Heart Of Nat Turner

Wild Mountain Stream by Irene Kelley

Jingle All The Way is the seventh full length release by Antonio Andrade, and his fourth since 2014, when he concluded 38 years of full time human service work. The root of this project was the covid pandemic, the shutdown, and the changes and adjustments. These eight songs, written between 1934 and 1962, range in age from 59 to 87 years old. All widely known, people of all ages sing them. In a certain sense, they have become folk songs. Antonio built his interpretations here around acoustic guitar and harmonica.

Holly Jolly Christmas

Suzanne Brindamour - The Creek At Georgetown Hill

Suzanne Brindamour - The Best Things In Life Are Free

“One of the remarkable features of the Bible is how often it tells the story of the other, or the outsider," notes Mike Laureanno about his new call for compassion for the children of war, "Dreaming of Hassan Playing." "It gives a voice to the voiceless, and makes us see through different eyes. Each side has its own story, and we do not betray either side by listening to the story of the other. The narrator of this story or song is a Palestinian child but it could well be an Israeli child, a Ukrainian child, your child or mine. Children don't start wars. Children are a sacred group of the civilian population. In the interest of time and simplicity I decided to record the song using just my voice and my guitar. I was going for the FAST FOLK approach."

Laureanno served twelve years as the bass player for the legendary New York City FAST FOLK Musical Magazine founder, Jack Hardy. The skilled recording engineer, producer, and veteran sideman hails from Fall River, MA, an old mill-town infamous for its axe wielding resident Lizzie Borden and famous for its chow mein sandwiches and pork pies. A passionate performer, Mike's songs are visceral and evocative. He is proud of his roots, and many of his songs deal with his gritty blue collar hometown and the lives of his family and friends. A 2016 Kerrville New Folk finalist, he is a winner of the 2017 Wildflower, TX songwriting contest and the 2016 Woody Guthrie songwriting contest. ​Mike has released four albums to date: Pushing Back Wintertime (2013), Road Signs (2015), Tightrope (2017), and I Come from Fall River (2021).


Mike Laureanno - Dreaming of Hassan Playing

06 - Motel 6 Serenade (Live At Sweetwater Music Hall) - V1 - 16b - 44k

05 - Ebony Revisited (Live At Sweetwater Music Hall) - V1 - 16b - 44k

A bard is a very old word for a storyteller. Aquarius is the astrological term for the age humanity is evolving into. The old age, which we are leaving, is called Pisces. The Bard of Aquarius is a concept album by Zera Starchild from Humboldt County in Northern California. “Each track conveys a step within the journey of unfoldment, as humanity awakens and prepares to live on planet earth in a new way, in a new frequency,” she explains.

“Although it might sound too ‘new agey’ from some folks, but this is my truth,” Zera continues. “I believe myself to be a cosmic messenger here to uplift humanity. I have been a psychic for decades, and now Spirit speaks to me through song. I believe it is mine to do to share these songs with the world as together they form a consciousness bridge from our old paradigm to the new earth. That is why I made this album.”

Zera, who composed all the songs on the Sequoyah Faulk produced The Bard of Aquarius, is a cosmic troubadour, a songwriter and singer whose music inspires and uplifts the listener while speaking truths about the shift of the ages in which we are living.  “Zera is a rare songwriter who has lived life, understands its challenges and travails, and yet she retains a sense of optimism and hope, says Patrick Cleary, organizer of the Humboldt Folklife Festival. “She is a fresh voice that is worth listening to.”

Starchild’s music empowers and resonates with a message of hope and self-discovery. Drawing from diverse influences, this album showcases her lyrical prowess and captivating vocals.  Beyond the studio, Starchild is a sought after performer, who has moved audiences with her heartfelt live performances on stages such as the House of Blues, Anaheim, California, The Hotel Utah in San Francisco, and on KMUD radio (broadcasting in Humboldt, Mendocino, and Trinity Counties in Northern California). As radio DJ Lisa Luv of KMUD put it, “I’m glad I can keep playing Zera and putting her music in my rotation. Her music is truly a godsend.  It speaks sure truth and her breath of love and light shine through it.”

