http://www.folkalley.com/ The best of folk, traditional, celtic, and world music with 24-hour streaming, buzz info on artists, and more. en-us 2013-05-20T15:49:45-05:00 http://www.folkalley.com/archives/001288.php Wide Awake by Joy Kills Sorrow by Kim Ruehl, for FolkAlley.com Boston is a town where acoustic guitars - and their players - seem to collect on the street like so many snowflakes. Whether it's the number of schools and colleges, the diverse community, the weather, or simply something in the water, Boston has granted us folk fans songcrafters as variant as Mark Erelli, Crooked Still, and Lake Street Dive. Wherever its artists have fallen on the spectrum of traditional music, though, Boston has always instilled in them a certain contemporary zeal for creative imagination and aural experimentation. Joy Kills Sorrow is no exception. Pulling together highly skilled instrumentalists with backgrounds in everything from jazz to classical and indie rock, the troupe started with a stringband lineup and seems to have made every effort to defy its own parameters. On their forthcoming EP Wide Awake, the quintet welcomes new bassist Zoe Guigueno by making space in their style for her influence as well. The result is even more indefinable than the Joy Kills Sorrow you thought you already knew. From the speed-train chugging mandolin of the opening track "Was It You" to their entirely non-gimmicky, reimagining of the Postal Service's "Such Great Heights," and beyond, Wide Awake is a wonderful little disc. I was recently lucky enough to chat with guitarist Matthew Arcara about the origins of the recording and what has driven the band to where they are now: Kim Ruehl: Let's start by talking about your new EP 'Wide Awake' - what is this album about for you and where did you start? Matthew Arcara: For us, I think this record is really about getting a bigger, more powerful sound from the band. Trying to get more of a vocals-in-band sound rather than a vocals-in-front-of-band sound, and trying to make a really strong upbeat record. That informed the whole process from arranging to EQing instruments for the record, how the mix was done - trying to get a fuller sound that has more impact and holds a little bit more air in the band. It informed how we made arrangement choices and what we did with guitar and mandolin at different points of time, how we could fill it out a little bit more and get the power and impact a rock and roll band has with drums and stuff, while maintaining the stringband structure and texture. KR: Sounds like, instead of just trying to share some new songs you wrote, you're really trying to get the recording experience down, to make the finished product as authentic as possible. MA: Yeah, I think we really were focused on the acoustic quality of the record as well as making sure the guitar sounded as full as possible and building arrangements around an idea: How do we make this tune really interesting but still stay rocking the whole way through? We were trying to take advantage of being able to do that, overdubbing a baritone guitar to fill things out or taking the octave banjo for a double-banjo [sound], to fatten it up. KR: Why did you stick to just seven tracks? MA: We went into the studio with seven tunes prepared that we wanted to record, that we loved, and we felt great about all of them. We made it an EP because we have a new bass player, and we wanted to put out [something] that said we have a new lineup and this is what we're doing. This is a new turn we've taken, and if you know where we've come from, you're still going to like it, but this is a new sound. We wanted to be able to go into the studio, do the tunes, do the mixing and editing and have it come out on a convenient time frame, to make a statement about what the new lineup is doing... The EP format fit that equation and lessened the pressure on us to not have to come up with all the new material. We're planning to do a full-length in the next year, year-and-a-half. But we had some tunes we felt really strong about, so we decided to put them out now and then continue working on the full-length for the future. KR: Are you using the same arrangements in the live show, or do you allow more improv in that setting? MA: It depends on the tune. A lot of the arrangements for the new tunes, we tested in gigs in the fall and winter and made changes depending on how things felt onstage. Everybody plays solos differently every night. There will be slight texture changes. People will have an idea and roll with it on a show that's different from what they