Twenty years ago, Dan Savage encouraged progressives to move to blue cities to escape the reactionary politics of red places. And he got his wish. Over the last two decades, rural places have gotten redder and urban areas much bluer. America’s bluest cities developed their own distinctive culture, politics and governance. They became the leading edge of a cultural transformation that reshaped progressivism, redefined urbanism and remade the Democratic Party. But as blue cities went their own ...
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Basic Folk features honest conversations with folk musicians hosted by Cindy Howes and Lizzie No. We approach interviews with warmth, humor and insightful questions. Since 2018, this podcast has dignified under the radar roots musicians by providing a platform that they might not otherwise have. You’ll hear interviews from Three-time Grammy-winning guitar gods like Molly Tuttle, Haitian American folk legends like Leyla McCalla and deep feelers like songwriter John Hiatt. Basic Folk is dedica ...
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How a Broken Foster Care System Fuels Crime, Homelessness and the Addiction Crisis in Blue Cities
1:12:12
1:12:12
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1:12:12Wards of the State: The Long Shadow of American Foster Care was a National Book Award finalist. Author Claudia Rowe exposes the chilling truth: the nation's foster care system is a "major gear" driving mass homelessness and the incarceration crisis in American cities. She shares shocking statistics—including studies that found up to 59% of youth wh…
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Madison Cunningham is Embarrassed All the Time. ep. 332
59:12
59:12
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59:12Our episode with Madison Cunningham was one of those all-time Basic Folk moments where a guest gets really deep really quickly. I'm so grateful to have had the chance to speak with this brilliant young torchbearer of the folk tradition to celebrate the release of her new album, 'Ace.' Cunningham grew up in the church, an environment which shaped he…
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This Thanksgiving week, Blue City Blues sits down with former traffic engineer and urban planner Ray Delahanty, better known as “CityNerd” on YouTube. We get into the essential question: “what makes a great city?” Ray also shares his insights on the concept of "affordable urbanism" and gives us his honest assessment of one of modern transportation'…
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Frazey Ford Revisits the Subtle Grooves of 'Indian Ocean', ep. 331
51:19
51:19
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51:19Frazey Ford has always loved soul music. She fell in love with Otis Redding at age 11 and discovered people like Ann Peebles along the way, but it was Al Green that really knocked her out. She loved the layers, the expression, and especially his voice. She completely dove in and even started an Al Green cover band. Although she had been perfecting …
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Danny Westneat on Why Seattle Can’t Seem to Solve Its Problems
58:59
58:59
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58:59One of Seattle's most insightful chroniclers, longtime Seattle Times metro columnist Danny Westneat, joins us in this episode to discuss the blues that have settled on one of the country's bluest (and most educated and affluent) cities. For more than a decade now, Westneat wrote in a recent post-election column, both Seattle city hall and the votin…
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Nick Gillespie on Whether Socialism Is the Future of Blue Cities
1:04:36
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1:04:36In New York City, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani routed scandal-tainted Andrew Cuomo, completing his at first unthinkable, then inevitable rise to become the next mayor of New York City. His David vs. Goliath triumph has vaulted Mamdani from backbench obscurity to political superstardom; progressives around the country are swooning, seeing his…
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Can Blue Urban America Find Common Ground with Trump on Homelessness?
