FMSNY’s 4 for Folkies

FMSNY’s 4 for Folkies

By Folk Music Society of New YorkMusicMusic Interviews
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FMSNY’s 4 for Folkies episodes

  • Craig Edwards: TradMaD Camp Staff 2026.

    Part 2 of a sampling of TradMaD camp's incredible staff this year. Some spots still available! Info and registration at tradmadcamp.org.

    Craig shares how learning to replicate music is like learning to track animals, where bagpipes are hiding in Irish fiddle playing, and how protest songs taught him at a young age what music is for. You’ll get a good sense of just how much you can learn from attending his TradMaD Camp classes!

    18 min
  • Máire Ni Chathasaigh & Chris Newman: TradMaD Camp Staff 2026.

    Part 1 of a sampling of TradMaD camp's incredible staff this year. Some spots still available! Info and registration at tradmadcamp.org.

    The original harp and guitar duo discuss complexities of arrangements while trying to make nice noises, busking for sweets at 5 years old, and the importance of learning to listen. They love the casual community of TradMaD Camp and how Joy Bennett makes everything run like clockwork.

    16 min
  • Fintan Warfield, Porchstomp preview: Participation, politics, and place

    Laura Ciporen talks with Fintan Warfield ahead of Porchstomp, June 20th on Governors Island.

    Fintan became a Senator in Ireland in his early 20s and discusses how Folk music was key to politicizing him by giving him the stories that weren't told in history class. We also discuss the tricky nature of one of the Porchstomp closing songs, This Land Is Your Land, and how participation is essential in song and politics. Visit folkmusicny.org for more info.

    15 min
  • Clara + Olivia, Porchstomp 2026: Surprising similarities and the feel of good words

    Laura Ciporen talks with Clara Riedlinger and Olivia Perske ahead of Porchstomp, June 20th on Governors Island.

    Clara and Olivia love how words feel in their mouths and thrill at the sound of an H. They talk about finding, in each other, their harmonic matches speed-dating style, and finding themselves by asking questions. They ponder how folk music is so in the air even ice cream trucks get in on it. Visit folkmusicny.org for more info.

    15 min
  • Sarah Elizabeth Burkey: Appalachian ballads for singing out heartbreak, deep roots, and the beauty of the mountains

    Laura Ciporen talks with Sarah "Songbird" Burkey ahead of her May 29 concert (part of Carnegie Hall’s United in Sound festival!) and May 30 workshop in NYC.

    Sarah writes songs that sound "as old as the coal that sleeps in the hills" and uses traditional ballads for the catharsis of singing out sadness, trauma, and heartbreak. And she can trim a 50 verse ballad down to 20 so there's no rambling. Visit folkmusicny.org for more info on both events.

    14 min
  • Colleen Cleveland: A grand Adirondack legacy of song and the will to keep it fresh on into the future

    Laura Ciporen talks with Colleen Cleveland ahead of her Apr. 25 concert and workshop in BKLYN, NY.

    With 600+ songs handed down through 5 generations in the Adirondacks and only partially recorded in 16 hours of story and song in the Library of Congress, Colleen has a magnificent and unique legacy to share. Visit folkmusicny.org for more info on both events.

    (Pls excuse the difficult audio quality at points.)

    15 min
  • Macdara Yeates: Connection, authenticity, and Dublin Folk

    Laura Ciporen talks with Macdara Yeates, the young, traditional Irish singer making his solo NY debut March 20th and 21st in a concert (part of Carnegie Hall’s United in Sound: America at 250 festival!) and workshop on Manhattan's Upper West Side. He discusses the power of a personal connection to music, a wild concert in India, and his favorite Jazz spot in NYC. Bonus 5th question inside! Visit folkmusicny.org for more info on both events.

    16 min
  • Twa Corbies: Mediaeval sounds, spooky love, and precocious toddlers

    Laura Ciporen talks with Alison Kelley (she/her) and Anayis "A.J." Wright (they/them) ahead of their Friday, Feb. 13 house concert in Queens, NY. Twa Corbies discuss creating unique sounds, surprisingly parallel early musical experiences, and what's so great about NYC. Visit folkmusicny.org for more info on the concert and twacorbiesmusic.com to find their music.

    15 min
  • The Ranzo Boys: Finding community, belonging, and Peter Bellamy

    Laura Ciporen talks with Lindsey Smith, Lafayette Matthews, and Jules Peiperl ahead of their Dec. 19 event at the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture. A Sheffield Solstice also features Joy Bennett, Chris Koldewey, A.J. Wright, and David Jones. Visit folkmusicny.org for more info.

    The Ranzo Boys discuss "putting the queerness back in Folk and Traditional music" and their love for the Folk community where everyone can, and should, join in.
    (Note: Lindsey Smith is a FMSNY Board member.)

    16 min
  • Grosse Isle: Irish and Quebecois fusion

    Laura Ciporen talks with Sophie Lavoie, François-Félix Roy, and Fiachra O'Regan ahead of their Nov. 21, 2025 concert at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. Visit folkmusicny.org for more info on this event and more folk and trad music content.

    Grosse Isle explains the group's name, discusses folk music's role as community and its power to make a grandmother cry with a fiddle tune, and why Fiachra, the banjo player of the group, cuts the banjo out of his monitors when they play.

    16 min

About FMSNY’s 4 for Folkies

From the publisher's feed

Join Laura Ciporen, from the Folk Music Society of New York, for 15-minute, 4-question interviews with today's Folk and Traditional Music artists. We'll learn how they describe their own vibe and what makes them unique among Folk groups; how they came to love Folk and what it means to them; who some of their biggest influences are; and fun, personal anecdotes along the way.