Folk Show – Episode 10 Playlist
Gregory Alan Isakov – The Stable Song (Folk Radio UK Session)
This was a Folk Radio UK session from 2011, recorded around Gregory’s UK tour at the time. This particular session track clocked up nearly 36,000 plays, one of our most popular.
Martin Simpson – Bones and Feathers
Another fine track from Martin Simpson’s Trails and Tribulations – I know, we just can’t get enough. This song was written by Emily Portman and was inspired by Clarissa Pinkola Este’s book ” Women Who Run With The Wolves”. In the album’s liner notes Martin tells us it’s a “song of magic and the healing of nature by the feminine force and power. We need more of this…” Read our Album Review | Interview
Emily Mure – Roommates Predicament
Emily Mure is a New York City-based singer-songwriter. This is taken from Worth, her third – a journey combining all her experiences as a modern folk musician. The set spotlights her technical ability as a classically trained musician and arranger, plus her gift for heartfelt songwriting. It’s out now. http://www.emilymure.com
Naomi Bedford and Paul Simmonds – We’ve Hardly Started Yet
Yes, Naomi Bedford and Paul Simmonds have a new album in the way. ‘Songs My Ruiner Gave Me’ is due for release on October 26th, 2017. Featuring contributions from Andy Summers, Justin Currie and Folk Award winner Ben Walker among many others, it is an eclectic, roots-based look at love, madness and obsession. We’ll be bringing you more on this release soon. http://www.naomibedford.com
David Rawlings – Good God a Woman
A track from Poor David’s Almanack is one of those wonderful albums that you can leave on repeat (read Glenn’s review here). David also David took time to talk to us recently about the cyclical nature the tunes adopted, along with entwined fiddles, prisms and the longevity of a good song. Read the interview here.
Josh Ritter – Feels Like Lightning
From our latest Featured Album of the Month – “Gathering is Ritter’s best collection so far of fractured and fearful characters who are battling the elements and their own inner demons….The album itself is a roller coaster of emotion with Ritter mining a rich seam of Americana music. Read Paul’s review of Gathering here.
Laura Baird – Hay In The Wagon
From Laura Baird’s upcoming debut solo album, I Wish I Were a Sparrow. With a musical timeline dating back to her early childhood, Laura Baird is an exceptionally talented multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, best known for her projects with her sister, Meg, as The Baird Sisters, and guitarist Glenn Jones. Baird’s own sound stems from the Appalachian folk tradition, and she connects to it via family lineage–her great-great uncle I.G. Greer’s folk recordings for the Library of Congress are a large influence. On Sparrow Baird plays odes to the tradition from which she learned to play, combining Appalachian balladry, the roughness of old field recordings, and a dose of dreaminess and solitude that captures the distinct environment of sleepy central New Jersey. This is where Baird departs from tradition, leaving the communal origins of folk music and capturing the singular self. An amalgam of old and new.
Tildon Krautz – Benny Song
From their album ‘The Third’ which arrived only last week – until then I was unfamiliar with Savannah, Georgia’s Tildon Krautz. They like mystery and defining their music can be a comical experience as their website reveals: https://www.tildonkrautz.com
Bob Delyn a’r Ebillion – Waliau Caernarfon
Known for creating a Celtic cauldron of eclectic bardic beats and credited for the Welsh folk revival of the 90’s – Bob Delyn a’r Ebillion are back with a brand new album. Their latest release ‘Dal i ‘redig dipyn bach’ (Still ploughing on a little bit) has them throwing a glance or two back over their shoulders to their folk beginnings….. Out on 24 November (Sain / Proper Music Distribution).
Assembly Lane – The Hills of Mexico
I featured this as Song of the Day a little while ago but felt it deserved another few plays. Assembly Lane brings together four young Newcastle-based musicians immersed in the shared musical traditions of The British Isles and North America. This is from their debut album Northbound, out n November 10th. More here: www.assemblylane.com
Ewan McLennan – Down the Line
This was something of a surprise treat this week – a love song from Ewan McLennan (kind of). Ewan recorded this new unreleased song at the Cato Press studios, a brand new Press-based printmaking facility in East Bristol. You watch the video here along with details his current tour dates.
Findlay Napier – Building Ships
A track from the rather brilliant Shake the Chains. If you missed the stage production then you can now buy the album. The core line-up for Shake the Chains is both extensive and impressive – Nancy Kerr, Findlay Napier, Hannah Martin, Greg Russell & Tim Yates. In her review of the album, Marth concluded “With passion, respect, and immense musical talent, Shake the Chains have created a powerful and inspiring album, which deserves to be heard on the streets as well as indoors. Listen, sing, and go and change the world.” Read it here.
Anna & Elizabeth – Very Day I’m Gone (Rambling Woman)
From their 2015 self-titled debut album reviewed here. The good news is that they have been working on their third studio album but you’ll have to wait until winter, 2018 to hear it, on record at least as they have a series of UK & Ireland tour dates lined up. More here.
James Yorkston & The Athletes – Hotel
This was Just Beyond the River, the second album from James Yorkston and The Athletes, released in 2004…the year I started Folk Radio UK. While Moving Up Country is still a glowing album ((2002), this album deserves as much praise – produced by Kieran Hebden of Four Tet. It’s a beautiful fragile album and well worth a revisit.
Seamus Fogarty – Carlow Town
Carlow Town is out now as a single and is taken from Fogarty’s forthcoming album, The Curious Hand – his first release on Domino Records out on 6th October. Watch the video and read more here.
Sam Amidon – Warren
Amidon revealed the video for this track yesterday, taken from his acclaimed sixth album, The Following Mountain. Amidon is about to tour Europe including his first headlining performance at London’s Union Chapel on October 26, as well as performances in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands and Ireland. Watch the video and get those dates here.