Basic Folk

Basic Folk

Author: The Bluegrass Situation Language: English Episodes: 367
There's a certain magic that happens when musicians are given the space to talk not just about their craft, but about the life that feeds it. That's the heart of Basic Folk, a series of conversations that feel more like catching up with an old friend than a formal interview. Hosts Cindy Howes and Lizzie No bring a genuine curiosity and easy warmth to each episode, creating an environment where artists often share stories and insights they might not elsewhere. Since 2018, this podcast has carved out a vital niche, actively seeking to honor and platform the incredible, sometimes under-the-radar, voices within the roots music world. You'll find a beautifully diverse tapestry of sound and experience here, from technical wizards and Grammy-winners like Molly Tuttle to culturally pivotal figures like Leyla McCalla, all united by their connection to folk music's expansive tradition. Produced by The Bluegrass Situation, each episode digs into the personal journeys, creative struggles, and quiet triumphs that shape the music. It’s less about celebrity and more about substance, offering listeners a chance to intimately understand the people behind the songs. Tune in for thoughtful, humorous and deeply human dialogues that remind you why folk music, in all its forms, remains a powerful force for storytelling and connection.
Episodes
KT Tunstall, ep. 16 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:50
KT Tunstall is an open-hearted Scottish dreamboat. She is a master at the art of conversation and makes a person feel heard, understand and smart. We get right into it: talking about her relationship with her father, dea…
Emily Saliers, ep. 15 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:21
Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls graciously joins me on Basic Folk this week. An iconic figure in modern folk rock, Emily gets into it about the history of her guitar playing, expanding her horizons on her first solo album…
Peter Mulvey, ep. 14 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:13
Peter Mulvey's music is emotional, rousing, gritty and real. The Milwaukee singer-songwriter has been at it since the late 1980's playing in the streets of Dublin and Boston before starting his career proper in the early…
Rachel Sumner, ep. 13 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:42
California-born and Boston resident Rachel Sumner had an early interest in classical music that lead her to pursuing a career in film orchestration. After switching gears at Berklee College of Music, Rachel became intere…
Mark Dignam, ep. 12 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:55
This week I have Irish singer/songwriter, Mark Dignam, on the podcast! Mark grew up in the outskirts of Dublin, Ireland. It was in Dublin where he gained experience as a performer by busking around town with well-known f…
Maya de Vitry, ep. 11 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:39
Singer/Songwriter Maya de Vitry is on the podcast this week! Maya was a former member of the string trio The Stray Birds, but now she has stepped out on her own with her first solo album, Adaptations. de Vitry grew up on…
Eleanor Buckland of Lula Wiles, ep. 10 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:05
Originally from a rural Farmington, Maine, Eleanor Buckland of Lula Wiles grew up playing fiddle in her family’s jams. This week on Basic Folk, Buckland talks being a fourth generation musician, her rock guitar father, a…
Alex Stanton of townsppl, ep. 09 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:10
Alex Stanton is a Pittsburgh born singer/songwriter who heads up the indie folk band townsppl.Growing up Stanton spent a lot of time hanging out on the set of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. His mom worked in the art depart…
Anais Mitchell, ep. 08 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:10
Anais Mitchell is about to hit Broadway with Hadestown! But first! The Vermont songwriter is on Basic Folk. Her folk opera, Hadestown, set to open at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Broadway March 2019.Anais tells me about he…
Dawn Landes, ep. 07 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:58
Before becoming a fulltime performer/songwriter Dawn Landes worked as a sound engineer for many years. After studying for a bit at NYU she left school to pursue an internship at Phillip Glass' studio. Dawn tells me of th…