Basic Folk

Singer songwriter Hannah Connolly, originally from Eau Claire, WI (same as Justin Vernon and the Bon Iver crew!) has just released her second solo album, Shadowboxing. Written to reflect musical and life transitions, it was recorded in beautiful Idyllwild, CA, just outside of her new hometown of Los Angeles. While in the mountain town, Hannah reconnected with nature through hiking and found joy in connecting with her friends and collaborators in music. The process of making the record was crucial for her mental health in music that was celebratory and fun. Her debut album centered around the trauma and healing she and her family faced after her little brother Cullen was killed by a drunk driver in 2015. Born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Cullen was the life of the party and a bright light in every room he entered. Being able to process and mourn his loss through the making of her first record was not only extremely difficult, but also very necessary for Hannah. We talk about who Cullen was and how he continues to influence Hannah's life and music. These days, Hannah is looking for the fun and lightness again, which is exactly what her little brother would want her to do.

Even though Hannah's visual storytelling and folky roots are strong, they are no match for her love of emo music, which has influenced her since she was a teenager. She even performed, recorded and toured in an emo band prior to going solo. Hannah gets into her emo past, her childhood stint in musical theater and, of course, cheese curds. She also gives us the all important update on wedding planning! She recently got engaged to Eric Cannata of the alternative rock band Young the Giant. I'm so happy for Hannah not only for her future marriage, but also for creating this joyful new album. 

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Bestie Lizzie No has just released their career-defining new record Halfsies and we are 100% here for it on our 250th episode!! lizzie, who co-hosts Basic Folk, put her entire being, identity and creativity into this project. There's a lot going on with their main character, the avatar Miss Freedomland, and we're getting to the bottom of it in our conversation. Our hero's journey begins even before the main character is born. Her inception grew out of disdain for childhood beauty pageants, which lizzie's mother actually won back in the early 60's at a now defunct amusement park called Freedomland. And there are photos of Little Catherine Quinlan with a look of disgust on her five year old face. lizzie grew up with this story and as she got older, she began to think hard about societal expectations and the stock put into women and children's emotional expression through their faces. Lizzie also grew up hearing and saying the word "No," hence the stage name.

Enter Miss Freedomland (also the name of lizzie's new record label)! She has been tasked with a journey to become free, which will require inner healing, exploration of self-identity and giving up performance of gender that just feels wrong. The album starts with our main character trying to level up (because, yes, this is a video game) with her own self-expression, revisiting past traumas and shedding the baggage and the hot garbage that got her trapped in the first place. In our conversation, we go track by track through this showstopper of a record and even get some solo live performances. I hope you enjoy exploring lizzie's world as much as I did. These songs are brilliant and the concept executed remarkably. Thanks to Studio 9 in North Adams, MA for the use of their beautiful studio!

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Dinty Child, founding member of Session Americana, the beloved Boston roots music collective, who've accidentally been a band for twenty years, has just released his second solo album, Letting the Lions In. The new songs feature co-writing on all tracks between Dinty and Boston area songwriters like Mark Erelli, Kris Delmhorst and Dave Godowsky. A self-proclaimed slow-writer, the majority of these songs were written on the annual Sub Rosa songwriting retreat Dinty runs on Three Mile Island (no, not that Three Mile Island) on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. Owned by the Appalachian Mountain Club, Dinty's family has been working at the island for over 100 years. Dinty currently serves at the off-season manager, putting his musician and carpenter skills to good use hosting songwriter friends at said retreat like Rose Cousins, Rose Polenzani, Rachael Price, Miss Tess and many more, as well as Miles of Music, a summer camp run by Dinty, Kristin Andreassen and Laura Cortese.

Letting the Lions In was co-produced by Zachariah Hickman (Josh Ritter, Ray LaMontagne) and recorded at Great North Sound in Parsonsfield Maine over the course of three days in the spring of 2021. Dinty says: "I often trade construction work for studio time there." During our conversation, we dig into why these songs needed to be recorded. Our consensus is that legacy and spreading joy to his community are the top two reasons. Also, Dinty, who says an annoyingly large percentage of his songs start as dreams, talks about what kind of sleeper he is, what's with the lion and his thoughts on drinking thanks to the handful of alcohol songs on the new album. Dinty is a dear friend to the podcast and an important part of the New England musical landscape, we're thrilled to have him on the show!

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Tyrone Cotton, a decades-long mainstay of the Louisville, KY music scene just released his 2023 debut album, "Man Like Me." A quick listen to these songs reveals an artist who has spent decades steeped in roots music. Lizzie No spoke with Tyrone and Ray Rizzo, one of the album’s producers, about Tyrone’s journey as an artist and the making of ‘Man Like Me.’ Tyrone grew up listening to his grandfather and his friends in the neighborhood playing guitar. Along with his $60 guitar, Tyrone headed off to music school, studying classic guitar under David Kelsey. At first a shy performer, Cotton leaned into his craft and into the supportive musical community he found in Louisville. He has become a stalwart of the local music scene, playing club shows and a standing gig at a local senior center where he brings the house down with soul classics.

This is where producer Ray Rizzo enters our story. A Kentuckian since the age of eleven, he was well-versed in the Louisville music scene when he came across Tyrone and his music at The Rudyard Kipling, a club in town. Ray’s admiration for Tyrone’s songwriting and musical instincts was a guiding principle as they went into the studio to record ‘Man Like Me.’ Rizzo had spent years watching Cotton perform and wanted to make sure that he captured the magic he had witnessed so many times. If the confident, eclectic roots of ‘Man Like Me’ are any indication, Tyrone Cotton has more stories to tell and we will be lucky to listen. What makes this album special is what makes the best Americana albums special: a patchwork of influences and traditions, the best of contemporary recording techniques, and a singular storytelling voice.

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Canada's Talia Schlanger is best known for her work in broadcasting; guest-hosting Q with Tom Power on CBC and Alec Baldwin's "Here's the Thing" podcast, as well as taking over for David Dye on NPR Music's World Cafe in Philadelphia. Before all that, Talia was an actor and singer in many theater productions including Mamma Mia, Queen's We Will Rock You and Green Day's American Idiot. While she has found much success in her two previous careers, something has been pulling on Talia for years. She wanted to write, record and perform her own music. She had something to say and made the brave leap into the unknown and left her coveted role at WXPN's World Cafe in order to say it. The culmination of events has led Talia to her debut album, Grace for Going.

In our conversation, Talia shares insights into her upbringing in Thornhill, Ontario, within a Jewish family deeply rooted in faith and family heritage. She reflects on the impact of her grandparents, Holocaust survivors, and how their stories shaped her childhood. Talia talks about her unique journey from performing in 8 shows a week in theater productions to becoming a distinguished radio host. Her evolution as a singer, her bravery and some important boundaries have allowed her to find her authentic voice while maintaining a crucial work-life balance. Throughout the interview, she touches on themes of personal growth, acts of kindness, and her commitment to learning and curiosity, offering a fascinating glimpse into the life and career of this remarkable person.

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Dive into the enchanting world of Elise Leavy, a musician hailing from the picturesque Monterey, California through her latest album A Little Longer. Elise's artistic journey is steeped in the influence of her magical surroundings and a childhood filled with music, thanks to her mom's painting and stepdad's musical talents. Growing up with a deep appreciation for nature and a belief in faeries, Elise shares how these elements shaped her musical perspective.

As we explore Elise's musical evolution, we touch on her experiences with live performances, overcoming stage fright, and the art of songwriting. Her unique approach to music, stemming from a background rich in magical thinking, reflects in her exploration of various musical instruments, from accordion to guitar, piano, fiddle, and more. We also uncover the impact of her time at summer camps, fostering a sense of community that continues to shape her artistic expression.

The episode delves into the intriguing intersection of Elise's musical journey and homeschooling, highlighting the unconventional path she took to prioritize her love for music. She left public school in eighth grade to focus on music and worked her schedule around attending music camps. She would go on to study at New England Conservatory Of Music in Boston, lived briefly in New York and after several years in Nashville, she has recently found herself living in Lafayette, LA. The songs on her new album A Little Longer were mostly written while she lived in Boston and New York. Elise also opens up about her connection to music, magical creatures, and the harmonious blend of romance in her musical creations.

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Sarah Jarosz is what happens when young women are taken seriously. A huge part of the mandolinist’s story is that she had supportive male mentors and that has added to her confidence. We all know the age old story of “Young woman shows promise, gets exploited by the patriarchy and it affects her work.” We need to hear stories like this. Starting in her hometown of Wimberley, Texas, just 45 minutes outside of Austin - the live music capital of the world, Sarah found the mandolin at ten years old. Labeled a prodigy and thanks to the encouraging spirit of folk music, she found music mentorship with seasoned professionals like David Grisman, Ricky Scaggs, Tim O’Brien and Bela Fleck. After her time at The New England Conservatory of Music, she moved to New York and would go on to collaborate with people like Chris Thile in the Live From Here House Band and her trio I’m With Her, featuring Aoife O’Donovan and Sara Watkins and won four Grammys.

