podcast

Powered by RedCircle 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.…

In the “Field Music” series on Basic Folk, we talk to musicians about a particular song they have learned through aural tradition; through family, a teacher, friends or a perfect stranger. We get the story of the performer, who they learned the song from and the story behind  the traditional or public domain tune. This…

Powered by RedCircle Emily Mure is a real life New York native! She is a life-long oboist, who had big plans for a career in classical music. That all changed when she discovered the guitar, thanks to the encouragement of her grandfather. Emily excelled at songwriting and quickly dove into this brave new world. After…

Recently, Chris “Critter” Eldridge won instrumentalist of the year at The Americana awards in Nashville. 2019 is proving to be a banner year for Critter, as his band The Punch Brothers won the Grammy for folk album of the year for their album All Ashore.  This week Critter talks about a mysterious tune that he…

Powered by RedCircle Wallis Bird is a joyful musician who is an incredibly emotionally exciting live performer and songwriter. Originally from Ireland, Wallis suffered a major hand injury as a child that left her fingers permanently marred on one hand. She was able to work around that and become a stellar guitarist. One of seven…

Powered by RedCircle Molly Sarle of Mountain Man has been working on her solo record for a little while and it’s finally out! The beautiful Karaoke Angel is the Santa Cruz, CA’s native debut album. During our conversation on Basic Folk, Molly talks about her family and where music was in her life growing up.…

Powered by RedCircle Joe Troop, frontman for the Buenos Aires “Latin-Grass” group Che Apalache, has loved bluegrass since he was 15. He kind of discovered that fact almost at the same time he discovered his attraction to men. As a North Carolina native, Troop is a proud out gay man in a world that doesn’t…

Powered by RedCircle Amanda Shires, Texas born, Nashville based, sideplayer turned songwriter, turned force of nature in Americana, folk and alt-country world. Her partnership with Jason Isbell is legendary. Her most current project, The Highwomen, is well on it’s way to legendary status. Starting her career at 15 with the Texas Playboys, Shires found herself…

Powered by RedCircle David Huckfelt, founding member of the Minneapolis folk band, The Pines, emanates poetry in everything he does. From his solo work to his outlook on life, Huckfelt is living artwork. It was a real pleasure to speak with him about his Iowa upbringing, his connection to indigenous people and his two week…

Powered by RedCircle Scottish-American songwriter Johnathan Rice might have first landed on your radar through his duo Jenny & Johnny with his former partner Jenny Lewis. Rice’s story starts in Virginia and Scotland where he spent time going back and forth for his dad’s work. Each place having its own effect on his young musicianship.…