recorded. There are a lot of tunes that are orchestrated the way they are for a reason, to lead you through the story of the song. A lot of that stuff stays the same [in a show]. But there are also parts where people can toy with it or mess with it, get creative differently every night, depending on how they're feeling. Like, on the recording of "Get Along," there's a slowed-down mandolin and banjo intro that leads to where the full band comes in. Jacob [Jolliff] and Wes [Corbett] play that differently every night. We never know where that's going to lead. KR: One of the things I love about your band, you seem like you're more about serving the songs than trying to fit into any genre or style or trend. I wonder if that's on purpose. Like, on "Such Great Heights," you stay true to the original song [by the Postal Service], but then there's this crazy banjo solo that takes it to a completely different place. I wonder if you feel an allegiance to folk and roots music, or if you feel like your allegiance is to each individual song. MA: I think we feel both. Different [allegiances] rise to the surface depending on the situation. We all love traditional bluegrass and old time and roots music. It's not necessarily what we do all the time as a band, because we grew up on the Beatles. We hear things differently than what would be the traditional way to do it. We like to come up with new ideas, like - Wouldn't it be cool if the we played the banjo part on the mandolin and the mandolin played the guitar part...it would give us this whole new texture to work with. So we do that stuff, but we try to do that in terms of what a song needs. "Such Great Heights" might not work if you kept every instrument in its traditional role in a stringband. It would be cool: Oh look they're playing a pop tune but they're playing it in a bluegrass style. For us it's more like, let's take this recording that's originally electronic, and figure out how we can make it sound more organic on acoustic instruments. Keep the feel of the original, but keep some of the influence of the banjo getting to roll because that's what a banjo does. We can meld those two things together to serve the songs. In the end that's what matters - connecting to the audience emotionally through the songs. Buzz Linda Fahey 2013-05-20T15:49:45-05:00 http://www.folkalley.com/archives/001287.php by Ann VerWiebe, folkalley.com Singer/songwriter David Francey has long been a Folk Alley favorite (heck, he even headlined our 5th anniversary party at Cain Park). His music is the best kind of contemporary folk - taking his own story of immigrating from Scotland to Canada and the many lives he lived before becoming a professional musician and turning them into personal songs. Francey's work connects with listeners on a variety of levels, all of them sincere and authentic. His newest CD is So Say We All. When an American Idol contestant sang a Patty Griffin song last month, I was both excited and mortified. Griffin's music is so beautiful that she should get more national (and international) exposure. But NOBODY sings Patty better than the woman herself - a unique voice that rises above the masses. Griffin says that most of the songs on her new album, American Kid, are about her father, "a World War II veteran who returned home to live for a time in a Trappist monastery before becoming a high school teacher and raising seven children." The Bills formed in 1996 as the Bill Hilly Band and have become extremely popular in their native Canada and beyond. Although the band is known for their energetic live shows and the humor they incorporate in The Bills' music, they are very serious about what they do - winning two JUNO Awards in the process for Best Roots & Traditional Music. Discover what the buzz is about and listen to the band's latest release, Yes Please. The East Coast of Canada has such a strong music scene that the region has even produced its own much celebrated music awards. Rose Cousins won this year's Folk Award - which might be Amelia Curran's prize in 2014 for her 2012 release, Spectators. Both women are part of a community of artists in Halifax, Nova Scotia, that also includes Old Man Luedecke. All three were nominated for the JUNO - Canada's equivalent of the Grammy in the US. It must be something in that Atlantic Ocean water! More new music added to Folk Alley: Amy Speace - "How to Sleep in a Stormy Boat" Dervish - "The Thrush in the Storm" Go Jane Go - "Go Jane Go" HEM - "Departure & Farewell" John Reischman - "Walk Along John" Kim Richey - "Thorn in My Heart" Maya & the Ruins - "Take This Song with You" Rita Hosking - "Little Boat" Run Boy Run - "So Sang the Whippoorwill" Run Boy Run - "Run Boy Run" Ruth Moody - "These Wilder Things" Stella! - "Sorry, Stella" Steve Martin & Edie Brickell - "Love Has Come For You" The Lone Bellow - "The Lone Bellow" The Steel Wheels - "No More Rain" Buzz Linda Fahey 2013-05-07T10:17:02-05:00 http://www.folkalley.com/archives/001286.php by Kim Ruehl, FolkAlley.com On his tenth album in 14 years, So Say We All, David Francey delivers a rousing collection of traditional-sounding story-songs. From the ever-falling rain in the opening tune to the shooting stars in the title track (which closes the album), this disc spins a web of melodies that shows easy connections between hard work and rest, joy and sorrow, loss and ultimate hope. As he has been doing for more than a decade, Francey captures all of life's nuances in a way which is both eloquent and accessible. "Long Long Road," for example, sounds like it could be a Scottish drinking song about keeping faith no matter what comes. It's hard to resist the urge to raise a glass and join in singing, "The waves of the water, they endlessly break on the long, long road." Francey knows the long road well. He took it toward a songwriting career, not casting his line into those waters until he was 45 years old. Nonetheless, from his childhood in Scotland to his working days in Toronto, he has brought with him a keen ear for melody. His songs are so honest and real, you'd think folks had been singing them for generations. But, more likely, these tunes have been hanging in the air all this time, waiting for David Francey. It's not just the impeccable songwriting which makes this disc an early favorite. Behind Francey comes an intuitive band of gifted pickers - Darren McMullen's mandolin, especially, brings light into even the toughest turns of these tales. As Francey sings, struggling out of a certain depression, in comes McMullen with a flutter of color, turning the songs into inklings of hope and promise. Though it certainly delves into life's dark moments, So Say We All is ultimately a disc about finding something to hold onto. He sums this up well on "Weather Vane," where he sings, "Everybody leaves their mark, some profound and some profane...forget the wind that howls and turns the weather vane." Listen in and decide for yourself what kind of mark David Francey has left. Buzz Linda Fahey 2013-04-30T12:54:51-05:00 http://www.folkalley.com/archives/001285.php by Kim Ruehl, for FolkAlley.com It's been about a century and a half since Francis James Child collected upwards of 300 English and Scottish folk ballads and compiled them into a book now known as, simply, the Child Ballads. Folksingers have been pulling from that collection ever since, most notably during the mid-20th Century folk revival, with forerunners of that movement - Fairport Convention, Joan Baez, Buffy Ste. Marie - making recordings which have cemented these songs in the hearts and minds of folkies for generations. It's not easy to record a song which has been recorded so many times before, and to do so with the grace and creativity that makes the song worth listening to again, in its newly realized version. Especially when great artists like Martin Carthy, Nic Jones, and Baez have already touched the song(s) in question. Yet, a couple of young singer-songwriters from Brooklyn have nailed the spirit of the Child Ballads yet again with a seven-song EP out this month on Wilderland Records. You probably know Anais Mitchell from her handful of solo albums (last year's Young Man in America topped the Folk Alley Best of 2012 countdown), if not from her folk-opera Hadestown, which she wrote by herself and then recorded with Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, Ani DiFranco, and Greg Brown. Jefferson Hamer started his career playing bluegrass music and topical folk songs before joining Great American Taxi for a spell, moving to Brooklyn, and forming a trad Irish group called the Murphy Beds with Eamon O'Leary. All these things considered, it makes perfect sense that these two artists - with their frequent straddling of the old and the new - should be well-poised to deliver a remarkable set of interpretations from Child's collection. In the interest of keeping the songs fresh, they changed some musical phrases, updated the language here and there, and evolved the songs so they could be palatable to a contemporary audience. Aware of 21st Century music fans' short attention spans, they massaged the storylines of these richly nuanced and intellectually