1:00:58
1:00:58
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1:00:58On July 24, Donald Trump declared war on the homeless. At least that was how his Executive Order, titled “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets” was received in blue urban America by many homeless advocates and Democratic elected officials. With billions in federal funding at risk of being pulled from Housing First providers, who operate o…
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The Barr Brothers Rally Around Mysticism, ep. 330
1:01:25
1:01:25
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1:01:25In the eight years since The Barr Brothers last released an album, Andrew has been drumming with people like Feist, Mumford & Sons, and Broken Social Scene while Brad released a solo record and underwent incredible personal change. Brad made the huge decision to get sober, which he talks about candidly in our Basic Folk interview. Anything you read…
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Blue City Crime: What Both Sides Get Wrong According to Criminologist David Kennedy
54:18
54:18
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54:18Like almost everything else in present day America, crime in blue cities has become a deeply partisan and polarized issue. While progressives routinely downplay levels of urban crime and call for a singular focus on “root causes” like poverty and racism, Trump, with the enthusiastic backing of the MAGA law-and-order right, grossly exaggerates the d…
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David Wilcox Can Heal Your Heart in Two Minutes, ep. 329
1:11:03
1:11:03
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1:11:03Asheville-based songwriter David Wilcox has been through some s-h-i-t. A difficult childhood in Northeast Ohio sent him seeking answers – mostly on his bicycle – in an attempt to get away. He has spent his lifetime leaning into his problems and digging into their roots at the source: his own heart. He decided to see what lessons his heart had been …
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Hard Hats and Blue Cities: David Paul Kuhn on the Roots of the Working Class Revolt
53:33
53:33
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53:33The modern Democratic Party has a class and culture problem. Blue city leaders struggle to understand their cultural and political disconnect with working-class voters. Why did so many, both within and beyond blue cities, cast their ballots for Donald Trump, who gives tax breaks to the wealthy? When and how did the Democratic Party lose the allegia…
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Whitney Tilson on Why Kids in Blue City School Districts Are Being Left Behind
54:44
54:44
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54:44Children in urban public school districts are falling behind. While a handful of lower spending red states – Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee and, most notably, Mississippi – have delivered remarkable academic progress over the last 12 years, high spending districts in big cities like New York and Seattle have seen test scores plunge. And it’s not jus…
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Kathleen Edwards: Making up for 30 Years of No Tears, ep. 328
1:07:00
1:07:00
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1:07:00Kathleen Edwards claims that she's now a pretty frequent crier after not crying for the first 30 years of her life. One reason for this change is the connectedness she has been feeling since leaving music and starting her coffee shop, Quitters. In our Basic Folk conversation, Edwards tears up talking about the cover of her new album 'Billionaire,' …
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Has Boston Mayor Michelle Wu Cracked the Code on Progressive Governance in Blue Cities?
42:02
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42:02Four years ago, a 36 year-old Harvard Law grad and City Councilmember named Michelle Wu rolled to victory as the first elected female, non-white mayor of Boston. Since then, she's racked up further governing successes: Boston these days is often touted as the safest big city in the country, and Wu has delivered progressive wins (albeit incremental …
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Did Blue City America Get Covid Wrong, Too?
55:15
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55:15This week we take a look back at the COVID-19 pandemic with Steven Macedo, a professor of politics at Princeton University and co-author of "In Covid's Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us" (Princeton University Press). The book offers a self-critical examination of how blue leaders and institutions in government, academia, science and the media naviga…
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Peter Rowan: The Bluegrass Buddha's Tex-Mex Roots, ep. 327
1:08:54
1:08:54
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1:08:54Legendary Massachusetts-born, California-based musician Peter Rowan is best known for his bluegrass roots. A practicing Buddhist, he did time in Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys as well as in the short-lived and epically important Old & In the Way with Jerry Garcia and David Grisman. However, his latest album 'Tales of the Free Mexican Airforce' celeb…
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Nicole Gelinas: Blue City Lessons from NYC’s 100 Years' War Between Cars and Transit
55:35
55:35
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55:35New York Times contributing opinion writer Nicole Gelinas, who writes regularly on New York City issues, is the author of a deeply researched and informative book, Movement: New York’s Long War to take Back Its Streets from the Car. In this fascinating account, Gelinas cogently argues that NYC’s unwinding of its robust early 20th century streetcar …
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Rissi Palmer & Miko Marks: "Buckle Bunny," No Cringe, and My Black Country, ep. 326
1:07:02
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1:07:02This time on Basic Folk, we are checking in with country singer-songwriter and Color Me Country radio host Rissi Palmer and Americana country artist Miko Marks. The two close friends both came up as Black women in country music in the early part of the 21st century where they experienced gatekeepers and discrimination in the industry, but undeniabl…
