Basic Folk

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, Joni Mitchell and John Denver thanks to his counselor...

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 most exciting or thrilling part (see: beginning or ending...

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, they found out that being from the American south meant something to people. I...

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 Basic Folk. Our conversation begins with...

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 success as a Christian musician under her real name: Leslie Phillips. She ma...

Fun times with our favorite non-duo duo Anna Tivel  and  Jeffrey Martin . The pair met in the early 2010's in Portland, bonded over songwriting and have been together ever since. They got together at a time when they were both learning how to tour and they were able to figure it all out as a pair. And yes, they have toured and do tour together and have sang on each other's records, but the...

Help produce Basic Folk by contributing at https://basicfolk.com/donate/ WHOA!  SistaStrings  is the real life sister duo of Monique (cello) and Chauntee (violin) Ross. Currently tearing it up on the road with  Brandi Carlile  and  Allison Russell , The Ross sister’s musical roots began with their intense classical training, family gatherings and in church. All five of their siblings played music,...

Growing up in the Berkshires, Massachusetts-born Eliza Edens grew up in a family with strong musical roots. Getting her first guitar at 16, she was moved to write songs as her chosen form of expression. After some time in Philly, Eliza took on New York, choosing Brooklyn as her home base. There she found community and began to thrive creatively, especially in embracing her queer identity, Eliza us...

Help produce Basic Folk by contributing at https://basicfolk.com/donate/ Mark Erelli  is slowly going blind. In August 2020, he noticed he couldn’t see his fingers during a show. After that, as he was driving in a tunnel everything went black. Mark went to the doctor and was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, or RP. Since then, his life has changed in ways he could have never imagined. He doesn’...

Originally from a small town: Gause, Texas, Ruthie Foster came from a family of gospel singers. Singing gospel music acted as a prime method of communication in her life strongly enough that it ended up being her career. Along the way, Ruthie studied audio engineering in college, which ended up giving her invaluable knowledge to support her artistic expression, especially as a woman in a male domi...

Help produce Basic Folk by contributing at https://basicfolk.com/donate/ By the mid-2010’s Canadian rock legend  Tom Wilson ’s life was already pretty epic: he had perfected his blue collar roots rock sound in his bands  Blackie and The Rodeo Kings  and his seminal 90’s outfit  Junkhouse . He was a home-grown rock and roller with humble Hamilton, Ontario roots. In addition to his musical output, h...

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Courtney Marie Andrews seems anciently wise in general, but on her new album Loose Future , she's particularly tapped in to some cosmic intelligence. Growing up, CMA spent a lot of time alone, so we naturally start our conversation there. People have been isolated in the last few years, which can be sad and scary, but also offer certain gifts. Courtney was able to quarantine during the first s...

Help produce Basic Folk by contributing at https://basicfolk.com/donate/  The latest from Nashville-based, New York-bred and Georgia-born trio  The Lone Bellow ,  Love Songs for Losers , was recorded at Roy Orbison’s creepy former house in Hendersonville, TN. The house’s vibe bled its way into the vibe of the album, which was co-produced by band members Brian Elmquist and Kanene Pipkin, producing...

Help produce Basic Folk by contributing at https://basicfolk.com/donate/ *** Lizzie No interviews John Calvin Abney... A lot of people like to claim the title “Hardest Working Person In Music” but  John Calvin Abney  might take the crown from them all. John has made a name for himself as a shit-hot guitar player, accompanying John Moreland, Samantha Crain, Margo Cilker, and many others (including...

Help produce Basic Folk by contributing at  https://basicfolk.com/donate/ Known as one of the foremost fiddlers of her generation, Lissa Schneckenburger 's latest release is a huge left turn for the Vermont resident. Thunder in My Arms is unique because Lissa is not only singing her own compositions, but the subject matter is hugely personal. The album chronicles her experiences adopting her s...

Help produce Basic Folk by contributing at https://basicfolk.com/donate/  Upright bassist, singer and songwriter  Melissa Carper  has been playing in bands since she took up the position of bass in her family band at the age of 12. She grew up with a reverence for country music in her small town Nebraska family. The original Carper Family band toured regionally on the weekends at Elks lodges, VFW...

Help produce Basic Folk by contributing at https://basicfolk.com/donate/ A note before we begin: our guest on this episode, Patrick Haggerty of Lavender country passed away on October 31 at the age of 78 several weeks after he’d had a stroke. This episode was produced before his death. We are grateful to be able to share this conversation with Patrick and we hope our listeners will take some time...

Help produce Basic Folk by contributing at https://basicfolk.com/donate/  Lizzie No talks to Ondara When  Ondara  was a little boy growing up in Nairobi, Kenya, music was both everywhere and just out of reach. He walked around the market listening to vendors playing music from stereos, stopping to listen when he heard something that caught his attention. His family couldn’t afford musical instrum...

Lizzie No talks to Mali Obomsawin Y’all ready for a crossover? Basic Folk listeners will remember Mali Obomsawin from their work as a bassist, singer, and songwriter with folk trio Lula Wiles, but today we are celebrating Mali’s debut as a jazz bandleader/composer. Mali’s new album, ‘Sweet Tooth,’ was inspired by field recordings of elders from Mali’s Wabanaki community. Mali’s improvisational app...

Help produce Basic Folk by contributing at https://basicfolk.com/donate/  Originally from Charlottesville, Virginia,  Caroline Spence  came from this cool family that always seemed to be messing around with music: listening and playing music. She’s recently been discovering and sharing home movies from when she was a kid: scooting around in diapers on a guitar case, singing with her grandfather a...

When Will Sheff was a baby, he had a life-threatening illness that required him to have a tracheotomy. From that moment, he was always aware of being fragile and somewhat out of place in his body. He never quite fit in in the New England prep school culture he grew up in. His childhood was full of magic, however. He spent a lot of time in the woods, and when he looked up at the sky he felt the pre...

Help produce Basic Folk by contributing at https://basicfolk.com/donate/ Lizzie No interviews Caleb Caudle on Basic Folk! Caleb Caudle  has lived a lot of his life on the road. His father was a truck driver and Caleb learned early on that making a living often meant long days away from home. The North Carolina-born Caudle started out in a rock band before he found his calling as a thoughtful alt-c...

Fiddler Brittany Haas has an impressive resume: she started touring at 14 with Darol Anger, recorded her debut album at 17, started performing with Crooked Still before she finished college and has played on Chris Thile’s radio program Live From Here and done stints in David Rawlings and Gillian Welch’s David Rawlings Machine. Currently, she’s teaching workshops and classes in between working with...

Help produce Basic Folk by contributing at https://basicfolk.com/donate/ Amy Ray  is best known for being one half of  Indigo Girls  with Emily Sailers, a band that’s been going strong since the late 80’s. She’s also known for her activism and love for all types of music. On her latest solo album,  If It All Goes South , Amy’s bringing us songs of comfort and healing. Recorded live to tape in Nash...