After making the move to Nashville, on her latest album, the very impressive and sonically expansive Polaroid Lovers, Jarosz collaborated with producer Daniel Tashian, which originally was just a low-stakes co-writing project. The success of her first co-writing experience with Daniel led her to pursue other songwriting sessions with Ruston Kelly and Natalie Hemby. The collaboration found on the record has opened Sarah up to new sounds and new experiences. In our conversation, we talk about Sarah stepping into her own voice with confidence on this record and knowing her musical self enough at this point in her life. She describes her experience with ​confidence using the ​Dunning–Kruger effect, in which people with limited competence in a particular domain overestimate their abilities. AKA Fake it till you make, AKA Leap and the net will appear. She also talks about her parents' influence on her early musicality and how her mom is doing with her cancer remission. An overall theme of this conversation is that Sarah never lost sight of her goal: keeping it all about the music and don’t let noise get in the way of your important work.

Also! For those interested in Sarah's #1 skincare product: HERE YOU ARE.

ORDER/STREAM LIZZIE NO'S NEW ALBUM HALFSIES: https://orcd.co/halfsies

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Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno, known as Viv & Riley, dive deep into the nuances of old-time music, folk influences, and the process behind their album, Imaginary People. The duo, who ​met ​at ​a ​music ​camp ​in ​Port ​Townsend, ​Washington, trace their roots from Riley's disciplined musical practice to Viv's intuitive approach. The two found inspiration from growing up in the Seattle area listening to KEXP (Riley), to living in Portland, Oregon to their current home in Durham, North Carolina. Drawing on their experiences at fiddlers conventions and music camps, Viv & Riley reflect on the transformative power of collaboration and the vibrant community that has shaped their unique sound in their duo as well as their other band, The Onlies.

As they share insights into their songwriting process, the episode unravels the intricate layers of Imaginary People, delving into the harmonious blend of indie roots and experimental production that defines their latest release. With a nod to their eclectic influences, including the supportive atmosphere of Durham, NC the duo discusses the evolution of their sound under the guidance of producer Alex Bingham from Hiss Golden Messenger, who produced their latest album. 

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Rachael Kilgour unravels the layers of her late father on the album, "My Father Loved Me." Recorded in the cold of Toronto and produced by Rose Cousins (who also joins us for this conversation), this album carries the essence of Canadian roots and is a profound exploration of family heritage through the lens of an ordinary, hard working and humble man who died in 2017. The Duluth-born Rachael, and Rose, based in Halifax, reflect on their cold weather experiences, infusing the recording process with warmth despite the chilly Canadian setting.

The core of our discussion revolves around Rachael's deep emotional connection to the album, particularly her poignant exploration of the father-daughter relationship amidst the challenges of dementia. We navigate the themes of grief, death, and identity, while learning about Rachael's father and how he has impacted and continues to live on through Rachael's personality and idiosyncrasies. They shared the struggle of anxiety and self-doubt, which the songwriter addresses on the album. We also get a look into Rose's perspective on Rachael's growth and the impact the vulnerable creative process has had on her songwriting. And then, we wrap it all up with a very fun Dad-themed lightning round.

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The cover of Darrell Scott's latest album, Old Cane Back Rocker, immediately sets the tone for your listening experience. The inclusion of the names of the Darrell Scott String Band (Bryn Davies, Matt Flinner and Shad Cobb) lets you know right off the bat that this recording is a band effort. The photo on the album cover gives a visual of Scotts' family roots in rural Kentucky. His cousin Dwight Messer is standing in front of his former childhood home, now abandoned on the family land. The music reflects his family's story: some, like Dwight, stayed behind and some, like Darrell's father, Wayne Scott, moved up north to find work. Despite being raised in the north, Darrell's home has always felt like Kentucky and traditional music learned from there. These songs showcase those roots.

In our conversation, Darrell digs into the darkness that can be heard in his music, even if it's not a sad song. He talks about his friend and frequent collaborator, Tim O'Brien, and how his performance and writing has allowed Scott to level up. Darrell also speaks to leaning into emotional songwriting and trusting his tears during the creative process. He shares the emotional account of rerecording his father's song This Weary Way and how he used to think Hank Williams had actually written it. Immediately after we finished our interview, lizzie texted me "what a cool eccentric intellectual dude." Couldn't have said it better myself. This episode honestly discovers the true essence of Darrell Scott—an artist whose music resonates with the soul, rooted in the traditions of Kentucky. 

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