FolkBlog

From the man behind Festival Radio, discussing folk music and more.

FolkBlog random header image

Now playing Festival Radio - Listen Now!

Philly Folk Festival

August 19th, 2008 · 1 Comment

My wife and I got back late Sunday from attending the Philadelphia Folk Festival, as well as spending some quality time with my wife’s aunt, who lives in Philly and attended with us on Saturday.  Among the highlights:

  • Attending a workshop session where Pete Kennedy and Jake Shimabukuro went at the ukelele.  I’ve heard Pete Kennedy many times, and it’s always a pleasure, and I’m pretty much slackjawed every time I see him.  However, watching and hearing him jam with another master instrumentalist was fantastic.  I was not familiar with Shimabukuro coming in, and I was just as amazed at his instrumental prowess.
  • Finally seeing The Strangelings live.  They are phenomenal, the new folk/rock supergroup for this generation.  Their version of “Matty Groves” brought the house down.   Those of you in the northeast who have not heard them yet should make the effort, especially if you dig Fairport Convention-style folk/rock (with three-part female harmony!).
  • Finally seeing Red Molly.  I have been very impressed with their albums and they are just as talented and engaging live as they sound on their records. 
  • The fest was truly a mecca for those who enjoy three-part female harmony, and I enjoyed seeing The Refugees as well.  They are also another folk supergroup, consisting of singer/songwriters Wendy Waldman (of Bryndle), Cindy Bullens and Deborah Holland.  They provided an entertaining show performing many of the hits they had written for other singers (”Fishing in the Dark”, “Saving the Best for Last”) as well as some tunes they had written together. 
  • Seeing a workshop featuring Kathy Mattea, Jean Ritchie and Bill Vanaver trading coal songs.  It was fascinating to hear from Kathy Mattea just how much she was in awe of Jean Ritchie, and it was great hearing them all trade great old songs.   My grandmother is one of the lucky ones who got out of West Virginia coal country, escaping a hard-scrabble tobacco farm near the Kanawha River to Akron, Ohio, where she worked as a domestic during the Depression before marrying my grandfather.  My uncle drove a coal truck in eastern Ohio for many years.  The subject of coal mining and its consequences and effects resonates with me.  If this is a subject that resonates with you, do yourself a favor and pick up Mattea’s new album, Coal, because it is truly outstanding.  Mattea played several songs from it during the workshop with her guitarist and with the fullband onstage durking the Saturday evening concert.
  • Steve Earle and Allison Moorer.  Really, what else needs said about that?
  • The Saturday evening concert was pretty uneven.  Tom Paxton and Janis Ian put on the kind of professional performances one would expect them to turn in.  Ian’s voice still sounds as good as it did at “Seventeen.”  Kathy Mattea seemed pretty humbled at her acceptance by the folk music community she’s received from doing the Coal album, and did an excellent full band show featuring tracks from her new album as well as the obligatory hits, “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses” and “Love at the Five and Dime.”  The Felice Brothers were energetic and fun, whirling about the stage liked crazed maniacs.  I’d never heard or seen them before, and I will definitely be tracking down some of their music for the station.  Craig Bickhardt played several of the maudlin country hits he’d written for other artists. Espers was awful.  It was like they were trying to be Pentangle without the same level of instrumental skill but with the added bonus of long droning harmonica notes and extra high levels of fuzz.  I can’t believe they were booked as the lead in to Judy Collins.  We’d had a long day, and couldn’t imagine sitting through enough of Espers to get to Judy Collins, so we left before seeing Judy Collins.  I’m sure seeing Judy Collins would have redeemed the whole thing, but we’d hit the wall.
  • Tempest was excellent as always on Sunday afternoon, getting the whold crowd up to do a circle dance during their energetic set.  I love seeing Tempest - they’ve got folk cred and rock and roll stage moves.
  • I saw part of a workshop on Sunday afternoon featuring Pete Kennedy, Anthony da Costa, Samuel James, and Oscar Lopez.  Oscar Lopez was phenomenal, and with Pete Kennedy strumming along - sublime.  I was not familiar with Samuel James, but you will be hearing him on the station very soon as well.
  • We were too exhausted from getting up at 4 am to catch our plane to Philly, and we wanted some time to visit with my wife’s aunt, so we missed the Friday night show, and our plane departure time prevented us from seeing the Sunday evening show.  It would have been nice to see Al Stewart, Compadres (James Keelaghan and Oscar Lopez), Michael Doucet avec Beausoleil and Great Big Sea, as well as Jake Shimabukuro’s main stage set.  I did catch a little bit of Alan Doyle from GBS with James Keelaghan with Oscar Lopez doing a workshop on Sunday afternoon before we had to leave.

All in all, we heard some great music, got a lot of sun, and enjoyed visiting with relatives.

Share/Save/Bookmark

→ 1 CommentTags: Reviews · Uncategorized

My Friend’s Movie Trailer

August 19th, 2008 · No Comments

I just found out that my friend from college, Chris Clapp, was the production designer for a movie, The Horseman.  The trailer is up now at http://www.horsemanthefilm.com and it looks like it could be cool - a very dark period piece.

Share/Save/Bookmark

→ No CommentsTags: Uncategorized

New Adds, Festival Radio, 8/7/08

August 7th, 2008 · No Comments

New Adds to the Festival Radio, since july 17, 2008

Artist - Album

  • Joan Baez - Day After Tomorrow
  • The Bittersweets - Goodnight, San Francisco
  • Blackthorn Band - The River That Runs Below
  • David Bromberg - Live in New York, 1982
  • Charmer - The Perfect Cafe
  • Dervish - Traveling Show
  • Luke Doucet and the White Falcons - Blood’s Too Rich
  • Mark Erelli - Delivered
  • Steven Finn - Houdini’s Blues
  • Feufollet - Cow Island Hop
  • Bob Gibson - The Living Legend Years
  • Lynne Hanson - Eleven Months
  • Donal Hinely - Blue State Boy
  • Fergus McCormick - I Don’t Need You Now
  • Kelley McRae - Highrises in Brooklyn
  • Mahsa and Marian Vahdat - Songs From a Persian Garden
  • Mustard’s Retreat - With Relish
  • Matt Price - Cure For the Blues
  • The Refugees - Unbound
  • Darrell Scott - Modern Hymns
  • Todd Snider - Peace Queer
  • Susan Werner - Live at Club Passim
  • Dar Williams - Promised Land
  • Wolgemut - Memento
  • The Youngers - Heritage
  • Various Artists  - Songs for Laura

Share/Save/Bookmark

→ No CommentsTags: Festival Radio · New Adds

Virgo Rising

August 5th, 2008 · 3 Comments

Making Music: Virgo Rising — The Once and Future Woman (1973)

By Sue Barrett

It all began as an idea to put the movement into music, a record produced and engineered, written and sung by women. –(Virgo Rising, liner notes)

For many people, the world today includes fashion challenges, bad hair days, an energy crisis, multiple music formats and performers named Hammond, Wainwright and Guthrie. And for many people, the world of 35 years ago contained the very same things!

