Folk Alley Sessions

Kaia Kater was born into the folk music scene. Her mother is a festival director and she learned to play clawhammer banjo at age 11 from Mitch Podolak (founder of the Winnipeg Folk Festival). Now, the Canadian native is studying the Appalachian folk traditions in West Virginia and connecting with the work of a range of artists - from old-time musician Dom Flemons to hitmaker Kendrick Lemar. A star...

John Gorka is one of folk music's most respected and beloved singer/songwriters, representing the bridge generation between the Folk Revival and the rise of Americana. Finding his footing at the venerable Godfrey Daniels coffeehouse while a student at Moravian College, Gorka quickly drew attention with his quiet stage presence and deeply personal songs. Folk Alley caught up with John at the 2017 3...

The duo Anna and Elizabeth (Anna Roberts-Gevalt and Elizabeth LaPrelle) came to Beehive Productions studio in Saranac Lake, New York ready to share thoughts about and music from their new album, The Invisible Comes to Us . But maybe even more importantly, Anna and Elizabeth talked about the importance of preserving musical traditions from the past, bringing them into the present, and working hard...

The Mastersons (Eleanor Whitmore and Chris Masterson) shared some of the influences and stories behind their 2017 release, Transient Lullaby during their exclusive Folk Alley Session at this year’s 30A Songwriters Festival in Florida.

Joined by Stefan Amidon on percussions and fiddle and by Robinson Morse on bass, Moira Smiley stopped by Beehive Productions studio in Saranac Lake, NY to record this exclusive Folk Alley Session featuring songs from her recent release, 'Unzip the Horizon.'

Chastity Brown shares some thoughts about her newest album, 2017’s Silhouette of Sirens , during an exclusive Folk Alley Session at this year’s 30A Songwriter’s Festival in Florida.

Breakups, love affairs, family dramas, loss and mourning – all of it is represented on the album Sera Cahoone says is her most personal to date. Cahoone, a musician from the Pacific Northwest, shared that revelation about her 2017 album From Where I Started during her exclusive in studio session at the 2018 30A Songwriter’s Festival in Florida.

Some people love working on their own. And some people love working with others. Kim Richey falls firmly into the latter category. “There’s nothing better than a sharing a song with someone else,” she says. During a recent session at the 30A SW Festival in Florida, Richey shared some thoughts about her new recording, 'Edgeland,' a recording she made with her friends, and a recording she’s really,...

Paul Thorn grew up with Pentecostal minister for a dad, and from the time he was 3 years old, he was singing in churches all over Mississippi. For his latest album, 'Don't Let the Devil Ride,' Thorn dives deep into his childhood church experiences. He shared some thoughts about the new record, as well as a couple of older favorites, during his session with us at the 2018 30A Songwriter's Festival...

Imagine being part of a duo for decades. Things are working well: you're successful, you're creative, you're enjoying yourself and the music you make and yet...you feel that something is missing. What do you do? Emily Saliers, best known as one of the two Indigo Girls, went out on her own last year for the first time ever. And while she was scared and uncertain about making such a dramatic change,...

After spending time living and working in a few different places, among them Boston and Atlanta, David Robert King decided he was ready to go back home " musically, anyway. His new recording, 'Idaho' , was inspired by his childhood and young adulthood in Idaho. It took awhile, King says, to realize just how much his writing was and is inspired by memories of his past. Idaho is "about growing up,"...

Canadian singer songwriter David Myles grew up admiring the crooners so popular in the 1950s and 1960s " you know the ones: Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Chet Baker. And he channels those musicians admirably in his new recording, 'Real Love.' It's a fun record, one filled with songs that'll make you want to dance " and that, Myles says, is exactly what he wanted to create. Myles came to Beehive Prod...

Earlier this year fiddler and singer Laura Cortese released her new album, 'California Calling.' It's her first on Compass Records with her band The Dance Cards: Valerie Thompson " cello & vocals; Jenna Moynihan " fiddle & vocals; and Natalie Bohrn " bass & vocals. In November, Laura and the Dance Cards (Thompson, Moynihan, and Zoe Guigueno on bass) came to Beehive Productions studio i...