complex fairytales and stories of seafaring escapades, until they became wholly digestible and unintimidating. The result is a collection of hundreds-of-years-old songs which sound like they were dreamed up by Mitchell and Hamer themselves. Buzz Linda Fahey 2013-04-01T11:00:04-05:00 http://www.folkalley.com/archives/001284.php Ann VerWiebe 2013-03-21T20:58:01-05:00 http://www.folkalley.com/archives/001283.php Congratulations to Jeffrey Siegel from Tokyo, Japan, who was the randomly selected winner from our most recent listener survey! Jeffery is a fan and a longtime member of Folk Alley and we will be sending him a fleece pullover and 10 folk CDs as a big thank you for taking his time to help us out. The information that all of you provided will be very valuable to us as we determine what the tweaks we need to make in turning Folk Alley into an even better service for you. The good news is that overall our service received a high approval rating - and we now have your suggestions to help us formulate our short- and long-term strategy for Folk Alley. The best observation we made after looking at the survey results is that for you, Folk Alley is truly about the music. There are a lot of amateur musicians in our audience who play guitar and maybe you sometimes find yourself strumming along while you listen to the music. It is also apparent that for those who say they support Folk Alley financially, they do so because they love the music and because folk music is getting harder to find on the radio. Our 24/7 folk music service just adds to our value to you. Again, thanks for the time and effort so many of you took taking our survey. We are happy to have your support and we will continually strive to make Folk Alley a great experience for you. Al Bartholet Director, Folk Alley Buzz Al Bartholet 2013-02-28T14:49:25-05:00 http://www.folkalley.com/archives/001282.php By Kim Ruehl, FolkAlley.com Twenty-six years into a career that has spanned two dozen highly acclaimed albums (if you count her solo stuff and that with the Indigo Girls, holiday recordings, live albums), Amy Ray can still fly under the radar. Even many Indigo Girls fans don't realize she's had a robust - and decidedly not-Indigo-Girls-sounding - solo career for more than a decade. Much of her work outside of the duo has been heavily influenced by some combination of her punk and soul influences, though she'll be heading into a New York studio this May to start recording a classic-style country album. In her spare time, whatever that is, she dedicates her energy and celebrity to a number of social issues, from eradicating poverty and racism across the South to LGBT rights and environmental justice. Recently, I spoke with Ray about her work with groups like the Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Southerners on New Ground, and Project South (if you visit her website, you can order a live concert DVD she recorded as a fundraiser for Project South). Naturally, our conversation inevitably led to the music. Here's an excerpt: Kim Ruehl: Are you hearing an increase in socially-minded songwriters lately? For a little while there those folks were harder to find. It seems to be coming back into the foreground. Amy Ray: Yeah, It seems like a lot of people around me are socially conscious. I don't know who gets attention and who doesn't. But...I think the environment [for music] right now is, to a certain extent, more progressive because Obama's in office...the gay rights movement and the immigration movement, the environmental movement. There's been so much...I don't want to say progress, but [there's been] movement. I think when that happens songwriters who are in that context get talked about more. Buzz Linda Fahey 2013-02-15T14:13:58-05:00 http://www.folkalley.com/archives/001281.php by Kim Ruehl, for FolkAlley.com Let's just get the Gillian Welch & Dave Rawlings comparison out of the way. Good, now we can listen more deeply. After all, Pharis & Jason Romero are artists unto themselves - instrument makers, songwriters, pickers extraordinaire. These two clearly have as much adoration and natural talent for the traditions of American folk music as they do for the intrinsic musicality of their two voices. Fresh from a win at the Canadian Folk Music Awards (they won New/Emerging Artist of the Year), they've got a sophomore album ready (Long Gone Out West Blues), which wanders deeper into their craft. Like a path through the woods, you think you know where you're headed until you to hear the running water. Then come the lonely songs. There can be a desperation in