We’re kicking the New Year off in fine style!

You can expect some great live music on Traditions this week!! On Sunday, January 7, I will be honored to have some very special guests join me in the WFDU studios. Between 3 and 6pm, I will be joined by Bethany Yarrow & Rufus Cappadocia, plus Little Toby Walker!

Everyone that I know has been astounded at the wizardry of Little Toby Walker. Perhaps you were lucky enough to catch Toby when he opened for Tracy Grammer at the Hurdy Gurdy last month. Or, perhaps you heard last week’s show when Bill and I play some of our favorite selections from 2006. Toby’s CD “Toby Walker Plays Well With Others” was among them.

Toby is a guitar virtuoso. The monicker of virtuoso is often handed out, but Toby is the real deal. Toby is a master of fingerstyle guitar who learned from legends such as Eugene Powell, James “Son” Thomas, Etta Baker, and R.L Burnside, among others. Toby spent time in the Mississipi Delta, the Carolinas and Virginia tracking down the roots of music from bygone eras. He honed his craft and now spreads the art to others. Toby is a teacher who has taught at Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch in Ohio. He has also appeared on stages of festivals and coffeehouses across North America and Europe.

As Toby’s music is spreading to larger audiences across the globe, I am really looking forward to having Toby visit our studio to share some of his art. You do not want to miss him!!

Bethany & Rufus will drop by to share selections from their new CD “900 Miles“. They will also discuss an exciting project that they are working on with Bethany’s dad – Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary. Bethany, Rufus & Peter will be performing at Sanctuary Concerts on Saturday January 13.

Bethany & Rufus first came on the program back in 2003 just as Bethany’s first solo CD came out. Bethany’s beautiful voice and unique settings was a breathe of fresh air as she re-worked traditional songs. I remember discussing her CD with my peers in the folk community, and the reaction was mixed. Some people were scratching their heads wondering what she was doing with these songs. “This is not folk music!” they cried. Others realized that it was indeed folk music, although it may not fit conventional definitions.

At the recent Eisteddfod Festival, I got into a rather heated discussion with an individual who I highly respect. This individual has been on the folk scene for decades, and his work in collecting and perpetuating the “traditional” music styles is important. This person took exception to my inclusion of artists like Bethany Yarrow and Bruce Springsteen under the umbrella of “folk music”. While their songs may have traditional roots, this person argued that what they are doing is certainly non-traditional and should no longer be called “folk music”. He was upset that the words “folk music” have been usurped by others and he can no longer describe the music he loves without additional explanations.

To my ears, folk music is a living tradition. While it is extremely important to capture these songs in their original settings and to understand their history, it should not turn the music into untouchable museum pieces. As we explore the roots of folk music we can see how music was integrated into everyday life and people would use the instruments and setting to create the sound. When discussing this with my friend at Eisteddfod, I tried to point out that artists like Bethany and Springsteen ARE creating “folk” music in the sense that they are integrating these songs into their contemporary lives and vision.

Folks songs should never be looked at as museum pieces sitting on a shelf to be admired from afar. The songs should be taken down and used! They won’t break, and the original will always be right were you left it – thanks to the hard work of collectors. The intent of collectors should not have been to find definitive versions that would lockout evolution.

If you look at the “folk process” (a term coined by Pete Seeger), you can trace the evolution of songs and how they are adapted by the singer and the audience. Take a song like St. James Infirmary. The roots of the song can be traced to an Irish song, yet the version you might here in Dublin would sound dramatically different from one you might find in Denver. In between you might find other adaptations that would fit New England or Appalachian styles. The point is – every singer makes the song their own.

During the 80’s and 90’s, “folk music” divided into separate camps. The contemporary singer-songwriters grabbed the attention of a music loving public, and the traditionalists seemed to retreat into their own enclave – taking their music with them. Contemporary artists were treating traditional music as something outdated and cliche. I wil always remember an incident at a New England Folk Festival. A contemporary artist was booked into a Child Ballad workshop. She thought that meant children’s songs and had no idea of who Francis Child was.

During the 80’s and 90’s, you rarely heard these songs being recorded by contemporary artists. When they were recorded, often it would be the same settings of original recordings – very little of the artist was shining through. Traditional artists were singers of traditional songs in traditional styles. Contemporary artists would sing their own songs in styles that evoked the tradition, but rarely visited the roots.

Going where others have feared to tread, Bethany and Rufus have dusted off these songs and made them their own. In doing so, they have shown how folk music can be relevant – even if the song is hundreds of years old and from different parts of the world. Bethany & Rufus are at the top of the list of artists who are “re-discovering” folk music. Besides Pete Seeger, you can look at groups like the Mammals, Crooked Still, the Duhks as well as dozens of other artists who are beginning to look at traditional music for the wealth of material it offers.

“900 Miles” is an exceptional CD. Unlike Bethany’s solo CD (which also featured Rufus), “900 Miles” is void of production gimmickry and relies on the talents of Bethany and Rufus. Simple, yet elegant, production consisting of vocals, cello, guitar and percussion. The songs become the stars. The title cut is given a bluesy interpretation that perfectly captures the lonesome calling of the lyrics. The give “Linin’ Track” a funky beat that is quite different from versions recorded by Lead Belly or Jesse Fuller, yet the hope and struggle shine through.

Bethany & Rufus do a nice version of the Rev. Gary Davis song “If I Had My Way”, a song that was also memorably re-worked by Peter, Paul & Mary and the Grateful Dead. This is the folk process of modern times – a song that can be made relevant by each of these artists.

One of my favorite cuts on the CD is a recording of Phil Och’s “No More Songs” that will haunt you. They also do a nice take on Jesse Winchester’s “Isn’t That So”.

This CD will stick with you. In the hands of other artists, the songs might have come across as simple vocal and musical exercises, but Bethany & Rufus go well beyond that to create music that captivates and inspires. They show us that folk music will continue, as long as we open our hearts and minds to the process.

Don’t miss Traditions this Sunday from 3 to 6pm ET. You can listen in through our live stream at www.wfdu.fm . If you are in the NYC area, set your radio dial to 89.1FM!