Back in 1973, new album releases included Leonard Cohen’s Live Songs; Fanny’s Mothers Pride; Ramatam’s In April Came the Dawning of the Red Suns; Buffy Sainte-Marie’s Quiet Places; Hoyt Axton’s Less Than the Song; and the Carpenters’ Now & Then.

And among the number one songs on Billboard were ‘You’re So Vain’ (Carly Simon); ‘Bad, Bad Leroy Brown’ (Jim Croce); ‘Touch Me in the Morning’ (Diana Ross); ‘The Most Beautiful Girl’ (Charlie Rich); ‘The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia’ (Vicki Lawrence); and ‘Half-Breed’ (Cher).

Also in 1973:

  • MOLLIE GREGORY owned and operated an independent media company;
  • JOAN LOWE was a record producer/engineer;
  • JANET SMITH was a songwriter and guitarist;
  • NANCY RAVEN was a professional singer;
  • KIT MILLER was a high school student;
  • CHARLEY’S AUNTS was three song-writing sisters (Kate Butler, Rebecca Mills, Helen Tucker); and
  • MALVINA REYNOLDS was an established singer/songwriter.

By the end of 1973, they had created Virgo Rising — The Once and Future Woman — one of the first albums produced, engineered and performed solely by women.

Virgo Rising was, according to its liner notes, “about the whole woman who has humor and depression, fear and strength; who gets mad, who comforts, who cares; for women who live so comfortably they can concentrate on their oppression, and for those who live poverty, concentrating on the commodity dinner or the squints of the welfare worker; for women who work at the office, for those who work unceasingly at home.”

Now Mollie Gregory, Joan Lowe, Janet Smith, Nancy Raven, Kit Miller, Kate Butler and Becky Mills look back on the making of Virgo Rising.

Joining them in telling the story are Nancy Schimmel (daughter of Malvina Reynolds); Karen Wilson (daughter of Helen Tucker); and Charley Adams (without whom Charley’s Aunts would have had a different name).

MOLLIE GREGORY (producer) : www.molliegregory.com

When and how did the idea for Virgo Rising come about?
I think the idea came up in conversation with Nancy Raven, Kate Butler, Kit Miller, and/or [Kit’s mother] Maya, who may have wished, one day, for “more music about women”. We were all crazy about Malvina’s songs, and the themes — the politics of women, rich and poor, and of the widening concerns about environment in 1970s — Black Power, Vietnam, Watergate, and the local political issues of haves and have nots, school integration, absorbed us. Kit sang and played guitar well, as did Kate. I got to know Kate in the late 1960s, early 1970s around League of Women Voters meetings, and all the political issues far beyond the League’s more conservative (yet radical) views and programs. Anyway, our united impulse became this: to put the women’s movement into music, and behind that, produce a record made, recorded, written and sung by women, songs to diaper babies by, make laws or run for office.

What were you doing at the time?
I believe I was living temporarily in Reno. I was writing and producing short films there, in California and Oregon. I had this notion that I could start a film production company and make a living doing it!

How did you put together the Virgo Rising team?
“The team” came together because we all knew each other, and each of us knew other women who would “sing a song” for the album.

What was the process for recording the songs?
Joan Lowe lived in Oregon — a good sound recordist. I used her to record sound on a couple of my documentaries, perhaps after Virgo Rising, maybe before. The album was not recorded in a studio, but on location in the west, no sophisticated facilities, no overdubbing; the singers had to be women, the songs written by women. And they ranged from professional to amateur, ages 17 [Kit Miller] to 72 [Malvina Reynolds]. There are no unreleased songs that I recall.

How did the title (Virgo Rising), sub-title (The Once and Future Woman) and spine sub-title (Songs of Sisterhood) come to be?
I think Kenneth Anger’s film, Scorpio Rising, was making the underground rounds. The title sounded “male” to me, but as a title it seemed striking. “Virgo” (the woman with the pitcher — zodiac sign) sounded female, and “rising” seemed strong. At the time, the tidal wave of the Women’s Movement had just hit. We were finding our individuality as women, our diversity, our strengths, and our ambitions…The original cover notes stated that the songs reflected our growing awareness of what is, and what can be…so we named the album Virgo Rising. You know, women on the move!

I have no memory of how we arrived at the “once and future woman” or “songs of sisterhood”. It sounds like something Catherine Finnegan, librarian at Foresta [Institute], and a good friend, would have contributed.

How much did it cost to produce Virgo Rising?
It was low budget. We certainly didn’t have major funding — but Maya [Miller], who may have come up with the idea, or expressed a wish for “more music”, must have contributed some starting funds. None of us knew what it cost to produce and distribute a record! Certainly I did not. We were doing it for the joy of it! The problem, as I found out later, was distribution; without company backing, the usual outlets were closed to us. I recall being furious that I could not interest stores to sell even a few copies; I could not get even small distributors to consider it.

What other memories do you have of making Virgo Rising?
The exhilaration of making it! Of collecting the songs, finding the singers, and the recording sessions — jubilant! Watching Kate, Helen, and Rebecca as they sang out ‘Sister!’ Or Nancy’s beautiful voice in ‘Welfare Blues’, Kit’s calm strength…Charley’s Aunts were exuberant together; we laughed a lot. I had no experience to make musical suggestions to anyone but I recall making a few during a recording session; can’t imagine what I could have said. However, I would have known at that early stage that for any creative work (a film, a script or book) the result must be enthusiastic. If the creators — the singers, musicians, in this case — bring enthusiasm to their work, listeners pay attention and join in. Virgo Rising vibrated with enthusiasm. And, the collection had a message worth hearing.