08 Vibe To Find Your Tribe

Dr. Mark Handy, "a family physician born and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina," has played clawhammer banjo since his great grandfather taught him at age 5. He had never written a song, however, until "Helene" came to him last fall. Of course, he had never seen anything like "the devastation that I witnessed first hand at my home on the Blue Ridge Parkway and my community," he says. "The fields, streams, valleys, forests, and roads that I have lived with for the past 61 years were no longer recognizable. Family, friends, and strangers who had lost homes and property lending hands to help each other touched my heart. We are Mountain Proud and Mountain Strong. 'Helene' is about the strength and resilience of the mountain people and the healing after the devastation of the mountains and the people.

"We have endured centuries of hardship in these beautiful mountains and to see them devastated and unrecognizable was hard to bear. The song allowed me to put my emotions and feelings about the home I so dearly love in words and to better understand and deal with the devastation. The song was a gift to me from God as I was driving home after working a day as a physician at the disaster relief center in Damascus, Virginia. This song is dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Helene and the volunteers."

Dr. Handy practices medicine in the mountains where he has lived his whole life. A champion clogger, he has played in several bands, currently with Leftover Biscuits. In 2022 National Geographic published an article by Taylor Sisk, "How Music is used to heal the sick in Appalachia.” Sisk had followed Handy as he made house calls, playing banjo to cheer up his patients. He lives on a 1000 acre farm in northwestern North Carolina with 500 head of cattle. For 35 years he has made the time to provide free medical care in Appalachia, yet he finds the time to host a weekly call-in radio show called "Your Health" on WEHC in Emory, Virginia. 

"Thanks to Johnny and Jeanette Williams for their expertise and hard work and belief in the song," Handy says, "and to my cousin Joy who plays the 120 year old fiddle of our great great uncle on the song." 

Helene    Written By Mark Handy  2024


Mark Handy - Helene

“It has been 8 years since my last release, and hundreds of songs have been piling up,” says Jane Fallon about her new timely album, Sweet Resilience, her first since moving to Florida. “Having left the Boston area, I no longer had access to the great musical friends who had helped me make the last albums. Covid added another wrinkle, and when I started to think of another album, my priorities were simply to get the music out there. Selecting from my recent writing, I was drawn to songs that reflected the tenor or our times or the nostalgia of looking back at the memories and losses. Almost all of the songs fill that niche even though seven were prompted at The Crooked Thumb Brewery Open Mic in Safety Harbor, FL. I wanted to record so many new songs, that I decided the typical studio setting wasn’t going to work financially. So I sought out a collaboration on the website fiverr.com and came up with a winner. Nicky V is a consummate pro, and we formed an alliance. I hired a few other artists to fill in some aspects, but what came out was the simple and elegant music that I hope frames each song and its message. In addition, I learned to mix and master at home. A challenge, but rewarding, it also gave me a greater insight into my writing.”

Fallon has been called the “quintessential folk storyteller performer” whose smooth, rich voice, and well-written songs get noticed. She has eight albums and three  books to her credit and has won many songwriting awards including the Woody Guthrie Songwriting Competition, The American Songwriter Magazine Lyric Contest, the Will McLean, and the South Florida Folk Festival Competitions. Her songwriting has led her to the Clancy Brothers Festival in Ireland, the Port Gamble Festival in Washington, and places in-between. According to Christin Alynn Pitcock, director of the Songwriter Experience, "At the core of Jane's artistry lies her ability to craft songs that resonate deeply with listeners. Each lyric is infused with a sense of honesty and vulnerability that is rare and refreshing… a vibrant tapestry, woven with love, passion, and a timeless sense of wonder.” She recently moved from the vibrant coffee house scene of New England to the more cover song oriented atmosphere of Florida but has been welcomed by the folk community, appearing on many festival lineups and radio shows.


9. Mama Can I Go To School

6. Not Even Maralago

More than 20 people camped out at Mick Coates’ house during the Maldon Folk Festival, George Mann among them. Each night would end around Mick’s kitchen table, slowly growing more crowded as folk dribbled in from town. Some went to bed, while others settled in for a late-night session. At some point late in one of those evenings, Mick and George got to talking about recording, and the idea of this album began to take shape.

“I thought the contrast of our voices, alternating lead vocals on the songs, would be an interesting blend, and we both love the kind of story-songs that we feature on this album,” George said. When the title Ghosts of the Old West came to him, George suggested to Mick that they each write a song with that title, though for clarity, Mick’s song is called “The Ghosts of the Old West.”

They began talking about and planning for the album, and Mick had friends he wanted to visit in the United States. A plan was conceived, and over four days at Will Russell’s lovely and loving Electric Wilburland studios, they recorded most of the album. “This was a more than worthwhile and unexpected experience for an old cowboy singer riding the twilight trail,” Mick said. “I loved the idea and am glad that we were able to see it through.” 
While sonically Ghosts of the Old West has a country/western feel to it, there are also acoustic cuts and some fine singing and musicianship throughout, with hints of both the Old West of the US and the ghosts of Australia’s past.

George Mann (US) is a songwriter's singer who would just as soon share stories and songs from the long history of folk music as sing his own songs. He has produced albums featuring such folk music legends as Utah Phillips, Pete Seeger and Tom Paxton, and produced national tours of the US and Australia in honor of The Almanac Singers (2013) and Joe Hill (2015). George released his album This Chain in October 2023, and in September 2024 he co-released an album of Si Kahn’s songs Labor Day to honor Si on his 80th birthday. 

Mick Coates (Australia) settled in the quaint old goldmining town of Maldon back in late 2000 just before he reached the ripe old age of 50. Already a regular folk festival fan it wasn't long before he tapped into the rich vein of local Central Victorian musicians, bought a cheap guitar, a capo, and, armed with 3 chords, started annoying anyone who was polite enough to listen! Things progressed and his bass/baritone voice saw him out front with a couple of fine bands belting out close-to-the-bone Johnny Cash covers, old folk and cowboy songs at festivals stretching from the remote Northern Territory to all over SE Australia. His proudest achievement is the self-titled 2022 album Mick Coates & the Shallow Gravediggers, featuring 14 uniquely Australian songs mostly penned by Mick, his fellow band members and friends.



George Mann and Mick Coates - Ghosts of the Old West - 07 - The Reverend Mr. Black

George Mann and Mick Coates - Ghosts of the Old West - 05 - They Call Her Dolly Parton

George Mann and Mick Coates - Ghosts of the Old West - 03 - Ghosts of the Old West

George Mann and Mick Coates - Ghosts of the Old West - 01 - For the West

George Mann and Mick Coates - Ghosts of the Old West - 06 - The Ghosts of the Old West

George Mann and Mick Coates - Ghosts of the Old West - 10 - The Lonesome Plains

George Mann and Mick Coates - Ghosts of the Old West - 02 - That Sweet Plaintalkin' Country Girl

George Mann and Mick Coates - Ghosts of the Old West - 04 - In Irons from Limerick City

George Mann and Mick Coates - Ghosts of the Old West - 08 - Ballad of Ira Hayes

With their seventh album, Blue Tapestry, VERONNEAU pay tribute to the songwriting genius of Joni Mitchell and Carole King, reimagining selections from their groundbreaking 1971 works Blue and Tapestry. These two artists redefined the role of women in music—not just as performers, but as powerful, introspective composers whose deeply personal songs helped ignite the singer-songwriter movement of the 1970s. Mitchell and King’s lyrical honesty and melodic brilliance continue to resonate decades later, marking their work as some of the most influential and acclaimed in 20th-century music history.

