(Editor’s Note: Welcome to our Reissue series! For the next several weeks, Basic Folk is digging back into the archives and reposting some of our favorite episodes alongside new introductions commenting on what it’s like to listen back. Enjoy!) This episode featuring Cindy Howes interviewing John Hiatt originally posted on August 5, 2021. In 2021, John Hiatt released ‘Leftover Feelings’ (which is still his latest album, by the way), a collab with bluegrass great Jerry Douglas as producer and his…
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Soundcheck Stories and Life Lessons: Chris Smither and Peter Mulvey
Chris Smither has been Peter Mulvey‘s mentor since back in 1993, when the young Mulvey opened for the already seasoned…
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Steve Poltz Wants to Listen to The Grateful Dead, Watch Laugh-In and Write a Song Together
If you’re looking for recommendations for desserts, might I suggest asking folk music and comedy savant Steve Poltz? This man…
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Archiving the Heart: Greg Brown on Music, Family, and Throwing Out Old Notebooks
Iowa folk music icon Greg Brown is living that retired life. After playing his farewell retirement concert in 2023, he’s…
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The Reckoning of Montreal Banjo-Witch Kaïa Kater
After banjo player Kaïa Kater attended Americana Fest in 2016, the music industry started telling her she was a part…
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Guster is a Place
Frontman Ryan Miller joins us to talk about all things Guster. From their tried and true collaborative writing process to…
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Finding Freedom in a Flip Phone: John Moreland’s Quest for a Simple Life
I hate surprises. However, Oklahoma’s pride and joy John Moreland surprised us with his latest album Visitor and I guess…
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Claps, Covers, and C’MONs: Inside Barnstar!’s Musical Mischief
Barnstar!, Boston’s premiere kinda bluegrass and definitely bombastic band, has released their new album Furious Kindness and we’re #blessed to…
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Fran & Flora Are Reimagining Traditional Yiddish Folk Music
Two long-time collaborators, cellist Francesa Ter-Berg and violinist Flora Curazon, Fran & Flora, have bonded over their obsession with ancient…
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Relevant, Radical & ROTFL: Billy Bragg, Folk Music’s Political Poet
Billy Bragg joins lizzie and Cindy on-board Cayamo to talk about songwriting, social justice, punk rock and, of course, The…
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