Thursday, July 19, 2012, 12:00pm
Chicago-based folk-country artist Robbie Fulks joins Simply Folk to preview the Sugar Maple Festival.
His latest CD is "Gone Away Backward ."
Tuesday, July 10, 2012, 12:00pm
Stephanie Elkins had an opportunity to interview British songwriter, performer and activist Billy Bragg before his performance at the Barrymore Theater on July 10th, 2012 in Madison. Elkins and Bragg discussed the music of Woody Guthrie, and the impact Guthrie has had on Bragg.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012, 12:00pm
Wisconsin's own Cory Chisel and his longtime keyboard player and singing partner Adriel Denae recently stopped by WPR's Buck studio to talk with Stephanie Elkins and play some of the songs from his new CD: "Old Believers."
Sunday, July 1, 2012, 1:00pm
Bill Malone is a musician and prominent historian of American country music. A renowned scholar, Bill Malone is the author of the first and most complete history of the traditional American music genre, Country Music, U.S.A., as well as the author of a recent biography on Mike Seeger, Music from the True Vine: Mike Seeger’s Life and Musical Journey. He is widely acknowledged as the nation’s foremost authority in Southern music. He also hosts the weekly radio program for WORT-FM, Back To The Country. Malone visited the WPR studios with some members of the band the Mad City...
Monday, June 18, 2012, 5:00pm
Tom Kastle is a singer-songwriter and a teller of tales who has performed throughout the US, Canada, Europe and New Zealand. He has one foot in the modern singer-songwriter world and the other planted in the traditional maritime realm where he is a shanty and ballad singer and a tall ship captain. He is an instrumentalist for the Solidarity Singers and a faculty member of the Old Town School of Folk Music. Tom Kastle was a guest on Simply Folk, performing live music and sharing some conversation with Stephanie Elkins.
Thursday, June 14, 2012, 12:00pm
Sunday, June 3, 2012, 12:00pm
Stephanie interviews folk musician Ken Lonnquist who talks about his career and latest projects. He's written hundreds of songs and released over a dozen albums. Lonnquist and musicians Dave Adler, Jon Vriesacker and Jon Penner perform several of his songs in our studio. His most recent CD is called "Circus Kenlando."
Friday, May 18, 2012, 12:00pm
Continuously traveling singer songwriter John Craigie sits down with Simply Folk.
He recently released his 8th studio album called “The Apocalypse is Over.”
Friday, May 18, 2012, 12:00pm
Stephanie Elkins interviews grammy-award winning artist Amy Ray and several members of her band. The group is touring the Midwest promoting their new album "Lung of Love."
Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 12:00pm
Milwaukee based Yiddish singer-songwriter Lil Rev sits down with Simply Folk's Stephanie Elkins.
Sunday, May 6, 2012, 2:00pm
Whitney Mann is an award-winner singer and songwriter known for her evocative ballads and barn songs. She is a farm girl from a small town, writing music from the heart with honest and true barn tales in every song that immediately connects with audiences. Mann has already made quite a splash in the upper Midwest, opening for some big headliners such as Willie Nelson and Loretta Lynn. She is joined by Kyle Jacobson, Chris Wagoner, and Mary Gaines on WPR’s Simply Folk, performing lots wonderful live music, and having conversation with Stephanie Elkins.
Friday, April 27, 2012, 12:00pm
Hit Singer-Songwriter Jonathan Edwards joins us on Simply Folk
Edward's latest album is entitled "Rollin' Along, Live in Holland."
Sunday, April 15, 2012, 5:00pm
KG & The Ranger take you for a ride to the Old West. They sing vintage cowboy songs with smooth harmonies, and share interesting bits of history about the cowboy songs that they perform. They yodel in harmony, too! As cowboy entertainers, they have shared the stage with some of the best in the business including Sons Of The Pioneers, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and other cowboy stars of the silver screen. Here they are, sharing lots of music and some conversation with Stephanie Elkins on Simply Folk.
Sunday, April 1, 2012, 5:00pm
The Getaway Drivers have been recording and performing their special brand of original material for 10 years in the Madison, WI area. Each band member brings a broad array of musical influences into the mix, and the result is a sound uniquely their own. A small subset of the band passed by the WPR studios to share some music and conversation with Stephanie Elkins on Simply Folk.
Bob Manor – vocals, guitar; Sheila Shigley – vocals, fiddle, mandolin; Dan Kennedy – electric guitar
Friday, March 23, 2012, 12:00pm
We talk to Milwaukee songwriter, guitarist and singer Chris Porterfield and his band Field Report
Wednesday, March 14, 2012, 12:00pm
Wednesday, March 14, 2012, 12:00pm
Listen to a studio performance and interview with Laura Gibson and her band by Simply Folk host Stephanie Elkins.
Sunday, February 19, 2012, 12:00pm
Sunday, January 29, 2012, 2:15pm
Stephanie Elkins interviews Willy Porter and The Carpe Diem String Quartet!