singing lonely songs - something quiet, sad, and seething. But, when the Romeros sing, there's more of a letting go. You're not peering into the mind of a songwriter; you're witnessing the release of some long-clenched story or emotion. Though these are all beautifully composed, well-considered songs, there's a sense that the music is coming more from the spur of the moment - the newness of the emotion - than from the channeling spirit you might witness with Welch & Rawlings. For example, when Pharis comes in on "Wild Bill Jones," it's like she was listening to this confession then joined in out of urgent solidarity. Besides, as the album progresses, the influence of Joni Mitchell surfaces on "The Little Things Are Hardest in the End" - possibly the album's hardest hitting tune - followed by hints of Dylan and Baez, and other more elusive influences. A spirit emerges, clearly plucked from deep within obscure field recordings. From Pharis' thoughtful, creative originals to classics like "Sally Goodin", you might be hard pressed to determine what's old and what's new. This is music made on a timeless continuum, where yesterday's troubles contribute to today's lonesome songs. Listen in, and see where it takes you. Click HERE to order the 'Long Gone Way Out West Blues.' Buzz Linda Fahey 2013-02-13T08:28:15-05:00 http://www.folkalley.com/archives/001280.php Buzz Ann VerWiebe 2013-02-04T17:50:48-05:00 http://www.folkalley.com/archives/001279.php Linda Fahey's 15 Folk Alley Faves of 2012 I'll admit a part of me absolutely dreads putting together my "best of" list every year. It's usually pretty easy to come up with 10 favorite albums of the year. But then I'll think of one more that I absolutely love that should be included, and then another, and another... this is pressure, people. So usually the way I end up narrowing down my final list is to ask myself, "What albums from this year will I be reaching for in another 5 years to take on one of those 9 hour road trips between NYS and Ohio? For 2012, it was impossible for me to keep it to 10....so I didn't. Here are 15 of my favorite albums of the year, and the ones I recommend to my friends (in alphabetical order): Anais Mitchell - Young Man In America, "Dyin' Day" Black Prairie - A Tear in the Eye Is a Wound in the Heart, "How Do You Ruin Me" Cahalen Morrison & Eli West - Our Lady of the Tall Trees "On God's Rocky Shore" (Live On KEXP) Carolina Chocolate Drops - Leaving Eden, "Country Girl" Caroline Herring - Camilla, "Black Mountain Lullaby" Gretchen Peters - Hello Cruel World, "Hello Cruel World" Iris Dement - Sing the Delta, "Sing the Delta" John Fullbright - From the Ground Up, "Gawd Above" Kin: Songs by Mary Karr & Rodney Crowell, "Sister Oh Sister" (Rosanne Cash) Mary Jane Lamond & Wendy MacIsaac - Seinn, "If You Were Mine" Rayna Gellert - Old Light: Songs of My Childhood & Other Gone Worlds, "The Stars" Rose Cousins - We Have Made A Spark, "The Shell" Tallest Man on Earth - There's No Leaving Now, "NPR Tiny Desk" The Lumineers - The Lumineers, "Ho Hey" The Stray Birds - The Stray Birds, "Dream In Blue" Buzz Linda Fahey 2012-12-21T20:26:31-05:00 http://www.folkalley.com/archives/001278.php Barb Heller's List of Favorite Releases of 2012...(and one from 2011.) by Barb Heller, folkalley.com Disclaimer: I love music - almost every kind, but bluegrass music holds a special place for me. I enjoy great instrumental playing, and I love to laugh, so I think my favorites span the gamut between virtuosic and ridiculous. I'll let you sort them out! Here are my faves of the year, in no particular order: Tony Rice: The Bill Monroe Collection --- This is a compilation of recordings made over a 15-year period, featuring Bill Monroe favorites, played and sung by one of America's favorite bluegrass musicians. Bill Evans: Good Company --- Evans teamed up with Tim O'Brien, Laurie Lewis, The Infamous Stringdusters, and many more to present this varied collection of original, traditional and contemporary collaborations. Mostly instrumental, with some great singing too, and a healthy dose of classic Beatles songs. Liam Fitzgerald and The Rainieros: Last Call! --- Full disclosure: I am a western swing/honky tonk head. I LOVE this album. It's fun, ALL original, and so rhythmic you just can't keep your feet still - and the name - a chip off ol' Mt. Rainier! If I could hire one party band, this would be it. New Multitudes: Music by Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker and Yim Yames. Lyrics by Woody Guthrie. --- At the invitation of Woody Guthrie's sister Nora, these four musicians