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Folk Files: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Olivia Harding
Welcome to Folk Files, a podcast hosted by Olivia Harding that seeks to uncover the mysteries of folk music throughout the ages and dive deep into the tangled history of murder ballads, sea shanties, rebel songs, and other music that has withstood the test of time!
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- 2 weeks ago35 min
Episode #3.10 - Cold as the Clay
This episode is an exploration of ghost songs or, more accurately, “revenant ballads.” Ghosts are not particularly common in English ballads, so we’ll look at what circumstances are needed to summon a revenant into a song and discover how these supernatural lyrics interact with ancient superstitions from multiple cultures. These ghosts are mainly on the side of justice and love, but watch out: they can tear you to pieces if you wrong them. For a list of all musical excerpts used in this episode, click here: https://folkfilespodcast.com/episodes/season-3/episode-3-10/ Host: Olivia Harding On a Quiet Street Where Old Ghosts Meet by Jay Michaels: https://jaymichaels1.bandcamp.com/album/on-a-quiet-street-where-old-ghosts-meet Learn about the newly unearthed concert from Jean Ritchie: https://thebluegrasssituation.com/read/unearthed-jean-ritchie-concert-from-1960-shows-a-fun-side-of-the-mother-of-folk/ Support Folk Files by joining the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/FolkFilesPodcast Assistant Producer: Aaron J. Morton Folk Files is a member of the Bluegrass Situation. Learn more about BGS here: https://thebluegrasssituation.com/ Interested in sponsoring Folk Files? Contact BGS: https://bit.ly/sponsorBGSpods
- Sep 18, 202624 min
Episode #3.9 - Fol-de-rol and Fiddle-dee-dee
Non-lexical vocables are syllables without any semantic meaning, sometimes called “nonsense syllables.” In this episode of Folk Files, we’ll explore lilting, yodeling, konnakol, throat singing, and other vocable traditions from around the world. During our global musical journey, we’ll discover that these syllables carry meaning, even though they don’t have definitions. For a list of all musical excerpts used in this episode, click here: https://folkfilespodcast.com/episodes/season-3/episode-3-9/ Host: Olivia Harding Support Folk Files by joining the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/FolkFilesPodcast Assistant Producer: Aaron J. Morton Folk Files is a member of the Bluegrass Situation. Learn more about BGS here: https://thebluegrasssituation.com/ Interested in sponsoring Folk Files? Contact BGS: https://bit.ly/sponsorBGSpods
- Aug 21, 202630 min
Episode #3.8 - Beat the Drum Slowly
The Anglo-Irish ballad "The Unfortunate Lad," the cowboy classic "Streets of Laredo," and the blues song "St. James of Infirmary" are often considered different versions of the same song. But it's possible that this categorization was influenced by careless and dubious scholarship. In addition to examining the relationship between these different songs, this episode of Folk Files looks at how these ballads (#2 in the Roud Folk Song Index) functioned as PSAs that educated listeners about public health concerns. (Content note: this episode discusses STIs). For a list of all musical excerpts used in this episode, click here: https://folkfilespodcast.com/episodes/season-3/episode-3-8/ Host: Olivia Harding Support Folk Files by joining the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/FolkFilesPodcast Assistant Producer: Aaron J. Morton Folk Files is a member of the Bluegrass Situation. Learn more about BGS here: https://thebluegrasssituation.com/ Interested in sponsoring Folk Files? Contact BGS: https://bit.ly/sponsorBGSpods
- Jul 17, 202639 min
Episode #3.7 - I Got the Blues
According to many textbooks, the blues is a genre that was born in the rural Mississippi Delta, with roots in the “sorrow songs” of enslaved people. It’s easy, however, to poke holes in this origin story and instead start to see the blues as a joyful, rebellious musical expression that formed in an urban environment. In this episode of Folk Files, we’ll take a look at different theories about the origin of the blues, separate fact from fiction, and uncover the reason why the Mississippi Delta narrative was promoted so strongly. For a list of all musical excerpts used in this episode, click here: https://folkfilespodcast.com/episodes/season-3/episode-3-7/ Host: Olivia Harding Chris Thomas King’s The Blues: The Authentic Narrative of My Music and Culture: https://www.chicagoreviewpress.com/the-blues-products-9780897336482.php Visit the Delta Blues Museum: https://www.deltabluesmuseum.org/ Support Folk Files by joining the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/FolkFilesPodcast Assistant Producer: Aaron J. Morton Folk Files is a member of the Bluegrass Situation. Learn more about BGS here: https://thebluegrasssituation.com/ Interested in sponsoring Folk Files? Contact BGS: https://bit.ly/sponsorBGSpods