Sunday, January 22, 2012, 5:00pm
Kalispell is an exciting solo project of Shane Leonard, a jazz-schooled, Appalachian influenced songwriter and multi- instrumentalist. The debut album, Westbound, made many Best Of 2012 lists. Leonard stopped into the WPR studios with his fiddle, guitar, and mandolin, played a few songs and talked with Stephanie Elkins on Simply Folk.
Sunday, January 15, 2012, 2:00pm
Corey Mathew Hart is a Wisconsin-based singer and songwriter. His amazing vocal range, unique style, and performances of cathartic intensity entrances audiences from across the country. He passed by the WPR studios, performing lots of wonderful music and talking with Stephanie Elkins on Simply Folk.
Sunday, November 6, 2011, 7:00pm
Stephanie Elkins caught up with Rich Baumann and he played some tunes in studio.
Sunday, November 6, 2011, 1:00pm
Bounding Main is an a cappella quintet that sing richly harmonic versions of traditional maritime songs and sea shanties. Each member of Bounding Main is a music and theater veteran, with diverse entertainment backgrounds. Their performances and CDs have been well received around the world. They have performed at music festivals, nautical festivals, major tall ships events, maritime museums, renaissance faires, folk music venues and corporate events on both sides of the Atlantic. The vocal quintet made an appearance on WPR’s Simply folk for a lot of fun, live music and conversation.
Members: Christie Dalby, Gina Dalby, Maggie Hannington,...
Sunday, October 23, 2011, 1:00pm
Howard Fishman is a critically-acclaimed favorite of audiences worldwide. The singer, guitarist, and composer joined Simply Folk's Stephanie Elkins over the phone to talk about the backstory of his impressive simultaneous release of three different albums. We are taken on a tour with Fishman through his love letters to New Orleans, his heartbreak story of Brooklyn, and his unique travels in Romania. A self-taught musician that knows no boundaries, Fishman crosses genres from folk, to jazz, to gypsy, to classical, and more.
Sunday, October 16, 2011, 1:00pm
Count This Penny performs self-styled "Appalachian Pop" – a blend of country and mountain soul. The core of the band is husband and wife team Amanda and Allen Rigell. Their graceful music is filled with gorgeous vocals and warm harmonies with songs that touch on matters of the heart. They joined Stephanie Elkins at the WPR studios, performing wonderful live music and having thoughtful conversation, opening up with a song inspired by a public radio story!
Amanda Rigell – guitar, bass, vocals; Allen Rigell – guitar, bass, vocals; John Ray – banjo, vocals; John Henry – violin, vocals
Sunday, October 2, 2011, 1:00pm
Over twenty-five years of performing together, Lou and Peter Berryman have produced almost twenty albums and three songbooks worth of hilarious, quirky, yet oddly profound songs, rich with word play and interesting images. They brought their friendly, lovable personalities to the WPR studios, performing lots of music and talking with Stephanie Elkins on Simply Folk.
Sunday, September 18, 2011, 1:00pm
Skip Jones, folksinger, storyteller, and educator, sings songs as warm as a campfire in the deep northern Wisconsin woods. Skip is one of the Wisconsin’s leading advocates for clean water, social harmony, and the old family values of shared music and time tested wisdom. Joined by David Robinson of the Yellow House Road family band on banjo and mandolin, he passed by the WPR studios, brought his music, and had a friendly conversation with Stephanie Elkins.
Sunday, July 31, 2011, 2:00pm
Blind Corn Liquor Pickers is a six piece progressive bluegrass band that rocks, grooves, surprises, offends, and rebels against the parameters that traditionally define the bluegrass genre. Their songs are highly original, synthesizing bluegrass with a little bit of rock and folk to create their own, unique sound. Simply Folk presents a live, in-studio performance by this incredible band, sharing lots of music and some conversation with Stephanie Elkins.
Beth Walker – lead vocals; Joel Serdenis – mandolin, guitar, vocals; Travis Young – banjo, slide whistle; Frank ward – acoustic guitar, vocals; Paul Mojonnier – bass; Sam Kruer –...
Sunday, July 24, 2011, 2:00pm
Many people play roots music, but few modern musicians live those roots like Minnesota's Charlie Parr. Parr's heartfelt and plaintive original folk blues and traditional spirituals don't strive for authenticity: they are authentic. His empathetic, raw voice along with his lightening finger picking on his unique guitar and banjo has found a devoted fan base around the world. His humble and thoughtful self can be heard here on Simply Folk, talking with Stephanie Elkins about his traditional and authentic music that is filled with compassionate storytelling.
Sunday, July 17, 2011, 1:00pm
Award-winning singer and songwriter Nora Collins is a rising young star. While still a teenager, Nora already put together an impressive resume of releases, performances, and press, with many accomplishments spanning such a short amout of time. Her music is fueled by her down-home country spirit, with songs immersed in her unique vocal quality that is both sensitive and upbeat. She passed by the WPR studios to perform and share some conversation with Simply Folk's Stephanie Elkins.