes of her at the pool and on the beach. We got into an interesting discussion of different ways women portray themselves in music, using Bonnie Raitt and Linda Rondstadt prototypes. Not sure if we reached a consensus, but I enjoyed getting into it! We also get into how Freebo is a goofball AND a cool-guy scholar and how those traits translate into his and into Alice’s music. And we leave some space for Alice and Freebo to fawn all over Freebo’s former collaborator, Bonnie Raitt, and her recent song of the year award at the 2023 Grammys. It’s always so fun to talk to Alice (who was also on episode 72!) and we have a doubly good time with Freebo. Enjoy!

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Basic Folk is live at Club Passim with Melissa Ferrick! The indie folk songwriter genius lesbian icon joins us for our very first live recording of the podcast. We get honest conversation and live music from Melissa, who had recently moved to Cambridge, graduated grad school at Harvard and got a new teaching job at Northeastern. She played songs from her latest self-titled album as well as a new song.

 

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On Basic Folk this week I sit down with Mark Erelli, a singer-songwriter out of the New England area. Growing up Erelli did a little of everything: tennis, musicals, science, and then... he found rock music. This was all thanks to his high school science teacher who would play bootleg Grateful Dead tapes during exams. Once Erelli had discovered The Dead he said it was like all American music was waiting for him.

 

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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If you do a web search for Steve Tilston, most of the results will be about John Lennon. Lennon wrote a letter to a young Steve offering him advice, but Steve did not know about the letter until decades later. His story would eventually become the 2015 film Danny Collins starring Al Pachino. Steve's talked about this subject probably one thousand times and it might be the biggest thing that defines his career. However, there is so much more to talk about with Steve! He's worked with folk legends Fairport Convention, Bert Jansch, Maggie Boyle, Chris Smither and many more. His latest album, Such Times, has incredible energy and his signature British folk guitar playing.

Steve talks about his partnership with the late Maggie Boyle and how she was instrumental in deepening his interest and knowledge of Irish music. He reflects on how his children's interest in music has kept him engaged and involved. This is the 50th anniversary of Steve starting up in the music business! We talk about all this.... and yes, we talk about the Lennon letter, too.

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Before becoming a fulltime performer/songwriter Dawn Landes worked as a sound engineer for many years. After studying for a bit at NYU she left school to pursue an internship at Phillip Glass' studio. Dawn tells me of the impact that Fast Folk had on her career and the role Suzanne Vega played in her life as Dawn’s mentor. We also get into the musical she is working on called "Row" about the very inspiring and fellow Kentuckian and rower, Tori Murden McClure, who aspired to row across the Atlantic Ocean.

 

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Maya De Vitry, who just appeared in our main feed (ep. 155), hangs with Cindy and Lizzie: talking about music, dogs and being a horse girl. Today we'll check out a preview of this fun and insightful hang with the former Stray Birds member.

Hear the entire Friend Hang with Maya: http://basicfolk.com/Backstage

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There is something I find very telling about the way Letitia VanSant approaches her name with people. The Baltimore musician offers the pronunciation upfront ("Leh-TISH-ah" - "tish" rhymes with "wish."), not assuming that someone would know how to say it. There is kindness and patience in the offering, but also she takes control of the narrative of her unique and beautiful name. On her website it says: "Letitia is an old family name that she shares with a number of women in her family. As a child she was nicknamed “Sandy” from VanSant, her middle name. Her friends still call her Sandy, but she responds to both!"

A shy child, Letitia grew up with a passion for social justice and pursued a career in politics. She worked at a progressive lobby group in Washington, DC, until she decided to make music a full time venture. Her writing does have a political edge occasionally. She also bravely approaches the topic of sexual assault, garnering from her personal experience. We talked about how she made the choice to address her experience in such a public and upfront manner. She is a clear-headed, smart and compassionate person. I really enjoyed getting to know Letitia VanSant! Her new album Circadian is out now! Thanks for listening!

This show is part of the American Songwriter Podcast Network.

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Livingston Taylor has managed to carve out an impressive and interesting career as a successful songwriter and extremely effective professor of stage performance at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Younger brother to the very famous James Taylor, this is an interesting and vast conversation with a fascinating man. Liv generously talks about his relationship with his late brother Alex, Carly Simon and his older brother James.

 

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Editor’s note: Lizzie No interviews Brent Cobb on Basic Folk! Be sure to go back and listen to Lizzie’s previous guest host spots on the pod and subscribe, so you never miss Lizzie!

Georgia-born Brent Cobb is a true blue southern Gospel country artist. His music career kicked off when he shared a demo tape with Dave Cobb, one of Nashville’s finest producers and Brent’s cousin. The two have collaborated on numerous albums since Brent’s debut and I had a lot of questions about that creative relationship during our interview.

Cobb’s 2016 album, ‘Shine On Rainy Day,’ earned him a Grammy nomination and saw him tour with country stars Chris Stapleton and Zac Brown. He has also written songs for stars like Luke Bryan and Miranda Lambert. Brent has fascinating insights about touring, collaboration, and his role as an interpreter of Southern culture in an interconnected world.

In July of 2020, Brent was driving with his one-year-old son when their truck was t-boned. He got up off the pavement and found his son unharmed in his car seat. This brush with death inspired him to create a Gospel album, drawing on the musical tradition in which he was raised. ‘And Now, Let’s Turn to Page…’ reimagines time-honored hymns and features one original song co-written by Brent and his wife, Layne. Life, death, love, community, and Willie Nelson-style gentle vocal performances, this album has it all.

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Lancaster-born, Nashville-based Nina de Vitry‘s debut album, What You Feel is Real, shines while showcasing her passion for jazz and folk music. de Vitry’s name may sound familiar, as she comes from a musical family and is the youngest sister of folk superstar Maya de Vitry (formerly of The Stray Birds). She grew up fiddling around the campfire, while being classically trained on the violin and (her true love) the piano. She started writing songs very young, became enchanted with foreign languages and found herself studying at Temple University. Part-way through her freshman year, something felt wrong and she decided to take a gap year in order to operate outside of a system and find out what she wanted to do. After attending the beloved Miles of Music camp in New Hampshire, Nina was inspired to fully lean into her musicality. She recorded an EP in 2017 and started dabbling in music as a profession.

During the pandemic, she was in the creating process of What You Feel is Real. At the time, Nina experienced a return to self in several ways including reconnecting with the piano. A theme of the record is the making the choice believing yourself: You say “What we feel is real. What we love is real. And I think the more we all trust these inner voices, the closer we will get to both knowing ourselves and knowing a more loving and peaceful society.” Her new record is a fabulously strong debut that feels like a classic songwriter album playing with different styles of jazz. It is a pure delight to talk to Nina!

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Welcome to a preview of BACKSTAGE: special bonus content for Basic Folk. You can gain access by contributing at http://basicfolk.com/Donate.

This month we’re celebrating our 150th episode with an in-depth interview with Aoife O’Donovan on Basic Folk! Recently, I’ve been spinning her records non-stop, especially her new album Age of Apathy: which is out now! It’s a great album, so go buy it and listen. I’m excited for you to hear our conversation on Basic Folk, which will be released this Thursday Jan 27, 2022.

