folk Archive
09 Oct 2017
Album Review: J. Atkinson — Youth Eternal
Jonathan Atkinson has a background that includes immersion in the Asheville punk and indie scenes. The musical fingerprints of those experiences aren’t readily obvious when listening to his latest release, […]
02 Aug 2017
Skunk Ruckus: Disrupting the Old-time Vibe
Nearly everything about Asheville-based band Skunk Ruckus is suffused with humor. But the band is very serious about its music. The inherent tension between those two realities is part of […]
15 Jun 2017
Finn Magill: World Music, World Traveler
In his native Swannanoa, N.C., Finn Magill may be thought of as a vastly accomplished musician in the idiom of traditional Irish music. But his interests and musical explorations have […]
23 Mar 2017
Shook Twins: Forgoing Folk Formulae
Folk music gets welcome jolts of energy, modern pop culture and technology in the music of Shook Twins. The music of identical twin sisters Laurie and Katelyn Shook is built […]
15 Feb 2017
Nothing But David Bromberg
David Bromberg has been making records since 1972. He’s never become a household name; that fact has more to do with his unassuming approach to music. He’s no showboating spotlight-stealer; […]
02 Jan 2017
Wes Tirey: In Print and On Record
Last fall, Bob Dylan won the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature. That news is a reminder that, at their best, music and the printed word can be two sides of […]
22 Nov 2016
Hundred-word Reviews for Nov./Dec. 2016, Part 2 of 10
Rolf Trostel – Inselmusik When we think back to synthesizer-based innovators circa 1980, names like Gary Numan pop right up. But German musicians had been exploring the possibilities of synths […]
20 Oct 2016
River Whyless: Out from Behind the Tiny Desk
When beginning work on what would be their second full-length album, the four musicians of Asheville-based River Whyless decided to change their approach to songwriting. The result of that change […]
23 Sep 2016
Hundred-word Reviews for September 2016, Part 5
My week-long barrage of brief reviews wraps up with these last five. Look for more soon. Professor Longhair – Live in Chicago In 1976, New Orleans legend Professor Longhair played […]
12 Sep 2016
Album Mini-review: Allen Ginsberg — The Last Word on First Blues
File next to: William Burroughs, The Fugs, Lenny Bruce Beat poet Allen Ginsberg is a towering figure in America’s cultural history. Most of his recorded material is spoken word, but […]