Club Passim’s Matt Smith on 30 Years of Building Community

May 28, 2026

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 Street Dive, and so many more. I met Matt while working as a student at WERS 88.9FM, where he brought fantastic shows to a listening…

Mary Chapin Carpenter is the Woman in the Truck

January 8, 2026

Mary Chapin Carpenter’s latest album, Personal History, is as lush in production and color as is the beautiful farm land…

2025 Wrap-Up: Gals Chat, A Corn Cob, Alaska, and One Man

December 18, 2025

To send 2025 off into the great abyss, we have a sensational year-end Basic Folk roundtable featuring Lizzie’s group chat:…

Madison Cunningham is Embarrassed All the Time

December 4, 2025

Our episode with Madison Cunningham was one of those all-time Basic Folk moments where a guest gets really deep really…

Frazey Ford Revisits the Subtle Grooves of ‘Indian Ocean’

November 13, 2025

Frazey Ford has always loved soul music. She fell in love with Otis Redding at age 11 and discovered people…

The Barr Brothers Rally Around Mysticism

October 30, 2025

In the eight years since The Barr Brothers last released an album, Andrew has been drumming with people like Feist,…

David Wilcox Can Heal Your Heart in Two Minutes

October 16, 2025

Asheville-based songwriter David Wilcox has been through some s-h-i-t. A difficult childhood in Northeast Ohio sent him seeking answers –…

Kathleen Edwards: Making up for 30 Years of No Tears

October 2, 2025

Kathleen Edwards claims that she’s now a pretty frequent crier after not crying for the first 30 years of her…

Peter Rowan: The Bluegrass Buddha’s Tex-Mex Roots

September 18, 2025

Legendary Massachusetts-born, California-based musician Peter Rowan is best known for his bluegrass roots. A practicing Buddhist, he did time in…

Rissi Palmer & Miko Marks: “Buckle Bunny,” No Cringe, and My Black Country

September 4, 2025

This time on Basic Folk, we are checking in with country singer-songwriter and Color Me Country radio host Rissi Palmer…

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