Steam Machine celebrates old-time and bluegrass with some very fine playing and a sure feel for the soul of American roots music. AJ Srubas (fiddle), Aaron Tacke (banjo), Rina Rossi (guitar, clogging, square dance calling), and Nokosee Fields (upright bass) pull...
Two dynamic forces from Argentina’s independent folk scene come together at Lotus. Composer, singer, and actress Sofía Viola writes songs that evoke both Latin American folklore and contemporary life. She borrows from an impressive variety of styles (tango, milonga,...
Dave Curley (vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin), Tadhg Ó Meachair (piano, piano accordion), and Joanna Hyde (vocals, fiddle) perform a rousing blend of Irish and American folk music. They move easily among traditional melodies, their own compositions, and songs from the...
Movits! returns, with their special Swedish concoction of hip-hop and swing. Johan Rensfeldt (vocals), Anders Rensfeldt (DJ, sampling, and other instruments), and Joakim Nilsson (sax) bring what they like to call “windy street swing; music for both art directors and...
Long before they were a band, the members of Lula Wiles sang folk songs and traded fiddle tunes at camp in Maine. The trio, all of whom grew up in rural Maine, carry those lessons of community and the meaning of shared art with them as they create music that explores...
Le Vent du Nord brings everything you want from authentic Quebecois music. Gorgeous acapella songs? Check. Absolutely cracking dance tunes? Yep. Exuberant virtuosity? Mais oui. This acclaimed band is a leading force in Quebec’s progressive francophone folk movement,...
Les Filles are from Illighadad, a secluded commune in central Niger, in the scrubland deserts at the Sahara’s edge. They draw on the traditional tende music of rural Niger that inspired Tuareg blues. The sparse music, which is built from a few elements (vocals,...
KOKOKO! originated in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. This musical force of nature includes instrument inventors from the Ngwaka neighborhood, electronic producer débruit, and dancer/choreographer Makara Bianko, whose dancers come from...
Korean master drummer Kim So Ra is an award-winning traditional percussionist, composer, and ambassador of Honam Province Jeongeup folk music. Kim is a charismatic performer on the Janggu (Korean double-headed drum), combining Korean traditional sounds with creative,...
The four women of Kardemimmit play the Finnish national instrument, the kantele, which is similar to a zither or dulcimer. Maija Pokela, Jutta Rahmel, Anna Wegelius, and Leeni Wegelius have mastered both the 15-stringed and 38-stringed kanteles, and they sing with...