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Vibe Coaches: Maya de Vitry, Ethan Jodziewicz, Joel Timmons, & Shelby Means, ep. 325
1:12:09
1:12:09
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1:12:09Maya de Vitry, Ethan Jodziewicz, Joel Timmons, and Shelby Means are on Basic Folk today talking about their new collaborations. Maya produced both Shelby and Joel's debut solo albums this year; Joel and Ethan play in Maya's band; and the two couples (Joel & Shelby are married and Ethan & Maya are partners) are all very close friends. They met in Na…
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Paul Brady on Tina Turner, Irish Music and Not Being Too Famous, ep. 324
54:33
54:33
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54:33Bob Dylan once called Paul Brady a "secret hero" and meant it as a compliment. The Irish songwriting legend has not been bothered by the fact that his profile has not risen as high as some of his peers. Starting off in the world of traditional Irish music, Brady spent time in the hugely influential Irish group Planxty until they disbanded in 1975. …
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In this special episode we venture outside our respective basements to explore a sprawling open-air drug market in Seattle’s Little Saigon neighborhood, which resembles similar drug markets in poor, blue city neighborhoods across the US that have been overrun by the urban fentanyl and methamphetamine crises. Whether it's the Tenderloin in San Franc…
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Everyone Has a Friend in Joe K. Walsh, ep. 323
49:59
49:59
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49:59Originally from northern Minnesota, Joe K. Walsh grew up in Duluth and became enthralled with the mandolin (his primary focus, currently) after hearing the first David Grisman Quintet record. His dad got the young Joe his own mando. He ended up getting very serious about the instrument and found himself studying at Berklee College of Music in Bosto…
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The Windy City is not just a great American metropolis – the third largest in the United States – it is a world class city, recognized globally as a center of finance, trade and economic dynamism, and as a cultural and tourist mecca. But there is an emerging counter-narrative about Chicago, a declension story of a great and proud urban powerhouse n…
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Everyone Belongs at the Olive Klug show, ep. 322
52:36
52:36
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52:36Olive Klug and I (Cindy) recorded this interview in my closet while they were in Portland, Maine to play a show. They stayed along with their band Cori, Haley, and Payton and it was a real pleasure to be around them for a few days. You can tell that Olive is at their best around their band and it is a true collaboration on stage. Shoutout to the wh…
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Gina Chavez: From Choir Kid to Latin Grammy Nominee, ep. 321
1:05:37
1:05:37
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1:05:37New bestie Gina Chavez speaks about her journey in music, her deep love for connecting with people, and the influence of her mixed cultural background on Basic Folk. Her parents are of Mexican and Swiss-German descent. Her father, although second generation Mexican-American, was not raised with Spanish language or any Mexican culture. Gina discusse…
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Trump Just Defunded Public Media. Did NPR Help Bring This Disaster on Itself?
1:02:41
1:02:41
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1:02:41In the latest installment of Blue City Blues, we welcomed Jonathan Zimmerman, professor of the history of education at the University of Pennsylvania, to join us in delving into the Trump-led defunding of public broadcasting. Zimmerman, whose incisive public commentaries have been published at the New York Times, Washington Post, Philadelphia Inqui…
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Tony Kamel Believes in Life and You Should Too, ep. 320
41:34
41:34
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41:34You may recognize the voice, face, and vibe of wonderful human being Tony Kamel from his acclaimed bluegrass group, Wood & Wire. But Tony is on Basic Folk today to talk about his wonderful solo albums, including his latest, 'We're All Gonna Live.' The album, which just came out, is a realist-optimist's guide to navigating a complex and often heartb…
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Marie Gluesenkamp Perez on What Urbanites Get Wrong about Rural America
37:56
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37:56The political gulf between educated urban progressives and rural and blue collar Americans has accelerated in recent decades. The consequences for blue cities - and for the Democratic Party - are profound. In this episode, we explore the evolving rural/urban divide with Blue Dog Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who represents Washington’s State’s …
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Kora Feder is the Future of Political Folk Songwriting, but also Has Too Many Craft Projects, ep. 319
41:53
41:53
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41:53On this episode of Basic Folk, Kora Feder talks about her new album, 'Some Kind of Truth,' as well as reflecting on the incredible changes and growth she's experienced since we last spoke in February 2020. One of the impacts of the pandemic on her music career was the necessity of exploring other artistic ventures like crafting hats and lino-cuttin…
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Celinda Lake on What NYC’s Political Earthquake Means for the Politics of Blue Cities
53:52
53:52
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53:52Zohran Mamdani's upset victory in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary wasn't just a win; it was a seismic event that's shaking the foundations of the Democratic Party. How did a self-described socialist unseat a political giant like Andrew Cuomo? And what does it mean for the future of progressive politics in America's blue cities? This we…