How do you view Virgo Rising’s place in history?
For women, the songs truly represent a period in history that was vital and releasing, qualities the album, like a piece of amber, protects, preserves.

What have you been doing since Virgo Rising?
I wrote and produced documentaries and experimental films until around 1979 when I wrote a book about my experiences of survival as a filmmaker — Making Films Your Business. It was more fun, more satisfying writing a book compared to producing films, standing in snow banks or under a blazing sun trying to get a shot. Remember, in the 1970s there were no real outlets for short films except in schools. PBS might show a short or documentary once in a while, but cable, video and DVD did not exist. It was hard uphill work to get a documentary seen by audiences. I kept on writing books, first novels, then non-fiction, such as Women Who Run the Show. I am currently working on another non-fiction book, and I consult with other writers on their work.

[Read more →]

Share/Save/Bookmark

→ 3 CommentsTags: Sue Barrett · artist profiles

Boots of Spanish Leather

July 26th, 2008 · No Comments

Two versions of the same song - first the writer:

Now a great cover by Nanci Griffith:

Share/Save/Bookmark

→ No CommentsTags: Folk Video of the Week · Uncategorized

Full Playlist, Festival Radio, 7/24/08

July 24th, 2008 · 2 Comments

I’ve decided to start posting some full playlists here on occasion.  The following is every song in rotation at this moment.   I’ve posted in alphabetical order so as to be in compliance with DMCA regulations (the station shuffles these songs).


Artist Title Album
5 Chinese Brothers Alone Together Singer Songwriter Beggarman Thief
7th and Beale You’re the Only Train (On My One Track Mind) Crossroads and Highways
A J Roach Devil May Dance Revelation
Abbie Gardner / Anthony da Costa Red Barn Bad Nights / Better Days
Abigail Washburn Nobody’s Fault But Mine Song of the Traveling Daughter
Adam Levy Never Been Alone Like This Washing Day
Adrienne Young Leaving It Behind Room to Grow
Afro Celt Sound System Colossus Volume 3 : Further in Time
Al Petteway Spindrift Whispering Stones
Al Stewart Lindy Comes to Town Between The Wars
Alison Brown The Sound Of Summer Running Stolen Moments
Alison Krauss & Union Station Pain of a Troubled Life So Long, So Wrong
Allison Downey with John Austin Ireland For You Across the Sea
Allison Moorer Orphan Train Mockingbird
Altan Tá Mo Chleamnas A Dhéanamh Live
Amos Lee Supply and Demand Supply and Demand
Amy Carol Webb Lay the Shovel Down Music To Life 2006 Awards Finalists
Ana Moura Fado Menor Aconteceu
Anaïs Mitchell Shenandoah The Brightness
Andrea Hoag Loretta Kelly and Charlie Pitzer Hambo In The Snow
Andrew Calhoun & Campground Roll Jordan Roll Bound To Go
Andrew Calhoun & Campground Jaybird & Sparrow Bound To Go
Andrew McKnight Ansel Adams Something Worth Standing For
Andy McKee Nakagawa-san The Gales of Gnomeria
Angel Band Place of Grace With Roots & Wings
Angel Band We Are Shepherds With Roots & Wings
Anne Kirkpatrick Cradle Of Love Women at the Well - The Songs of Paul Kelly
Annie Gallup I Rode the Train Half of My Crime
Anonymous 4 Holy Manna American Angels
Antje Duvekot South Big Dream Boulevard
Antoine Dufour Mother Existence
Anuna Kells Celtic Origins
April Verch The Bonnie Lass O’ The Mornin’ - Duite De Loudeac - Howling At The Moon- Sunset Over Scariff From Where I Stand
Ashley Maher Crown For Adorning The Blessed Rain
Baka Beyond La Londé Rhythm Tree
Bellowhead Hopkinson’s Favourite Burlesque
Ben Sollee Panning for Gold Learning to Bend
Ben Sollee Prettiest Tree on the Mountain Learning to Bend
Bert Jansch Travellin Man The River Sessions
Big Country Post Nuclear Talking Blues One in a Million
Bill Jones Long John Moore Turn To Me
Bill Mallonee Summer In Our Veins Fetal Position
Bill Morrissey Will You Be My Rose? something i saw or thought i saw
Billy Bragg Accident Waiting To Happen Don’t Try This At Home
Billy Bragg Farm Boy Mr. Love & Justice
Birdie Busch Huff Singer (North Philly) Penny Arcade
Blackthorn Band Neat Little Bunch Of Rushes The River That Runs Below
Blackthorn Band Johnny Leary’s Polkas The River That Runs Below
Blue Highway Wild Urge to Ramble Marbletown
Blue Sky Boys Down on the Banks of the Ohio The Appalachians
Bob Dylan Workingman’s Blues #2 Modern Times
Bob Franke Sleeping Hearts The Other Evening in Chicago
Bob Gibson Let the Bnd Play Dixie The Living Legend Years
Boldwood Hunsdon House Feet, don’t fail me now
Bonnie Rideout The Brown-haired Lad - O My Boatman Scottish Fire
Brad Colerick Let Her Fall in Love Lines in the Dirt
Brave Combo Buscando Tu Corazon Polkas For A Gloomy World
Brian Ashley Jones Maybe Then Courier
Brooks Williams The Drowsy Bee Guitar Player
Bruce Cockburn When You Give It Away Breakfast in New Orleans, Dinner in Timbuktu
Bruce Holmes The Illinois 7th Regiment The Old King’s Reel
Bruce Hornsby & The Range Till the Dreaming’s Done Scenes From The Southside
Bruce Springsteen with the Sessions Band This Little Light Of Mine Live in Dublin
Buckwheat Zydeco In The Summertime Absolutely The Best Of Cajun & Zydeco Vol II
Buddy Miller You Wrecked Up My Heart Your Love and Other Lies
Cadillac Sky Can’t Trust The Weatherman Blind Man Walking
Capercaillie The Quimper Waltz Roses And Tears
Cara Dillon Garden Valley After the Morning
Cara Luft Settle for Grey The Light Fantastic
Caren Armstrong Origami Everything
Carla Ulbrich What If Your Girlfriend Was Gone Professional Smart Aleck
Carol Noonan Tom Trauberts Blues Somebody’s Darling
Caroline Herring Heartbreak Tonight Lantana
Carrie Elkin Ode to Ogallala The Jeopardy of Circumstance
Carrie Newcomer A Mean Kind of Justice The Geography of Light
Cat Stevens Oh Very Young (1974) The Very Best Of Cat Stevens
Catherine MacLellan Stronger Church Bell Blues
Cathie Ryan Erin’s Lovely Home The Music Of What Happens
Charivari Arc de Triomphe two-step I want to dance with you
Cherish the Ladies O’Keefe’s…The Shepherd’s Lamb…Johnny O’Leary’s One And All: The Best of Cherish The Ladies
Cherryholmes Darkness On The Delta Cherryholmes II Black And White
Cheryl Wheeler Emotional Response Half A Book
chris and thomas In My Time land of sea
Chris Dunnett Rainbow in the Dark It’s Alive One
Chris Stuart & Backcountry His Glory Will Last Saints & Strangers
Chris Vallillo Lorena Abraham Lincoln in Song
Christina Stewart Dean Ba ba mo Leanabh Kist o Dreams
Christine Lavin Regretting What I Said… Live at the Cactus Cafe
Christopher Smith Michigan Roll Gravedigger’s Boy
Chuck Brodsky Letters in the Dirt Two Sets
Chuck Brodsky Dangerous Times Two Sets
Clive Batkin and Joel McDermott The Legend of Fat Tom G-Force Trousers
Conjunto Jardin El Ahualulco Yerba Buena
Corinne West Eye of the Storm Second Sight
Cowboy Junkies Blue Moon Revisited (A Song For Elvis) In The Time Before Llamas
Crooked Still Pharaoh Still Crooked
Crooked Still Poor Ellen Smith Still Crooked
Dale Nikkel Everybody Knows How to Pet a Dog Passages
Dan Fogelberg Mountain Pass High Country Snows
Dan Zanes & Festival Five Folk Mingulay Boat Song Sea Music
Dana & Susan Robinson My Peach Pie ’Round My Door
Danny Schmidt Adios To Tejasito Little Grey Sheep
Darrell Scott River Take Me Theatre of the Unheard
Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer Highway 80 Drum Hat Buddha
Dave Rowe Trio Maple Sugar Mountain The Good Life
David Bromberg Fiddle Medley: Sally Gooden, Old Joe Clark, Wheel Hoss Live in New York 1982
David Bromberg Wallflower Live in New York 1982
David Gray Be Mine A New Day at Midnight
David Stoddard The Company Says Get Off My Lawn
David Stoddard The First Thanksgiving Get Off My Lawn
