Anaïs Mitchell: 2019 Pre-Broadway interview on Hadestown, Lamb Rearing, and Untangling Third Wave Feminism (REISSUE), ep. 312

Anaïs Mitchell: 2019 Pre-Broadway interview on Hadestown, Lamb Rearing, and Untangling Third Wave Feminism (REISSUE), ep. 312

Author: The Bluegrass Situation May 29, 2025 Duration: 51:22

(Editor’s Note: Welcome to our Reissue series! For the next several weeks, Basic Folk is digging back into the archives and reposting some of our favorite episodes alongside new introductions commenting on what it’s like to listen back. Enjoy!)

Listening back, I feel like this 2018 interview with Anaïs Mitchell holds up. Originally published on January 10, 2019, 'Hadestown' was about to debut on Broadway, the pandemic was still over a year away, and we were young and full of autumn. Our Basic Folk interview includes a really interesting discussion about feminism (with just one squeamish reference to fourth-wave being about “non-binary” from yours truly. Eeek!). Anaïs talks about her childhood on a sheep farm in Vermont. She unpacks her love for and loyalty in her collaborations and the mystical way she found her visual artist (Peter Nevins) for 'Hadestown.'

We also talk about 'Hadestown' receiving some “viral” attention in 2016, thanks to a Tr*mp campaign promise to build a wall on the southern border. People latched onto her 2006-penned song, “Why We Build the Wall,” which is one of the pinnacle tracks from her Tony Award-winning Broadway musical. Anaïs opens up about how she met her husband, Noah Hahn, and her early musical beginnings in Boston at Club Passim.

This episode was recorded just as 'Hadestown' was set to open at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Broadway in March 2019. This was also a year before her band, Bonny Light Horseman, would release their debut album. I’m proud of our conversation, which includes some chiming in from Anaïs’ guitarist Austin Nevins, who was on tour with her at the time of the recording. We three are old friends and we were trying to record the interview and hang out at the same time. I’ll leave it up to you to decide if we succeeded!

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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.
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