All About Folk Music

efolkMusic

efolkMusic has a mission, to get more folk music into more ears, and we're open 24-7 to help you find great folk, bluegrass, Americana, country,Celtic, old-time, traditional, roots and blues music. We've been using the border-busting power of the folk music mp3 for TEN YEARS now, getting the music out via our website and outreach activities.

This all volunteer-run website is totally dependent on the support of our visitors; please consider making a donation or becoming a supporting member. Members get a 100-song MP3/CD plus complete access to our huge member mp3 library.  Click the Donate button (left), or click here for more information on membership.

No empty cowboy hats here, browse our artist pages, or the "Listen & Download" areas for thousands of full-length previews, get in "high touch" with some real music.

Triona Ni Dhomnaill: The Key's Within

TrionaJust out, from one of the greatest living Irish traditional singers, Triona Ni Dhomnaill's The Key's Within. One of the most influential women in modern Celtic music, Triona's spirit continues to lift all who experience her music. Find out more about the album here.

Freebo: Going Around the "Blockage"

FreeboThe blockage, in this case, being the failing dinosaur of a record industry. Freebo, acclaimed singer/songwriter and bassist for many years with Bonnie Raitt, John Mayall and many others, is gathering support for his upcoming album sans record label by offering gift packs, starting with a $20 Pre-Order of the new CD all the way up to $10,000 pack that includes a high quality Martin Guitar - signed, lifetime passes to Freebo shows, house concerts, a day in the studio with Freebo, songwriting workshops and more.

Visit his artist page to listen to tracks, watch video, and find out more about being a part of this movement, artists taking creative control of the business of record-making into their own hands. Go, Freebo!


Listen to Standing Ovation: / Member Download

Squidbillies Love America -- And Americana Music

SquidbilliesLike a good cartoon? Ty out of Squidbillies on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. It's a 15-minute show about a family of hill-folk in the backwoods of Georgia, and for some reason they're squids. It takes all of the redneck stereotypes and super-sizes them, but since it's a cartoon (and a ridiculous one at that), it's hilarious rather than insulting. Give it a shot with no kids around and an adult beverage. For the season finale they did a special 30-minute  musical episode called America: Why I Love Her with Lucinda Williams, Drive-By Truckers, Todd Snider, Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, Rhett Miller, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Hayes Carll amongst the guests- it's not posted as of yet,but probably will be shortly. In the meantime, here is Lucinda Williams doing their theme song...Ha!

Peter Boles: "Take Care of My Brother"

Peter BoylesPeter Boles, a self-professed “blue collar iconoclast,” writes music which was molded by his life as an Alaska wilderness gold prospector, oil field roughneck, actor & more. The Ojai Valley, CA. based singer/songwriter is redefining the traditions of the bards of old. Peter chronicles his life of travel & adventure with a poet’s touch. He turns his sense of irony upon the plight of truly wonderful people living in this world of wars and Walmarts. Peter offers up a nice track, "Take Care of My Brother", get the free mp3 download from the media player on his artist page. Thanks, Peter!

George Cuthbertson, Guitar Man...

George CuthbertsonArizona-based George Cuthbertson has played guitar for over 38 years, playing in a band and performing in weddings in his younger days, but now settling into composing, recording, and sharing his music online. He's got a number of free MP3 tracks available on his artist page (click the red arrow in the media player), fine picking, very nice arrangements.  Keep pickin', George!

From Smithsonian Folkways: Ola Belle Reed's Appalachian 'Rising Sun Melodies'

ola Belle ReedOla Belle Reed (1916–2002) grew up in western North Carolina's Appalachian Mountains. Her story permeates the music and extensive liner notes of 'Rising Sun Melodies,' out August 3rd from Smithsonian Folkways. It is the story of a woman with a big heart and big voice and the wonderful music community she and her family helped create; it is also the story of her family still keeping it going today. The CD contains 19 tracks of Ola Belle's pure, forceful singing and nimble banjo-playing; eight of the tracks are previously unreleased live recordings from the Smithsonian Folklife Festival (from ’72 and ’76), including her versions of Ralph Stanley's "I Am the Man, Thomas" and Hank Williams's "I Saw The Light."

Look Down That Lonesome Road / Listen: / Member Download  

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Fester Report: Red Clay Ramblers at the Vancouver Island MusicFest

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from efolkMusic "CEO" and Red Clay Rambler Chris Frank at the Vancouver Island MusicFest July 9-11, 2010

Vancouver MusicfestIt was sunny, and some would say, hot, on Vancouver Island, but we weren't complaining. Coming from the steam-bath of North Carolina, it was fine, "mighty fine", we might say. We got there two days early to collaborate with several other groups, a special treat from festival director Doug Cox. They called it the Musicfest Collaboration Project: This Road Well Travelled. The concept is to throw the players together, tell them they've got a 90 minute slot to fill on the "Main Stage" 3 days later, keep us all fed and lubricated, and see what happens.

Gently guided (or goaded) by our designated director, the fantastic professor Tony Trishka, we joined Baskery (3 incredible Swedish sisters), Montreal/Toronto's  Po' Girls, BC's inventive Rakish Angles, fiddler Jesse Zubot, and "indescribable" throat-singer Tanya Tagaq for an intense round of rehearsals in a hotel conference room. Talk about living it up!!!

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Jason Heath & the Greedy Souls: The Vain Hope of Horse

The Vain Hope of Horse: Jason HeathPretty nice sutff, here: Jason Heath and the Greedy Souls couple rough-and-ragged folk and country strains with punk idealism and directness on their debut full-length, The Vain Hope of Horse, resulting in a sound that is as instantly familiar as it is convention-defying. Now out on Sidecho Records/Still Small Recordings, this fourteen-track album is sure to strike a chord with those who keep Springsteen and The Clash side-by-side in their record collections. “The idea is to seek a kind of honesty in everything we do,” says Heath, “With everything from the lyrics to the production.”

"The Landlord" from their debut album features the moody guitar work of Nels Cline from Wilco, and is a free member download.  The song is about "god, knives, neighbors and the things live between the cushions of your soul."  More on their artist page, rightcheer...


Listen to The Landlord (featuring Nels Cline): / Member Download

McAdoo Perkins: "Haggard Had It Right"

McAdoo PerkinsMcAdoo Perkins: Go to their artist page to hear a well-deserved tribute to the great Merle Haggard by songwriting partners Jim Perkins and Mike McAdoo. Perk and Mike met in 1990 when they both worked onstage with the Shoji Tabuchi Show in Branson, Missouri. The musical chemistry was evident from the beginning and the two began writing songs together as well as playing their own shows. Their latest album, The River, is smart, entertaining, country music- more on their artist page

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efM.COM Blog

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  • Sivers and Godin, on “Spreading Music”
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  • Links, Links, Links
    A chapter from Folk Music 2.0: Better odds through science. One thing you’ve got to admit, the internet is what we...

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