Dervish Gypsies,Tramps and Thieves Traveling Show
Devon Sproule The Weeping Willow Songs For Laura
Donal Hinely Giants Giants
Donna Hughes Not Any More Gaining Wisdom
Dromedary Ukrainian Stomp Live From The Make Believe
Eamon O’Maonaigh Our Love is Gold Our Love is Gold
Eamonn Coyne and Kris Drever Lucy’s Swamp Homk Toot Suite
Echoes of Incas Aranjuez Andean Legacy
Eddi Reader Hummingbird Angels & Electricity
Eddie From Ohio Boomerang Big Noise
Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul Dance All Night Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul
Eilen Jewell Too Hot to Sleep Letters From Sinners & Strangers
Eleanor McEvoy Music Of It All Eleanor McEvoy
Eliza Carthy Follow The Dollar Dreams Of Breathing Underwater
Eliza Carthy Hug You Like A Mountain Dreams Of Breathing Underwater
Elizabeth Nicholson & Stringed Migration La Rotta/Waltz From Osra Fly Not Yet
Ellis Paul Blacktop Train American Jukebox Fables
Emily Kurn Mississippi Moon Things Change
Emily Smith Caledonia Too Long Away
Emmylou Harris Beyond the Great Divide All I Intended to Be
Emmylou Harris Old Five and Dimers All I Intended to Be
Enoch Kent Kellyburn Braes for the women
Enormous Richard Hole in my record collection answers all your questions
Enter the Haggis Long Way Home Northampton
Eric Bibb Panama Hat An Evening With Eric Bibb
Erica Wheeler Onward From Here Almost Like Tonight (live)
Erik Balkey New Olde Town Deadpan Alley
Ernie Hawkins Fast Fox Trot Mean Little Poodle
Fairground Attraction Home To Heartache Kawasaki Live In Japan 02.07.89
Fairport Convention Fiddlestix Before The Moon (disc 2)
Fergus McCormick I Who Have Never Been With You I Don’t Need You Now
Fiamma Fumanda La Vien Giu Onda
Flogging Molly The Story So Far Float
Fort Pastor Love Can’t Find You Beautiful Imperfection
Gaelic Storm Sight of Land Gaelic Storm
Gibb Todd Don’t Put Taxes on the Women Goin’ Home
Gibson Brothers The Other Side of Town Iron & Diamonds
Gillian Welch Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor Soul Journey
Gram Parsons Still Feeling Blue GP/Grievous Angel
Great Big Sea Company of Fools Fortune’s Favour
Great Big Sea Here and Now Fortune’s Favour
Great Big Sea Banks of Newfoundland Fortune’s Favour
Greg Brown Banjo Moon One Night
Greg Greenway I Carry Your Heart With me Standing on the Side of Love
Greg Trooper 22 Miles to Bristol Live at Pine Hill Farm
Harry Chapin I Wanna Learn a Love Song Greatest Stories Live
Harvey Reid UmgAslaug The Autoharp Album
Hem Hotel Fire Funnel Cloud
Hugh Blumenfeld Friends Of A Traveler Mozart’s Money
Hugh Morrison Minor Reels Under a Texas Skye
Hungrytown Weep No More Hungrytown
Hungrytown Rose or the Briar Hungrytown
I See Hawks In L.A. Open Door Hallowed Ground
Ian & Sylvia Early Morning Rain Vanguard - Roots of Folk ( - Singers & Songwritters) (disc 2)
Ian Anderson Yon Burn Side The Complete Songs of Robert Tannahill Volume I
Iona Beyond These Shores Beyond These Shores
Iris DeMent I’ll Take My Sorrow Straight The Way I Should
J.J. Cale Cajun Moon Rare On Air: Volume 2: Live Sessions From KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic
Jackie Frost Ensemble Arrows in the Dark Cold Lonely Blues
Jackson Browne Somebody’s Baby Solo Acoustic Volume 2
Jaime Michaels Almost Daedalus Fool
Jake Armerding Falling In Walking On The World
James McMurtry God Bless America Just Us Kids
James McMurtry Ruins of the Realm Just Us Kids
Jamie Byrd A Summer’s Night in June Garden of Days
Jan Krist Love is Not to Blame Decapitated Society
Jeb Loy Nichols I Need You So Days Are Mighty
Jed Marum Letter From Lilac Acres The Soul of a Wanderer
Jeff Black Heaven Now Tim Lily
Jeff Daniels If I Weren’t so Stupid, You Wouldn’t be so Smart Live and Unplugged To Benefit The Purple Rose Theatre
Jeff Lang The Road Is Not Your Only Friend Prepare Me Well
Jeffrey Foucault Cross of the Flowers Stripping Cane
Jenny Goodspeed The Good Daughter Under the Ash Tree
Jerimoth Hill A Mother’s Last Words The Halfway Ground
Jerry Jeff Walker Mr. Bojangles Vanguard - Roots of Folk ( - Singers & Songwritters) (disc 2)
Jesse Winchester A Showman’s Life The Best Of
Jez Lowe & The Bad Pennies The Limping Drinker’s Polka The Parish Notices
Jim Reid O Are Ye Sleeping Maggie The Complete Songs of Robert Tannahill Volume I
Jimmie Dale Gilmore Don’t Let the Stars Get In Your Eyes Come on Back
Jimmy LaFave The Open Space Road Novel
Joan Armatrading Shapes And Sizes Mixx on the Fly - Live From Studio A - WCBE Vol.4
Joe Crookston John Jones Able Baker Charlie and Dog
Joe Crookston Freddy the Falcon Able Baker Charlie and Dog
joe henry love is enough civilians
Joel Rafael This Is My Country Thirteen Stories High
John Flynn Blink Two Wolves
John Gorka Flying Red Horse Out of the Valley
John McCusker The Cake Maker’s Wife Goodnight Ginger
John Prine Safety Joe Fair & Square
John Renbourn Tic-Tocative The transatlantic anthology - CD1
John Wesley Harding Hard Adam’s Apple
John Wesley Harding Long Dead Gone The Name Above The Title
Johnny Cash Big River Live From Austin, TX
Johnny Clegg & Savuka In My African Dream Heat, Dust & Dreams
Jon T. Howard Pottersville Time For Something
Jonathan Byrd Diana Jones The Law and the Lonesome
Jonathan Byrd May the River Run Dry The Law and the Lonesome
Jonathan Rundman The Serious Kind Public Library
Joni Mitchell Bad Dreams Shine
Josh Ritter Girl In The War The Animal Years
Josh Ritter Still Beating The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
Joyce Andersen Riding on a Train Love and Thirst
Joyce Andersen & Harvey Reid Can’t Let Go Kindling The Fire
Julie Lee Made From Scratch Stillhouse Road
Julie Miller I Still Cry Broken Things
KaiserCartel Season Song March Forth
Kallet Epstein and Cicone Holy Now
Karan Casey Maidin Luan Chincise Ships in the Forest
Karen Mal Suitcase Full of Memories the space between
Karen Matheson I will not wear the willow downriver
Karine Polwart Resolution Road Faultlines
Kasey Chambers Still Feeling Blue Barricades & Brickwalls