set Woody Guthrie's unpublished lyrics to music and recorded them on this EP. To hear Guthrie's lyrics plugged into 21st century arrangements makes one realize how timeless they are, and what a lyrical genius he was. 2012 is the 100th anniversary of Woody's birth, and this is a good way to remember him. The Foghorn String Band: Outshine the Sun --- It's funky and fun, and it keeps my feet tappin' - and the picking is great too. A simple album that makes you want to dance. Enough said. Ricky Skaggs: Music To My Ears --- Ricky Skaggs is a bluegrass icon, but this album is a little different that previous releases: a little less frenetic, and more lyrical. Nice songs, nicely played by some of the best in the business. I think it's one of his best. Peter Ostroushko: The Mando Chronicles --- As a late-year release, this one is easy to overlook. It's only been out a few weeks. This collection of arrangements includes everything from fiddle tune medleys to Duke Ellington hits to a classical march. Starring Peter Ostroushko, with Norman Blake and a few other guest artists. Hot Steel & Cool Ukelele: Hapa Haole Hit Parade --- Yes, this is just what the title implies, and it DOES contain the hit single, "Makin' Wicky Wacky Down In Waikiki". If you like that one, you'll love the rest of the album, superbly sung by Erich Sylvester (who also plays uke on the album). One listen, and I was hooked! A must-have for your next luau! Warning: If Hawaiian songs (like, 'When Hilo Hattie Does the Hilo Hop') are not your thing, then run away as fast as you can! You will hate this album. Buzz Linda Fahey 2012-12-21T15:40:26-05:00 http://www.folkalley.com/archives/001277.php Matt Watroba's Top Folk Albums of 2012 by Matt Watroba, folkalley.com 2012 is almost completely in the rear view mirror which means it's time to take a look back at some of outstanding releases of the year. I'm happy to report, at least from this host's point of view, that the state of the music is good! There are so many obvious choices this year--Carolina Chocolate Drops, the Lumineers, Iris Dement--I decided to limit my list to a few of the releases that might get overlooked. Here they are in alphabetical order: Kevin Crawford, Carrying the Tune --- This is just a solid collection of tunes, produced flawlessly and played with virtuosity. Most people know Kevin's work as the flute and whistle player for Lunasa. On this recording he is backed by John Doyle on guitars, Mick Conneely on Bouzouki, and Brian Morrissey thumping the bodhran. You'll find jigs, reels, waltzes, and hornpipes--perfectly arranged for maximum musicality. Rayna Gellert, Old Light: Songs From My Childhood and Other Gone Worlds --- Wow. Rayna Gellert has taken, what she calls, an obsession for traditional music and turned it into a shining example of what can happen when a talented young performer draws from the old to create the new, and takes from the new to re-imagine the old. The result is a kind of originality these ears haven't heard in a while. Nathan Salsburg's guitar is present throughout as well as guest appearances by Abigail Washburn, Kai Welch, Scott Miller, and Alice Gerrard. I Draw Slow, Redhills --- I think this one took everybody at Folk Alley by surprise this year--especially when we realized that the band wasn't from Virginia. They are, in fact, from Ireland. It makes perfect sense really. Most of the music that settled in the American South migrated from either that part of Europe or from Africa. It's just really exciting to hear the influence once again in the form of well written songs that sound traditional. Once you realize they are from Ireland, you hear that direct influence as well. This is simply a solid band. Oh, and that song "Goldmine" is a gem. Old Crow Medicine Show, Carry Me Back --- Given that Old Crow Medicine Show's very existence as a band was under question just a few years back, it was really good to see such a solid and coherent collection of songs emerge in 2012. The quintessential road band, Old Crow continues to be a polished outfit playing well-written new songs with an authentic old-time feel. "Levi," "Carry Me Back to Virginia," "Genevieve," and "Ways of Man" all stand out for me. Cathie Ryan, Through Wind and Rain --- I have loved Cathie's singing since her days with Cherish the Ladies. Her solo records have been consistently well written, performed, and produced, but I think she bumps it up another level on Through Wind and Rain. Perhaps it's because she took more of a hand as producer. This one just seems personal. As you might expect, this is a mix of