The Kissers
Monday, September 21, 2015, 5:00pm
The Kissers began in the 1990s on a lark. Ken Fitzsimmons and Kevin Youngs envisioned a band that played Pogues songs and drank free beer with their friends, and a now-legendary string of Monday gigs at O’Cayz Corral began. Eventually, the side project grew into a first-rate band, “a rock band that...
Zach Pietrini
Wednesday, August 5, 2015, 2:50pm
Nominated for Best Band in Milwaukee 2014 (88Nine Radio Milwaukee), the Zach Pietrini Band barrels through towns on rails laid by Gram Parsons and Ryan Adams. They are spurred by stories, steam, and whiskey. Their freight bespeaks barroom-stomping Midwestern Salt-Of-The-Earth Americana . Stephanie...
Josh Gadbaw
Tuesday, August 4, 2015, 3:20pm
Based in Colorado, schoolteacher and singer-songwriter Josh Gadbaw stopped by Simply Folk to share some stories and songs with Stephanie Elkins, including one written for his great-great-grandfather (one of the four oldest engineers on the Milwaukee Railroad back in 1918) who lost his life when his...
Jerry Vandiver
Sunday, August 2, 2015, 7:15pm
Stephanie Elkins interviews Jerry Vandiver, who paid a visit to the Simply Folk studio this past August.
Carrie Newcomer
Thursday, June 4, 2015, 2:15pm
Singer, songwriter and author Carrie Newcomer stopped by the Wisconsin Public Radio studios to share music and conversation with Simply Folk host Stephanie Elkins.
Horseshoes & Hand Grenades
Friday, May 15, 2015, 2:00pm
Horseshoes and Hand Grenade is a progressive, high-energy string band with roots in old-time folk and bluegrass music. It’s a band filled with great musicians and song writers, all Wisconsin-born, getting some momentum going with a new recording and a tour that is also keeping them busy. They...
Anna Laube
Tuesday, April 21, 2015, 2:00pm
Anna Laube is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer. Her songs have been featured on NPR, C|Net/Download.com, The San Francisco Bay Guardian, The Wisconsin State Journal, Wisconsin Public Television, and XM/Sirius Satellite Radio. She has performed at numerous festivals...
Dave McGraw & Mandy Fer
Friday, April 17, 2015, 1:00pm
Pacific Northwest duo Dave McGraw and Mandy Fer are internationally-acclaimed songwriters. Upon early release in Europe, their latest album Maritime charted at #1 on the EuroAmericana Chart for two consecutive months. Their compelling vocal harmonies grace every one of their songs, all tightly...
Cris Plata
Sunday, March 15, 2015, 1:00pm
Midwest singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Cris Plata is known for his unique brand of Tex-Mex songs that tell stories of his family's life as migrant farmers, and the lands they grew to love. His music involves a wide spectrum of musical styles, including Tex-Mex polkas, country rock...
Tret Fure
Wednesday, March 11, 2015, 5:00pm
Tret Fure has over four decades of experience in the music industry, with extensive touring and a substantial number of recordings under her belt, not to mention producing and audio engineering experience. She has been a fixture in the women’s music circle, being a part of women’s music...
John Gorka
Thursday, February 19, 2015, 5:00pm
John Gorka is a singer-songwriter with 11 critically acclaimed albums under his belt. However his success does not stop there, Gorka has topped the Billboard Folk Charts and has collaborated with a number of artists including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nanci Griffith, Mary Black and Maura O’...
Randy Sabien
Thursday, January 29, 2015, 12:00pm
Violinist and Educator Randy Sabien visited the WPR studios for some music and conversation with Stephanie Elkins. Randy also brought along his friend and fellow violinist Chris Wagoner. The two played and sang some of the songs from Randy's new release, Soul of a Man, talked about fly fishing...
Garnet Rogers
Friday, November 21, 2014, 2:00pm
Garnet Rogers is a powerful singer, song-writer and multi-instrumentalist from Canada. Rogers' music soothes and comforts, and his presence enlightens and amuses. He brought his deeply purposeful and highly sensitive music to the WPR studios, alongside sharing some intense backstories with...
Trout Steak Revival
Tuesday, November 11, 2014, 1:00pm
Colorado indie-grass folk quintet Trout Steak Revival are guests on Simply Folk. Talking with Stephanie Elkins, we hear about their journey from informal jamming band without any bluegrass background, evolving to become winners of the great Telluride Bluegrass Festival competition. It is a unique...
Ida Jo
Tuesday, October 21, 2014, 7:00pm
Ida Jo is a singer, songwriter and violinist who recently won the Madison Area Music Association Folk/Americana performer of the year – just the latest in a collection of awards. She recently released a new recording called The Current , and stopped by WPR’s studios with guitarist Scott...
Simon Balto
Tuesday, October 14, 2014, 3:00pm
Born in Milwaukee and raised in southwest Wisconsin, Singer-Songwriter Simon Balto recently moved back to the state after living in Chicago. He’s currently pursuing a Ph.D. in History with a focus on African-American studies while continuing to write and perform music. He spent some time at...
Tom Martin-Erickson - a founder of Simply Folk
Thursday, September 18, 2014, 1:00pm
One of the founders of the Simply Folk program and longtime host and co-host of the program, Tom Martin-Erickson joins Stephanie Elkins to talk about the genesis and some of the early days of Simply Folk . Martin-Erickson spent a lot of time behind the scene in venues all over the state and beyond...
Dom Flemons
Saturday, August 2, 2014, 3:00pm
Dom Flemons is a Grammy Award winner and founding member of the old-time string band Carolina Chocolate Drops . Flemons appeared in Wisconsin at the 2014 Sugar Maple Traditional Music Festival, sharing his old-time folk music and the magic behind his unique new sounds. Together with Simply Folk's...
Jerron "Blind Boy" Paxton
Saturday, August 2, 2014, 2:00pm
Jerron Paxton is a virtuoso multi-instrumentalist and a modern day songster. Paxton easily moves through playing the banjo, guitar, fiddle, harmonica, piano, and other instruments. Similarly, Paxton masters multiple blues styles, playing through fiddle tunes, banjo tunes, ballads, rags and more. He...
Run Boy Run
Thursday, July 17, 2014, 12:00pm
Coming from Tucson, Arizona, Run Boy Run is an award-winning folk quintet with music that brings together the traditional and the new. They beautifully blend three-part female harmonies with fiddles, mandolins, and upright bass, performing a range of music from the upbeat to the reflective. They...