Kate & Anna McGarrigle Goin’ Back to Harlan Matapedia
Kate Campbell Wheels Within Wheels Blues and Lamentations
Kate Jacobs Iris Has Faith The Calm Comes After
Kate Jacobs If It’s An Elm Tree You Call That Dark
Kate McDonnell Go Down Moses Where the Mangoes Are
Kate Rusby Who Will Sing Me Lullabies Little Lights
Kate Taylor Satellite Sky Strong Hand Of Love
Kathleen Edwards Oil Man’s War Asking for Flowers
Kathleen Edwards Buffalo Asking for Flowers
Kathy Mattea Dark As A Dungeon Coal
Kathy Mattea Sally in the Garden Coal
Katy Moffatt Waitin’ For A Train Up Close and Personal
Keith and Joan Pitzer Home Ranger Gathering Stonees
Kelley McCrae Sparrow Highrises In Brooklyn
Kevin Welch and the Overtones I Look For You Western Beat
Kieran Kane Kevin Welch & Fats Kaplin Monkey Jump
Kimmie Rhodes Big Ol’ Train Rich From The Journey
Knot Fibb’n The Musical Priest/The Windy Gap Knot Loitering
Kris Delmhorst Sea Fever Strange Conversation
Kris Drever Steel and Stone (Black Water) Black Water
Ladysmith Black Mambazo Take My Hand, Precious Lord Heavenly
Laienda Little Drummer Boy / Anvil EP
Laienda Cantos Nuevos EP
LAU Hinba LIVE
Laura Cantrell 14th Street Humming by the Flowered Vine
Lauren Lapointe Here Comes The Rain Again Butterfly
Laurie MacAllister Famous Blue Raincoat The Things I Choose to Do
Lawrence Blatt La Selva Fibonacci’s Dream
Leo Kottke Blimp One Guitar, No Vocals
Leonard Cohen Everybody Knows The Essential Leonard Cohen CD1
Les Femmes d’Enfer traditional / Blues de Port Arthur Femmes!
Levellers One Way Levelling The Land
Lilnda Sharar Safe House Everyday
Linda Thompson Dear Old Man Of Mine Fashionably Late
Loreena McKennitt Caravanserai Nights From The Alhambra (Disc 1)
Lori McKenna Mr. Sunshine Bittertown
Lost Dogs Imagine That Little Red Riding Hood
Loudon Wainwright III You Can’t Fail Me Now Strange Weirdos
Luka Bloom Diamond Mountain Amsterdam
Luke Sayers & The Last to Know Busy Signal Radio Flower
Lunasa Casu The Story So Far
Lynn Marie Rink-e-dink POLKA The Polka Record
Lynn Miles Long Time Coming Slightly Haunted
Mac Wiseman Wreck of The Old 97 Great American Train Songs
Madeleine Peyroux Dance Me To The End Of Love Careless Love
Mahotella Queens Selailai (Attractive Woman) Marriage Is A Problem
Malcolm Holcombe Goin’ Downtown Gamblin’ House
Mannix Joe Tomorrow the Sun will Shine
Marc Cohn Let Me Be Your Witness Join The Parade
Marie Knight A Little More Faith Let Us Get Together: A Tribute to Reverend Gary Davis
Mark Dvorak Don’t let The Blues Make You Bad Every Step Of The Way
Mark Erelli Midnight Train Mark Erelli
Mark Heard Big Wheels Roll Satellite Sky
Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill The Wind Swept Hill of Tulla Welcome Here Again
Martin Simpson Never Any Good Prodigal Son
Martyn Joseph Please Sir Don’t Talk About Love (Live ’92 - ’02)
Matt Price Cure For the Blues Cure For the Blues
Melinda Crawford Sleepy Maggie/Glenburnie Rant/Sweet Molly/Gravel Walk The Wandering Suitcase of Stirling
Melody Gardot Sweet Memory Worrisome Heart
Michael Johnathon Sunrise Walden: The Earth Song Collection
Michelle Shocked God Bless the Child ToHeavenURide
Moxy Fruvous Fly Wood
Nanci Griffith Boots Of Spanish Leather Winter Marquee
Neil Jacobs Singing Dunes Secret Places
Nels Andrews Shoot Out the Stars Off Track Betting
No Fixed Abode Modern Life Clearwater
Noel Lenaghan Come On Home Annie A Long Time Since
October Project Bury My Lovely October Project
Odetta Alabama Bound / Boll Weevil Lookin’ for a Home
Off to California Sweet betsy in the Parlor Hard Times in the Promised Land
Old Blind Dogs Star o’ the Bar Four on the Floor
Old Crow Medicine Show Minglewood Blues Big Iron World
One Riot One Ranger Truck Stops and Pretty Girls Side Tracks
Oscar Lopez The Flight of the Flamingo Heat
Oysterband Bold Riley Pearls from the Oysters
Oysterband Bright Morningstar Rise Above
Pat Wictor That’s The Way It’s Gonna Be Sunset Waltz
Patrick Bloom Dixie Royal Lanes Moses
Patrick Fitzsimmons She Rides Live: The Birthday Shows
Patrick Street Killanin’s Fancy / The Dash To Portobello / Anna Maculeen The Best of Patrick Street
Patty Griffin Somone Else’s Tomorrow Children Running Through
Patty Larkin Might As Well Dance Angels Running
Paul Brock and Enda Scahill John Kimmel’s Accordion Fantasy Humdinger
Paul Kelly From Little Things Big Things Grow A to Z Downloads - F
Paul Kelly The Ballad Of Queenie And Rover Stolen Apples
Paul Simon Train In The Distance Negotiations and Love Songs 1971-1986
PEGGY SEEGER ROVING GAMBLER BRING ME HOME
Pentangle Lost Love Open the Door
Pete Seeger with Sweet Honey in the Rock Doc Watson & The Little Red School House Chorus This Land is Your Land Folkways: A Vision Shared - A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly
Peter Case Million Dollars Bail Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John
Peter Himmelman Tremble Stage Diving
Peter Mulvey The Fix is On The Knuckleball Suite
Peter Oliva The Love of Caroline Postcard From the Promised Land
Phil Keaggy Wedding In The Country Manor The Master & The Musician
Phoebe Snow w/The Holmes Brothers Beams Of Heaven Shout, Sister, Shout!, A Tribute To Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Pierce Pettis Trying To Stand In A Fallen World Chase The Buffalo
Pine Leaf Boys La Belle Josette La Musique
Planxty The Hare In The Corn / The Frost Is all Over / The Gander In The Pratie Hole The Planxty Collection
Rachel Harrington Up the River The Bootlegger’s Daughter
Radio Tarifa El Mandil de Carolina Temporal
Ragged but Right Gosh! I Miss You All the Time Down Harmony Road
Railroad Earth Bringin’ My Baby Back Home Amen Corner
Railroad Earth Lonecroft Ramble Amen Corner
Randall Williams Memories of East Texas One Night in Louisiana
Randy Newman New Orleans Wins the War Land Of Dreams
Raul Malo Pat Flynn Rob Ickes & Dave Pomeroy
Red Molly This Farm Needs a Man Love and Other Tragedies
Red Molly Old Dancing Fool Love and Other Tragedies
Reg Meuross My Nirvana Still
Rhonda Vincent and The Rage Jolene Ragin’ Live