Boston's Twisted Pine came together at the famed Tuesday Night Bluegrass jams at the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge, Massachusettes, while in school at the Berklee College of Music. After honing their traditional bluegrass chops there for two years, they started to write original material. This opened the door to incorporating their diverse musical influences and backgrounds that range from classical...

Most people wouldn't automatically equate bluegrass with Boston. But, the city's Berklee College of Music has been a gathering place and inspirational force for talented roots musicians. The members of The Lonely Heartstring Band have that Berklee connection. The group, originally formed as a bluegrass Beatles cover band, has grown its repertoire since forming in 2012 " still mixing covers in with...

If you're going to take a break from writing your album, taking trips to Southeast Asia and expanding your instrumental vocabulary seem like worthy sidesteps " especially for Amilia K Spicer , who moved to LA to become a director and builds songs like tiny movie stories. Her CD 'Wow & Flutter' took on this theme of exploration as Amilia added guitar and banjo to her repertoire " inspiring new...

Laurel Premo and Michael Beauchamp formed the duo Red Tail Ring with the idea of reinterpreting traditional folk and creating new music with a clawhammer spirit. Their sound is something of a folk-fusion formed by pulling themes from blues, old-time, mountain music and other traditions into a contemporary acoustic mix. The pair like to create their new music without modern influences " going as fa...

L.A. born John Craigie discovered beauty in storytelling through music, diving into the folk scene in the grunge-driven '90s. For him, it's about the relationship between singer and audience (so much so that he added a group of friends to his latest studio sessions - creating a house concert vibe). He's something of a neo-hippie, in-name-only Math major who found his true self touring the country...

After ten years living and recording in Nashville, Korby Lenker went home to Idaho to record his recent CD, 'Thousand Springs,' in places that were meaningful to him. The songs touch on friendship, life on the road and the fight of Native Americans for respect. Lenker sat down with Folk Alley at the 30A Songwriters Festival to perform songs from the new album and talk about his musical journey.

The Secret Sisters are, first and foremost, actual sisters. They grew up in a musical family, who went to a musical church, in musical Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Laura decided to tackle stage fright at an open talent audition, which led to an almost-random duet pairing with her sister Lydia and a life-changing career as performing artists. Sometimes the universe makes up your mind for you. Laura and...

The Secret Sisters are, first and foremost, actual sisters. They grew up in a musical family, who went to a musical church, in musical Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Laura decided to tackle stage fright at an open talent audition, which led to an almost-random duet pairing with her sister Lydia and a life-changing career as performing artists. Sometimes the universe makes up your mind for you. Laura and...

The Secret Sisters are, first and foremost, actual sisters. They grew up in a musical family, who went to a musical church, in musical Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Laura decided to tackle stage fright at an open talent audition, which led to an almost-random duet pairing with her sister Lydia and a life-changing career as performing artists. Sometimes the universe makes up your mind for you. Laura and...

The Secret Sisters are, first and foremost, actual sisters. They grew up in a musical family, who went to a musical church, in musical Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Laura decided to tackle stage fright at an open talent audition, which led to an almost-random duet pairing with her sister Lydia and a life-changing career as performing artists. Sometimes the universe makes up your mind for you. Laura and...

The fact that Nashville has become the center of America's music business may be due more to its hub of songwriters than even the talented musicians who have moved there. Darrell Scott is a great performer and where he shines like the sun is as a songwriter. Folk Alley and the crew from BeeHive caught up with Darrell at the 30A Songwriters Festival to talk about songwriting and the mystery of succ...

Sometimes, working really is hard. That's what Rayna Gellert discovered when she self-produced her 2014 album, 'Old Light' " including creating songs with lots of guest artists and many recording sessions. For her follow-up solo effort, her 2017 release, 'Workin's Too Hard,' Rayna teamed up with Kieran Kane to pare back the creative process with an end product that is fresh and filled with an ener...