Folk Alley Radio Show

This week on Folk Alley, Cindy Howes shares a vibrant mix of fresh spring folk and Americana, featuring new music from Olive Klug, The Swell Season, The Mallett Brothers Band, The Shootouts, Jason Isbell, and a stunning duet from Allison Russell and Annie Lennox. You'll also hear longtime favorites like Chris Smither, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Over the Rhine, and Anna Tivel, plus new tracks from Kieran Kane & Rayna Gellert, Alison Krauss & Union Station, and a special look at the 30th anniversary edition of Guy Clark’s 'Dublin Blues'. Don’t miss an excerpt from the Basic Folk podcast with Ani DiFranco and Carsie Blanton, and more gems from Neko Case, Uncle Earl, Valerie Smith, and others.

This week on Folk Alley, join Cindy Howes as we kick off April with music from Simon & Garfunkel, Aubrey Haynie, and Johnny Cash. Enjoy fresh tracks from Alison Brown & Steve Martin (with Tim O’Brien), Jake Xerxes Fussell, Special Consensus, Andy Leftwich, Jason Isbell, The Faux Paws, Watchhouse, Olivia Ellen Lloyd, and Kieran Kane & Rayna Gellert. We’ll also celebrate Kaia Kater’s recent Juno Award win and remember the legendary John Prine. Plus, hear an excerpt from Basic Folk featuring Loudon Wainwright III—and more!

This week on Folk Alley, Cindy Howes kicks off baseball season with songs from Steve Goodman, Sam Bush, and Mark Erelli, alongside new releases from Alison Krauss & Union Station, Jason Isbell, Morgan Toney, Lonesome Ace Stringband, and Willie Nelson. You'll also hear favorites from Allison Russell, Lemon Bucket Orkestra, and The Wailin’ Jennys. In hour two, enjoy fresh spring releases from Rhiannon Giddens & Justin Robinson, Charles Wesley Godwin, Lucy Kaplansky, Jason Carter & Michael Cleveland, and Muireann Bradley, plus favorites from Mighty Poplar and Kacey Musgraves, classics from Doc Watson, Townes Van Zandt, and Bob Dylan, and an excerpt from Basic Folk featuring singer/songwriter Olivia Ellen Lloyd.

This week on Folk Alley, Cindy Howes welcomes spring with music from Gillian Welch, Chris Coole, David Francey, The Early Mays, and Richard Shindell, alongside new releases from Valerie June, I'm With Her, Alison Krauss & Union Station, and more. In hour two, enjoy more fresh tracks from Sierra Hull, Steve Tilston, Caroline Spence, The Seldom Scene, and Nathaniel Rateliff & Gregory Alan Isakov, plus favorites from John Renbourn, Leyla McCalla, along with an excerpt from the latest *Basic Folk* interview featuring Bonnie "Prince" Billy.

This week on Folk Alley, join Cindy Howes to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a special focus on Irish music, featuring Muireann Bradley, The Henry Girls, Clare Sands, Fionn Regan, Niamh Regan, Anna B Savage, Lisa Hannigan, Glen Hansard, and more. In the second hour, discover new music from Caamp, Sister Sadie, Sierra Hull, Lucy Kaplansky, and Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’, plus a special Basic Folk interview with Edie Carey and Rose Cousins. All this, plus favorites from The Decemberists, Alison Brown & Steve Martin, Darrell Scott, and Lyle Lovett.

This week on Folk Alley, we're excited to welcome Cindy Howes as our new host! Tune in for new music from Jason Isbell, The Lonesome Ace Stringband, Kris Delmhorst, Morgan Toney, Rose Cousins, and others, plus favorites from William Prince, Bruce Cockburn, and Taj Mahal—including a set of Irish tunes in anticipation of St. Patrick's Day. In hour two, we'll feature winners of the 2025 International Folk Music Awards like Crys Matthews, Susan Werner, and the Indigo Girls, along with new tracks from Jason Carter & Michael Cleveland, Loudon Wainwright III, and Waxahatchee, plus a Basic Folk interview excerpt with Sierra Hull.

This week on Folk Alley, we kick off Women's History Month by celebrating iconic women—both past and present—who have shaped folk, roots, and Americana music. Tune in for music from legends like Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Odetta, Judy Collins, Nina Simone, Mavis Staples, Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, The Roches, Tracy Chapman, Rosanne Cash, and many more.

This week on Folk Alley, we wrap up Black History Month by celebrating influential folk and blues artists like Robert Johnson, Nina Simone, Sleepy John Estes, Jesse Fuller, the Staple Singers, and Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, along with the contemporary musicians they inspired. In the second hour, it's all about new releases, featuring Jason Isbell, The Devil Makes Three, Mdou Moctar, Them Coulee Boys, Chatham Rabbits, The Travelin' McCourys, and a power trio of Mary Chapin Carpenter, Julie Fowlis, and Karine Polwart—plus favorites from Bruce Cockburn, John Fullbright, Spell Songs, Iris Dement, and John Prine.

{The audio for this episode is no longer available.} This week on Folk Alley, enjoy new music from Nefesh Mountain, Denison Witmer, Jesse Welles, Mi’kmaq fiddler Morgan Toney, Alison Krauss & Union Station, I'm With Her, Cristina Vane, and Loudon Wainwright III, live from London. We celebrate Black History Month with a spotlight on blues and gospel legends Memphis Minnie and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Plus, hear an interview excerpt from Basic Folk featuring Sam Moss, along with favorites from Sam Bush, Leo Kottke, Darlingside, Langhorne Slim, Greg Brown, Rodney Crowell & Emmylou Harris, and more.

{The audio for this episode is no longer available.} This week on Folk Alley, love is in the air as we celebrate Valentine’s Day with songs about romance and “matters of the heart" from some of our favorite folk, roots, and Americana couples, including Buddy & Julie Miller, The War and Treaty, Pharis & Jason Romero, Drew & Ellie Holcomb, Hayes Carll & Allison Moorer, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, Jeffrey Foucault & Kris Delmhorst, The Honey Dewdrops, and Johnny & June. In hour two, the celebration continues with music from Iris DeMent, Greg Brown, Kate Wolf, Emmylou Harris & Mark Knopfler, Nanci Griffith, Lucinda Williams, Lyle Lovett, David Francey, Rose Cousins, and more.

{The audio for this episode is no longer available.} This week on Folk Alley, enjoy new music from Mumford & Sons, Humbird, Ringo Starr, Jordan Tice, Eliza Gilkyson, Joel Timmons, Sunny War, Mon Rovia, Arny Margaret, and The Seldom Scene. You'll also hear favorites from Abigail Washburn, Jake Blount, Ruthie Foster, Bonnie Raitt, Gretchen Peters, Ondara, Old & In the Way, Pharis & Jason Romero, Mary Gauthier, and Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore, plus a special nod to Bob Dylan in celebration of the 50th anniversary of 'Blood on the Tracks.'

{The audio for this episode is no longer available.} This week on Folk Alley, enjoy new music from Devish featuring Indigo Girls, Jason Isbell, Them Coulee Boys, and Denison Witmer, along with an exclusive in-studio performance by Darrell Scott and favorites from the Jon Stickley Trio, Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters, and case/lang/veirs. Celebrate the birthdays of Dolly Parton and Lucinda Williams, and discover even more new releases in the second hour from Sam Moss, Sierra Hill, Becky Buller, Chatham Rabbits, Josh Kaufman, the new power-trio of Mary Chapin Carpenter, Julie Fowlis, & Karine Polwart, and more!