Aoife’s an old friend from the Boston days and we’ve known each other for a long time, which makes her appearance on our 150th episode SO SPECIAL! To get ready, please join us Backstage and revisit an interview I did with Aoife O’Donovan in 2014 along with some personal reflection on what a lunatic year 2014 was for me.

Check out the entire interview, plus pictures of my insane 2014 at http://basicfolk.com/backstage. Gain access to exclusive special bonus content at http://basicfolk.com/Donate

Thanks to WYEP for the use of the Aoife interview and to Ian Fox for producing this preview of Backstage. 

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We get a track by track from New England singer/songwriter Mark Erelli on his new album Blindsided on Basic Folk! The record came out last week and is very Tom Petty inspired. Mark talks about how the late legend inspired the sound and even at least one song. We talk about the contributions from the players on the record, like when drummer Jamie Dick suggested a "Bo Diddley Beat" for the song "Can't Stand Myself," which Erelli had never tried before. There's lot of sweet, yet realistic love songs on this album that are appropriate coming from a married guy who's kids are getting older. And of course, there is his amaizng voice, which is on display on this record, especially on the final track "Careless."

It was a pleasure to welcome Mark back to Basic Folk! If you missed his first appearance, go back and listen to Episode 6 of the podcast.

This show is part of the American Songwriter Podcast Network.

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The world of Austin's Matt the Electrician, aka Matt Sever, is quirky and sincere. Sever is known for his work ethic and vibrant presence in the Austin Texas music scene. Before music was full-time, Matt worked as an actual electrician in between folk music gigs and open mics. He found people were drawn to his skills in the trade, so he decided to make it part of his musical moniker. After self-releasing 11 studio albums and a couple of live sets, the name remains even though he has not been a professional electrician for a long time. In this episode, Matt discusses his new album release, "The Ocean Knocked Me Down," and shares insights into his songwriting process and the unique creative writing techniques that keep his music fresh. We learn about his experiences with the independent music community, performing live, and the joys of music discovery in the 90s through alternative music magazines like Puncture Magazine.

Matt also opens up about the evolving landscape of music marketing strategies, reflecting on his journey from traditional methods to the more creative approach he employs today. For instance, Matt's been conducting fake interviews on his social media between himself and Spotify, Facebook and Rolling Stone that are hilarious. Also he reminisces about the excitement of finding new music back in the day and talks about his favorite snacks, like carnitas tacos and the benefits of black coffee, that clearly fuel his creativity.

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Canada's Talia Schlanger is best known for her work in broadcasting; guest-hosting Q with Tom Power on CBC and Alec Baldwin's "Here's the Thing" podcast, as well as taking over for David Dye on NPR Music's World Cafe in Philadelphia. Before all that, Talia was an actor and singer in many theater productions including Mamma Mia, Queen's We Will Rock You and Green Day's American Idiot. While she has found much success in her two previous careers, something has been pulling on Talia for years. She wanted to write, record and perform her own music. She had something to say and made the brave leap into the unknown and left her coveted role at WXPN's World Cafe in order to say it. The culmination of events has led Talia to her debut album, Grace for Going.

In our conversation, Talia shares insights into her upbringing in Thornhill, Ontario, within a Jewish family deeply rooted in faith and family heritage. She reflects on the impact of her grandparents, Holocaust survivors, and how their stories shaped her childhood. Talia talks about her unique journey from performing in 8 shows a week in theater productions to becoming a distinguished radio host. Her evolution as a singer, her bravery and some important boundaries have allowed her to find her authentic voice while maintaining a crucial work-life balance. Throughout the interview, she touches on themes of personal growth, acts of kindness, and her commitment to learning and curiosity, offering a fascinating glimpse into the life and career of this remarkable person.

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Business or performance? According to Dave Godowsky, you don't have to choose, guys. As a professional music fan for nearly 3 decades, Dave has been an artist manager, A&R rep and several other kinds of music industry types. All the while, he's weaved in and out the singer/songwriter/performer, for which he has a great talent for. Dave's genuine good hearted nature has gotten him the trust, talent and time of many impressive well known musicians like Bon Iver, Gene Ween (of Ween), Adam Duritz and Lianne La Havas. He's also well connected to many smaller music communities. One of those communities was essential to his songwriting in the last ten or so years: The Subrosa Songwriting Retreat that takes place on Three Mile Island in Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire. Dave talks about how this retreat has allowed him to piece together enough songs for his last few album.

His newest album, Cuts (out Feb 28), is this beautiful calming album dotted with lovely harp and woodwinds. During production, he was concentrating on keeping the band zen and working to create a" musical Xanax." He said" “if people were having a panic attack, they could put this on and it would calm them.” It's a great album and hope you go listen to it when it's out on Feb 28!

Check out all the podcasts over on the American Songwriter Podcast Network. 

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Fiddler and singer/songwriter Lily Henley's latest album, Oras Dezaoradas, is a full-on celebration of her Sephardic Jewish Heritage. The lineage of Sephardic people can be traced back to the Iberian Jews expelled from Spain and Portugal in 1492. For Jewish people, there are many diasporas and lots of different ethnic heritages and practices that have been adopted and blended from many other groups along the way. Lily's heritage is different from the Ashkenazi Jewish people, which is the most represented Jewish sect in The United States, who can be traced back to Eastern Europeans. Lily graciously gives a very brief overview of the diaspora (which is pretty amazing to take in) and the geographical and cultural differences.

Lily grew up moving around a lot and talks about how that act of moving from place to place impacted her as a young person and how it still affects her. She found a sense of belonging and home at the fiddle camps she attended alongside other musicians her own age. At camp, she learned to play Celtic, Old-time and Cape Breton style tunes. While at home, she played traditional Sephardic tunes, sung in the Ladino language, also called Judeo-Spanish, a combination of Spanish with Hebrew, Arabic, and Turkish elements and is spoken by less than 100,000 people. As an adult, she was inspired by living in Tel-Aviv for three years and immersed in Sephardic culture. She was awarded a Fulbright research grant and is currently an artist residency at the Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris. She recorded her latest album in Paris: on a label run by a Sephardic community leader while being embraced by and collaborating with the Sephardic community there. OH!: Lily has another new non-Ladino album on the way: Imperfect By Design coming January 2023. It's an Indie-Folk anthology about love, belonging, independence, and change. Look out for that and enjoy this deeply educational conversation!

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Bowerbirds have been off the radar musically since 2012's The Clearing. Lots has changed for the B-Birds, which now centers solely around Phil Moore since his bandmate and former partner Beth Tacular has left to concentrate on her own artwork. 2021 sees a new Bowerbirds album, becalmyounglovers, and a new version of Phil himself. He writes to his fans “It’s been 8 years since you’ve heard new Bowerbirds music and you and I have changed in ways that we couldn't have imagined back then.” Phil's intense connection to nature remains, as he has always been drawn to the outside world starting as a kid, going to college for biology and moving to North Carolina in 2005 for a job as a bird tracker. In our conversation, we probably spend way too much time talking about birds and birdwatching. I came to find a real appreciation for the activity hearing about it through Phil's experience and just might be inspired to pick up a field notebook and night vision monocular myself. It seems like a very calm and grounding experience, which can also be said for the music of Bowerbirds.