traditional, original and contemporary songs, but you can hear Cathie's heart and soul in every one of them--in the singing, of course, but also in the arrangements. Cathie is backed by a stellar group of musicians led by the amazing John Doyle and Seamus Eagan. The Steel Wheels, Lay Down, Lay Low --- Keep your eyes (and ears) on this quartet from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. They can play, they can sing, they can write, and they can perform. I loved their album, Redwing, and I was really hoping for a strong follow-up. Well, I got it. Combining the talents of band members, Trent Wagler, Eric Brubaker, Brian Dickel, and Jay Lapp, Lay Down, Lay Low delivers a high energy mix of modern mountain music with really solid four part harmony. Hear the CD, see them live! The Waymores, The Waymores --- There is an exciting trend right now for outstanding solo performers and writers to band together to record and tour. Groups like Brother Sun and the Refugees are good examples of this. The Waymores are from Nashville and they are Don Henry, Sally Barris, and Tom Kimmel--all award- winning, hit songwriters. Not the names you see in bold print on the Billboard Country chart, but the names in parenthesis--the song crafters. But what happens when they get together? Harmony. Harmony of humor, harmony of notes, and harmony of friendship. You can hear it all in this collection of finely crafted and lovingly performed songs. Various Artists, Mercyland: Hymns For the Rest Of Us --- I'm kind of a sucker for songs held together by a theme--especially when it's done this well. Mercyland was the brainchild of Nashville songwriter and producer Phil Madeira. He decided to tempt his musical friends into contributing songs that felt spiritual without sounding religious or preachy. I've heard some refer to the genre as "agnostic gospel." Lucky for us, Phil has some talented friends. These talented friends include (among others) Emmylou Harris, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, and Buddy Miller. The songs and styles are varied, but there is a consistent and pleasing spirit throughout. Buzz Linda Fahey 2012-12-20T14:56:04-05:00 http://www.folkalley.com/archives/001276.php Elena See - Top Folk Albums of 2012 by Elena See, folkalley.com Do you ever feel like you're standing in the batting cage...getting ready to swing...and then something goes haywire with the machine? And the baseballs start coming at you without pause, one right after the other, speeding up faster and faster until you just give up and crouch down and cover your head, attempting to avoid getting smacked at 95mph? That's kind of how 2012 went for me - so much music coming my way...and so much of it good that eventually I just gave up and let it all hit me. In no particular order - here are a few of the baseballs - or, I mean, recordings - that really stood out: Caroline Herring - Camilla --- There is A LOT going on in this recording. I love how Caroline Herring is able to write a song about something complex, heart breaking and incredibly thought provoking - like "Camilla" - and then turn around and write a piece of music that's inspired by something as simple as a little girl chasing fireflies ("Fireflies".) Compilation - Mercyland-Hymns for the Rest of Us --- Besides the incredible list of musicians who participated on this exquisitely recorded Phil Madeira produced compilation (Emmylou Harris, the Civil Wars, Shawn Mullins, etc., etc.), the concept of an album that connects music and spirituality in a non-organized religion kind of way - well, it's appealing. And that was, I think, the point. Gretchen Peters - Hello Cruel World --- Gretchen Peters said this recording is her "most close-to-the-bone work," a collection of songs she wrote during a time of personal challenges and heartbreaks. For the listener, it is a body of music that is incredibly honest, touching, sorrowful and triumphant all at the same time. Who can resist lyrics like "I'm a ticking clock, a losing bet/a girl without a safety net/I'm a cause for some concern..." ? Mary Jane Lamond and Wendy MacIsaac - Seinn --- Music from a couple of Cape Breton music legends? Yes please. Seinn is the first collaboration between two long time friends who share a love of the musical traditions of Nova Scotia. It's an album created by a couple of virtuosos and it's a real delight from beginning to end - traditional and original music blending wonderfully together. Rose Cousins - We Have Made a Spark --- This recording didn't catch my eye right away...so I was a little late on the Rose Cousins