On Good Friday evening a fairly typical looking folk audience is filling the old malt room at the Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal to near capacity. But they’re waiting for anything but a typical folk band. Whilst 11-piece bands are not so unheard of today, Feast of Fiddles have been playing for 22 years.

Melinda West hails from Los Angeles and she’s been making quite a name for herself playing accordion. Inspired by a love of folk, tango and gypsy music she’s creating quite a stir. Check out two of her recent video sessions.

Sharron Kraus’ latest album draws inspiration from the Mabinogi, a medieval Welsh collection of stories. It’s a highly original collection of compositions which can be enjoyed as a folk album like any other, but which repays a much closer listening to reveal a depth of understanding of its sources which shines a light on a classic text too often overlooked when we think of the great works of literature of …

Hold You Like A Harness is the fourth album from singer-songwriter Philippe Bronchtein best known as Hip Hatchet. It’s an open and honest work, intimate in its delivery yet still capable of reaching out to larger audiences. Wonderful keening rustic Americana.

It’s a great pleasure to premiere this new animated video for Roxanne de Bastion’s new single Rerun which she is celebrating with a launch party at The Old Queens Head in London on 28 April 2015.

ARK are a new folk music trio featuring Kevin Lees on Fiddle from England, Annmarie Grams on Flute from Germany and Rasmus Nielsen on Piano and Guitar from Denmark. Have a listen to their first demo recordings which sound very promising.

The mighty Trembling Bells have unveiled a new video for Hallelujah on the video for which they undertake an hallucinogenic procession through the streets of Glasgow. It’s all in there from early musical instruments, folk-rock, Easy Rider, a spot of bell-ringing and morris dancing.

Our Song of the Day comes from fiddle-singer duo The Rheingans Sisters performing Cuckoo live. Having just completed a French tour they return to the UK where they are on tour during May and June. They are a duo you should seek out, refreshingly innovative and captivating.

Watch the new live video from Kate Young of Kate in the Kettle for ‘Paper Rose’ which she performs with Marit Fält (VAMM). This was a favourite track we highlighted from her recent album ‘Swimmings of the Head’. Don’t miss her Spring tour in May which includes a performance at Lau-Land Bristol.

Having told us about their Equation days and their early musical beginnings in part one of our interview, Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman now bring the story of their Folk Award winning duo up to date. They talk openly about their challenges, their new album, songwriting and more. They are on tour now.

Former Young Folk Award finalists, the Jaywalkers have now been recognised with an Emerging Excellence Award and the unique musical tapestry of Weave lives up to the billing. Their unique sound mixes their love for progressive American bluegrass forms with a Lancashire hotpot of working life and social injustice.

Our Song of the Day is a track premiere from Kathryn Williams. ‘Cuckoo’ is taken from her new album of songs, ‘Hypoxia’, inspired by Sylvia Plath’s ‘The Bell Jar’, to be released via One Little Indian on 15th June.