There's also a deep dive into different kinds of anxiety that Phil experiences, which seems to be mostly logistical/non performance panic. He talks about different ways he understands and manages fear and anxiety. I also basically give him a lecture about how important his music is to people because it has meant so much and helped me through so much. Helping people has been one of Phil's main objectives for Bowerbirds and I'm here to tell him straight to his face that he's doing it. Now let's all go birding. Phil is so good. Thank you Phil.

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Canadian-born, New York based banjo person Taylor Ashton’s second solo album, Stranger to the Feeling, was recorded on a coast to coast road trip during 2021. These were the two weeks post-vaccine where we thought everything was A-OK, so Ashton and producer Jacob Blumberg set out on a recording adventure that included collaborations with friends new and old. Ashton, who’s since become a new parent with wife Rachael Price (Lake Street Dive), wanted to create an album that “meditates on the meaning of closeness and connection in an age of increasing isolation.” The energy of the new album is just that and it is palpable alongside its use of space and natural sound (gotta love those birds and room noise).

In our conversation, Taylor expands on the making of the album while addressing questions of the difficulty of reconnecting after the pandemic and how the music helped break that barrier of social isolation. We also go through a lot of the album’s songs and get to topics like crying while playing your own song, struggling with expressing feelings and not being and being cool. Taylor also graciously shares their thoughts on gender expression and walking the line of benefiting from the patriarchy and not feeling exactly like they embody the male gender all of the time. Being 6’2 and crying while listening to your own song maybe sums it all up? Or maybe you can’t summarize Taylor Ashton? I’m very grateful to welcome him back to Basic Folk!

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Basic Folk features honest conversations with folk musicians hosted by Cindy Howes and Lizzie No. We approach interviews with warmth, humor and insightful questions. Since 2018, this podcast has dignified under the radar roots musicians by providing a platform that they might not otherwise have. You’ll hear interviews from Three-time Grammy-winning guitar gods like Molly Tuttle, Haitian American folk legends like Leyla McCalla and deep feelers like songwriter John Hiatt.

Basic Folk is dedicated to showcasing the best in folk, bluegrass, acoustic and americana including Black, Brown and Queer folx who have been excluded, or felt like they did not belong, in the folk world. Cindy & Lizzie each bring a unique perspective to these honest conversations with folk musicians. We are equally dedicated to repainting the broad landscape of folk music as we are to tearing down the ivory towers of the music industry. What would Bruce Springsteen do if he ever got the keys to that mansion on the hill? Let's find out together on Basic Folk.

Basic Folk is pleased to be an official production of The Bluegrass Situation. Thanks for listening.

Welcome to Basic Folk.

Basic Folk's theme and music are composed by Dietrich Strause

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Bluegrass hero and former weird kid Alice Gerrard strongly believes that traditional music is connected to everyday life. She has said: “When you listen to traditional music you have such a sense of this connectedness of this person’s life. It comes out of the earth.” She was first exposed to folk music while attending Antioch College. Jeremy Foster (her boyfriend at the time, who would become her first husband) introduced her to The Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music. Upon listening, she became hooked and more drawn to lonesome and rough folk songs versus the pristine vocalists. That mentality of keeping her performance untarnished and imperfect has followed her ever since.

After she and Jeremy moved to Washington DC, she became acquainted with Hazel Dickens. She considered Hazel a mentor figure and studied her musicality. The two would record four albums together as the seminal duo Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard. The two did not speak for many years after they split in the late 70's. The breakup was messy and hard for both, particularly Hazel. Years later, they reconciled and would perform and were close until Hazel's death in 2011. Nowadays, Alice, who lives in Durham, NC, has begun digitizing her huge photo archive for a book as well as performing with the younger generation of traditional music. People like Tatiana Hargreaves, Reed Stutz and Phil Cook are regulars on her stage. They also contribute to her new album Sun to Sun. Alice digs in talking about her unorthodox parenting style (which is no secret), imperfectionism, appreciating memory and the fantastic new record.  

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We got to know Izzy Heltai on episode 27 of Basic Folk where he talked about his supportive family, Western Mass community and for the first time spoke in an interview about being a trans man. He's released his debut album, Father, and is kind enough to return to the podcast to give us a track by track breakdown of the record. Izzy's new album centers around songs he wrote from ages 19 - 23, where he spent a lot of time on the road, so there are plenty of road themes. The opening track is the only song to directly address his experience as a trans person. He is still trying to figure out how to talk about himself without wrapping his entire identity in being trans, but it is an important part of his writing.

Izzy is really easy to talk to and is very open about his life-long struggle with depression. His joyful personality and positive energy wouldn't make you think he would have to deal with such frequent sadness, but he talks about how writing and honestly addressing it allows him to channel it through music. I take Izzy down some weird winding theories on this record and he does really well to answer all my ridiculous questions. Enjoy the conversation and then go buy Izzy's new album!

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Singer-songwriter Leyla McCalla and her band (bassist Pete Olynciw, drummer Shawn Meyers and guitarist Nahum Zdybel) join us onboard the Cayamo cruise to go through their incredible, righteous and fun new record Sun Without Heat. It is a Leyla McCalla solo album but no solo artist is an island! Once we saw Leyla perform with her band, with whom she has collaborated for the past six years, we had to get the whole collaborative outfit in on the interview.

The sounds on the album are inspired by Afrobeat, Haitian Music, folk music, indie music, Americana music, Brazilian tropicalismo, amongst others. Leyla calls it "a record that is playful and full of joy while holding the pain and tension of transformation." McCalla’s liberatory politics find their way into the record, evidenced by the title which comes from a Frederick Douglass speech given six years before the Emancipation Proclamation. Leyla explores her cultural heritage while reflecting the African diaspora using elements of Afrofuturism. She's leaning into a concept that challenges women in music (particularly women of color) of how to free herself from labor that should not be hers and fighting for her right to be joyful in her creative expression.

When asked about how these new songs feel through the lens of somatic experience, Leyla says the new music feels different and that she's let go of the idea of perfectionism as a single mom of three kids. A lot of the record was informed by different authors she's read recently like adrienne maree brown (Pleasure Activism) and Susan Raffo (Liberated To the Bone). Leyla's really changing the game in the Americana genre when it comes to incorporating the academic into truly bitchin' music. Sidenote: we really loved hanging out with this crew at sea on Cayamo. They had great vibes, good laughs and also very good outfits. lizzie even recruited Pete to play bass in an impromptu trio while on-board. More good times with Leyla and band, please!!

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Editor's note: Lizzie No interviews Valerie June on Basic Folk! Be sure to got back and listen to Lizzie's previous guest host spots on the pod and subscribe, so you never miss Lizzie!

