“Turns Around the Bottle”– Barna Howard
Folk music, by its very nature, demands a debate on the authenticity of recording songs for financial and commercial success. Thus, one must search beyond the iTunes charts for the deeply personal...
View Article“Raglan Road”– The Chieftains and Roger Daltrey
What do you get when one of the most iconic—and prolific—Irish folk groups in history joins forces with the powerhouse frontman of a much-acclaimed and much-adored British rock band? The answer is this...
View ArticleBenji – Sun Kil Moon
The first time I listened through Sun Kil Moon’s Benji, I couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward and voyeuristic. Stronger than that sense of awkwardness though was the realization that I was listening...
View ArticleThe Haden Triplets, The Haden Triplets
Whether it’s the telepathic bond of sisterhood or the roughly 40 years of practice singing together, The Haden Triplets have a good thing going. Their debut album is a sweet collection of country folk...
View ArticleHeld In Splendor, Quilt
Quilt arrived on the scene with their self-titled debut in 2011, but they may as well have stepped out of a time-capsule from the late ’60s. Full of multi-part harmonies and Eastern melodies, this band...
View Article“Eisler on the Go”– Wilco and Billy Brag
Wilco’s breezy, laid-back country with a tinge of rock meets Billy Bragg, an artist who also falls between genres, namely punk and folk. The two groups have paired together in the past and continue to...
View ArticleJosh Ritter Acoustic Show @ The Lincoln Theatre
Idaho native Josh Ritter may be one of the greatest musical storytellers of our time. He is also one of the best performers I’ve seen in my past eight years of concert going. I first saw Ritter at the...
View Article“Hit ‘Em Up Style”– Carolina Chocolate Drops
A cover of Blu Cantrell’s 2001 hit, “Hit ‘Em Up Style” by Carolina Chocolate Drops is a rare genre-bending track. The song, featured on their 2010 Grammy winning album, Genuine Negro Jig, is a fine...
View Article“Either Way”– Beta Radio
“Either Way”, off Beta Radio’s self-released album Seven Sisters (2011), is a folk ballad that will draw up nostalgia about past relationships and love. Regardless, the tune has a peppy guitar line and...
View ArticleArc Iris, Arc Iris
I’m making a bit of a departure from my usual reviewing of all things electronic to look at Arc Iris’ self-titled debut. I can’t claim to be an authority on eclectic folk blends, but Arc Iris flows in...
View Article“2 Heads”– Coleman Hell
Electro-folk sounds plain wrong, but Coleman Hell somehow manages to perfect the mix. The Toronto-based producer and vocalist takes electronic dance beats and pairs them alongside a banjo in this...
View ArticleArtist to Watch: Letts
For the past few years, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes have become something like a household name – if your household is into indie folk, that is. The Los Angeles based group has released three...
View ArticleI Love You, Honeybear, Father John Misty
Josh Tillman has yet to pick a style of music. As the album moves from one song to the next, you’re unsure if whatever platform you listen to hasn’t glitched and started playing something else.”I Love...
View Article“Should Have Known Better”– Sufjan Stevens
“I should have known better” shouldn’t be anyone’s life mantra, but in a beautifully melancholy way, it works wonders for Sufjan Stevens’s newest single from his upcoming album Carrie & Lowell....
View Article“Traveller”– Chris Stapleton
Chris Stapleton has been around since the early 2000s, but you probably haven’t heard of him. Stapleton made his impact on the country music industry behind the scenes as a songwriter. He’s written...
View ArticleIf I Should Go Before You, City and Colour
Over the last ten years, Dallas Green has consistently put out critically acclaimed albums under the name of City and Colour, but the only song I really knew was arguably his most popular: the cute,...
View ArticlePlaylist: The Unexpected Remixes You Love
While some Top 40 songs will inevitably end up being remixed and re-remixed to the point where you can barely remember what the original song was, every once and awhile I stumble across a more...
View Article“Hot Coals”– Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Edward Sharpe has always been my go-to feel-good music. With their folk-rock jams and hippie personas, they’re a genuinely fun group making music that sounds at home in the psychedelia of the ’60s and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Preview/Interview: Elephant Revival @ 9:30 Club
Despite growing up in Texas, I’ve never really been a fan of anything that could fall under the umbrella of “country”. The genres of bluegrass and folk were no exception, but upon moving to DC, I...
View ArticleFlorasongs EP, The Decemberists
The Decemberists are known best for their unmistakable integration of folk, country, and rock genres into one unified sound. This style is coalesced by frontman Colin Meloy’s distinct vocals, which fit...
View Article
