Artist: Countercurrent (Brian Lindsay and Alex Sturbaum) Hometown: Olympia, Washington Latest Album: Flow (released March 3, 2025) Which artist has influenced you the most – and how? It's a three-way tie for me between Great Big Sea (gateway drug into trad music, consummate performers, wonderful harmonies), early Solas (dazzling musicianship, tight arrangements, and an unmistakable guitar…

Artist: Amistat Hometown: Rosenheim, Bavaria, Germany Latest Album: What We Are EP (releasing March 21) Which artist has influenced you the most – and how? The godfather of indie-folk, Ben Howard! When we first started out as Amistat playing and writing music back in 2012, his album Every Kingdom had just come out. It was…

The traditional path of a musician's career would say that gaining a record label's approval reflects a certain level of accomplishment and stature. That's a good thing, right? It can be, but what makes for the right fit to a musician's career – whether with a label or as an independent artist – largely depends…

One day, as a favor for a friend who was building a recording studio, Rose Cousins wandered through a piano showroom. She had no intention of buying anything for herself, but then she came upon a 1967 Baldwin baby grand. She asked the salesperson about it and was told it already had a buyer. She…

Artist: Rose Betts Hometown: London, United Kingdom Latest Album: There Is No Ship (released March 7) What has been the best advice you’ve received in your career so far? When I lived in London, my parents would often come to my shows. Right before I’d go on, my mother would say, "Tell me a story." It…