Tagged Folk

Swedish sister duo, First Aid Kit, have experienced unprecedented success in America these last couple of years with their woodsy folk/country-inspired pop music. With a modest yet hearty voice, Oklahom...

Bear's Den have always had a small yet loyal cult following and, on Friday night, that niche of San Francisco folk lovers was gathered at the Great American Music Hall. As the band took the stage, a hush fell ...

Conjuring Saharan winds inside The Chapel Monday night, Mali’s Tinariwen (Tamasheq for deserts) delivered a synthesis of tribal African music and American blues that left devotees spellbound. Belongin...

Chock-full of dark corners and bright openings, long corridors and sharp stops, soft suggestions and provocative twists, I Forget Where We Were, English musician Ben Howard's latest effort out October 20 v...

Photo by Jenna Foxton, Courtesy of Sacks & Co. I first heard Bear's Den on a lazy Sunday, the second day of Mumford & Sons' Gentlemen of the Road stopover in Lewes, England. Each member bearded, shy...

Folk artist Sam Amidon has jazzed up both his new record Lily-O (2014) and American tour with amazing guitarist Bill Frisell and bassist Shahzad Ismaily. Monday October 13th, they pleased their San Franci...

Last Friday night, longtime friends Devendra Banhart and Andy Cabic (Vetiver) performed an acoustic set at the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive gallery. Banhart, known for his soulful experimental fol...

Ray LaMontagne, along with the Los Angeles based duo, The Belle Brigade, turned the Fox Theater into an encapsulating and classy affair complete with ushers, mirrors, end tables, and a stand-up bass in the alr...

“It’s frustrating sometimes, the geographic boundaries we place upon ourselves." (Basia Bulat at Slim's, 10/11) Saturday night on the Slim’s stage (and off it), Canadians caroused. There were shirts, f...

Irish singer/songwriter Damien Rice has always puzzled me with his incredibly intimate and almost embarrassingly straightforward yet poetic lyrics. His music is a big collection of moody love songs; howev...

London-based American folk artist Sam Amidon is known for his unique interpretations of traditional folk songs and other lyrical materials. His tunes reflect a wide range of emotions, from those with an in...

Most records begin at one point and end at another: they chauffeur their listeners from a departure point to a destination, with or without purpose. Mutual Benefit’s The Cowboy’s Prayer EP (2011, re-issue...

The good folks over at SPIN Magazine can’t seem to get over Bahamas (real name Afie Jurvanen) and his geographic diversity. Exhibit A: “Bahamas distills his brand of breezy soul... with summer-ready...

"If you put your ear to the street, you can hear the rumble of the world in motion: people going to and from work, to school, to the grocery store. You may even hear the whisper of their living rooms, their con...

Eclectic human masses slowly oozed into the historic Fox Theater in Oakland on a Thursday evening. The opening acts of the night were short bursts of vocally-driven songs that filled the entire theater with...