Well, is this not an excuse to get the girlies together if we’ve ever heard one!? For our final live interview aboard Cayamo, we arranged a check-in with some of our favorite folks to talk about the state of Folk Music (and folk-adjacent music). Our panel included country artist and host of Apple Music’s Color Me Country Radio Rissi Palmer, Canadian sweethearts Rose Cousins (CEO of emotions) and Kaïa Kater (Dean of Sad Songs), and Jobi Riccio, a self-proclaimed “rizzler.” We spoke about the function of folk songwriting, the hope and confidence of Gen Z, the inspiration taken from elders, and the fact that there are Black people in the future (thank you, Alice Randall).
We’ve noticed some folk songs coming out recently about moving forward and persevering despite living in hard times. It seems like the folk zeitgeist is collectively coming together to say something and we wanted to explore what’s happening with folk musicians at this time. What is the function of folk songwriting in modern times? Comfort? Information? Inspiration?
Folk is the big scoop that catches everyone. We need there to be a place for everyone else – and we are the everyone else. When you choose to be in this community, you grab onto this big rope, pulling against all that needs pulling against (feeling, current events, poverty, capitalism, things that homogenize, surveil, and control). These artists and the stories they tell take care of communities in a way that is similar to healthcare workers, but how are these workers being taken care of? We wanted to ask, “What’s the state of your workplace and how is care being taken?” And, “What does it feel like to be moving through the world playing music for people at this time?”
We are live at sea aboard Cayamo 2026 with Abraham Alexander and Kashus Culpepper! The pair had not met prior, but we found a couple of very cool parallels between them, so we decided to interview them together. Plus, we knew it would be more fun to have them both up on stage in front of an audience. Abraham, based in Ft. Worth, Texas, and originally from Greece, has had an impressive rise in profile thanks to opportunities from friends like Leon Bridges, Gary Clark, Jr., and Adrian Quesada (Black Pumas). Quesada actually worked with Abe on the song “Like a Bird,” which was nominated for an Oscar for its inclusion in the deeply moving 2023 film Sing Sing. Navy veteran Kashus Culpepper, born and raised in Alexander City, Alabama, grew up singing in church and learned to play guitar while deployed in Spain. His deployment actually occurred during the pandemic in 2020; left with nothing to do and nowhere to go, he spent his time learning guitar, drinking plenty of sangria, and playing for his fellow sailors (who would also be enjoying said sangria).
Abe and Kash have a few things in common that we discuss: their emotive and boisterous singing voices, learning guitar as adults, intense histories with sports, and, of course, being very handsome. We introduce our conversation with the two musicians as “Handsome Club,” (a shout out to Lizzie No’s OnlyFans handle, @handsomelizzie) and ask them to speak about their relationship with beauty. After ensuring them that we were for real, they spoke of beauty found in the process of turning pain into something positive, and how confidence in yourself is everything. We have some poignant moments and some major laughs that are enhanced by an awesome crowd. Thanks to everyone on board Cayamo for making the first meeting of Handsome Club so successful!
We are so excited to kick off our Interviews at Sea series with DAWES! We had the chance to talk to brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith aboard Cayamo: A Journey Through Song in front of a packed audience during the music cruise’s 18th voyage in March 2026. The guys have been performing as Dawes since 2009, but the band has been a duo since their 2024 album, Oh Brother.
The Goldsmiths have been singing and playing together their whole lives inspired by their musician father, Lenny Goldsmith, who toured as the lead singer of Tower of Power in the 1980s. Taylor was never told it was hard to play guitar or sing, so he just did it. He always knew he wanted to be a professional musician. We talk about the ways his musical career turned out as not quite what he had expected. We also touch on how their singing has evolved over the course of their lives together.
Both Taylor and Griff are fathers, so of course we asked about the freedom that comes with priorities changing in their lives and careers – as well as what toys they may have regretted ever letting their kids have.
One thing following Dawes around for the past year is the aftermath of the January 2025 Eaton Fire in Los Angeles. Both brothers and their parents suffered immense loss due to the flames sweeping through Altadena, California, destroying thousands of homes and causing over 30 deaths. Griffin’s son was born two weeks after the fire, a month early. Dawes became the musical face of the disaster with an emotional performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and opening the GRAMMYs with Randy Newman’s “I Love LA” with a veritable supergroup: Sheryl Crow, Brad Paisley, Brittany Howard, St. Vincent, and John Legend. The brothers get into what the experience taught them about healing and reaching a place where this tragedy does not define them. We hear a bit about Taylor’s love of collecting first editions and his fear of the comment section and we wrap up with a fun “Which One?” lightning round. Thanks to Dawes!
Last month, the BGS team once again embarked on Cayamo: A Journey Through Song, the 18th edition of the beloved week-long floating roots music festival that crisscrossed the Caribbean aboard the Norwegian Pearl. With performances by Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Dawes, Watchhouse, Patty Griffin, and many, many more, plus port visits in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Cayo Levantado, Dominican Republic, our team was more than ready to yet again partner with Cayamo and Sixthman to bring you special Basic Folk podcast live tapings on board and our fan favorite BGS Nightcap jam set, our fourth edition of the event.
There’s no festival or live music event quite like Cayamo, where ardent roots music fans and the best and most buzzed-about artists and bands come together on a floating sanctuary to enjoy music, art, community, and togetherness – and a break from the wintry weather, too. Below, enjoy a couple of clips captured on board and a series of photos from Cayamo 2026 that clearly demonstrate the joy and fun of this one-of-a-kind event.
Great news, too! The 2027 lineup for Cayamo: A Journey Through Song has already been announced (see above). Tickets go on sale on April 16th at 2pm EDT, but you still have time to join the final presale. More info here.
Days 1 & 2
It's time for Cayamo: A Journey Through Song!
Welcome aboard...
Tommy Emmanuel arrives.
Fans brave the less-than-perfect weather before setting sail from Miami, FL.
Dawes perform for the sail away set on the pool deck.
Rissi Palmer.
Sister Sadie.
Patty Griffin performs to a packed theater.
Patty Griffin.
Erin Rae.
Did you bring your instrument? You can take part in the music, too!
One of our live Basic Folk podcast tapings, hosted by Cindy Howes and Lizzie No and presented by the BGS Podcast Network.
Martina San Diego.
Rose Cousins.
Enjoying tunes while soaking in the hot tub.
Ron Pope.
Crys Matthews.
Palmyra.
The adoring fans of Cayamo, filling out the pool deck.
Ken Pomeroy.
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes and band with special guest Sierra Hull.
Pynk Beard
Tommy Emmanuel.
Jason Isbell strapping up.
Sierra Hull and the Milk Carton Kids perform “Everybody’s Talking” at the Stardust Theater during Cayamo 2026, captured by BGS on board.
Days 3 & 4
A gorgeous day to port in San Juan, Puerto Rico and leave the 'Norwegian Pearl' for some exploring.
Fortifications in Old San Juan.
Jason Isbell and Tommy Emmanuel talk backstage.
Jason Isbell.
Jon Muq.
Rodney Crowell.
Sierra Hull performs on the pool deck.
Jobi Riccio and Lizzie No.
Leon Timbo and band.
Victoria Canal.
Kathleen Edwards.
Brandy Clark and Rodney Crowell share songs and stories.
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes and her guitarist Grant Dresnok join Tommy Emmanuel on stage.
The Milk Carton Kids.
During our favorite event of the voyage – ahem, the BGS Nightcap of course – Kathleen Edwards joined Della Mae to perform “Six O’Clock News.” Thanks to Della Mae for recording and sharing this clip.
Days 5 & 6
It really is a floating festival!
Rodney Crowell performs.
Palmyra with Della Mae.
Judy Blank.
Kaia Kater.
The entire ship becomes a setting for so many different sorts of events, panels, and sessions.
Banjoist Gena Britt of Sister Sadie.
Pynk Beard performs on the pool deck.
Brandy Clark and Patty Griffin, another crowd favorite event.
Della Mae.
Alicia Blue.
Sierra Hull and band joined by Milk Carton Kids.
Lizzie No.
Chuck Cannon.
BGS Nightcap
Jobi Riccio joins our evening's hosts, Della Mae.
Rose Cousins.
Tommy Emmanuel and Celia Woodsmith of Della Mae.
Palmyra and Della Mae together, a match made in heaven.
Pynk Beard clearly got along great with our hosts!
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes made an appearance.
Kathleen Edwards. Watch a clip of her performance with Della Mae above.
Sister Sadie and Della Mae together equals real musical power.
Kaia Kater, Crys Matthews, and Della Mae on the BGS Nightcap.
Tommy Emmanuel on the BGS Nightcap with Della Mae.
Sierra Hull.
What a night! Sister Sadie and Della Mae bid the audience goodnight.
