podcast
Rachel McCartney’s Return to Music, Being a Horse Girl, & Accidentally Snubbing David Gray
For 17 years, Rachel McCartney had set aside a music career and all the anxiety and uncertainty that came along with it. She was in her mid-30s and wanted a family and some stability. Once she started a new life as an ICU nurse and mother to two young children, her musical career and the…
Read MoreKeb’ Mo’ Defines the Blues as Honesty Music
We are so honored to welcome Keb’ Mo’ (aka Kevin Moore) on the show for our 350th episode! After many decades of incredible music, his new solo acoustic album, The Breakdown, was written and recorded at his home studio near Nashville following open-heart surgery and personal life changes. He’s also recently released his second collaborative…
Read MoreHrishikesh Hirway: From Monikers to Podcasts to Music Under His Own Name
If you have been paying attention to music circles for the past 25+ years, you will be familiar with Hrishikesh Hirway. He formerly released music under the moniker The One AM Radio and has also produced and hosted THE premiere music podcast of the 21st century (the only century with podcasts so far, so clearly…
Read MoreMayaFest: Oliver Wood, Ana Egge, John Craigie, Kristin Andreassen, & Caitlin Canty on Maya de Vitry’s New Album
Lancaster, Pennsylvania-born, Nashville-based songwriter Maya de Vitry has been on Basic Folk a half dozen times (she’s only second to our fave man-bestie Mark Erelli), because we are so obsessed with her songwriting perspective, from her time in the Stray Birds to her solo work. Every time she’s on the show, we try and do…
Read MoreLizzie No & Kimaya Diggs Celebrate America’s Outlaws
Lizzie No, Kaïa Kater, Nathan Evans Fox, Olivia Ellen Lloyd, Tray Wellington, A.J. Haynes, and more are featured on the new compilation album ‘Outlaws’ Almanac,’ a response to the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. Led by executive producer Lizzie No, the project features a diverse range of songwriters and storytellers working in…
Read MoreAlela Diane: Gold in France, That 1990s/1890s Life, and Michael Hurley
Back in the mid 2000s Alela Diane’s ‘Gospel Pirate’ album was ringing my bell and, apparently, it was ringing a lot of other people’s bells, too – especially Europeans. Her debut album, it went gold in France and she’s been able to maintain a pretty decent audience and career across the Atlantic ever since. Meanwhile,…
Read MoreClub Passim’s Matt Smith on 30 Years of Building Community
Matt Smith is a living legend with his unbelievable 30-year run at Club Passim, the historic folk venue nestled in a Harvard Square basement. Currently Managing Director at Passim, Matt is the most passionate music lover I know. He has used his platform at Passim to help establish artists like Lori McKenna, Anaïs Mitchell, Lake…
Read MoreFolk State of the Union: Rissi Palmer, Rose Cousins, Kaïa Kater & Jobi Riccio Live on Cayamo
Well, is this not an excuse to get the girlies together if we’ve ever heard one!? For our final live interview aboard Cayamo, we arranged a check-in with some of our favorite folks to talk about the state of Folk Music (and folk-adjacent music). Our panel included country artist and host of Apple Music’s Color…
Read MoreAbraham Alexander & Kashus Culpepper: Handsome Club Convenes at Sea
We are live at sea aboard Cayamo 2026 with Abraham Alexander & Kashus Culpepper! The pair had not met prior, but we found a couple of very cool parallels between them, so we decided to interview them together. Plus, we knew it would be more fun to have them both up on stage in front…
Read MoreDawes Welcomes Inner Critic, Says “No, Thank You” To The Comment Section
We are so excited to kick off our Interviews at Sea series with DAWES! We had the chance to talk to brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith aboard Cayamo: A Journey Through Song during their 18th voyage in March 2026 in front of a packed audience. The guys have been performing as Dawes since 2009, but…
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