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Tami Neilson: On Taking Wynonna's Call, Her Scary Near-Death Experience, and Willie Nelson, ep. 318
1:13:32
1:13:32
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1:13:32In recent years, Tami Neilson has been learning to carry both great joy and great sorrow simultaneously. The New Zealand-based, Canada-born powerhouse's new album, 'Neon Cowgirl,' is named after the towering electric figure on a sign that's overlooked Broadway in Nashville, watching over Tami's career since she was 16 years old. The songs were born…
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Sherman Alexie: A Res Indian Take on Monsters, Colonizers and the Urban Left's “Minor League Maoism”
52:01
52:01
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52:01In this episode of Blue City Blues, we invited writer Sherman Alexie on to weigh in on recent cultural trends in blue cities. Alexie has long been recognized as one of the country’s most talented, interesting – and funny – literary figures. The author of two dozen books, including The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007), which won th…
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Indigo Girls: Activism Through Fashion and Community Through Food (REISSUE), ep. 317
57:13
57:13
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57:13(Editor’s Note: Welcome to our Reissue series! For the past several weeks, Basic Folk has been digging back into the archives and reposting some of our favorite episodes alongside new introductions commenting on what it’s like to listen back. This is our last Reissue for now, so please enjoy! This episode featuring separate interviews with The Indi…
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Joy Oladokun Writes Worship Music for Youth Group Rejects (REISSUE), ep. 316
51:18
51:18
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51:18(Editor’s Note: Welcome to our Reissue series! For the past several weeks, Basic Folk has been digging back into the archives and reposting some of our favorite episodes alongside new introductions commenting on what it’s like to listen back. Enjoy! This episode featuring Lizzie No interviewing Joy Oladokun, was originally posted on February 24, 20…
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Watchhouse in Conversation with Jacob Sharp (Mipso) (Bonus)
45:55
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45:55(Editor's Note: Oh, WOW! A bonus, surprise episode with Watchhouse? Yes! And it is a treat. We are pleased to have Jacob Sharp of Mipso as our guest host in conversation with his friends Andrew Marlin and Emily Franz of Watchhouse, talking about their new studio album, 'Rituals.' The record was co-produced with Ryan Gustafson of The Dead Tongues. T…
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Chris Thile: Calvin and Hobbes, Classical Music, and Curiosity (REISSUE), ep. 315
1:21:20
1:21:20
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1:21:20(Editor’s Note: Welcome to our Reissue series! For the next several weeks, Basic Folk is digging back into the archives and reposting some of our favorite episodes alongside new introductions commenting on what it’s like to listen back. Enjoy! This episode featuring Cindy Howes interviewing Chris Thile was originally posted on September 9, 2021 aft…
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Katie Herzog on What the Decline and Fall of Twitter Means for Blue Cities
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59:02
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59:02In 2020, when the power of social media – Twitter, in particular – to police the boundaries of acceptable thought in blue cities was at its cultural zenith, journalists Katie Herzog and Jesse Singal launched their boundary-shattering podcast, Blocked and Reported. BARPod, as it’s referred to by its growing legions of fans (us included), is focused …
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Dar Williams: Music was Decided for Me (REISSUE), ep. 314
1:03:07
1:03:07
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1:03:07(Editor’s Note: Welcome to our Reissue series! For the next several weeks, Basic Folk is digging into the archives and reposting some of our favorite episodes alongside new introductions commenting on what it’s like to listen back. This episode featuring Lizzie No interviewing Dar Williams originally posted on October 14, 2021. Enjoy!) Dar Williams…
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Is Abundance the Answer to What Ails Blue Cities?
1:00:45
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1:00:45In January of 2022, The Atlantic published staff writer Derek Thompson’s manifesto calling for a fundamental reform of progressive governance. “We need an abundance agenda… focused on solving our national problem of scarcity,” he asserted. Fleshed out by New York Times journalist Ezra Klein and a small nucleus of like-minded, mostly Bay Area-based …
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John Hiatt is Actually Not Scared to Talk about His Feelings (REISSUE), ep. 313
51:06
51:06
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51:06(Editor’s Note: Welcome to our Reissue series! For the next several weeks, Basic Folk is digging back into the archives and reposting some of our favorite episodes alongside new introductions commenting on what it’s like to listen back. Enjoy!) This episode featuring Cindy Howes interviewing John Hiatt originally posted on August 5, 2021. In 2021, …
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Anaïs Mitchell: 2019 Pre-Broadway interview on Hadestown, Lamb Rearing, and Untangling Third Wave Feminism (REISSUE), ep. 312
51:22
51:22
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51:22(Editor’s Note: Welcome to our Reissue series! For the next several weeks, Basic Folk is digging back into the archives and reposting some of our favorite episodes alongside new introductions commenting on what it’s like to listen back. Enjoy!) Listening back, I feel like this 2018 interview with Anaïs Mitchell holds up. Originally published on Jan…
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Defund/Abolition Is Dead in Blue Cities. What now?
