Paul Woodgate

Prior to her amazing Cambridge Folk Festival performance we were lucky enough to grab some time with Gretchen Peters. She provides a great insight into her songwriting career and tells us what makes UK audiences different.

Paul catches the Ben Miller Band backstage at Cambridge Folk Festival before treating the audience to their own brand of Ozark Stomp…”And we don’t really form our shows, but before you know it you’re in the middle of something and it feels good.” It’s a tour-de-force performance from start to finish!

Sturgill Simpson and his band put on an unforgettable performance in Islington…riding a critically positive wave and tighter than a rusty spur…like standing on the edges of a huge storm and feeling it rush past.

Paul catches up with The Stray Birds who were, for a lot of observers, the highlight of this year’s Cambridge Folk Festival. Plus watch them performing a backstage session and don’t miss their remaining UK dates.

We caught up with Bella Hardy at Cambridge Folk Festival. She provided one of the most deeply insightful interviews and tells us of her plans to visit China as artist in residence by the PRS For Music Foundation and the British Council in Kunming, south China. Plus Download a free live track from Bella’s performance at Cambridge.

At Cambridge Folk Festival this year The Lone Bellow arrived on the back of some decent press and left having stolen the hearts of everyone who watched them. Paul talks to the band back-stage and takes us through some of those magical moments.

If you can get on board with the diversity on offer (and why on earth wouldn’t you?), Sing Into My Mouth is a gloriously relaxed set of Summer songs from two musicians whose passion for their art shines through every groove. Get it on.

With their new album ‘Sing into My Mouth’ due out this week on 17th July, we talk to Sam Beam (Iron and Wine) and Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses about their new covers album. They turn thousands of miles into the back-porch of a local bar for Folk Radio; three cold beers and all the time in the world to shoot the breeze.

With her highly anticipated new album due out this month followed by a number of UK performances we talk to Samantha Crain – A progressive thinker who recognises the importance of roots (historic and musical), an astute, intelligent songwriter with a gift for well-crafted and catchy songs, a passionate defender of her beliefs and a no-nonsense approach to interviews.

The Faster it Goes is the second album from the quintet The Railsplitters of Boulder, Colorado. They write collaboratively. They all sing. The result is tremendous. An album that invites no excuse should it miss your end-of-year best of lists. Here’s to ignoring the road signs.

In Tom Paley’s 84th year, the smallest of flames nurtured by 2012 album ‘Roll On Roll On’ now has a chance to spread and establish itself via Paley & Son, a second outing on the Hornbeam label. He is joined by fiddle playing son Ben and special guests Cerys Matthews, BJ Cole and harmonica player Rob Mason.This will remain a mark of the Paley family’s love of roots music for …

It’s a delight to see an artist revel in live performance. Laughs and angst; traditional and modern; children’s games and cake – this is how you launch an album. Splendid.