train. But I'm glad I caught it. Cousins has a way of writing lyrics that make you think she's either speaking directly to you or she somehow has tapped into your own brain and pulled out your biggest fears, insecurities, joys, etc., etc., etc. It's almost scary. The Lumineers - The Lumineers --- This was the big one of the year, I think. And I admit - I turned my nose up at first, prejudiced by all the good press it got. But then I actually listened to it. And listened again. And again. And blushed, ashamed that I'd made such a quick judgment. This duo-turned-trio has something to offer to anyone who cares to listen - songs about love and happiness, about sorrow and loss, conveyed by talented musicians who really seem to care about what they're doing. Steep Canyon Rangers - Nobody Knows You --- What's there to say? Great bluegrass music. Great musicians. Great production value. Etc. Etc. Etc. It's just ... great. Buzz Linda Fahey 2012-12-18T19:47:17-05:00 http://www.folkalley.com/archives/001275.php Buzz Linda Fahey 2012-12-17T20:34:08-05:00 http://www.folkalley.com/archives/001274.php My co-workers get a little annoyed when I start playing Christmas music mid-November - but I don't mind. That's about the time that the new holiday CDs start rolling in to Folk Alley and we need to start adding songs to our playlist if we're going to have new content for seasonal shows. I usually am on the front lines as the submissions pile up, because music has always been a part of my Christmas celebrations - from my earliest days with my arms wrapped around The Kingston Trio's Last Month of the Year and numerous Firestone Tire compilations to my dedicated seasonal CD wallet that lives in my car from Thanksgiving to the end of December. Here is a sample of some new holiday CDs that may soon become part of your annual celebrations: Sufjan Stevens: Silver & Gold - If I like Christmas music, Sufjan Stevens bathes in it and eats it every meal. I admire the guts and gumption it takes to assemble a collection with 58 tracks (it's a massive package, with five CDs, a poster and temporary tattoos). To build his collection there are plenty of originals, along with beloved favorites, and instrumentation running from classical guitar and violin to Theremin. Various: Holidays Rule - Every year, Starbucks sells a holiday CD - "I'll take a grande decaf latte and some Christmas spirit!" This year's collection on the Hear Music label (which can also be purchased at other outlets) is a mix of indie artists and music perfect for Folk Alley, including great contributions from The Civil Wars, the Punch Brothers, The Head and the Heart, Andrew Bird and some guy named Sir Paul McCartney. The Sweetback Sisters: Country Christmas Singalong Spectacular - Really, any holiday CD that includes "Hark, the Herald Angles Sing" as if it was sung by cats, is most-likely going into heavy rotation on my Christmas playlist. The album mixes harmonies, rock-a-billy instrumentation and an appropriate sense of seasonal whimsy for what I'll be playing - and singing along with - to get into the holiday spirit as I wrap my Christmas presents. Tracey Thorn: Tinsel and Lights - I brought this album to the table. I've loved Thorn since her days with Everything But The Girl. The songs on this seasonal CD lean more towards the thoughtful (and sometimes, even sad) side of winter. Listening to her cover of Joni Mitchell's "River" does NOT make me want to visit Canada in December, but her voice is so rich and beautiful, the collection is a lovely counterpoint to more treacle fair. The Jay Ungar & Molly Mason Family Band: A Fiddler's Holiday - With the addition of Jay's daughter Ruth and her husband, Mike Merenda (both of The Mammals), the Ungars are turning into an old-fashioned family folk band specializing in haunting instrumentals. This CD is a mix of traditional songs for the season from a new PBS special and features the University of Mary Washington's Philharmonic Orchestra as a super-sized back-up band. Willie Nelson: The Classic Christmas Album - Following in the footsteps of Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby, everyone's favorite crooner, Willie Nelson, adds his voice to some of the most-treasured songs in the Christmas canon. And, the result is a lovely CD filled with heartfelt vocals and pared-back arrangements that will make the perfect holiday soundtrack and are sure to make this album a family favorite for years to come. Listen to songs from these, and lots of other holiday albums, in the Folk Alley Holiday Stream. Buzz Ann VerWiebe 2012-12-12T18:09:50-05:00