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55:28
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55:28Public safety policy reformer Lisa Daugaard won a MacArthur Genius Award in 2019 for her work creating the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program, which has become a much touted national model for progressive criminal justice reform. The idea is to help low-level homeless offenders arrested for crimes like shoplifting by connecting them …
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Morgan Toney on Circles, Elders, and Phil Collins, ep. 311
1:00:58
1:00:58
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1:00:58Circles have played a huge role in fiddler and singer Morgan Toney's life thus far: from drum circles, to talking circles, to the Earth itself (a circle!). In our Basic Folk conversation, Morgan talks about his L'nu (also known as Mi'kmaq) heritage and growing up on what's now called Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, where his ancestors have lived since ti…
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Kris Delmhorst: Inching Forward through Sleepless Nights, ep. 310
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52:20
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52:20Kris Delmhorst is not a good sleeper. The Western Massachusetts songwriter is usually awake from 2 or 3 am to about 4 or 5am. Sometimes it feels nice and floaty, but other times she is wide awake worrying about anything her brain can get a hold of. This is similar to a feeling with which she ended her tenth record, 'Ghosts in the Garden,' with the …
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Why Does Progressive Megadonor Nick Hanauer Blame Blue Cities’ Woes on … Barack Obama?
46:53
46:53
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46:53Seattle venture capitalist and Democratic megadonor Nick Hanauer doesn’t fit neatly into pre-fab boxes. He’s a wildly successful tech investor who denounces tech moguls as “narcissistic sociopaths.” He’s a billionaire “class-traitor” (his term) who’s been sounding the alarm about what he sees as the dangerous obliviousness of the ultrarich to the r…
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Sara Watkins on I'm With Her's Witchy AF New Record, ep. 309
54:09
54:09
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54:09Sara Watkins joins Basic Folk to talk about 'Wild and Clear and Blue,' the new album from I'm With Her, her band with Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O'Donovan. The new LP was inspired by looking back on your life in order to move forward, with a very witchy manner of speaking that encompasses the ancient, mysterious, and spiritual. Sara shares insights int…
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Mary Gauthier & Jaimee Harris on THE Three Shoes, Alchemy and Weeding out Baddies, ep. 308
57:54
57:54
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57:54Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris talk to Lizzie and Cindy for Basic Folk on-board the Cayamo cruise in front of a live audience. We get down to business in addressing NICE things by asking Mary what kind of shoes she's wearing – as she has a reputation for enjoying the good stuff, especially on her feet. After that, we asked and Jaimee Harris enthus…
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Why is San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan Breaking So Many Eggs?
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45:22In a quest to reinvent municipal governance, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is breaking ranks and breaking a few eggs. A Harvard grad who made his bones in the disruption-centered world of Silicon Valley tech startups, he tells us he's put his focus on prioritizing results over ideology since becoming mayor of one of California’s biggest blue cites in 2…
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Susan Werner on Defining Hard Work, Paid Vacations, and Relaxing as Indie Musician, ep. 307
46:29
46:29
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46:29The dynamic songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Susan Werner talks to us onboard the Cayamo cruise, which she describes as a "paid vacation." Reflecting on her upbringing on a working farm, Susan discusses the hard work that shaped her, but also how she’s learning to embrace rest and relaxation. With humor and insight, she navigates the balance be…
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Jon Muq: Uganda, Cruise Ship Food and His Googly-Eyed Guitar, ep. 306
34:55
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34:55Originally from the village of Mutungo, Uganda (near the country's capital of Kampala), Jon Muq's journey to his current life of touring with an Austin, Texas home-base has been unconventional. Onboard the Cayamo cruise earlier this year, we talked to Jon about his childhood experiences, including fetching water with friends and "We Are the World,"…
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