Basic Folk

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 can trust and whose takes you can really take to the bank. There is no one we trust more to wrap-up this wild and wacky year than these gals. We turned to them at the end of 2025 to hear their hot takes, what they're grateful for, what they've learned, and what four poppin' folk musicians were up to in this crazy year in the industry.We also share a couple of Basic Folk clips from 2025! Our most-listened to episode featured Ani DiFranco and Carsie Blanton onboard Cayamo, so of course we wanted to share a portion of their conversation about periods. Lizzie tees up a clip from her favorite episode featuring Cindy's meet-cute moment with Morgan Toney. Morgan spoke of how he started to get more familiar with his Indigenous musical heritage and shares incredible insights about how to connect with your cultural heritage as a marginalized artist.Lizzie & Cindy then get into what each has been up to this year, together and separately. They especially reflect on their trip to Alaska with Parlor in the Round, the pod's new baby, Lizzie's Yallidarity Social Club podcast, and the latest on their dogs – including one emergency surgery to remove a six month old corn cob. Goodbye, 2025!Follow Basic Folk on social media: https://basicfolk.bio.link/Sign up for Basic Folk's newsletter: https://bit.ly/basicfolknewsHelp produce Basic Folk by contributing: https://basicfolk.com/donate/Interested in sponsoring us? Contact BGS: https://bit.ly/sponsorBGSpodsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

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 folk tradition to celebrate the release of her new album, 'Ace.' Cunningham grew up in the church, an environment which shaped her earliest memories of music. From the very beginning she had a sense of togetherness and transcendence in music which remains today and is represented throughout her catalogue. It was fascinating to hear Madison describe how she developed into a commanding solo performer, renegotiating her relationship with spirituality and individuality along the way.After the massive impact of her GRAMMY-winning 2022 album, 'Revealer,' and collaborations with artists like Andrew Bird, Cunningham summoned all her creative, form-breaking powers for her new album. As we talked through the track list and arrangements I got the sense that this is an artist who is always challenging herself to release control. She lets things fall apart and then puts the pieces back together according to her own imagination. This is freedom. Her reflections on heartbreak feel intimate, thoughtful, hopeful, and unique. 'Ace' may or may not be a "Folk" album by aesthetic measures, but it is certainly an outstanding example of world-building in the singer-songwriter format. Whether on piano or guitar, Cunningham has a focused way of expressing herself that makes me want to know what unpredictable gems she will create next. Long live the creativity of independent women! - Lizzie NoFollow Basic Folk on social media: https://basicfolk.bio.link/Sign up for Basic Folk's newsletter: https://bit.ly/basicfolknewsHelp produce Basic Folk by contributing: https://basicfolk.com/donate/Interested in sponsoring us? Contact BGS: https://bit.ly/sponsorBGSpodsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

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 expression, and especially his voice. She completely dove in and even started an Al Green cover band. Although she had been perfecting her soul sound, the band that took off for Ford was, of course, The Be Good Tanyas. She talks in our Basic Folk interview about how the trio really worked to perfect quiet, beautiful country music rooted in her love of soul. She took that love into her solo career with her first record, 'Obadiah.' Even though her solo debut was mostly a folk record, documentary filmmaker Robert Gordon heard one of those songs on the radio. He sent her an email and invited her to work with Al Green's band, The Hi Rhythm Section. That invitation was the inception of her second album, 2014's 'Indian Ocean.'Now seeing a deluxe edition release in 2025, 'Indian Ocean' captured Frazey coming into her own as a solo artist. Working with brothers Charles (organ), Leroy (bass) and Teenie (guitar) Hodges, The Hi Rhythm Section taught her so much about groove, space, and collaboration. In our conversation, Frazey revisits those sessions and the lessons they brought. She talks about how the brothers had always wanted to record with a folk artist and what kind of care and attention they brought to her songs. She reflects on her time working with Teenie , who died before 'Indian Ocean' was released, but not before it was finished. We also get into her early life with her hippie family, her many creative outlets, and her fashion ethos.Follow Basic Folk on social media: https://basicfolk.bio.link/Sign up for Basic Folk's newsletter: https://bit.ly/basicfolknewsHelp produce Basic Folk by contributing: https://basicfolk.com/donate/Interested in sponsoring us? Contact BGS: https://bit.ly/sponsorBGSpodsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

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 personal change. Brad made the huge decision to get sober, which he talks about candidly in our Basic Folk interview. Anything you read about the new record, 'Let it Hiss,' might allude to his newfound sobriety while not mentioning it directly. The band made a conscious decision not to include it in any press releases, specifically so that their audience could have their own relationship with the new music. It seems like getting sober has impacted every aspect of the album, but one could listen and project just about any personal pivotal shift onto these songs. Regardless, I am so appreciative that Brad opened up about his sobriety, so we could better understand the music and the incredible relationship that he and Andrew share.In our conversation, we talk about Brad's deep connection to the number 216, its origin, and why he's kept that number close to him for most of his life. He shares his reflections on the music lessons given to him and Andrew from visiting Malian musicians, who exchanged their services for free dental work from their father. Those lessons completely changed the musical trajectory of the brothers and still impact them today. We also talk about their former band, The Slip (who are actually still active every now and again), a much loved Boston group that was fully embraced in the jamband world. I find the music of Andrew and Brad Barr to be completely transformative and not of this world – and I'm so grateful for the new record. Please go see them live, especially if you are into celestial experiences!!Follow Basic Folk on social media: https://basicfolk.bio.link/Sign up for Basic Folk's newsletter: https://bit.ly/basicfolknewsHelp produce Basic Folk by contributing: https://basicfolk.com/donate/Interested in sponsoring us? Contact BGS: https://bit.ly/sponsorBGSpodsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

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 leaning into his problems and digging into their roots at the source: his own heart. He decided to see what lessons his heart had been trying to teach him and, at 67 years old, he's still listening and learning. He claims to have the answer of how to heal your heart and how to do it in two minutes; he lays it out in our conversation.We also talk about his new album, 'The Way I Tell the Story,' which continues his exploratory journey through the lens of his wife's Parkinson's diagnosis, retelling the story of his childhood, and staying calm in an emergency and in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which has devastated his community. We discuss how David was able to walk the line of acknowledging his talents without getting too caught up in the hot-and-fast success he experienced at the start of his career. He explains when it's best to feel the depths of sorrow versus disassociate and he talks about his lifelong love of cycling and how it continues to be a meditation and a life-saver. David is full of gems and wisdom – I think I'll be listening back to this edition of Basic Folk many times over.Follow Basic Folk on social media: https://basicfolk.bio.link/Sign up for Basic Folk's newsletter: https://bit.ly/basicfolknewsHelp produce Basic Folk by contributing: https://basicfolk.com/donate/Interested in sponsoring us? Contact BGS: https://bit.ly/sponsorBGSpodsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands