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Cindy Howes 🎧

@basicfolkpod

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Basic Folk: honest conversation with folk musicians, produced by @thebluegrasssituation. Hosted by Cindy Howes & @lizzie.no. Account run by Chowes

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Poverty, houselessness, criminalization, health crises… they’re all connected, and most of us are closer to the edge than we might think. @charlie.parr gets into it with great empathy on his new album, ‘Rooming House,’ and on our latest episode of @basicfolkpod ~ listen wherever you get podcasts ✌🏽 taken in Minnesota by @basicfolkpod

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Charlie Parr is a songwriter’s songwriter, or maybe a playwright in songwriter’s clothing. Our conversation about his new album, ‘Rooming House,’ is out now on Basic Folk. ‘Rooming House,’ out October 16 on Smithsonian Folkways, is the type of brilliantly observed story-album that we are lucky enough to get when imaginative artists from working class backgrounds have the courage to tell stories about real life, and ask big questions in song like: What happens when regular people feel completely out of options? What is the sound of surviving? And while we’re asking questions, what’s so funny about universal healthcare?

I’ve revered Minnesota folk artist Charlie Parr as a songwriter since I heard “Cheap Wine” in the midst of my own fervent journey into the troubadour’s life in the mid 2010s. That song had so much to sink your teeth into - the Hemingwayan economy of language, the hypnotic and distinct guitar track, the way I could feel my own feet getting sore standing behind the counter on a winter day, wanting more for myself than life had to to offer. “Cheap Wine” became my favorite song of the decade and led me into Parr’s large body of work, which is full of rich, patient storytelling both in the lyricism and in Parr’s playing. And it’s worth saying, there is generosity in Charlie’s work AND in his willingness to demystify it.

Long live artists who take their time with the small things. Long live unions. Long live folk music and the blues. Long live Charlie Parr.

Cheers from Dublin,
Lizzie by @basicfolkpod

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Michaela Anne figuring out the magic in the mundane. Lots of wisdom in @basicfolkpod feed. Listen at the link in BF’s bio or where you find podcasts. by @basicfolkpod

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Guys: chaos is a constant in Michaela Anne’s life and we got to the bottom of it on @basicfolkpod! Listen in your pod feed thingy or link in Basic Folk bio ❤️‍🔥 by @basicfolkpod

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Squirrel Nut Zippers injected generational weirdness into America during the 90’s big band revival they were swept up in and they don’t mind that one bit. @therealjimbomathus on @basicfolkpod listen where you get podcasts or link in BF’s bio 🔮😈😇 by @basicfolkpod

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Jimbo Mathus’ Squirrel Nut Zippers were swept into the short-lived swing revival of the 90’s. The Zippers offered fans something deeper and darker that led to a lifelong career for the ever-curious Mathus. Right around that time, he released Play Songs for Rosetta in tribute and as a benefit for Charley Patton’s daughter, Rosetta Patton Brown, whom he grew up with. In our conversation, Jimbo opens up about his connection to Rosetta and what he learned about Charley Patton through his very private daughter. Link in @basicfolkpod bio or where you listen. by @basicfolkpod

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Rachel McCartney on how her writing is different now than when she first started. She also compares songwriting to watercolors. The landscape could be less clear or more like blobs on a page. Rachel’s on Basic Folk and you can listen where you get podcasts or @basicfolkpod link in bio. by @basicfolkpod

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For 17 years, Rachel McCartney had set aside a music career and all the anxiety and uncertainty that came along with it. If you were at Rachel’s recent album release, you were treated to some Rachel & Brian Webb classics that lit up the WERS Coffeehouse in the early 2000’s. I am so thrilled that Rachel’s released new music and am very excited that she agreed to be on the podcast today. Link in bio or where you listen. by @basicfolkpod

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🌈 by @basicfolkpod

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Keb’ Mo’ is a storyteller who sings. Singing is the tool he uses to share the emotion of the story. If it all works out, the song sings itself. Listen to Kevin on @basicfolkpod’s 350th episode in your podcast feed or Basic Folk’s link in bio. by @basicfolkpod

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Basic Folk is honored to welcome Keb’ Mo’ for our 350th episode ❤️‍🔥 After many decades of incredible music, his new solo acoustic album, The Breakdown, was written and recorded at his home studio near Nashville following open-heart surgery and personal life changes. Link in @basicfolkpod bio or where you listen. by @basicfolkpod

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Spending summer working out a pinched nerve in my neck. HBU? by @basicfolkpod

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