Basic Folk

Welcome to Folk Debate Club, our occasional crossover series with fellow folk-pod Why We Write! Today, to discuss Lyrics vs Melody, we welcome our panel of guests: music journalist and former singer/songwriter, Kim Ruehl, Isa Burke (Lula Wiles, Aoife O’Donovan), musician and Basic Folk guest host lizzie no, and yours truly, Cindy Howes, boss of Basic Folk.

Our conversation begins with a case each for melody and lyrics from members of the panel. Some panelists are more fluid with their thoughts and feelings and at least one of us changes sides mid-discussion. Some interesting opinions emerge! For instance, manipulation in music is no good if the listener can see through your bullshit: “Part of the job [of songwriters] is to emotionally manipulate people. When you are feeling manipulated is when the person has missed,” says Kim. The panel talks about rawness: it can take lyrical editing before it can be presented to the public. “It’s sometimes hard to tell as the songwriter, like, how raw am I actually being?”, shares Isa, who goes on to talk about how being raw in melody can be very effective. She points to her emotional guitar solo (that was done during a difficult moment in her life) in the Lula Wiles song “The Way That It Is” as one of her most favorite musical accomplishments.

Bob Dylan comes up within 90 seconds of the debate! Don’t worry, Taylor Swift, Maggie Rogers, Stevie Wonder, Adele, and Paul McCartney also make cameo appearances. And lizzie no ftw: “Lyrics are the hand-holding that we need to bring us into the glory of instrumental music.” Enjoy! We had a good time doing this, so we’ll see you again soon!

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Sam Phillips was born to a family that loved doling out nicknames. She was called “Sam” growing up in a house that was filled with readers. She nurtured her love of philosophy and spirituality by exploring different religions and devouring works by authors like C.S. Lewis and Thomas Merton. Early in her career, she found success as a Christian musician under her real name: Leslie Phillips. She made several albums, but became uncomfortable with her label marketing her as “the Christian Cyndi Lauper.” She also had a desire to write songs that didn’t reinforce people’s religious beliefs. For her final Leslie Phillips album, she worked with future spouse/ex-spouse, T-Bone Burnett “a fellow Christian with a maverick approach to songs about faith and morality, and found a kindred spirit.” She decided to rebrand and start recording as Sam Phillips. Sam and T-Bone worked together from 1988’s The Indescribable Wow to 2004’s A Boot and a Shoe.

In our conversation, we talk about Sam’s writing process, which she is always changing up. She comes up with her best ideas when she “turns off the trying part of her brain,” but at the same time, she strongly believes in the power of editing. Sam’s probably best known for composing and performing the score for the beloved Amy Sherman-Palladino series The Gilmore Girls, for which she also made a brief appearance on the season finale in 2006. You remember those “La la la’s” while Lorelei and Rory carried around their armpit purses, drank coffee and while wearing those horrible boot cut jeans? That was Sam Phillips! Currently, Sam is working on a new album and she’s taking her time, so don’t rush her, OK?

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Fun times with our favorite non-duo duo Anna Tivel and Jeffrey Martin. The pair met in the early 2010's in Portland, bonded over songwriting and have been together ever since. They got together at a time when they were both learning how to tour and they were able to figure it all out as a pair. And yes, they have toured and do tour together and have sang on each other's records, but there has never been an interest in an official collaboration. In this special interview, they discuss their thoughts and feelings on their partner's musical style: from how each learned music, to the way they each write songs. They discuss the space they give each other to be alone in creativity and how that space is key to their success as partners.

Anna released her latest album, the acclaimed Outsiders in 2022 and Jeffrey is currently working on a new record. In fact, Jeffrey is recording his upcoming release in a small shack he built on their property in Portland. He completed the structure just in time for the pandemic to start, which was perfect timing since it meant he had his own space to work outside of his house and they both had a place to perform their weekly live streams. Jeffrey is also quite handy and has agreed to build a house for me and don't think I won't hold him to it. We have it on tape, Jeffrey. Please enjoy this fun interview with two of my favorite people and musicians. 

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Help produce Basic Folk by contributing: https://basicfolk.com/donate/

Help produce Basic Folk by contributing at https://basicfolk.com/donate/

WHOA! SistaStrings is the real life sister duo of Monique (cello) and Chauntee (violin) Ross. Currently tearing it up on the road with Brandi Carlile and Allison Russell, The Ross sister’s musical roots began with their intense classical training, family gatherings and in church. All five of their siblings played music, toured around with their minister parents and even had their own family band, Sisters of Praize with older sisters Charice Ross on violin and Rickena Johnson on viola. After Chauntee was done with college, she and Monique teamed up again and ventured out in the Milwaukee music scene where they cut their teeth and tried their hand at all sorts of different styles: hip-hop, jam bands, electronic music and singer-songwriters. There, they met a kindred in Peter Mulvey, who they started performing with in 2016.

SistaStrings officially made the move to Nashville in the summer of 2021. Once there, they started playing gigs with Allison Russell. Monique’s encounter with Brandi Carlile at Newport Folk Fest, led them to both touring with her band. In our conversation, Lizzie and Cindy talk to Monique and Chuantee about being romantic string players thanks to their classical background, which also gave them a very thick skin. They also talk about the decision to pursue a musical path into the folk and Americana world, which is notoriously a white space. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t an easy decision, but it’s one they have not come to regret.

