Author Archives: Ben Bar

October 26

Doctorates, Duende, and Drive-ins: An Interview with Eric Andersen

Tonight, I’ll be at City Winery New York City enjoying a live performance by The Songpoet himself, Eric Andersen, with special guests Steve Addabbo and Inge Andersen. Andersen is an American writer and singer-songwriter whose peers include Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Leonard Cohen, and Joni Mitchell, to name a few. Below […]

April 17

There’s Always an Old Song Somewhere: An Interview with Dom Flemons

On Friday, April 29th, I’ll be at Symphony Space attending a live musical performance by GRAMMY award-winning musician Dom Flemons, with special guest Andy Hedges, which will be the second of three consecutive nights of Flemons’ performances at the venue. Flemons is a multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter with a repertoire spanning a century’s worth of […]

January 21

For Old-Time’s Sake: Nora Brown Release Show for “Sidetrack My Engine” LP

Last fall, I was invited to attend a live musical performance at the Jalopy Theater and School of Music and write about it for Big City Folks. It was the release show for “Sidetrack My Engine”, the second album by 16-year-old Brooklyn-based banjo virtuoso Nora Brown. I gladly accepted. Below is my account of Brown’s […]

July 24

Folk Alliance International’s 2021 Folk Unlocked Virtual Conference: Part 8 of 8 – Linda Marks

This article is the final of an eight-part series covering Folk Alliance International’s 2021 Folk Unlocked Virtual Conference, dedicated to Linda Marks and her festival performance. Linda Marks is a Bostonian singer-songwriter. On the evening of Thursday, February 25th (CST), Marks livestreamed an hour-long, twelve-song set at her home in Waltham, Massachusetts. Singing and playing […]

July 23

Folk Alliance International’s 2021 Folk Unlocked Virtual Conference: Part 7 of 8 – Vienna Carroll

This article is the seventh of an eight-part series covering Folk Alliance International’s 2021 Folk Unlocked Virtual Conference, dedicated to Vienna Carroll and her festival performance. Vienna Carroll is a singer-songwriter, historian, playwright, actor, and herbalist from York, Pennsylvania. On the evening of Wednesday, February 24th (CST), Carroll streamed an hour-long, eleven-song set that had […]

July 22

Folk Alliance International’s 2021 Folk Unlocked Virtual Conference: Part 6 of 8 – Declan O’Rourke

This article is the sixth of an eight-part series covering Folk Alliance International’s 2021 Folk Unlocked Virtual Conference, dedicated to Declan O’Rourke and his festival performance as part of the four-artist Culture Ireland Stage showcase, a joint effort between Folk Alliance International and Culture Ireland (Irish: Cultúr Éireann). Culture Ireland is a division of the […]

July 21

Folk Alliance International’s 2021 Folk Unlocked Virtual Conference: Part 5 of 8 – Dani Larkin

This article is the fifth of an eight-part series covering Folk Alliance International’s 2021 Folk Unlocked Virtual Conference, dedicated to Dani Larkin and her festival performance as part of the four-artist Culture Ireland Stage showcase, a joint effort between Folk Alliance International and Culture Ireland (Irish: Cultúr Éireann). Culture Ireland is a division of the […]

July 20

Folk Alliance International’s 2021 Folk Unlocked Virtual Conference: Part 4 of 8 – Karan Casey

This article is the fourth of an eight-part series covering Folk Alliance International’s 2021 Folk Unlocked Virtual Conference, dedicated to Karan Casey and her festival performance as part of the four-artist Culture Ireland Stage showcase, a joint effort between Folk Alliance International and Culture Ireland (Irish: Cultúr Éireann). Culture Ireland is a division of the […]

July 19

Folk Alliance International’s 2021 Folk Unlocked Virtual Conference: Part 3 of 8 – Oscar Blue

This article is the third of an eight-part series covering Folk Alliance International’s 2021 Folk Unlocked Virtual Conference, dedicated to Oscar Blue and his festival performance as part of the four-artist Culture Ireland Stage showcase, a joint effort between Folk Alliance International and Culture Ireland (Irish: Cultúr Éireann). Culture Ireland is a division of the […]

June 05

FOLK ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL’S 2021 FOLK UNLOCKED VIRTUAL CONFERENCE: PART 2 OF 8 – BREK

This article is the second of an eight-part series covering Folk Alliance International’s 2021 Folk Unlocked Virtual Conference, dedicated to Brek and their festival performance. Brek is a two-year-old four-piece based in Reykjavík, Iceland, consisting of pianist-vocalist Harpa Thorvaldsdottir, guitarist Jóhann Ingi Benediktsson, Mandolinist Guðmundur Atli Pétursson, and double bassist Sigmar Matthiasson. On the evening […]