New Adds for August

One of the best things about taking the Folk Alley mobile on the road is having the chance to interact with artists in a more informal setting (it helps to have air conditioning and cold water in the fridge). I was so happy to meet the Good Lovlies at Blissfest that I might have been a little overexcited. The three ladies were indeed lovely and I was able to tell them how much I enjoy their old-time, upbeat harmonies face-to-face. I even got a hug! Their latest CD is Let the Rain Fall.

Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three also seem like their producing music for another time – Pokey even looks yanked from the ’30s on the CD cover of their new release, Middle of Everywhere. Listen to their "hot club," jangly sound and see if you don’t imagine him in front of an old fashioned stand microphone. Folk Alley recorded the band on the Harbor Stage as part of our extensive coverage with the NPR Music team at the Newport Folk Festival.

Pharis and Jason Romero play old-time music of the stringband sort. With songs that are deceptively simple, their voices blend in harmony and hover in the air before taking up permanent residence with the listener. Veterans of Outlaw Social and Haints Old Time Stringband, they moved to the woods of Horsefly, British Columbia, where they create beautiful music – and Jason crafts stunning banjos. The duo is out with their first full CD of original music: A Passing Glimpse.

Bob Childs is an instrument maker, too. His violins and violas take centerstage in Childsplay, a two-decade-old ensemble that takes on almost every musical genre that includes strings. Imagine a giant fiddle orchestra with guitar, bass, Irish harp and flute thrown in for good measure. The talented team is made up of two-dozen performers, including Folk Alley friends Mollie O’Brien, Lissa Schneckenburger and Shannon Heaton. Waiting for the Dawn captures the spirited exhilaration that Childsplay brings to its performances.

CDs featuring Old Time and New Time and everything in between: