Basic Folk

Podcaster, #1 hit songwriter, human and dog mother, gay icon Jenny Owen Youngs returns with her first full length album since 2012! In the last decade plus, Jenny has experienced a wild ride of changes like divorce, extreme grief, moving across the country, remarrying, etc. Her main project while not writing, recording and tour, she hosts podcasts like the very successful Buffering The Vampire Sla...

Milwaukee singer-songwriter Buffalo Nichols returns to Basic Folk today to talk about his new album, ‘ The Fatalist ,’ out September 15 from Fat Possum Records. We picked up where Nichols’ debut album left off, traveling the world hot on the heels of the blues. Following a profound tradition can be just as frustrating as it is romantic. In his years on the road promoting his self-titled debut albu...

Sisters Leah Song & Chloe Smith grew up in Urban Atlanta, they also lived in New Orleans and outside of Asheville. The pair are deeply rooted in their Southern identity as evidenced in their band, Rising Appalachia . Although their parents are not professional musicians, music was a constant part of the family. Their parents were dedicated students of early Appalachian music. The sisters playe...

Lancaster-born, Nashville-based Nina de Vitry ‘s debut album, What You Feel is Real , shines while showcasing her passion for jazz and folk music. de Vitry’s name may sound familiar, as she comes from a musical family and is the youngest sister of folk superstar Maya de Vitry (formerly of The Stray Birds). She grew up fiddling around the campfire, while being classically trained on the violin and...

Ben Harper has a deep connection to music through his family, who own a a very special music store in the Inland Empire of California. The legacy of the store is founded on ensuring its community always has access to music. That legacy has deeply impacted the type of person Ben Harper continues to be throughout his artistic life. He’s been a musician who has given so many artists their start (very...

Canadian-born, New York based banjo person Taylor Ashton’s second solo album, Stranger to the Feeling, was recorded on a coast to coast road trip during 2021. These were the two weeks post-vaccine where we thought everything was A-OK, so Ashton and producer Jacob Blumberg set out on a recording adventure that included collaborations with friends new and old. Ashton, who’s since become a new parent...

The headline for Los Angeles-based Raye Zaragoza 's new album Hold That Spirit is that after she broke off her engagement, she used her wedding budget to fund the recording. She wrote the songs the year she turned 30 while she was thinking of the expectations placed on women in society to have everything together at a certain age: marriage, kids, career, etc. She's decided to let those exp...

It’s been ten years since Boston-area Meg Hutchinson has released an album and she did it super quietly, so no shade if you didn’t realize that your favorite middle sister is back with some seriously devastating songs. Meg grew up just outside of Great Barrington, MA where she had an idyllic childhood surrounded by woods and framed by her desire to become a folk singer. That dream was realized aft...

Basic Folk is thrilled to interview The Bluegrass Situation's July 2023 Artist of the Month : Molly Tuttle ! Quickly becoming The Bluegrass American Idol, Molly Tuttle's new album City of Gold is hot off the heels of her Grammy-award winning 2022 record Crooked Tree , which also got her a nomination in one of the coveted "Big Four" categories: Best New Artist. Aaand we know that WE...

Kara Jackson has a mind like a diamond and a voice like maple syrup. She has always been drawn to music as a medium, but you probably first heard of her as the National Youth Poet Laureate. Cutting her teeth as a performing poet gave Jackson a huge public platform as well as a sense of how form can be a foundation for expression. Now, at the ripe age of 23, Jackson has released her stunning debut...

Tim O'Brien is one of Bluegrass' beloved players, from his work with the innovative Hot Rize to his yearly appearances at The Telluride Bluegrass Festival. He's just released his first album of all original material, which is something to be said for his 50 year career. At 69 years old, it's no surprise that the theme of aging pops up on quite a few of his new songs. He opens up ab...

I am feeling #blessed and #grateful to be sharing today’s interview with our listeners. Brian Dunne is one of my dearest pals in the music biz, not to mention one of my favorite songwriters working today. Brian’s songs are always clever and sincere, dark and fun, honest and imaginative. He’s got a way with words, a killer voice, and big time rock star vibes. These are a few of the reasons why “Los...

Is mandolinist Ethan Setiawan 100 years old?! The Indiana-born Setiawan's expert playing will fool you into thinking he's four times his actual age. Thanks to a supportive family and mennonite community, Ethan came to the mandolin and folk music at an early age. His impressive proficiency and technical prowess landed him a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston. There, he w...

Urgency and patience are the two poles of New England songwriter Caitlin Canty ’s magnetism. Her music invites you to quiet moments of reflection with unhurried confidence. When I first heard her song “Get Up” in 2015 I felt like I was receiving a very important magical message. Canty’s subsequent releases have further revealed her uncanny talents for grooving at the right tempo, describing the me...

Rissi Palmer and Miko Marks have been laying the foundation for country musicians and fans who are Black for almost 20 years. Back in the early 2000's both women experienced the trials and tribulations of being Black women in country. Despite their success and large growing fanbase, both were separately discouraged by the ceilings and roadblocks they encountered from the white-dominated indust...

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), illustrious male folk singer  Willi Carlisle , musician and Basic Folk guest host  lizzie no , and yours truly,  Cindy Howes , bo...

Lately I have been fascinated by musicians who are creative not only in what they create, but also in terms of how they share it. This curiosity has made me a fan of Matt Sucich, an artist who has cultivated a passionate fanbase via his live performances, instagram livestreams, and thoughtful email newsletter. We are living in a moment of history where there is more music available than ever befor...

Fiddler  Hanneke Cassel  has been a big Celtic star for decades and comes to the pod to try and teach me the difference between Irish and Scottish music. Just kidding all you Hanneke-heads! …. But seriously, she helps me keep some things straight. She’s been fusing all different styles of music for a long time and her latest album  Infinite Brightness  weaves her signature flowing Celtic style alo...

Dr. Dom Flemons comes off as older than his 40 years and I think it's because he seems like he is of a different era. This is thanks in part to his work in teaching and interpreting such old songs, such as his work with the Carolina Chocolate Drops that he was in alongside Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson. Originally from Phoenix, Dom is considered an expert player on the banjo, guitar, ha...

Libby Rodenbough ’s second solo record sees the fiddler and songwriter further stretching from the bluegrass/old time style of her band Mipso. Born in Greensboro, SC, music was just another activity that Libby did along with soccer and going to girl scouts. She played violin in her school’s orchestra and thought she’d be a music major, until a college professor let her know that her playing was no...

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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 up the incredible vibe that ugly wood-pan...

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 tamp down his high-energy, especially in a culture that encouraged everyone to not stand...

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 of ‘Earthly Days:’ the song “Breathless” was a hit on the Billboard adult contempora...

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 when it came to recording in the studio....