Basic Folk is Joining the BGS Podcast Network
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!
LISTEN: Ponderosa Grove, “Changin'”
Artist: Ponderosa Grove
Hometown: Prescott, Arizona
Song: “Changin'”
Release Date: March 4, 2022
In Their Words: “Ponderosa Grove is definitely a COVID-built band. We came together organically out of the need to keep working as musicians — not for any pay, that disappeared immediately in lockdown, but for the benefit of our own souls. Drew, Josh, and I as well as our backing band members and producer, Cosimo Bohrman, Gigi Gonaway, and Johan Glidden, are all professional musicians by trade. When the world shut down, any sense of normalcy came from writing songs. From those songs came an album, The Debut, and from that album came a lot of open arms to the sound that very naturally took shape.
“‘Changin” is a single that was also born out of that period. Like so many others, I personally had quite a trying year with many highs and lows. Driving home one day, I thought, ‘You know this is just another change. And it’s OK. You’re just changing, and so is everything around you.’ And the beginnings of the chorus were born: ‘Changin’, yeah we’re all just changin’.’ Look around, it’s happening everywhere.” — Candace Devine
Photo Credit: Dylan Ludwig
LISTEN: Ali Sperry, “Climber”
Artist: Ali Sperry
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Climber”
Album: In Front of Us
Release Date: March 11, 2022
In Their Words: “In March of 2018, my friend Becca Richardson was sitting across from me in my music room, and as co-writes often go, we got to talking at length about our lives, plans, the music we were both making, our thoughts on the current government administration, and a topic that was very much in the spotlight and on our minds at that moment, the #MeToo movement. From these musings, ‘Climber’ took shape — not as a song specifically about a single person or story, but an archetype and universal experience we all know too well. It’s the age-old tale of the charming narcissist who commands the room, puts you on a pedestal until they no longer choose to shine their light on you, and the subsequent anger that fuels the recipient of this behavior to shut it down.
“This was the first song that I knew needed to be on the record, and I love its place as the opening track. It signifies the ushering in of a new era — globally and personally — with a revitalized sense of empowerment and newly minted boundaries. When I listen to it now, Audley Freed’s electric guitar sounds like it’s having a conversation with Kristin Weber’s strings, and they build into this catharsis of the final chorus with Allison Russell and Kristin Weber’s harmony vocals lifting the melody. As much as we were all desperately missing sitting in a room and recording together at that time, there was something magical about experiencing each track individually — a precious thing all on its own arriving in a Dropbox folder. Every time a new track was mixed in with the rest, it took the song somewhere completely new and exciting.” — Ali Sperry
Photo Credit: Fairlight Hubbard
BGS Top 50 Moments: BGS On Deck – Our First Music Cruise
It’s been over nine years since we first boarded the Norwegian Pearl to set sail with some musical friends. Back in 2013, BGS joined the team at Sixthman as well as host band, the Steep Canyon Rangers, on the first Mountain Song at Sea cruise, sailing from Miami to the Bahamas alongside the Punch Brothers, David Grisman, the Del McCoury Band, Tim O’Brien, Della Mae, Bryan Sutton, and Peter Rowan.
You can get a glimpse of the riotous fun that was had onboard that first cruise here.
This month, BGS returns to the high seas on board Sixthman’s Cayamo cruise. While onboard, we’ll be hosting the Party of the Deck-Ade, our kickoff birthday event celebrating ten years of BGS. The jam will be hosted by Sierra Hull and Madison Cunningham, and backed by our house musicians Hogslop String Band.
Get your sunscreen ready, and we hope to see some of you in Miami very soon!
WATCH: The Sweeplings, “Shipwrecks”
Artist: The Sweeplings
Hometown: Cami Bradley is based in Washington State; Whitney Dean is based in Alabama
Song: “Shipwrecks”
Album: Debris
Release Date: April 8, 2022
Label: Nettwerk
In Their Words: “‘Shipwrecks was just fun [to write]. We had some melody ideas… We have this little phrasebook we sometimes use to get ideas, and we found these phrases that revolved around shipwrecks and realized that kind of lyric was just right. We’re all bothered, we’re all struggling, we’re all just a wreck trying to figure out how to get to shore safely. This song is about the empowering knowledge that our imperfections and mistakes make us who we are. Our flaws, turbulence, and strife are all things that help shape us into the people we are, the people we are becoming, and the people we want to ultimately be. We’re all messed up…but we’re all in it together, and there is something beautiful about that. The video was shot in Austin, Texas around late July 2021 in a storm. The idea was to illustrate that we are all ‘shipwrecks,’ and by the end of the video we make it out alive and ready for what’s ahead.” — The Sweeplings
Photo Credit: Glass Jar Photography
LISTEN: The Lied To’s, “Winter of the Winter”
Artist: The Lied To’s
Hometown: Newburyport, Massachusetts
Song: “Winter of the Winter”
Album: The Worst Kind of New
Release Date: March 11, 2022
Label: Hollow Body Records
In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Winter of the Winter’ almost exactly a year ago. Winter in New England can feel endless and bleak in the best of times, but during the COVID lockdown it felt brutal. People were either terribly isolated and lonely, or climbing the walls trying to balance kids, spouses, working from home, and remote school. There was a sense of collective grief, but there also was a real meanness out there given the political divide. I wrote ‘Winter of the Winter’ to try to process all of it. I really wanted the whole ordeal to mean something. I wanted us to learn something from the experience, for us to end up a little kinder, a little better as a society. The song asks: ‘When the spring comes and everything is growing/Will we remember how it was snowing/And will we be better for the knowing?’ I think, unfortunately, the verdict is still out.” — Susan Levine
Photo Credit: Doug Kwartler
BGS 5+5: Philippe Bronchtein
Artist: Philippe Bronchtein
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Latest Album: Catch My Breath
Personal Nicknames: Bronch, Bronchtime, Big Rig, Le Fromage
Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?