- Jun 19, 202629 min
Episode #3.6 - There Was Two Brothers
Whereas the “Two Sisters” murder ballad is a complete, coherent story, “Two Brothers” is messy. What’s the motive? Who are these brothers? Who kills who? In this episode of Folk Files, we search for the answers to these questions… and discover a dark hypothesis for why the story is so vague. (Content warning: this episode discusses themes that may not be appropriate for children). Folk Files is now a member of the Bluegrass Situation. Learn more about BGS here: https://thebluegrasssituation.com/ For a list of all musical excerpts used in this episode, click here: https://folkfilespodcast.com/season-3/episode-3-6/ Host: Olivia Harding Explore the Derek Piotr Fieldwork Archive: https://fieldwork-archive.com/ Support Folk Files by joining the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/FolkFilesPodcast Assistant Producer: Aaron J. Morton Interested in sponsoring Folk Files? Contact BGS: https://bit.ly/sponsorBGSpods
- May 17, 202622 min
Episode #3.5 - Rise Again
Stan Rogers was one of Canada's greatest singer-songwriters, despite his music having never had major distribution or significant radio playtime. In this episode, I discuss the (tragically short) life of the impressive baritone and dissect his songs in order to answer this question: What makes his songs such instant folk classics? Host and Producer: Olivia Harding Assistant Producer: Aaron J. Morton Learn more about TransTrad: https://www.transtradfest.org/ Watch the One Warm Line: The Legacy of Stan Rogers: https://youtu.be/-h9A2RAfv9M?si=EJMzxJbvwi_upiEj Support Folk Files by joining the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FolkFilesPodcast For a full list of musical excerpts, head to the Folk Files website: https://folkfilespodcast.com/season-3/episode-3-5/
- Apr 24, 202627 min
Episode #3.4 - There Were Two Sisters
A harrowing murder ballad in which an older sister shoves her younger sister in the water (and sometimes a musician makes an instrument from the drowned girl's corpse) can be found all over Great Britain, North America, and Scandinavia. But where did it originally come from? And how has the story changed as it's traveled across seas? Find out in this episode of Folk Files, all about "Twa Sisters." Host: Olivia Harding Learn more about the Spokane Fall Folk Festival: https://www.spokanefolkfestival.org/ For more on this ballad, check out the In the Roud podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj8x5X1kCc0 Support Folk Files: https://www.patreon.com/FolkFilesPodcast Special thanks to Aaron J. Morton For a full list of musical excerpts associated with this episode, head to the episode page on the new Folk Files website: https://folkfilespodcast.com/uncategorized/episode-3-4/
- Mar 16, 202640 min
Episode #3.3 - The Music of Temple Bar
In this St. Patrick's Day episode, I ask the question: Is it actually Irish? We will explore over thirty songs that are performed in Irish contexts and see if they actually come from Irish sources. Along the way, we'll discuss the Rising of 1798, the history of Dublin, the Great Famine, and the Irish diaspora. Host: Olivia Harding Learn more about the Albuquerque Folk Festival: https://www.abqfolkfest.org/ Support Folk Files: https://www.patreon.com/FolkFilesPodcast Special thanks to Aaron J. Morton For a full list of musical excerpts associated with this episode, head to the episode page on the new Folk Files website:
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About Folk Files
Welcome to Folk Files, a podcast hosted by Olivia Harding that seeks to uncover the mysteries of folk music throughout the ages and dive deep into the tangled history of murder ballads, sea shanties, rebel songs, and other music that has withstood the test of time!
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