Basic Folk 101 – Cinder Well

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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 when you hear the music.

Cinder Well official video for “No Summer”

Latest album: No Summer