Hosted by The Bluegrass Situation · 🇺🇸 US · EN · 371 episodes
Established thought leaders with verified media credentials.
Basic Folk features honest conversations with folk musicians hosted by Cindy Howes and Lizzie No. We approach interviews with warmth, humor and insightful questions. Since 2018, this podcast has dignified under the radar roots musicians by providing a platform that they might not otherwise have. You’ll hear interviews from Three-time Grammy-winning guitar gods like Molly Tuttle, Haitian American folk legends like Leyla McCalla and deep feelers like songwriter John Hiatt.Basic Folk is dedicated to showcasing the best in folk, bluegrass, acoustic and americana including Black, Brown and Queer folx who have been excluded, or felt like they did not belong, in the folk world. Cindy & Lizzie each bring a unique perspective to these honest conversations with folk musicians. We are equally dedicated to repainting the broad landscape of folk music as we are to tearing down the ivory towers of the music industry. What would Bruce Springsteen do if he ever got the keys to that mansion on the hil
The Bluegrass Situation hosts Basic Folk, a music show with 371 episodes published.
Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan, the Milk Carton Kids, are calling their latest album, 'Lost Cause Lover Fool,' "the one." They have finally figured out how to feel and sound like themselves with a broader sonic palette
Matt Smith is a living legend with his unbelievable 30-year run at Club Passim, the historic folk venue nestled in a Harvard Square basement. Currently Managing Director at Passim, Matt is the most passionate music lover
Well, is this not an excuse to get the girlies together if we've ever heard one!? For our final live interview aboard Cayamo, we arranged a check-in with some of our favorite folks to talk about the state of Folk Music (
We are live at sea aboard Cayamo 2026 with Abraham Alexander & Kashus Culpepper! The pair had not met prior, but we found a couple of very cool parallels between them, so we decided to interview them together. Plus, we k
We are so excited to kick off our Interviews at Sea series with DAWES! We had the chance to talk to brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith aboard Cayamo: A Journey Through Song during their 18th voyage in March 2026 in fr
One of the things I [lizzie] really enjoyed about interviewing Toronto-born singer-songwriter Julian Taylor is his relationship with the truth. He has a really peaceful attitude towards learning and sharing new informati
Mike and Ruth Merenda have been making music together as the Mammals since 2001, with a little break in 2008 to play as Mike & Ruthy. They've been back as the Mammals since 2017 with a couple of great albums, most recent
Joe Henry has released 15 studio albums, apprenticed for legendary producer T Bone Burnett and, in turn, has produced many other musicians' albums on his own, including three GRAMMY Award-winning albums – for Solomon Bur
A foundational participant in the '70s Bay Area bluegrass scene, Laurie Lewis knows the power of collaboration. She's been a part of an ensemble in recent years that's called "Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands" with Laurie
Something you might notice about Boston musician Naomi Westwater is that they have both sides of the brain on lock. They are very good at community organizing, grant applying, advocating, and other "left-brained" activit
Accidental bandleader and beloved Canadian Tony Dekker joins us to talk about Great Lake Swimmers' new album, 'Caught Light.' Tony is up to old tricks again, like recording in a remote and weird place (in a century-old f
Mary Chapin Carpenter's latest album, 'Personal History,' is as lush in production and color as the beautiful farmland she calls home in Virginia. Carpenter will often wake up early for sunrise walks with her dog, Angus,
To send 2025 off into the great abyss, we have a sensational year-end Basic Folk roundtable featuring Lizzie's group chat: Kaïa Kater, Olivia Ellen Lloyd, and Isa Burke. It can feel so challenging to know which media you
Our episode with Madison Cunningham was one of those all-time Basic Folk moments where a guest gets really deep really quickly. I'm so grateful to have had the chance to speak with this brilliant young torchbearer of the
Frazey Ford has always loved soul music. She fell in love with Otis Redding at age 11 and discovered people like Ann Peebles along the way, but it was Al Green that really knocked her out. She loved the layers, the expre
In the eight years since The Barr Brothers last released an album, Andrew has been drumming with people like Feist, Mumford & Sons, and Broken Social Scene while Brad released a solo record and underwent incredible perso
Asheville-based songwriter David Wilcox has been through some s-h-i-t. A difficult childhood in Northeast Ohio sent him seeking answers – mostly on his bicycle – in an attempt to get away. He has spent his lifetime leani
Kathleen Edwards claims that she's now a pretty frequent crier after not crying for the first 30 years of her life. One reason for this change is the connectedness she has been feeling since leaving music and starting he
Legendary Massachusetts-born, California-based musician Peter Rowan is best known for his bluegrass roots. A practicing Buddhist, he did time in Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys as well as in the short-lived and epically im
This time on Basic Folk, we are checking in with country singer-songwriter and Color Me Country radio host Rissi Palmer and Americana country artist Miko Marks. The two close friends both came up as Black women in countr
Matt Smith
entrepreneur, economic commentator, co-author · Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education
1 appearance on this show
Rissi Palmer
country artist and host of Apple Music's Color Me Country Radio · Color Me Country Radio
2 appearances on this show
Taylor Goldsmith
Dawes
1 appearance on this show
Julian Taylor
1 appearance on this show
Joe Henry
general manager · Lake of the Woods Tourism
1 appearance on this show
Laurie Lewis
intermittent fasting coach and author · Hip Chicks Do Wine
1 appearance on this show
Madison Cunningham
1 appearance on this show
Andrew Barr
UK Farmer · The Barr Brothers
1 appearance on this show
David Wilcox
DNP-prepared nurse, author, and health IT leader · EM&T
1 appearance on this show
Amanda
hairstylist and salon owner · Iluka Retreat
1 appearance on this show
Riley
first-year staffer · Midwest Mythos
1 appearance on this show
Peter Rowan
1 appearance on this show
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Basic Folk is hosted by The Bluegrass Situation. The show is categorised under music (interviews) and has published 371 episodes.
Basic Folk has published 371 episodes.
Basic Folk regularly covers music, interviews, arts. It sits in the music category, with a interviews focus.
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Episodes of Basic Folk average 61 minutes, giving guests a long-form format with plenty of time to expand on their expertise.
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