Today’s guest, Valerie June, grew up as country as country gets in Jackson, Tennessee. She remembers writing songs at an early age with frogs and rainbows as her inspiration. Her musical world was divided between the church, where the voice was a tool for worship and instruments were forbidden, and the secular world where she helped out with her father’s side hustle as a promoter in the local music scene. 

After a stint in a band, June struck out on her own as a solo artist, influenced by the thriving Memphis musical community she found herself in. Her solo work is shaped by blues, folk, rock, and spiritual influences, and it was fascinating to talk to her about the role of intuition in her writing. Her latest album, The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers, is a powerful step on her path as a one-of-a-kind creator who shapes new worlds with each track. The album features a range of emotions, from meditation to celebration, not to mention a guest appearance from the one and only Carla Thomas.

I also took this interview as an opportunity to get a little personal about my own journey as a folk artist. Valerie June has had an enormous impact on my musical path and it was a privilege to hear the stories behind some of the songs that made me who I am as a songwriter, in particular, working woman blues from the album Pushin Against a Stone.

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Alex Cuba grew up 50 minutes west of Havana immersed in the music of his town Artemisa. His father, the musician Valentin Puentes, is a household name in the country and prioritized Cuban music in the house growing up. When Alex was six years old, Valentin told his son not to sing, leading Alex to concentrate on his bass guitar playing. As a teenager, Alex rebelled and started soaking in the sounds of American music; blues, jazz, rock and funk. This has lead him to develop a unique style of Latin music that crosses cultures and appeals to people who don't even speak his language. He sings English, but is most comfortable singing in Spanish. We talk about how even though a lot of his fans are English speakers, they often have an emotional reaction to his music even though they don’t know what he's saying. He expands on how emotions transfer via music no matter what language.

in 1995, Alex was allowed to tour in Canada with his dad's band and met someone who would forever change his life, his future wife Sarah Goodacre. They eventually ended up married with children and living in Cuba. After awhile, they moved closer to her family in Smithers, B.C., where they have single handedly created a Latin music industry in the small Canadian mountain town. Despite not being able to work with major record labels due to the Cuban Embargo with America, Alex has thrived as an independent artist with 4 Latin Grammys, 3 American Grammy nominations, 2 Junos and numerous other accolades. We talk about what changes he experienced in himself while recording his latest album 'Mendó’ during the pandemic. Alex, like many musicians, was forced to change plans and ended up working on the album at his house, while collaborating with other guest musicians remotely. We also talk about how he wanted the cover to reflect his African heritage. Brianna McCarthy, an artist from Trinidad and Tobago, illustrated the cover and Alex talks in depth about its meaning and importance.

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Editor's note: Basic Folk is pleased to introduce our listeners to one of our favorite podcasts by sharing an episode in our feed! Get Up in the Cool is a sweet old-time/bluegrass podcast hosted by Cameron DeWhitt. What's amazing about this podcast is that Cameron has taken "the hang" at the jam and turned it into a podcast. The Jam happens *very* frequently in the old-time, bluegrass, celtic, roots, etc. worlds in the form of informal performances of music among friends and strangers. It's the best place to hear and learn traditional songs, spend time around the campfire and just be with friendly faces connecting in the way that only performing music together can do. I've really loved listened to Cameron's candor with their guests as well as learning about the amazing music that everyone is sharing. Whether you love the jam, love the hang or love 'em both, hope you enjoy Get Up in the Cool! Listen > Subscribe > Support!

Get Up in the Cool: Old Time Music with Cameron DeWhitt and Friends is a weekly interview and jam podcast hosted by banjoist Cameron DeWhitt. Each episode features conversations and musical collaborations with today’s most influential traditional musicians, like Jake Blount, Tatiana Hargreaves, Nic Gareiss, Laurel Premo, and Adam Hurt.

As an interviewer, Cameron balances an effusive curiosity for the potential of traditional music with a dogged respect for its origins. Serving as audience surrogate, they ask illuminating questions to Old Time's best and brightest while telling the larger story of the tradition's modern era. And with over 250 episodes released and no signs of slowing, Get Up in the Cool is one of the largest available archives of new recorded Old Time music.

In this episode of Get Up in the Cool, Adam Hurt returns to play selections from his 2020 release Back to the Earth, the "sequel" to his all gourd banjo album Earth Tones. In between tunes, Adam and Cameron talk about Adam's unique approach to melody with the clawhammer technique, the challenge of arranging for string band around a gourd banjo, and the tension of individual expression and tradition.

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If you're looking for recommendations for desserts, might I suggest asking folk music and comedy savant Steve Poltz? This man loves gluten and carb-heavy deserts. He also loves collaborations, camaraderie, creativity and using humor in music. It all began for Poltz, or Poltzy as his friends call him, in his birthplace of Halifax Nova Scotia, making him an official Canadian. He spent his formative years in Palm Springs and Los Angeles where, due to his stutter, allergies and asthma, he learned to talk fast to get himself out of trouble. His sense of humor was cultivated in part by his funny parents as well as radio and television. He was particularly taken with The Smothers Brothers, Laugh-In and the novelty songs he heard on Dr. Demento's radio program, which solidified his own aspirations for being silly as hell in his own writing. Along the way, he picked up the guitar at six years old and it's been by his side ever since.

After he moved to San Diego to attend college in the 80s, he formed the cow-punk band The Rugburns with Robert Driscoll. The band, who Steve has described as "really slow speed metal," developed a cult following across the US in the early 90s. It was at that time, Poltz met Jewel, who was a struggling musician in the San Diego scene. The two dated (they remain friends to this day) and ended up co-writing one of the biggest songs of the 90s with "You Were Meant for Me." After a brush with a major label (thanks to all the Jewel stuff), he remained an independent artist who developed a reputation for a singular live performance experience. In 2014, he actually had a stroke on-stage, which temporarily caused him to lose his vision, the ability to read and also gave him a new outlook on life. Also: post-stroke, he found a late-in-life obsession with The Grateful Dead. In 2016, he and his wife, Sharon, moved to Nashville, where he discovered that he actually does like the Nashville co-writing thing. He's written songs with people like Molly Tuttle and Billy Strings. His friend Oliver Wood (The Wood Brothers) produced his most recent record, Stardust and Satellites. Here's to Steve Poltz!

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Suz Slezak is one-half of the extremely talented and thoughtful band David Wax Museum. Suz, along with her husband David, has been touring and performing their Mexican-inspired, Americana folk act since 2009. Along the way, the two got married, had a couple of kids, and settled pretty finely into the pandemic with bi-weekly and then weekly live streams. All the while, Suz has been living with her bipolar disorder, which has impacted her life in incredibly unbelievable ways. She's also been pretty vocal, especially lately, about how she interacted with her brain health, mental health, and treatment for both of those elements, which includes her intense journey with medications. Her Instagram is filled with brutally honest posts about the difficulty of finding meds that continuously help her stabilize her brain.