Although Arlington Magazine deemed the veteran musicians “Arlington’s Jazz Power Couple,” VERONNEAU are a new name to the folk scene. A husband and wife duo led by award-winning Quebecoise vocalist Lynn Veronneau and guitarist Ken Avis form the core of the ensemble. Their compositions have recently been recognized with awards in the Mid Atlantic, South Florida, and Common Ground folk songwriting competitions. The band have enjoyed top 10 success in Jazz and World music independent charts. They tour internationally and have performed at major venues and festivals in the US, Canada and Europe.
 
VERONNEAU grew up on these songs, music that shook the world and shaped our musical journey. The Blue Tapestry show has wowed live audiences, bringing fresh energy and emotion to timeless classics with bold, heartfelt re-imaginings, and a host of stories to tell. 

“Joyous and inspirational” - Washington Post


03 River 2025-04-17 MSTR Streaming 48-24 (1)

When Simone Keane wrote her new single "Come Back," she’d been reading memoirs and biographies about people who had suffered through drug and alcohol addiction. "'Come Back' is an inner child’s call to its adult self who has lost their way,” says Keane, an independent songwriter and recording artist from Albany, Western Australia. "It is a compassionate cry to anybody who is struggling with loss, loneliness, trauma, grief.  I wanted to cut through the stigma of mental health and substance addiction, with compassion, because right now, we need it more than ever.  I believe compassion is the key to finding our way back.”

Indeed, "Come Back" addresses substance addiction with compassion. Keane says, “Many who struggle with addiction are trying to escape painful memories, trauma, grief, anxiety. Many suffer in silence – some become homeless. I’ve lost friends who died way too young. Luckily, I'm healthy but I know people who are really struggling.  This song is for them.”

A deeply moving animation video for "Come Back" conveys the vulnerability of a character drifting further into addiction. Keane came up with the video’s concept, storyboard, and hand drawings. Talented, intuitive designer Becky Majidi of 3rdstep animated the video, which you can view at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JHuiL0YJn8.

Keane is donating Bandcamp sales of "Come Back" to Street Smart Australia which runs campaigns for small, frontline organizations helping people facing homelessness.

Keane is a dual Western Australia Music (WAM) Award winner with a total of six nominations. She has released five albums and charted in the Top 10 ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) Charts, Top 10 AIR (Australian Independent Record Labels) Charts, and FAI Album Chart (Graced by Leaves, #41 April 2024). She also received an Honourable Mention for US based Music for Humanity Song Contest 2024. Keane’s moving songs receive ongoing airplay around Australia, USA and Canada.


Simone Keane - Come Back

After eight years restoring her tornado-ravaged farm, Louisa Branscomb, the songwriting icon behind Alison Krauss’s "Steel Rails" and a two-time IBMA Song of the Year winner, found inspiration in a pine tree broken by that storm. That led to her most heartfelt single to date, "Walking Each Other Home." Born from a powerful tornado’s devastation and a near-fatal heart surgery, this bluegrass anthem radiates hope and unity. It features Branscomb’s poignant vocals, harmonies by Jeanette and Johnny Williams, and Jody King’s sparse, evocative instrumentation on guitar, Dobro, mandolin, and bass.

“The tree was me,” she says. “My heart broke, and tears poured out for the first time in eight years.” In 25 minutes, guided by Ram Dass’s words, “We are all walking each other home,” she crafted this song of redemption. “The thing that redeems suffering is remembering we’re all in it together,” she shares. “It’s about seeing each other as family, not enemies."

Her heart surgery deepened this vision. “There was a thin line between me and eternity,” she reflects. “I’m still waking up to that, seeing the beauty of this life we’re given. Surrendering to that moment, the words and music flooded in like a river.” The clarity of her near-death experience on the operating table shaped the song’s raw simplicity, echoing "Steel Rails." “I wanted the words and a simple arrangement to do the work,” Branscomb says. “It’s naked, exposed, standing on its own.”

