podcast
Basic Folk 211 David Wax Museum
David Wax Museum’s latest album, You Must Change Your Life, is the duo’s magnum-opus. According to Wax it’s ”THE record…. the one you dream about when you first fall in love with music.“ David also recently suffered a near-death experience that has totally rocked him and Suz Slezak, his wife and bandmate. We ask both…
Read MoreBasic Folk 210 – Alice Howe & Freebo
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…
Read MoreBasic Folk 209 – The Tallest Man on Earth
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…
Read MoreBasic Folk 208 – William Prince
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…
Read MoreBasic Folk 207 – Kimaya Diggs
Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, librettist, teacher, and dog lady Kimaya Diggs grew up surrounded by music. In her family music was a tool for connection. Kimaya’s 2018 debut album, ‘Breastfed,’ puts together the story of her upbringing through dreamy soul-folk jams. Even though she had been a musician all her life, she experienced a steep learning curve…
Read MoreBasic Folk 206 – Brett Dennen
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,…
Read MoreBasic Folk 205 – Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek
Nickel Creek, the bluegrass trio who’s been in existence for almost 35 years, returns with their first original release in nine years. It’s brainy, it’s theatrical, its twists and turns are not predictable from its authors, who have entered mid-life. To that point, there is lots of middle on this album. The middle’s not the…
Read MoreBasic Folk 204 – Adeem the Artist
Adeem the Artist has gained a slew of new fans in the past year with their new album, ‘White Trash Revelry,’ but they are anything but an overnight success. Their journey to singer-songwriter acclaim began in middle school, when they moved from the Carolinas to New York State. Finding themself a southerner in the north,…
Read MoreBasic Folk 203: Lyrics vs Melody
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), musician and Basic Folk guest host lizzie no, and yours truly, Cindy Howes, boss of…
Read MoreBasic Folk 202 – Sam Phillips
Sam Phillips was born to a family that loved doling out nicknames. She was called “Sam” growing up in a house that was filled with readers. She nurtured her love of philosophy and spirituality by exploring different religions and devouring works by authors like C.S. Lewis and Thomas Merton. Early in her career, she found…
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