On her new album, Our Wings May Be Featherless, Suz is addressing her life from the perspective of a person who is bi-polar, a mother, a touring musician, and a creative person. She digs into the power of acceptance, traumatic birth, and grief. In our conversation, we talk about what a special musician she is and how she's been able to cultivate and keep a childlike wonder alive through her playing. This conversation is heavily rooted in Suz's journey with her bipolar disorder and you'll learn a lot about her experience as she is very open. She addresses the choice to share her experiences publicly and how the sharing impacts her. About the album she says: “I hope you will also hear the way that a song, or any piece of art, can transform haunting pain into sounds and rhythm, allowing it to finally diffuse. I have needed to make this record for a long time. The relief I feel that it is finally emerging into this physical realm for you to enjoy is immense.” SUZ!

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Oh how I've longed to talk to Liv Greene. Every once in a while you come across a young artist that seems older and wiser than her 26 years. Liv's been giving me that impression since I met her in 2019 when she was at Club Passim waiting tables and breaking hearts on the stage at just 21 years. Ok enough about being young. Liv's been writing, studying music and going to music camps since she was 12. Arguably she's been studying music all her life with her Americana loving parents who were filling the house with the sounds of Patty Griffin, Emmylou Harris and Shawn Colvin, to name a few women In music in heavy rotation at the Greene house. Being the only of her friends that liked that kind of music, Liv attended many DC-area concerts with her mom, taking in the magic of live music at a very tender age. Speaking of tenderness, that's what Liv Greene is all about and she digs into it in our conversation. She started writing and playing shortly after she was inspired by a Taylor Swift concert. From there, she took off on the instrument and even sought out music education in camps like Miles of Music in New Hampshire. It was at that camp as well as the arts academy Interlochen High School, where she started meeting peers with similar interests. She found herself living for summers with her music camp friends. Prior to her senior year at Interlochen, Liv was a closeted queer at her all girls Catholic school mostly writing fictionalized stories into her songs because she could not deal with who she was.

She attended and graduated from The New England Conservatory of Music and released her debut album (produced by Isa Burke) right in time for the pandemic in May of 2020. Shortly after that, she moved to Nashville and has spent the last several years on an intense path of self-discovery. Liv found her community, came out, wrote and self-produced her new album, Deep Feeler. On this album, you can hear the growth she's experienced and you can hear Liv thriving in her corner of the Nashville Music scene that includes the indie folk music scene. We talk about all of this including what it means to have a neurodivergent brain, music production, the roller skating community and her favorite Taurus personality traits.

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Basic Folk is Live at Club Passim! Alisa Amador grew up in Cambridge, MA surrounded by the influence of her parents' Latin group Sol y Canto. She has managed to cultivate a warm sound that walks the line of folk, jazz, blues, soul and Latin. One thing so apparent about these laid back, warm songs is their similarities to the human that's writing and performing them.

 

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Laura Cortese is on her way to legendary status in the fiddle community. Born in San Francisco, she has has worked for years honing her sound: bringing together traditions learned at fiddle camp, a love of songwriting and experimental lush indie soundscapes. She has performed under Laura Cortese and the Dance Cards for the past two albums and with her new release Biter Better, the imagined LC + The DCs sound has been achieved.

In our conversation, Laura takes us back to growing up with divorced parents, discovering a love of creating music through community, melding all her musical interests, her iconic self-drive that has achieved so much and FASHION. Obviously.  Also life after trauma and living in Belgium with her musician partner while expecting their first baby.

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Multi-talented musician and producer Josh Kaufman is known for his work with Josh Ritter, The National, and his band Bonny Light Horseman. I've known Josh for many years, after meeting him in Pittsburgh while he was on tour with Dawn Landes. I felt instant friendship with him (and honestly with the entire Dawn Landes band that day). We haven't seen each other very much over the last 15 years, but since he left that impression on me I've always rooted for him in his career.

In our Basic Folk conversation, Josh shares anecdotes from his childhood, including memories of his journalist mother interviewing legendary musicians and the backstage snacks that left a lasting impression. He reflects on his early musical influences, the role of music in his family, and how his parents supported his passion for music from a young age. Then we dive into Josh's experiences playing in bands in New York City during his high school years and how those formative experiences shaped his relationship with music and the city itself.

As a producer, Josh discusses his approach to working with artists, emphasizing the importance of capturing the raw, live energy of a performance. He talks about his instrumental album, 'What Do the People in Your Head Say to Each Other,' and how embracing imperfection has become a central theme in his work. He also touches on his collaborations with notable musicians, including Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, and the impact of those experiences on his career. Josh Kaufman is the most sought out producer in roots music these days. Look out for him producing some great records in 2025 and beyond.

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Long before the world fell in love with the music of Iron & Wine, and even before he knew that he wanted a career in music, Sam Beam knew that he loved making things. His parents, who didn’t necessarily understand their artsy kid but wanted to support him, kept Sam well-supplied in drawing paper and art supplies so that his imagination could run free. Sam knew that he was different from other kids but that didn’t bother him. In his early days of making music, Sam obsessively honed his skills as a producer so that he could present the most polished songs possible. It wasn’t until later that he realized that live performance was just as important a part of his craft. Following his own curiosity has enabled Sam to remain intellectually energized throughout two decades of touring and releasing music.

One thing you might not know about Iron & Wine is that he has worked with the same manager for his entire career. When he met Howard Greynolds, Sam’s music career was just beginning to take off. Howard quickly proved that he cared more about the music than about getting money and credit. Their relationship has deepened and evolved over the years as Iron & Wine has become one of the most beloved singer-songwriters in folk music, and the music industry has reinvented itself in the age of streaming. 

Iron & Wine is notoriously private and mysterious, but that might be about to change with the release of ‘Who Can See Forever,’ a meditative documentary. The project started as a concert film but the director, Josh Sliffe, was able to convince Sam to sit for a series of interviews reflecting on his life, his work, parenthood, creativity, craft, and legacy. Those conversations find Sam looking back but mostly looking forward with curiosity and acceptance. 

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Montreal's Leif Vollebekk emotional delivery creates a world of color in my mind. It's not surprising that he has Synesthesia, a perceptual condition in which the stimulation of one sense triggers an automatic, involuntary experience in another sense. Leif sees colors when he hears music, therefore, his music invokes colorful emotion. Raised in Ottawa, he inherited a few instruments from family members and started playing. After graduating from college, Leif spent time absorbing the landscape and culture of Iceland. Upon returning to Canada, he moved to Montreal, where he lives now.

We touch on all sorts of topics in our conversation. He really opened up about his Synesthesia. It was interesting to hear about how he discovered he had it and how he relates to other musicians who have it. He said he can tell right away if another musician has the condition. I'll definitely be keeping an ear out myself now that he's clued us in on certain distinctions. Enjoy!

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Coincidentally, long-time friends Aoife O'Donovan and Dawn Landes both have new albums with strong feminist themes, so I (Cindy) wanted to interview them together and talk about WOMEN. Aoife's album, All My Friends, is specifically centered around Carrie Chapman Catt, a prominent leader in the Suffragist Movement, and her work in the fight for the 19th Amendment. Inspired by speeches and letters, one song, War Measure, is even based on a letter of support from Woodrow Wilson to Chapman Catt. This album also marks the biggest project Aoife worked on with her husband Eric Jacobsen, who conducts the Orlando Philharmonic and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. It's also the first record she's released since becoming a mother. Of her Daughters song she says she sings "as a modern woman, not wanting to leave the fight to the daughters of our daughters."