Richard Murray Thinking of Chrstina Desert Wind
Richard Murray Forgive Me Sera Desert Wind
Richard Shindell The Courier Sparrows Point
Richard Thompson Sunset Song Sweet Warrior
Rick Lee The Merry Golden Tree Look What Thoughts Will Do
Riders in the Sky South of the Border Public Cowboy #1: A Centennial Salute to the Music of Gene Autry
Rig the Jig Barley And Grape Rag Passing Through
Rise Green Grow the Rashes, O Posing as Human
Robby Hecht Something Somehow Late Last Night
Robert Bobby Guns Across the U.S.A. FUBAR
Robert Earl Keen Then Came Lo Mein Picnic
Robert Hill My Corner My Corner
Sarah Sample A Sunrise or Two Never Close Enough
Sean Doyle Let Mr. Maguire Sit Down The Light and the Half-Light
Sharon Shannon Bjorn Again Polka Out the Gap (Compass Reissue)
Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars (Sierra Leone) Seconds In the name of love - Africa celebrates U2
Simon and Garfunkel So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright Bridge Over Troubled Water
Sligo Rags Riding on the Wexford Line The Whiskey Never Lies
Sloan Wainwright There But For Fortune Rediscovery
Sloan Wainwright After The Gold Rush Rediscovery
Small Potatoes Boy Around the Corner Small Potatoes Alive! at WVBR’s Bound for Glory
Smithfield Fair Hauling Angus Swept Away
Solas Beauty Spot Reunion - A Decade of Solas
Sora The Juniper Light (EP)
Squeezebox Stompers Magnolia Two Step Rockin Ralph’s Roadhouse
Steppin’ In It Hittin’ On All Six Simple Tunes For Simple Times
Steve Forbert It Sure Was Better Back Then Live at the Bottom Line
Steve Goodman The Dutchman Anthology: No Big Surprise (1994) Studio (disc 1)
Steve Robinson Wasted and Waiting Undercurrent
Steven Finn Hail To The Thief Houdini’s Blues
Steven Spence Sonya and Steve’s Wedding Waltz Spencie’s Tunes
Susan Werner (It’s Okay to) Feel Good New Non-fiction
Suzzy & Maggie Roche God Bless The Artists Zero Church
Teada Planxty Crilly/Micho Russell’s/Mickey Callaghan’s Inne Amarach
Tempest Nine Points of Roguery Turn Of The Wheel
Terence Martin Santa Rosa, NM Even Trade
Terry Scott Taylor Pretend I’m Elvis (For Just One Night) Avocado Faultline
The American Wake The Quay Tell No Tales
The Be Good Tanyas Reuben Chinatown
The Bills Cambridge Set Let Em Run
The Bittersweets Wreck Goodnight, San Francisco
The Bobs Funk Shui Massacre Get Your Monkey Off My Dog
The Brombies Midnight Blues Live! at the Spitting Llamas Bluegrass Bar
The Burns Sisters band Never Loved at All Wild Bouquet
The Byrds Wasn’t Born To Follow There Is A Season - Disc 2 of 4
The Byrds Pretty Boy Floyd (Live) There Is A Season - Disc 3 of 4
The Callen Sisters Phase The Callen Sisters
The Carter Family In The Valley Of The Shenandoah The Carter Family
The Chieftains The Stone - A special dance for when two lovers meet An Irish Evening
The Clumsy Lovers Single Girl Under The Covers
The Coal Porters Here In the Dock Turn the Water on, Boy!
The Cottars Send Me a River Forerunner
The Dreamsicles Let’s Stay Together Luv Songs for Grownups
The Duhks Domino Party Migrations
The Foremen I Been Singin’ The Best of the Foremen
The Gordons Lincoln’s Funeral Train Our Time
The Gordons Blackjack Davey Our Time
The Greencards What You Are Weather and Water
The Hayburners Ferris Wheel The Hayburners
The Hayburners Big In Japan The Hayburners
The High Kings Galway to Graceland The High Kings
The Hooters Where The Wind May Blow time stand still
The Horse Flies Baghdad Children Until the Ocean
The Horse Flies Rafting (From My Front Door) Until the Ocean
the innocence mission Oh Do Not Fly Away small planes
The Jayhawks Save It For A Rainy Day Rainy Day Music
The Kennedys Sago Mine Better Dreams
The Kennedys Rappahannock Positively Live!
The Loose Acoustic Trio Pinball Wizard Sorrow Be Gone
The Love Hall Tryst Do Not Fear the Dark Songs of Misfortune
The Mammals Solo Le Pido A Dios Departure
The Mavericks I Said I Love You Live In Austin Texas
The Otters Train Wreck Nature of the Beat
The Pentangle Watch The Stars Sweet Child
The Pillars of Society Information Highway Short Stories
The Queensberry Rules Gold Rush Landlocked
The Queensberry Rules Preservers Song Landlocked
The Rankin Family You Feel The Same Way Too Endless Seasons
The Rosinators I Saw the Light The Rosinators
The Strangelings Wake Up, Children Season of the Witch
The Waifs People Who Think They Can Shelter Me
The Waybacks Nice To Be Alone Loaded
The Weavers Goodnight Irene Greatest Hits
Those Darn Accordions ! The Devil Went Down To Georgia Squeeze This
Tift Merritt I Know What I’m Looking For Now Another Country
Tiller’s Folly Last of the Royal Engineers A River So Wide
Tiller’s Folly Take Pride A River So Wide
Tim Grimm This Hole Holding Up the World
Tim Grimm Rebecca Versailles Holding Up the World
Tim Harrison We Believed Grey County
Tim O’Brien Maggie’s Farm Red On Blonde
Tish Hinojosa Yesterday’s Paper Destiny’s Gate
Todd Snider Mission Accomplished (Because You Gotta Have Faith) Peace Queer
Todd Snider Fortunate Son Peace Queer
Todd Thibaud Last Thing That I Need Little Mystery
Tom Paxton Home To Me (Is Anywhere You Are) Comedians & Angels
Tom Prasada-Rao Inner City Blues The Way of the World
Tom Rowe and Dave Rowe Shenandoah Rowe by Rowe
Tom Russell Band Purgatory Road Raw Vision
Tommy Emmanuel CGP Ruby’s Eyes
Toni Price One of These Lonely Days Born to Be Blue
Tonya Lowman Nail Scarred Hands It’s Gonna Take a Long Time
Tracy Grammer Shadows of Evangeline Flower of Avalon
Truckstop Honeymoon Waffle House Booth Delivery Boy
Van Morrison The Beauty of the Days Gone By Down the Road
Vance Gilbert Save the Last Dance for Me Angels, Castles, Covers
Victoria Parks Dear Sister Wild English Rose
Victoria Williams When We Sing Together Loose
Vigilantes Of Love When You’re Blinded By The Light ’Cross The Big Pond
Wayne Greene Trains Himself
We’re About 9 I’m Not Going To Sleep Paperdust :: Stardust
Willy Porter Big Yellow Pine Willy Porter
Wolgemut Dans d’Bretagne Momento
Woody Guthrie Pastures of Plenty The Asch Recordings Vol. 1 - This Land is You

