Basic Folk

Michaela Anne: Loving the Mundane in the Middle of the Chaos, ep. 353

Michaela Anne grew up in a military family that moved a lot: Washington, Michigan, California, Virginia, and Italy. She and her family are currently in the middle of a hu

Jimbo Mathus: still singing for Rosetta & Squirrel Nut Zippering, ep. 352

Jimbo Mathus grew up in a house full of musicians, and by the time he was 8 years old, he was sitting in on family jam sessions. He dropped out of college, joined the Mer

Rachel McCartney's Return to Music, Being a Horse Girl, & Accidentally Snubbing David Gray, ep. 351

For 17 years, Rachel McCartney had set aside a music career and all the anxiety and uncertainty that came along with it. She was in her mid-30s and wanted a family and so

Keb' Mo' Defines the Blues as Honesty Music, ep. 350

We are so honored to welcome Keb' Mo' (aka Kevin Moore) on the show for our 350th episode! After many decades of incredible music, his new solo acoustic album, The Breakd

Hrishikesh Hirway: From Monikers to Podcasts to Music Under His Own Name, ep. 349

If you have been paying attention to music circles for the past 25+ years, you will be familiar with Hrishikesh Hirway. He formerly released music under the moniker The O

MayaFest: Oliver Wood, Ana Egge, John Craigie, Kristin Andreassen, & Caitlin Canty on Maya de Vitry's New Album, ep. 348

Lancaster, Pennsylvania-born, Nashville-based songwriter Maya de Vitry has been on Basic Folk a half dozen times (she's only second to our fave man-bestie Mark Erelli), b

Lizzie No & Kimaya Diggs Celebrate America's Outlaws, ep. 347

Lizzie No, Kaïa Kater, Nathan Evans Fox, Olivia Ellen Lloyd, Tray Wellington, A.J. Haynes, and more are featured on the new compilation album 'Outlaws’ Almanac,' a respon

Alela Diane: Gold in France, That 1990s/1890s Life, and Michael Hurley

Back in the mid 2000's Alela Diane's Gospel Pirate album was ringing my bell and apparently, it was ringing a lot of other people's bells, too, especially Europeans. Alel

Milk Carton Kids Are Making a Mountain out of a Molehill, ep. 345

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

Club Passim's Matt Smith on 30 Years of Building Community, ep. 344

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

Folk State of the Union: Rissi Palmer, Rose Cousins, Kaïa Kater & Jobi Riccio Live on Cayamo, ep. 343

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 favo

Abraham Alexander & Kashus Culpepper: Handsome Club Convenes at Sea, ep. 342

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

Dawes Welcomes Inner Critic, Says "No, Thank You" To The Comment Section

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

Julian Taylor's Folk Evolution: From Misfit to Musical Storyteller, ep. 340

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 a

The Mammals Do Not Want Your Old Farm Equipment, ep. 339

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 sin

Joe Henry & Mark Erelli Wanted to Hang Out, So We Let Them, ep. 338

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 t

Laurie Lewis' Bluegrass Love Letter to California, ep. 337

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 ca

Naomi Westwater is Spiritually Creative, But Also Very Very Organized, ep. 336

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 appl

Great Lake Swimmers' Tony Dekker: Accidental Bandleader, ep. 335

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 recordi

Mary Chapin Carpenter is the Woman in the Truck, ep. 334

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 wa