The BGS highlight of the week! A Nightcap jam session is our favorite pastime, especially aboard Cayamo. What a lineup of artists and bands and special collaborations. And this year it happened to fall on St. Patrick’s Day itself – perfect for a roots music party.
Day 7
Everywhere you look, Cayamo, Sixthman, and Norwegian make the voyage a musicful experience.
Shawn Mullins.
Kashus Culpepper brings country cinema to Cayamo.
Kathleen Edwards.
Brandy Clark's full band set.
Tylar Bryant.
A star-studded round and a full house aboard Cayamo.
Photos courtesy of Sixthman, credits as listed in each watermark. Lead image: Will Byington.
One of the things I really enjoyed about interviewing Toronto-born singer-songwriter Julian Taylor is his relationship with the truth. He has a really peaceful attitude towards learning and sharing new information. For example, at the beginning and the end of our interview, there were biographical facts about him that I had gotten wrong in my research. Gently and matter of fact he fact-checked me and we just moved on. It was such a cool example of, “Oh, you’ve got this a bit wrong and it matters that we get it right,” but nothing about that is personal. In an era of misinformation and alternate facts, it feels really grounding to have an hour-long conversation with someone who really cares about getting it right. That shows through in his songs and in his storytelling.
Julian experienced an eclectic musical upbringing thanks to his classical-and-gospel musician father, his mother’s love of Motown and folk, and wide influences from pop to blues. Oral tradition in his family shaped how he tells a story. Especially on his mother’s side with his Mohawk grandfather, a pastor who told incredible stories. He also discusses being pigeonholed by race and genre. Oftentimes, people will think that he performs a certain type of music because he looks a certain way. He mentions that audiences can be shocked when he pulls out a country song while sporting hair that looks more reggae than Johnny Cash. Taylor discusses his breakthrough 2020 album, The Ridge, he talks about his writing process (often starting with lyrics), and the intent behind his latest release Anthology: Volume Two – including “Hunger,” “Don’t Let ’Em” (with Jim James), “Dedication,” and “Weighing Down” – addressing mental freedom, identity politics, and self-forgiveness.
To send 2025 off into the great abyss, we have a sensational year-end Basic Folk roundtable featuring Lizzie’s group chat: Kaia Kater, Olivia Ellen Lloyd, and Isa Burke. It can feel so challenging to know which media you can trust and whose takes you can really take to the bank. There is no one we trust more to wrap up this wild and wacky year than these gals. We turned to them at the end of 2025 to hear their hot takes, what they’re grateful for, what they’ve learned, and what four poppin’ folk musicians were up to in this crazy year in the industry.
We also share a couple of Basic Folk clips from 2025! Our most-listened-to episode featured Ani DiFranco and Carsie Blanton onboard Cayamo, so of course we wanted to share a portion of their conversation about periods. Lizzie tees up a clip from her favorite episode featuring Cindy’s meet-cute moment with Morgan Toney. Morgan spoke of how he started to get more familiar with his Indigenous musical heritage and shares incredible insights about how to connect with your cultural heritage as a marginalized artist.
Lizzie & Cindy then get into what each has been up to this year, together and separately. They especially reflect on their trip to Alaska with Parlor in the Round, the pod’s new baby, Lizzie’s Yallidarity Social Club podcast, and the latest on their dogs – including one emergency surgery to remove a six-month-old corn cob. Goodbye, 2025!
Lead Image: Olivia Ellen Lloyd by Mandi Fountain Photos; Isa Burke by Sam Kassirer; Kaia Kater by Janice Reid; Lizzie No courtesy of the artist.
Our episode with Madison Cunningham was one of those all-time Basic Folk moments where a guest gets really deep really quickly. I’m so grateful to have had the chance to speak with this brilliant young torchbearer of the folk tradition to celebrate the release of her new album, Ace. Cunningham grew up in the church, an environment which shaped her earliest memories of music. From the very beginning she had a sense of togetherness and transcendence in music which remains today and is represented throughout her catalogue. It was fascinating to hear Madison describe how she developed into a commanding solo performer, renegotiating her relationship with spirituality and individuality along the way.
After the massive impact of her GRAMMY-winning 2022 album, Revealer, and collaborations with artists like Andrew Bird, Cunningham summoned all her creative, form-breaking powers for her new album. As we talked through the track list and arrangements I got the sense that this is an artist who is always challenging herself to release control. She lets things fall apart and then puts the pieces back together according to her own imagination. This is freedom. Her reflections on heartbreak feel intimate, thoughtful, hopeful, and unique. Ace may or may not be a “Folk” album by aesthetic measures, but it is certainly an outstanding example of world-building in the singer-songwriter format. Whether on piano or guitar, Cunningham has a focused way of expressing herself that makes me want to know what unpredictable gems she will create next. Long live the creativity of independent women!
