Folk Files

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Folk Files

A podcast that uncovers the mysteries of folk music throughout the ages

20/06/2025

This Monday, listen to Part II of my exploration of the history of folk instruments! This episode will cover folk instruments associated with English language folk music that do NOT have strings. So, whistles, bagpipes, accordions, harmonicas, and percussion! 🪗🪘🪈🎶

08/06/2025

🥹 Thank you so much 🥹 I am so honored that the play button has been hit on Folk Files 10,000 times since I started this project 1.5 years ago. Thank you to every one of you who has contributed to that number!

05/06/2025

🥔🪲 Here are some visuals to go along with the mandolin section of the latest episode of Folk Files.

02/06/2025

If you've listened to the latest episode of Folk Files, you may have noticed that I did something a little odd: I compared a hurdy-gurdy to a nyckelharpa...but then never explained what a nyckelharpa is! THIS is a nyckelharpa, a bowed instrument that dates back to at least 1350. "Nyckel" means "key" in Swedish, so it can be roughly translated as "key harp." I'll share some videos of nyckelharpa players in my IG Story!

📷: Bernd Schwabe in Hannover, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

31/05/2025

After some technical difficulties, I have managed to upload the most recent episode of Folk Files! This one is all about string instruments that have been used in folk music. At one point, I reference a painting called "The Old Plantation," which provides proof that Joel Sweeney did NOT invent the octave string on a 5-string banjo. Here is the painting, which shows a man playing a banjo. If you look closely, you can see the octave string starting partway up the neck!

Painting attributed to John Rose - http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/NW01, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3450804

30/05/2025

Nooo! I'm getting the ellipsis of doom from Spotify for Creators, and it seems like I'm not the only one. If you're looking for the latest episode, I'm going to try to upload it tonight if the website is back online!

29/05/2025

Guys, I'm sorry. I lied when I said I was doing an episode on folk instruments. There were just too many instruments that I wanted to talk about and that people suggested. This is going to be an episode on folk STRING instruments, and it will be Part I of a mini series. And I'm squeaking it in just under my self-imposed deadline of the-end-of-the-month. Tune in tomorrow!

20/05/2025

This month's episode is all about the history, etymology, and evolution of folk instruments! Before I start recording, I want to make sure that I've at least touched on everyone's favorites: What is YOUR favorite folk instrument?

07/05/2025

If you are new to Folk Files, I'd love to hear what you think! One of the best ways to give feedback is by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (if that's where you listen to podcasts) or by leaving a review on my page. You could also send me a direct message with any comments or suggestions. Thank you so much to everyone who has already left a review - I appreciate it!

30/04/2025

This month's Patreon blog post is about “Moonshiner,” a song that has a floating line in common with some versions of “The Roving Gambler” (“I eat when I’m hungry”). Where the Roving Gambler seems to be a variation of an Irish song with an Appalachian tune, Moonshiner seems to be an Appalachian song that, when it traveled to Ireland, was given a tune very similar to "Wild Rover"....which isn't actually an Irish song, despite sometimes being referred to as "The second national anthem of Ireland."

As a reminder, blogs are available in the Patreon shop for a one-off donation if you're not signed up at the tier to automatically receive them. Check out the Folk Files Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/c/folkfilespodcast

📷: Photograph of a confiscated moonshine liquor still photographed by the Internal Revenue Bureau at the Treasury Department, Washington, D.C. Courtesy of the Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D. C

23/04/2025

The newest episode of Folk Files (all about the bluegrass song “The Roving Gambler”) is now available!

21/04/2025

This Wednesday April 23, tune into the latest episode of Folk Files, which opens the can of worms that is "Roving Gambler."

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