Category: Interviews
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Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne: Chatting Rakes & Misfits
I first heard Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne when I was working at Sidmouth Folk Week, back in 2018. In his early twenties at that point, Cohen was already something of a veteran and I was clearly late to the party. What struck me, aside from his instrumental virtuosity and that strident voice, was his passion for traditional…
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Chatting unaccompanied folk with Piers Cawley
There’s a tendency among folk fans to talk in hushed tones about the possibility of a revival. Whether such a thing is likely or not, one thing’s for sure – the last few years have seen a resurgence of performers singing traditional songs in a stripped-down way. More often than not, it’s a singer and an…
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The Ashen Asks: Jon Wilks Interview
Back at the beginning of lockdown – which, frankly, feels like a lifetime ago – I was interviewed by fellow guitarist and folk obsessive, Andi Lee. When not recording his own music (as The Ashen), Andi records interviews with musicians and artists that interest him. At the time of writing, his series is still very…
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Buzzcocks, Steve Diggle and the story of ‘punk Soho’
A quiet and unassuming man, it’s hard to reconcile the chap who sidles up to us with the boisterous youngster in those classic Top of the Pops re-runs. But let’s get one thing straight: Steve Diggle was there at the birth of punk. There are very few people who can honestly say they were at the forefront of a…
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Rachael McShane: The Grizzly Folk interview
Rachael McShane was the only female member of folk phenomenon, Bellowhead. You probably knew that. If you never saw Bellowhead live or on the TV, you’d have been able to find that much out from the internet. It’s probably why you’re here, reading this article. “Rachael McShane”, you’ll have thought. “She was in Bellowhead. I’ll…
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The Gift Band Interview: Eliza Carthy on Norma Waterson, working at The Globe and Martin Carthy’s new version of ‘Scarborough Fair’
It’s a big weekend for folk music, especially if you’re in London and you’ve got a thing about The Watersons. On Friday, The Gift Band (made up, in part, of Norma Waterson, Eliza Carthy and Martin Carthy), release their latest album, Anchor, on Topic Records (you can order it by clicking here), and that’s swiftly followed…
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Matthew Crampton: The Transports & Human Cargo – storytelling without borders
I have a kind of modus operandi here on The Grizzly Folk blog. It was created to explore the world of traditional folk music and, as much as I’d like to review and chat to singer-songwriters who play non-trad folk, that’s not what this website is for. Usually, this works quite neatly. Occasionally, however, the…
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Are the rumours of a Morris dancing revival to be believed? Will Pound says it’s time to get your clogs on
If The Guardian is correct in its assertions, the Morris is making a comeback. Maybe it’s because yesterday was Mayday and, for a few brief hours at least, also quite sunny, but a good number of people on the folkie social media channels (myself very much included) were getting quite giddy about the sudden revived interest.…
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Iona Fyfe on Scottish folk music: carrying the tradition onwards
Iona Fyfe is sitting in a cafe in Glasgow, desperately trying to get her Skype to behave. “I’m a terrible example of a Millennial,” she says, apologising unnecessarily for having only spent 20 years on this earth. “I think I’ve only used this once in the last year,” she continues, giggling. There’s no need for…
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Martin Carthy: the Mega Interview
I pack the last of the chairs away and crawl out from the cupboard under the Whitchurch Folk Club stage, where Eliza and Martin Carthy have just performed. Eliza has a question regarding getting into London for a meeting the following morning. I see an opportunity. “Don’t drive,” I suggest. “Take the 10:15 into Waterloo.…