Jeanette and Johnny Williams brought “the heart of friendship,” and Jody King’s production added “beautiful, sparse instrumentation.” A psychologist and leader of Lyric Mountain Retreat, Branscomb sees songwriting as a sacred journey. “Songs join us together, reminding us we’re one family—humanity,” she says. Her workshops guide artists to universal truths, mirroring this song’s empathy-driven message. “The most important skill a songwriter has is empathy,” she notes.

Her health scare sharpened her focus. “The close call carried me across a threshold to focus on what’s important,” she says. “I’m doing it for the song, not commercial success.” "Walking Each Other Home" is a universal hug: “This old world don’t do too bad, it’s all we got, and we’re all just walking each other home."


Louisa Branscomb - Walking Each Other Home

Irene Kelley says that her grandparents, Paul and Justyna Verchuck, inspired her new single featuring the Kruger Brothers, "Coal Dust." "They were Polish immigrants who worked a farm in Western Pennsylvania and made it their home. My grandfather descended into the Westmoreland County coal mines each day while my grandma raised eight children, distilled moonshine, and fed Depression-era drifters who slept in the barn after jumping off trains.

"I shared this story with Bobby Starnes, who was moved to help me tell not just my family’s story, but so many others. Those slag dumps once towered on both sides of the road all the way into town — now they’re gone, replaced by flat grasslands. My grandparents’ vintage wedding photo became the perfect cover. The Kruger Brothers laid down a beautiful track — I’m blessed to work with them again — and Wayne Southard’s harmony vocal completed it.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​"

Irene Kelley - Coal Dust featuring the Kruger Brothers

"Christmas in the Car," a new holiday song by Florida's Hot Tamale, deals poignantly with the issue of homelessness.  Craig Reeder, who co-wrote "Christmas in the Car" with Adrian Fogelin, says they wrote "from the point of view of a 12 year old girl who is living with her mother and younger brother in their car, trying to make the most of the Christmas spirit under the circumstances. As songwriters, we have been harnessing the power of music to address issues of social justice and environmental conservation for more than 15 years. We hope that this song can bring empathy and visibility to the growing crisis of homelessness in America during this season of love and kindness. 'It’s happy Christmas in the car again, fa-la-la-la-la!'”

The folk duo Hot Tamale got its start at Tallahassee's Downtown Market where Reeder, classically trained before picking up the guitar, would go busking on Saturdays. Fogelin, there to help a friend sell her pottery, offered to add a little harmony ("Adrian will harmonize with anything, even the hum of an air conditioner," Craig says). The two have been harmonizing ever since and writing songs that have gotten airplay from Texas to Scotland. Named after a Robert Johnson tune, the duo tells stories set to music in the tradition of Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, and Joan Baez. Their forthcoming fourteenth full-length collection, Bringing the Light (January 20, 2026 radio add date), features some of their best.

Hot Tamale - Christmas in the Car

Inspired by the 1926 Yiddish song “Barikadn” by Schmerke Kaczerginski, "Barricades," the latest hard-hitting song from Mark Rubin, Jew of Oklahoma. Once considered daringly seditious, the song was later remembered in a 1955 memorial article as something almost magical: it “rolled through the Jewish towns of Poland like a golden coin—passed from hand to hand across poor households and workers’ locals, through cellars and garrets. Everywhere, its joyful tune spread, trilled out by young, thin little voices.”

"My version, rooted in Southside Chicago and North Mississippi juke joints," says Rubin. "places the song’s long-standing call to resist authoritarianism in a familiar American landscape."

Now based in New Orleans, his four decades as a professional musician include being half of the Bad Livers. Rubin's most recent full album, Dispatches: Songs From a World Gone Mad, reached #6 on the Folk Alliance International Top Folk Albums Chart for May 2025.


Mark Rubin - Barricades

Folk and roots music veteran promoting fine recordings to North American folk radio. Host of "The Revolution Starts Now" on WHUP, Hillsborough, NC. https://artmeniusradio.com

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