George Sansome and Sophie Crawford of Queer Folk are curating a series of nights to celebrate Pride Month. They talk to us about the origins of Queer Folk and guide us through a selection of queer traditional songs and talk about queerness in folk history.
We talk to Judy Collins in a dizzying all ages of folk music interview…covering fan mail from Pete Seeger; courtroom drama at the behest of Phil Ochs; Bob Dylan’s Nobel prize; fond recollections of a diffident Leonard Cohen…even the Muppet Show gets a look in.
We chat to a thoughtful & reflective Julien Baker ahead of her UK shows, to discuss her latest album, Little Oblivions, her songwriting journey & what it’s like touring with a full band.
In support of their magnificent third album Nine Waves, we caught up with brothers Brían and Diarmuid MacGloinn of Ye Vagabonds to discuss the record’s songs, ancient Irish legend, politics and sexism in traditional songs, and why buoyancy is likely in their genes.
We talk to folk duo Lisa Maria and Amy Lou Keeler, AKA Mama’s Broke, ahead of the release of their second album ‘Narrow Line’. Plus, watch their new video for October’s Lament.
With the new Oysterband album ‘Read The Sky’ finding the band on top form, it was a thrill to speak at length with frontman and founder John Jones about the new album and much more besides in our Artist of the Month interview.
Ben Gazur, author of ‘A Feast of Folklore – talks to us about ‘Witch Cakes’…There are two main types of “witch cakes” that occur in folklore. One is more palatable than the other, as we shall see, but neither is something you would want with a cup of tea.
Ana Silvera shares an insight into ‘Halos’, the latest single from her forthcoming album ‘The Fabulist’. “…Frozen furrows of barren fields and the crows pecking and wheeling about the withered crops. The bright skirts of fog encircling black trees.”
We interview Peter Knight and John Spiers about their new album, Both in a Tune, the excitement of free improvisation, comparing playing to 90 minutes playing as a midfielder and the beauty of being lost in a tune.
We talk to NYC-based musician and folklorist Derek Piotr who recently released two folk music compilation albums of mountain songs from North Carolina featuring Child ballads and local murder songs that sit alongside dulcimer & close harmony singing.
Ben Gazur, author of ‘A Feast of Folklore – From witch cake to wassailing, strange stories of Britain’s food’ talks to us about ‘Soul Cakes’. If you have prepared for Allhallowstide then you will have a pile of Soul Cakes ready to reward the singers.
We chat to Eliza Marshall, Catrin Finch, Dónal Rogers and Jackie Shave, members of Freedom to Roam, about their album The Rhythms of Migration which will be launched next month at Cecil Sharp House followed by a UK Spring tour.