Kathleen Edwards claims that she’s now a pretty frequent crier after not crying for the first 30 years of her life. One reason for this change is the connectedness she has been feeling since leaving music and starting her coffee shop, Quitters. In our Basic Folk conversation, Edwards tears up talking about the cover of her new album Billionaire, which was shot by a former Quitters employee, Riley. Riley – along with a fellow employee Amanda – traveled to Nashville in 2019 to watch Kathleen perform. The event was a pinnacle moment in her adult life, especially because, sadly, Amanda has since passed away.
Kathleen also discusses her folk music roots, which began during her days at a bucolic childhood summer camp where her counselor suggested that she could make a career out of writing and performing songs. She gives a hat tip to Ani DiFranco, who she cites as a major influence musically and personally. Through Ani’s example, she learned that success in the music business meant being self-reliant.
Edwards talks about overcoming clinical depression, her decision to take a hiatus from music to open Quitters coffee shop, and how that period impacted her life and career. She delves into the making of the new album, highlighting the contributions of Jason Isbell and other collaborators to the project. Throughout our chat, Kathleen emphasizes the importance of authenticity, self-reliance, and the role of humor and vulnerability in her music – and life.
Photo Credit: Lead image by Kate York; alternate images by Mike Dunn.
This time on Basic Folk, we are checking in with country singer-songwriter and Color Me Country radio host Rissi Palmer and Americana/country artist Miko Marks. The two close friends both came up as Black women in country music in the early part of the 21st century where they experienced gatekeepers and discrimination in the industry, but undeniable love from listeners. Both stepped away from music for several years, but have since come back and found their audiences, artistic grooves, and industry independence. We last spoke with the pair in 2023 (you gotta go listen to that convo if you missed it!) and we have wanted them back on ever since!
Rissi and Miko dive into who they think is making waves and positive change in country and Americana. We talk about rising pop-country singer Tanner Adell and her 2023 hit “Buckle Bunny,” a song that’s clearly written for a different kind of country music fan (read: young Black women). Rissi mentions having Mississippi country sensation KIRBY on her show recently and promises her Miss Black America to be a monster of an album. There was a lot of consensus on the podcast that Madeline Edwards has released the best album of 2025 with her record Fruit, where she digs into the extreme grief and extreme joy she experienced after her brother passed away.
Elsewhere, we also touch on the pair’s experiences at Rhiannon Giddens’ inaugural Biscuits & Banjos fest in Durham earlier this year, an event dedicated to reclamation and exploration of Black music. We talk about Alice Randall’s new compilation, My Black Country – The Songs of Alice Randall, a collection of Randall compositions recorded by Black women – including selections performed by both Miko and Rissi. We talk about audiences in London versus the US, a contrast BF co-host Lizzie as well as Rissi and Miko have experienced first hand. In fact, Rissi has been curating a Color Me Country stage at The Long Road Festival in Leicestershire, England, for the past four years. We hope you learn something new, get some insight into what’s happening in Americana for musicians who are Black, and gain some joy from listening to Rissi and Miko’s hilarious banter.
You may recognize the voice, face, and vibe of wonderful human being Tony Kamel from his acclaimed bluegrass group, Wood & Wire. But Tony is on Basic Folk to talk about his wonderful solo albums, including his latest, We’re All Gonna Live. The project, which just came out, is a realist-optimist’s guide to navigating a complex and often heartbreaking world. There’s something remarkably encouraging about the songs, which are so humane and so empathetic. The music is rooted in bluegrass, but I found it to be really well-rounded contemporary country-folk with great singing and songwriting. It’s actually a super fun album even though it deals with some heavy topics.
One of the most though-provoking parts of the interview was talking to Tony about the differences between being in a band and being a solo artist. When he got into bluegrass, he really just wanted to be able to gel with and collaborate with other musicians. He claimed that they let him hang out because he was a great singer and then he started really figuring out the guitar. There’s a culture in bluegrass where people want to master being a picker and Tony didn’t wanna show up and not have the goods. He had his voice to get his foot in the door, then he just got to work and honing all of his skills. While he says he’s still not a good guitarist, I really enjoyed his playing on this album.
Photo Credit: Josh Abel
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