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Growing up in the Berkshires, Massachusetts-born Eliza Edens grew up in a family with strong musical roots. Getting her first guitar at 16, she was moved to write songs as her chosen form of expression. After some time in Philly, Eliza took on New York, choosing Brooklyn as her home base. There she found community and began to thrive creatively, especially in embracing her queer identity, Eliza uses she/they pronouns.

She released her second album We’ll Become the Flowers in 2022 seeking to understand what happens after the end. She had a lot of processing to do after a breakup and her mother being diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease. Her mother has been a central figure in her songwriting recently, especially in her love of gardening and flowers. Eliza's music, like the person, is thoughtful, unpredictable, serious, and silly. Hope you enjoy getting to know this cool musician!

Follow Basic Folk on social media: https://basicfolk.bio.link/

Sign up for Basic Folk's newsletter: https://bit.ly/basicfolknews

Help produce Basic Folk by contributing: https://basicfolk.com/donate/

Help produce Basic Folk by contributing at https://basicfolk.com/donate/

Mark Erelli is slowly going blind. In August 2020, he noticed he couldn’t see his fingers during a show. After that, as he was driving in a tunnel everything went black. Mark went to the doctor and was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, or RP. Since then, his life has changed in ways he could have never imagined. He doesn’t drive at night, he carries a flashlight everywhere he goes, his relationship with his family, his writing and career have been pushed to the brink. All the processing he’s done over the last three years has led him to his latest album, Lay Your Darkness Down.

In our conversation, we talk about Mark’s new challenges he’s faced while living with RP. He shares what it was like for him to tell friends and how he constantly has to advocate for himself. One aspect he did not expect was being able to use his white male privilege to speak up about his disability in hopes to help the community of people with disabilities. Once he realized that, he recognized that it was his responsibility to speak up for the greater good.

One hilarious note: my 6 month old puppy decided she wanted to interrupt and tear apart a book during the interview. I tried to get her out of the room, but in the end, she insisted that she remain. I apologize for the occasional rustling and background noise. If you listen hard enough at one point, you can hear Dottie the cat growling at her. Yay puppies.

Originally from a small town: Gause, Texas, Ruthie Foster came from a family of gospel singers. Singing gospel music acted as a prime method of communication in her life strongly enough that it ended up being her career. Along the way, Ruthie studied audio engineering in college, which ended up giving her invaluable knowledge to support her artistic expression, especially as a woman in a male dominated field. She quit music for about a year and joined the Navy, wanting to do something other than music. In the Navy, stationed in San Diego, she worked around helicopters, giving her even more of a technical mindset. While in the Navy, she also learned how to be chill AF, thanks to her recruiting officer who led by example and taught Foster and fellow recruits how to relax in their work.

One aspect of Ruthie's story that blows my mind is her time in New York City. In the post-Tracy Chapman era, she was swept up and signed by a major label looking for the next Chapman carbon copy. During her years with Atlantic, Ruthie took the time to learn how to be a songwriter and performer, while never recording a single thing. It was a genius move and gave her an invaluable education for a young musician! She moved back to Texas to be with her ailing mother to spend the remaining years of her life together. Ruthie Foster is an impressive artist and person who has learned the lesson of where to be and when to be there. Of her new album Healing Time, she says “There’s always time for healing, if you give it time.” Enjoy!

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By the mid-2010’s Canadian rock legend Tom Wilson’s life was already pretty epic: he had perfected his blue collar roots rock sound in his bands Blackie and The Rodeo Kings and his seminal 90’s outfit Junkhouse. He was a home-grown rock and roller with humble Hamilton, Ontario roots. In addition to his musical output, he had overcome addiction, he was a father, grandfather and painter. However, his life completely changed when, by chance, he discovered he had been adopted and that he was actually of full blood Mohawk descent and not Irish like he was raised to believe. His birth-mother was actually a “cousin” of his, who had been forced into Canada’s cruel residential schools. The people he thought were his parents, had actually been his great Aunt and Uncle. At 53 years old, his world was about to get 100% more wild.

Ever since then, Tom has been on a path to identity. He’s written a memoir, made a documentary, an album as his musical alter-ego Lee Harvey Osmond and his latest project, collaborating with fellow Canadian, the Cree-Métis musician iskwē | ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ. Tom’s new mission at this point in his life is to tell his story, “Our greatest job as storytellers is to open up the door to the next person and let them know they can tell their stories too.”

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Courtney Marie Andrews seems anciently wise in general, but on her new album Loose Future, she's particularly tapped in to some cosmic intelligence. Growing up, CMA spent a lot of time alone, so we naturally start our conversation there. People have been isolated in the last few years, which can be sad and scary, but also offer certain gifts. Courtney was able to quarantine during the first summer of the pandemic on Cape Cod. She grounded herself by walking six to eight miles daily and exploring herself “forever against the backdrop of summer.” She painted, reconnected with nature and wrote a song a day. Those songs resulted in the new record.

 She made the album at Flying Cloud Recordings in New York, taking a dip in the creek every morning before getting to work in order to embody the feeling of letting love in: “Sometimes you plunge, and sometimes you walk slowly in," she says. We discuss how that practice got her ready for the day and the ins and outs of several of the songs. We also get into the intentionality she put into the beat for Loose Future. She wanted to make something modern with a driving percussive beat, but Graceland was also an inspiration. CMA ended up at a few distanced drum circles during the pandemic that felt very healing and communal. Enjoy Courtney Marie! She's brilliant and offers so much foresight.