Dawn Landes, also a mother, has a more broad focus with her new album The Liberated Woman's Songbook. The album features songs from the 1971 songbook of the same title to inspire second wave feminists' women's liberation movement and modern feminism of the 1970's. The songs on Dawn's album span from 1830 (Hard is the Fortune of All Womankind) to 1970 (There Was a Young Woman Who Swallowed a Lie as well as Liberation, Now!) showcasing how women of the past expressed political activism in the struggle for gender equality.

Both Aoife and Dawn released their albums during Women's History Month, which leads to a discussion of what that means to each of them. We also talk about what is on their protest signs at the march, the Taylor Swift movie, gender stereotypes and, of course, all the waves of feminism. When thinking about the 19th amendment, we acknowledge that this only allowed WHITE women to vote. That leads to talk of how suffragists and feminist protest songwriters, like Meredith Tax, contributed to and gleaned inspiration from the civil rights movement. Aoife and Dawn are legends! We start with what their internal dialogue was like at first when undertaking these ambitious and important projects and end with Aoife putting Barbie on blast. All and all, this one's a winner. 

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Folk music singer Ana Egge's 13th album Sharing in the Spirit came out of the musician one song at a time. She didn't even think about moving onto a new song before the writing and production of each song was complete. Working with her friend and collaborator Lorenzo Wolff, the songwriting process and music production plan was to just work on a handful of songs. Their creative collaboration manifested an entire record's worth of indie folk, acoustic music and new folk music. The record includes eight originals and two covers: one by the Biloxi songwriter Ted Hawkins and one by Irish musician Sinead O'Connor.

Ana gives a huge songwriting credit to her dreams, which started getting more and more intense when she began her sobriety journey four years ago. Since then, she's recorded her dreams, especially those with music segments and full songs, on her voice memos app. We go through the new album track by track, addressing themes in the songs like not sleeping through the revolution, the importance of telling the truth, feelings on mortality and how are we gonna feel when Bob Dylan dies. Also: Ana was the VERY first guest on Basic Folk! I can't go back and listen to myself four years ago, but I encourage you to check it out and then dive into her great new album.

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Mark Kilianski (of Golden Shoals) had the unfortunate experience of coming of age in a time where mainstream rock was just terrible (late 90's - specifically 1999 was pretty bad). He was really getting into bands like Korn and Limp Bizket, and his first guitar was a BC Rich Warlock (a heavy metal style guitar). Lucky for him, he had a cool guitar teacher that introduced him to bands like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Around high school, he started getting into jazz pretty seriously. He ended up going to school for jazz at Berklee College of Music in Boston. All the while, he was harboring a secret love of roots music which began after watching "Oh Brother Where Art Thou." He started venturing out into the trad and folk scene in Boston and through that met Amy Alvey at school. The two were at the same starting point in their experiment with roots music. Both eventually decided that their academic musical paths of jazz for Mark and classical for Amy were actually not what they wanted to pursue professionally.

They formed their band in Boston and moved down to Asheville. The pair spent the majority of their time on the road. Actually, their first experience touring was a two-week walking tour in Massachusetts. Eventually, Amy and Mark settled on the band name Golden Shoals. They released their latest album, a self-titled record, in 2020 with, of course, big plans to be on the road playing live. The pandemic up-ended their touring with Amy in California for a bit and Mark in New Jersey. We talk about all that as well as toxic masculinity, the legacy of Black musicians in country and bluegrass and allyship.

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Singer/Songwriter and guitarist Abraham Alexander has an incredible life story: born in Greece to Nigerian parents, he immigrated to the US when he was 11. Months after that move, his mother died, putting Abraham into foster care until he was adopted at age 16. He was extremely athletic when he was young and found community through sports and encouragement from his parents, who actually had an intervention with him in order to convince him to pursue music.

Our conversation encompasses the story of his life as well as his connection to Leon Bridges and Gary Clark, Jr. Abraham also is so generous to answer some questions about his experience as a black man. We talk about his younger self not fitting in with an all white class in Greece and being adopted by white parents. We also got into the topic of being an athlete and how his football coach would not let him quit (this was after he realized he meant to sign up for soccer as a young European kid in Texas). This led to one of the most important mentors and experiences of his young life. I am very grateful that he was willing to have these conversations!

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We're starting with the end in our conversation with Kasey Anderson. On the pod, we've covered a lot of firsts; debut album, origin stories and the beginnings. Ever since I (lizzie) have known Kasey, his social media bio has been "gradually retiring songwriter." I'm always teasing him about "What does that mean? When are you going to retire?" Officially, this latest album, 'To the Places We Lived,' is Kasey's "last album." I want to put that in very heavy quotes because I hate to imagine a world where a great songwriter friend of mine is not making records. I think his insistence on this album as the last one has more to do with saying goodbye to parts of the music industry that he wants to release and ways of being in the world that he doesn't want to engage with anymore. What do we need to let go of? What do we need to release? That's the place where this album begins.

We talk about Kasey's whole songwriting career. The moment where he went surprise viral for one of his political songs, "The Dangerous Ones." We talk about his time being incarcerated and what that taught him about himself, what it taught him about the world, what it taught him about white supremacy. We talk about his family. We talk about his sobriety and his work in helping others get clean and stay clean, and what staying clean means in a holistic and gentle sense. The songs on this album are mournful, literate, and very, very fun. My favorite is "Back to Nashville;" it's a rock and blues song. Kasey is the type of artist who can write a really contemplative song about self reflection or grief or loss, and then a blues rocker that makes you want to shake your ass in the next second.

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I am feeling #blessed and #grateful to be sharing today’s interview with our listeners. Brian Dunne is one of my dearest pals in the music biz, not to mention one of my favorite songwriters working today. Brian’s songs are always clever and sincere, dark and fun, honest and imaginative. He’s got a way with words, a killer voice, and big time rock star vibes. These are a few of the reasons why “Loser On The Ropes,” Dunne’s Kill Rock Stars debut, is earning this indie rocker critical acclaim and a ton of new fans.

Brian is a New York-born artist who knew he wanted to be a musician from the first moment he saw Bruce Springsteen on television. After graduating from Berklee College of Music, Brian started making records and figuring out his sound. He’s become a stalwart in the New York music scene both with his own music and as a member of the super-silly supergroup Fantastic Cat [shoutout to bandmate and Basic Folk alum Anthony D’Amato!].

In 2022, Brian got word that a live recording of his song “New Tattoo,” which had been recorded during a 2018 soundcheck, was climbing the charts in the Netherlands. His unexpected European star turn has not gone to this working artist’s head one bit; in fact he has delved even deeper into themes of failure and humility in his recent songs. But what keeps people coming back to Brian’s music is his hopeful spirit in spite of all the darkness.