People often equate Bruce Springsteen with loud and bombastic musical theater for the working man. But Bruce’s quieter songs have always been such a deep well of inspiration for me. Springsteen deep cuts like “Stolen Car,” “Moonlight Motel,” “Silver Palomino,” “Used Car,” and “Highway 29” have been so informative for how I craft my songs.
What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?
In 2019 I was traveling with The War and Treaty, playing B3 in the band and opening some shows. That summer we played the closing set on the Saturday night for the Montreal Jazz Festival. It was shoulder to shoulder as far as the eye could see, about 15,000 people. The sound was tremendous and the crowd was electric. I have deep roots in Montreal as well and was surrounded by family and friends. It was a pretty unforgettable night.
Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?
I really enjoy mountains and rivers and try to get out to do some trout fishing from time to time. Some of that imagery definitely finds its way into my songs. Even some of nature’s more destructive elements can permeate my songs. I wrote “Wildfire Waiting” during a spell of California fires a few years back. The imagery was so heartbreaking and became the vessel for that song’s message.
What’s the toughest time you ever had writing a song?
The song “Thanksgiving” on this recent album was a work in progress from 2014 until the week I recorded the final vocals. It went through about half a dozen different iterations before I landed on the lyrics you hear on the record. I’m happy I stuck with it; it’s one of my favorites on the album.
Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?
I’d like to shoot some oysters with Hayes Carll. Just sounds fun.
A note about the playlist: All of these are songs that I’m credited on! They’re a good representation of the work I’ve done since arriving in Nashville.
“Wildfire Waiting” – Songwriter and Performer
“Have a Little Faith” – Pedal Steel
“Five More Minutes” – B3
“Calico Jim” – Pedal Steel
“Glad It’s You” – Producer, Instrumentalist
Photo Credit: Laura Partain
Artist of the Month: The Infamous Stringdusters
The Infamous Stringdusters continue their career ascent with Toward the Fray, a new album that comes on the heels of a Grammy nomination for a Bill Monroe tribute EP and hosting duties at the IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards. Their first new album in three years, Toward the Fray captures the live energy of the band, though all five guys put an emphasis on the lyrics, too. Upon announcing the project, band member Andy Hall stated, “Sometimes the times call for some serious reflection, and these songs really hit home. Get ready to go deep with us!”
As the Bluegrass Situation’s Artist of the Month for March, the ‘Dusters paired off for upcoming interviews, with longtime sound engineer Drew Becker joining the fray. Look for the award-winning band in Colorado later this month before the ensemble travels the West Coast. Then it’s back to Colorado for a stop at Red Rocks Amphitheater just before Memorial Day — another reason to look forward to summer.
Although the world has seen its share of upheaval over the last few years, which is certainly reflected in Toward the Fray, the band lineup has remained consistent: Travis Book on bass, Andy Falco on guitar, Jeremy Garrett on fiddle, Andy Hall on Dobro, and Chris Pandolfi on banjo (and he’s also the only member who doesn’t take a lead vocal). The band released the album on their own label, Americana Vibes.
In our 2019 interview, Book stated, “Our band can be challenging to listen to because it’s not one-dimensional. You’ve got four guys that sing, and every song sounds a little different, and certainly the way I approach every song is as though it’s its own universe. The people who are into our band, they’re ready to go wherever. If you’re into one singer or one style, you’re not going to get very much of that when you come to our show.”
That’s still the case with Toward the Fray, as the band members shuffle the songwriting credits among them, including the exceptional instrumentals. It’s a project that should easily sustain the band throughout the festival season. Keep an eye out for our BGS Artist of the Month interviews in the coming weeks, and meanwhile, enjoy our Essentials playlist.
Photo Credit: Jay Strausser Visuals
WATCH: Sweet Alibi, “Next Somewhere”
Artist: Sweet Alibi
Hometown: Winnipeg, MB Canada
Song: “Next Somewhere”
Album: Make a Scene
Release Date: January 28, 2022
Label: Comino Music
In Their Words: “This live video for ‘Next Somewhere’ was shot prior to us going into the studio to record the album. It’s more of a stripped-down version. This song is about living a touring life, and being away from home often, but finding a sense of home on the road. So many fans that start out as strangers become friends, and give us a sense of comfort every time we visit their city and their homes. Touring is what has kept us going strong as a band these past few years and we are so truly grateful to be heading back out on the road this spring with tours across Canada and Europe in the summer! We had such an amazing time making this album, Make a Scene, and we are thrilled to show it off to our audiences. It will be good for the soul to see some familiar faces and know that we are spreading some joy during this time!” — Amber Nielsen, Sweet Alibi
Photo Credit: B&B Studios