Folk Alley Radio Show

This week on Folk Alley, join Cindy Howes as we mark the unofficial end of summer with a look at the history of Labor Day and the music born from the labor movement. You’ll hear songs from Pete Seeger, Natalie Merchant, Joan Baez, Utah Phillips, Hazel Dickens, Rosalie Sorrels, Billy Bragg & Wilco, Laurie Lewis with Alice Gerrard, Tracy Chapman, Della Mae, and Sweet Honey in the Rock. Plus, we’ll share new fall releases from Jesse Welles, Margo Price, Alexa Rose, Ethan Setiawan, Fruit Bats, Rory Block, and Mister Romantic (aka John C. Reilly), and more!

This week on Folk Alley, Cindy Howes shares fresh new sounds from Brennen Leigh, Steep Canyon Rangers, The Mammals, The Wildmans, Robbie Fulks, Molly Tuttle, Madison Cunningham, Charley Crockett, and Tekla Waterfield & Jeff Fielder — plus a special Basic Folk interview excerpt with the great Paul Brady. You’ll also hear familiar favorites from Amy Helm, Nickel Creek, and the one and only John Prine. And as August winds down, we’ll mark the moment with songs from Mark Erelli and Talia Rose.

This week on Folk Alley, join Cindy Howes for a show packed with new summer releases! Hear the latest from Silas Lowe, Anna Tivel, Frazey Ford, Eli West, and Jeffrey Martin, along with favorites from Slaid Cleaves, Be Good Tanyas, John Craigie, Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms and Cahalen Morrison. Plus, we remember the legendary Tex-Mex accordion master, Flaco Jimenez and more.

This week on Folk Alley, we’re spinning the clock back to 1975 — a year packed with unforgettable folk, bluegrass, and country sounds from Bob Dylan, Janis Ian, Paul Simon, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Bonnie Raitt, Steeleye Span, Richard & Linda Thompson, and plenty more from that incredible year.

This week on Folk Alley, Cindy Howes takes you back to 1965 for our annual 60-Year Throwback episode. It was the year Dylan went electric and the Greenwich Village folk scene was buzzing with change. You’ll hear classics from Joan Baez, Odetta, Johnny Cash, Phil Ochs, Bert Jansch, Donovan, Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band, Koerner, Ray & Glover, The Holy Modal Rounders, Bob Dylan (of course), and plenty more. It's a snapshot of folk music on the edge of revolution—don’t miss it.

This week on Folk Alley, join Cindy Howes for new releases from Patty Griffin, Tyler Childers, Caitlin Canty, Ethan Setiawan, and Tami Neilson, along with an alternate acoustic take on a recent Molly Tuttle single, newly unearthed archival recordings of Nick Drake from 1968-1969, a birthday nod to Mick Jagger—and much more!

This week on Folk Alley, it's '2025, Where We Are so Far!' Join Cindy Howes as we celebrate our favorite music from the first half of the year. Tune in for fresh tracks from Alison Krauss & Union Station, Billy Strings & Bryan Sutton, Jason Carter & Michael Cleveland, I'm With Her, Eliza Gilkyson, Jesse Welles, Alex Cuba, Mon Rovia, Bruce Springsteen—and so much more!

This week on Folk Alley we're celebrating the Father of American Folk Music, Woody Guthrie, and the many projects his daughter Nora Guthrie spearheaded over the decades to share unrecorded Woody Guthrie lyrics with a wider audience. Hear from Billy Bragg & Wilco, Wenzel, The Klezmatics, Jonatha Brooks, Jackson Browne, and The Dropkick Murphys; plus, a belated happy birthday to Arlo Guthrie.

This week on Folk Alley, it’s all about collaboration. Join Cindy Howes for some of our favorite musical collabs with songs from I’m With Her, Our Native Daughters, Cry Cry Cry, Red Horse, Greg Brown & Bill Morrissey, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton & Linda Ronstadt, Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’, John Prine & Iris DeMent, and much more!

{The audio for this episode is no longer available.} Our friends to the North are celebrating Canada Day on July 1—and this week on Folk Alley, we're joining the celebration with a tribute to the rich tradition of Canadian folk, roots, and Canadiana music. Tune in to hear timeless songs from legends like Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Ferron, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Stan Rogers, and Ian & Sylvia, alongside some of our favorite contemporary voices including William Prince, Morgan Toney, Rose Cousins, David Francey, Pharis & Jason Romero, and many more!

{The audio for this episode is no longer available.} This week on Folk Alley, join Cindy Howes for show that's for the birds. Celebrate summer and our feathered friends with music from Pete Seeger, Harvey Reid, The Grateful Dead, Jesse Winchester, Emmylou Harris, Karine Polwart, Viv & Riley, Special Consensus, Amy Ray, David Olney, Greg Brown, Kate Wolf, Eliza Gilkyson, John Gorka, Bonny Light Horseman, Steve Martin & Steep Canyon Rangers, and much more.

{The audio for this episode is no longer available.} This week on Folk Alley, join Cindy Howes for a special show dedicated to dads of folk, roots, and Americana music and their musical kids. Hear songs from “the Father of Folk,” Woody Guthrie along with Arlo and Sarah Lee Guthrie; Greg Brown and daughters Pieta, Constie, and Zoe; Loudon Wainwright III and Rufus and Martha Wainwright; Johnny and Rosanne Cash; The Thompsons; Darrell and Wayne Scott, Bob and Jakob Dylan, The McCourys, Levon and Amy Helm, and much more.