We got a sneak peak of Johnny Flynn’s second LP, Been Listening, due for release on 7th June by UK independent label Transgressive Records; home to folksters on both sides of the Atlantic: Iron & Wine and Jeremy Warmsley most notably.

We have three exclusive acoustic tracks on offer today from Brighton based Jake Beattie who will be a newcomer to most of you. He has an unmistakeable voice, perfect for etching out his powerful and poignant tales. His voice has both a warmth and raw timbre that can carry both powerful and emotive whispered delivery.

Emily and the Woods is the very first Frukie Session to be recorded exclusively for Folk Radio UK and we hope there will be many more to follow. It was at the Communion launch night in Bristol that I first heard Emily and the Woods. There was a problem with her guitar so microphones were strategically placed around her in the hope of some amplification. The result was that the …

I just remembered this great track (re-version) of Juana Molina’s, “Salvese Quien Pueda”. It’s taken from the Salvese Quien Pueda ep and includes two Four Tet remixes although this one is “Juanas Epic Re-version”. You can download it here. You’ll be hearing more from Juana soon on our Frukie Channel.

Here’s a great free sampler from Fat Cat Records. It was originally released as a CD for giveaway through indie records stores and features Tom Brosseau, Nina Nastasia and Bulky Mule as well as others from the label. It’s not a folk sampler OK…

With a recent promise of Songs from the Past we spent some time looking back through our audio library which was very time consuming but a nostalgic experience and came across this: Ali Farka Touré and Ry Cooder – Talking Timbuktu.

I mentioned a little while ago (on facebook) that I was going to be featuring an occasional piece on venues that offer something a bit different and unique. The first place to catch my eye was The Rude Shipyard run by Pete David and Sally Smith in Sheffield. It’s a cafe/bookshop and the sort of place I’d love to have on my doorstep! In their own words:

Now you’ve seen what we play on Frukie (see previous post) this is a taste of what we played on the Roots Channel! The playlist is from the 4th May. The image is of Natalie Merchant whose latest album, Leave Your Sleep, features on the Roots Channel.

I occasionally post details of past playlists to give a flavour of what we play. This is the Frukie playlist for 4th May 2010. Maybe at some point in the future when we have more time on our hands we’ll post them daily. The image is of Michael Hurley who has been making incredible alternative music since 1965!

For those of you that know and love the music of The Low Anthem you will know the line-up as frontman Ben Knox Miller, multi-instrumentalist Jeff Prystowsky and the classically trained composer Jocie Adams. So who do those extra pair of feet in the photo above belong to and where is it?

That’s right, Colin Meloy of the Decemberists is about to release a series of Children’s books. Maybe not so surprising as some may report though. The series entitled Wildwood see’s Meloy collaborating with his wife, Carsons Ellis, an illustrator. Wildwood is a classic tale of adventure, magic, and danger.

Laura Marling performs Made By Maid exclusively for Later (BBC). The London new-folk favourite made her TV debut on the show in 2007.