Share/Save/Bookmark

→ 2 CommentsTags: Festival Radio · Playlist

Moxy Fruvous - King of Spain

July 19th, 2008 · No Comments

Moxy Fruvous - King Of Spain

Another video, because I’m bored. Early Fruvous.

Share/Save/Bookmark

→ No CommentsTags: Folk Video of the Week

The Strangelings - Matty Groves

July 19th, 2008 · 1 Comment

Matty Groves

Share/Save/Bookmark

→ 1 CommentTags: Folk Video of the Week

Help Ashley Maher to Record in Senegal

July 17th, 2008 · No Comments

Ashley Maher, one of my favorite world folk fusion artists has the opportunity to record in Senegal.   Here’s the scoop from Ashley: 

Dear Friends, Fans, and Family!!!!

 

I HAVE NEWS TO SHARE!


WHAT?  I am raising money to record my 5th CD in Dakar, Senegal in September with key musicians of Africa’s biggest star and my All Time Musical Hero: 

Youssou NDour!
WHEN?    September 2 - 16.  I’ve already bought the plane tickets for my Cameroonian producer, Andre Manga, and I!! We will record at Dogo Studios with Jimi Mbaye, Habib Faye, and a host of other top Senegalese mbalax musicians.

WHY?   This is a unique opportunity for the convergence of multiple incredible talents to record a musically historic and successful album. We’ll be making history! Westerners recording with West African musicians have mostly tuned in to Malian blues (Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Taj Mahal, Toubab Krewe) but few have tapped into that magic middle ground between Western music and Senegalese mbalax

, since Youssou Ndour sang on Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” in the ’80’s.

Most of you know that I have looooong collaborated with West African musicians and that my music and stage shows are grounded in Senegalese dance and rhythm, both of which I have studied passionately for over ten years.  The time is Now!

In 2007, Senegal’s Youssou NDour recorded a song i co-wrote (Boul Bayekou). This was one of the great honors of my professional life.  Then, last April, Youssou flew me to Dakar to rehearse (as a dancer) with his seven Senegalese dancers for two weeks before performing in two enormous shows: first in Dakar and then before 20,000 at Paris’ Bercy Arena.  While it was a mind-bending experience, it also deepened my ties with Youssou’s musicians.  Simply put, they are free this September and enthusiastic about recording with me … it is an opportunity I’ve GOT to take!

This development is a big surprise. By last February, having raised the money to record CD #5 in Los Angeles, I began working on it with Andre Manga.  I never imagined this chance to record in Dakar with Youssou’s musicians would arise.  Now, we have more-than-an-album’s-worth of excellent new material, backing tracks ready to go, a downpayment made on Dogo Studios, and our ’round trip tickets to Dakar in hand.  However, the cost of recording will add a minimum of $15,000 to our current budget.  So

….

HOW?     HERE’S WHERE YOU COME IN!
Although income for artists from both labels and sales has diminished, our hunger for Art remains constant.  Independent artists are fundraising like never before to keep music alive.  It is the most direct and effective model in use today.

And so my friends, here is how you can support this exciting project:

 

$5 - $45     a very sincere email of thanks and I will keep you posted on The Story of how the CD develops from Dakar onwards

!

$45 - 

a copy of CD #5

$50     a signed

CD  : ) !!

$75     a signed CD and a T-shirt  (please tell me your adult size

)

$100 

   a signed CD, T-Shirt, and free entrance to my CD release party

$250 

signed CD, T-Shirt, free entrance to our CD release party,
          and a “Silver Angel” credit on the CD liner notes

$500 

  signed CD, T-Shirt, free entrance to CD release party,
          and a “Golden Angel” credit on the CD liner notes

$750 

 signed CD, T-shirt, free entrance to CD release party,
          and a “Platinum Angel” credit on the CD liner notes

$1000 

signed CD, T-Shirt, free entrance to CD release party,
                 and a “Diamond Angel” credit on the CD liner notes

$5000+ 

   signed CD, T-shirt, free entrance to CD release party,
               “Executive Producer” credit on the CD liner notes and I will fall down
               and weep and kiss your feet whenever I see you for all eternity.

NOTES: 

Any and all contributions welcome!!
Questions?  Ideas?  Suggestions?  Email me! 
ashmaher5@aol.com

Payment is by check or via PayPal.   (Shipping and handling are included.)

Please include full mailing address, and T-shirt size (if applicable),
BY MAIL: 

(please make check payable to “Ashley Maher”)
Ashley Maher
1425 6th Street  #405
Santa Monica
California  90401
USA
PAYPAL: https://www.paypal.com/ 
please email donation to:
ashmaher5@aol.com

 

Love, bottomless gratitude, and countless blessings!
Ashley
 

 

Share/Save/Bookmark

→ No CommentsTags: Folk News

Folk DJ Needs Help

July 17th, 2008 · No Comments

Debra Cowan is an accomplished folk singer that I play regularly on Festival Radio.  Today, she posted this to the Folk DJ List:

Laurel Paulson-Pierce hosts “Crossroads” on KRBS out of
Oroville, CA.  Whilst helping to fight fires in the Concow area
of Butte County (where she also lives) her own house was totally
destroyed in these fires. Thankfully, she was able to save her
CDs and some other possessions, but the house itself is a total
loss.

The Mudcat Cafe <http://www.mudcat.org/threads.cfm> hosts
auctions to raise funds and several of us have donated items on
which you can bid. Please take a look at these items and
consider helping out Laurel. The link to the Mudcat Auction is
at <http://www.mudcat.org/auction/threads.cfm>

I have known Laurel for almost 25 years and not only does she
volunteer at KRBS, but is also involved in the Butte Folk Music
Society in Chico. She gives and has given pretty selflessly over
the years to helping put on folk music events in Butte County.
If anyone would like to make a straight donation to help out,
you can do this by sending a check or postal money order to:

Mike Doellman
PO Box 4905
Pocatello, ID 83205-4905

Whether check or PMO, please make it out to Mike and perhaps
attach a post-it note with the name Laurel on it so Mike knows
what it’s for.

Thanks for helping if you can.

Best,
Debra Cowan

Share/Save/Bookmark

→ No CommentsTags: Folk Radio