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I had a lot to talk about with Leyla McCalla! The New Orleans resident has already had an impressive career with her solo work, Carolina Chocolate Drops and Our Native Daughters. However, it seems like she's just getting started. I literally had 9 pages of questions for her as we sat in my Airbnb during Folk Alliance (you can hear about 4 trolleys rolling by the windows). Leyla is smart, well spoken and so easy to get along with.

This interview felt like a barnburner (if you can label interviews like that). We covered her activist roots growing up with three very politically active adults in her life (mother, father and grandfather). She talked about her connection to Haiti and spending a summer there with her grandmother. She is known for her incredible cello playing and it's so crazy to hear that she started her cello journey by mistaking it for another instrument when she was a child. She talked about her feelings of being a black Haitian- American playing old time music that has deep roots in black America, even though it is seen as being a white genre. She talks about how The Carolina Chocolate Drops opened up that world to her: through music and conversation with her bandmates. We talked about Our Native Daughters, her band with Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah and Allison Russell. All this and more! This was an awesome interview! I hope you enjoy.

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Songwriter, author and podcaster Ben Arthur did not know what he was in for on Basic Folk, but neither did I. Most times there is a plan when I approach an interview, however, every once in awhile the plan gets thrown out and we really dig into it. "I didn't expect all the psychological profiling that we're doing... but I'm into it" Ben says after a couple of minutes into the interview.

 

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When Tré Burt was signed to John Prine’s Oh Boy Records in 2019, he was one of only two artists—including label-mate Kelsey Waldon, to join the label in the past 15 years. The Sacramento-born singer/songwriter had released his debut album independently, catching the attention of Prine’s son Jody Whelan, who sent Tré a message on social media. Sadly, the message, which landed in one of those secret inboxes no one knows about, remained unread for a long time. When Tré finally found it and responded, it began a relationship with the label and allowed him into John Prine’s orbit. He only met the man once after John came backstage at one of his shows. The kindness and opportunity Prine imparted on Tré cannot be understated by the young musician. We talked about John’s impact and how he helped shape and reinforce Tré’s writing.

thanks to a school project. Formerly a fast picking guitarist (much like the busy and flowing style of The Tallest Man on Earth), his playing slowed down when his writing got more intense as that helped in getting people's attention. We also discuss the range in his comfortability when it comes to speaking about the Black experience in folk music. This stemmed from his appearance on Adia Victoria's excellent podcast Call and Response, which is a must listen. It’s an important moment where two Black people who create music in a white space talk about what that entails in finite detail.

Tré is easy to talk to and we cover a lot: from his grandfather’s impact to an operator at T-Mobile recognizing his name from his music. One thing we didn’t mention, but I mentioned her in the Lightning Round is his pet bearded dragon, Yara. I thought he had a pic of her online, but I couldn’t find it. I swear she exists. Okay enjoy Tré!

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Jenna Nicholls was the imaginative kid who was friends with trees and believed furniture was alive. Raised in Western Pennsylvania, she was raised on jazz, classical and Irish music. Her music is reflective of the golden age of radio and The Great Depression. Her lyrics put people in a place visually and she encompasses a couple different tones including a delightful lighthearted falsetto. Now a resident of New York City, she considers her music an oasis from the political landscape.

 

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Bob Hillman had a real thing going on in the early 2000's. He had made waves in New York City rubbing shoulders with some of the finest songwriters of the era at places like the open mic, Fast Folk and The Living Room, the singer-songwriter was creatively fulfilled, but not gaining the momentum in order to experience strategic growth in folk music. After opening for a long list of dates for Suzanne Vega, Hillman decided it was time to step away and get back to business.... school that is. He got his MBA in Marketing and went on to hold a decent paying job for the next decade and a half, raising his family in the Bay Area.

After a layoff, Bob thought it was time to dig in again and started writing, recording and performing. Since 2016, he's released a couple of albums and an EP (Extended Play) or two. The most recent is the mostly acoustic Downtown in the Rain. In our conversation, we talk about what it's like to reignite his creative entrepreneurial musical spirit, how he used that energy in his corporate jobs and also hoping to one day meet his singing partner on the EP, Maria Taylor. 

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Kristian Matson grew up in the Swedish countryside and came to be The Tallest Man on Earth in the country's diverse and low-key music scene. He often speaks of his weird little brain and a wild imagination, which actually stems from a heap of anxiety that he lives with everyday. Growing up, he struggled to tamp down his high-energy, especially in a culture that encouraged everyone to not stand out or draw attention to themselves. When he discovered the guitar, it felt like he found a vessel to harness all his energy, creativity and imagination. As a teenager, he found solace in the music of Bob Dylan, which led him to discovering other American folk artists like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. His world opened up when he found guitarists that used open tunings like Skip James and Nick Drake.

His new album Henry St., was written and created in the aftermath of the pandemic. Kristian struggled with writing in forced solitude and found himself focusing too much on darkness. His inspiration returned when he finally got back on tour, where he began writing non-stop due to being back in motion and around other people. Human connection fueled the new album, which was produced by Nick Sanborn of Sylvan Esso in North Carolina. The two musicians' similarities create a beautiful chemistry on the new record, which is the first complete band album recorded by Tallest Man on Earth.

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Basic Folk is live at Club Passim in Cambridge with Americana songwriter Dinty Child. Member of Session Americana, Dinty is releasing his debut solo album after being a part of the Boston folk and roots community for about three decades. His record, Lucky Ones, will be out on January 17, with a release show January 16 at Oberon in Harvard Sq, Cambridge. In our conversation, we talk about growing up with loving sisters, his deep connection to Three Mile Island (not THAT one) in New Hampshire, his work with Session Americana and being able to play with musicians of all sorts of ages and stages in life.

Dinty is hilarious, humble and one of the best people I know! He's always been kind, supportive and respectful of his friends' work. This solo album is a rare moment for him to step into the spotlight, so it's exciting to be able to lend him the platform that he gives nearly everyone he meets. I'm so happy to get him on the podcast especially in this format. His live performance will draw you in and make you laugh and reflect. Everyone I know loves Dinty and after listening to this episode, you will, too.

This show is part of the American Songwriter Podcast Network. 

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Samantha Crain had a hell of a time in the summer of 2017. She had just released her album You Had Me at Goodbye earlier in the year and was ready to roll out for a busy schedule of touring the new music. By the end of the summer, she was laid up after experiencing three car accidents, where she was hit all three times. A combination of those crashes and life-long tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome led to her hands literally not working. She was not able to play guitar or tour. A major depression and a very dark time set in from being homebound and not able to play guitar or write songs. Through physical and emotional therapy, she slowly started to heal. She also took this time to document some past trauma by recording herself talking on a tape player. This led to a lot of self-reflection and shedding of old life-long anxieties. When she was well enough, she began to write songs based on what she had been documenting and processing. This resulted in her new album, A Small Death.

 

We talked about the new album as well as Samantha's very interesting life. A member of the Choctaw First Nation, she values using her native language to modernize the indigenous experience for herself and other young native people. We talk about her dad, a Southern Baptist Evangelical Preacher, who would perform music as well as feats of strength at religious tent revivals. She also shared a little about her experience as a weight lifter. Samantha Crain is one of a kind! I wish her the best in her healing journey and with the new album.

