The BGS team is thrilled to announce a brand new addition to the BGS Podcast Network! Basic Folk, a podcast hosted by long-time public radio personality Cindy Howes, and singer-songwriter on the rise, Lizzie No, raises the bar for intelligent and open-hearted interviews that move far beyond promoting an artist’s music to be genuinely revelatory. Cindy and Lizzie approach interviews with warmth, humor and insightful questions, and the results are complex conversations about the human experience witnessed from an artistic angle.
The show fosters the folk community and showcases a genre that is often misunderstood – and their broad definition of “folk” lends itself to a diverse array of artists: from Amythyst Kiah, Tom Rush, John Hiatt, The Lumineers, Anaïs Mitchell, and everywhere in between. Basic Folk is dedicated to showcasing the best in folk and roots musicians including BIPOC musicians who have been excluded, or felt like they did not belong, in the folk world. Both Cindy and Lizzie are dedicated to changing the landscape of the folk music community through these honest conversations.
“Basic Folk was founded on giving musicians space to dig into the stories and meaning behind their music. Each episode, we ask thoughtful questions, while not being afraid to follow a thread if it feels open and honest. Artists witness life from a different deeper angle than most of us are allowed. Our hope is that Basic Folk listeners learn something about themselves through these conversations while elevating the gifts folk musicians offer,” says Howes, founder and host of Basic Folk. “We are thrilled to join The Bluegrass Situation Podcast Network. This amazing and wonderful publication’s approach aligns perfectly with Basic Folk’s mission to celebrate the best in roots while pushing the boundaries and challenging the gatekeepers of the folk genre.”
We couldn’t imagine a more perfect pairing, and we can’t wait to share more from Basic Folk with our BGS audience.
Look out for Basic Folk’s very first episode on the BGS Podcast Network featuring Maya De Vitry, premiering Thursday March 10. Subscribe wherever you get podcasts or via Basic Folk. In the meantime, enjoy some of the wonderful interviews already released by Cindy and Lizzie, and a playlist celebrating this new friendship!