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Once singer/songwriter Danielle Knibbe earned the nickname "The Lyric Doctor" due to her intrinsic ability to channel human feelings through songs like an actual medical doctor. This woman was born to make you cry, feel and emote. Now Danielle calls Toronto home, but the musician was born and raised on in the prairies in Alberta, Canada. She knew that performing was what she wanted to pursue even as a young child. She discovered songwriting after attending the Edmonton Folk Festival at age 12, taught herself to play the guitar and started playing for anyone who would listen. Danielle also plays in a band with her husband, Connor Walsh and longtime bandmate Bryn Besse. She talks about what it's like to play with her husband - apparently they don't perform well together as a duo, which is hilarious to hear. We also talk about the concept of Ribcage songs, when you're feeling guarded and then vulnerable or heart songs. Danielle is kind, funny, empathetic and a blast to talk to! I really enjoyed our conversation and I took like a fish to water to her music. Hope you enjoy!

 

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Betsy Siggins is a folk boss in charge, and we’re beyond honored to welcome her as a guest on Basic Folk. Siggins has been an integral part of the folk music world since the late 1950’s when she and her roommate, Joan Baez, starting hanging around the Cambridge scene at Club 47. She’s work at the famous folk club until it closed in the 1960’s, where after that she worked with The Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. and also paved the way for homeless shelters catering to AIDs patients in New York City. After her tenure as Executive Director at Club Passim (formerly Club 47), Betsy worked on The New England Folk Archives that reside in Amherst, MA. Currently, Betsy is working on her memoirs that are bound to be packed with priceless stories about folk legends like Baez, Bob Dylan, Jim Kweskin, James Taylor and many more.

We hear some of these fascinating stories from Siggins during the conversation. We also get a glimpse into where Betsy came from in her roots with her family life, that did include some classical music influence as well as a love for early country radio. I honestly could have talked to her for days. Hope you enjoy!

This show is part of the American Songwriter Podcast Network. 

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Cinder Well, who is California-born Amelia Baker, makes spooky folk songs in the Irish music tradition. Amelia grew up in Santa Cruz, California in a non-religious Jewish family. Her parents always had music on the stereo: Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and The Grateful Dead. Music was always on in the house. From a young age she was drawn to the vibe and the strange stillness of abandoned houses, which somehow has translated into her music. In high school, she discovered the joy of writing and recording music. She found that writing put her in touch with the humanness of her favorite musicians.

Amelia earned her masters in Irish Traditional Music Performance at the University of Limerick. While in school, she would visit the nearby town of Ennis, first being attracted to the fiddle tunes. She talks about what it was like to be able to play fiddle with the local musicians and how their practice of listening to each other changed her own musicality.

Her latest album, the much lauded No Summer, was recorded in a church north of Seattle. Among original songs, there are few traditional tunes on the record. She says: “I gravitate towards ballads from a strong female perspective, usually about critiquing men and marriage, and about the struggle and desperation of being a woman in older times.” Makes total sense

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This preview of Backstage (Basic Folk's bonus episodes) features Willi Carlisle (who was on BF episode 171 this past week), talking about learning the traditional song "The Riddle Song (I Gave My Love a Cherry)". Check out the full episode and a performance from Willi, by contributing to Basic Folk. Links below!

Hear Field Music with Willi in it's entirety: http://basicfolk.com/Backstage

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Kaiti Jones' vibe is truly chill with that special something that you experience in a real artist. She's got that thing that should propel her to great heights: her music is spot-on and as a human being, it feels like you're in the presence of some kind of greatness. Am I exaggerating? I don't know, but this woman is wicked cool. Her backstory starts in Portland, Maine with her hippie Christian parents, who met at a commune in the 60's. Kaiti learned violin using the suzuki method, which is based in learning by ear. After violin came training in piano, viola, french horn, cello and drums. She discovered songwriting when her mom read her diary and she found it a way to simultaneously express and deflect her feelings. Then she finally picked up the guitar in the church band and realized this would be the vessel for her songwriting. Kaiti moved to Cambridge, ten years ago, to do service work as an AmeriCorps volunteer and has found much inspiration in joy in service work similar to the feeling found creating music. The new album Tossed was finished during the pandemic. She worked remotely with her friend and producer Daniel Radin. He provided equipment and she recorded her parts at home. The electric guitar finds itself at the forefront of the album, so we have that ever-interesting conversation about electric vs acoustic. This record feels like a fully realized vision of Kaiti's sound and spirit. I'm excited for what's to come for this exciting musician and am happy to have her on the pod!

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Hot off the heels of Twisted Pines' latest release, Love Your Mind, Kathleen Parks is here to dig into her uncelebrated polka origins. Daughter of renowned trumpetist Eric Parks, the younger Parks grew up in New York's Hudson Valley in a very creative family (her mother was also a dancer and the one who made Kathleen practice all the time). She started young on the violin and was surrounded by her dad's polka music, as he was a member of The Jimmy Stir's Orchestra, which my dad – also a Polka-Head – calls "the top polka band revered by all polka bands." Parks even sat in with the band as a teen, when she would occasionally fill in for their violinist. She fully embraced her strong Irish roots not only in music, but also dance, which she calls her second love. After accepting a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston, she started meeting and jamming with bluegrass musicians in the area, especially at the Cantab Lounge, famous for its weekly bluegrass night. This is where her new band Twisted Pine scored a residency and started building a following.

On their new record, Kathleen is the de facto lead singer, which she's just fine with. She also explains the band in one phrase: "Let's see what happens." That philosophy is definitely present on the new record, which is filled with wild vocal performances and sees the band operating at its highest level. In our Basic Folk conversation, we explore the mental health themes highlighted in “Funky People,” a song about how difficult it can be to take care of yourself on the road and the relief you find in people you meet. Plus, we cover “After Midnight (Nothing Good Happens)” and finally find out what time one should go to bed at a bluegrass festival. It's always earlier than you think.

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This week we have a Basic Folk hero returning to the pod! Tre Burt is back today, going track by track through his new album, ‘Traffic Fiction.’ I am a longtime fan of Tre’s music, and this new release on Oh Boy Records is my favorite of his records so far. It combines what fans have come to love about Tre’s writing and unmistakable vocal performances with a new infusion of soul and Motown-inspired styles. The soulful grooves of ‘Traffic Fiction’ are souvenirs of Tre’s close relationship with his grandfather, who recently passed away. Tre recalls listening to his pops’ favorite records and invites us into his family’s musical lineage.

The heart of the album are field recordings that Tre made of his grandfather while he was still alive. Just two people, talking about music, talking about life, encouraging one another. The simple moments that mean the most when somebody is gone. And they give us insight into one of the greatest triumphs of ‘Traffic Fiction,’ which is the transformation of melancholy into dancing. You can’t help but move your body when you hear this music, even as Tre deals with profound loss. He reminds us that being an Important Artist is not incompatible with having fun. And isn’t that what great Black artists do? Tell you the story of a tragedy in a way that somehow makes you feel joyful?

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