his document actually lists a number of
different kinds of resources for listeners to folk and roots music,
including
some of the most interesting
musicians' sites,
independent record labels that come up in
our playlists frequently,
the most useful mail-order and online distributors,
and local record
stores that are likely to carry the material we air.
It also lists
some organizations
promoting Celtic, folk, and world musics.
The page goes on to list some local concert venues,
and finally varied online resources,
as well as magazines and other
publications,
including a few good books you can use to
learn more about folk and world musics.
Each link in the lists that follow is set to open a new browser window. Wander at will and then close the window to return here.
Latest additions 9/25/09.
Last thoroughly reviewed 9/17/09.
There must be thousands of artists' sites; we have picked a very few that we think may be of particular interest to our listeners. Also, check the playlist for the date you heard something for links to that artist's or band's site.
As a first suggestion for finding more musicians' sites, browse through some of the online resources that follow, or try some of the standard Internet search engines, such as AlltheWeb or Google. Entering "www.artistname.com" as a location is often worth trying as well.
Don't overlook the Wikipedia for articles and links and a YouTube search for videos new and old.
Some of the sites listed under "Music at Large" have good collections of artists' links.
Some great musicians and bands from our area (and up the coast): Ancient Future, Steve Baughman, Beatbeat Whisper and Ayla Nereo, Patrick Ball, Broceliande, Jamie Byrd, Dan Cantrell, Danny Carnahan, Chris Caswell, Peppino D'Agostino, Todd Denman, Fishtank Ensemble, Robin Flower and Libby McLaren, Tim Hart, Sylvia Herold, Linda Hirschhorn and Vocolot, JouJou, Laurie Lewis, Rupa Marya of the April Fishes, Michael Mullen, Oak, Ash & Thorn, Melanie O'Reilly, PickPocket Ensemble, Kate Price, Riggy Rackin, Joanne Rand, Solstice, Pireeni Sundaralingam & Colm Ó Riain, Holly Tannen, Linda Tillery, Wake the Dead, Willow Willow.
Some local musicians and bands in Balkan and Middle Eastern styles in particular:
Lucia Comnes,
Eliyahu and the Qadim Ensemble,
Juliana Graffagna and the Black Olive Babes,
Kaladrios,
Shira Kammen,
Kitka,
Nada Lewis,
Hamed Nikpay,
Robin Petrie,
Tim Rayborn,
Diana Rowan,
The Men's Russian Chorus Slavyanka,
Lily Storm,
Teslim,
Rachel Valfer,
Ya Elah.
Some popular North American singer-songwriters: Greg Brown, Bruce Cockburn, Ani DiFranco, Eliza Gilkyson, John Gorka, Tish Hinojosa, Janis Ian (check out her writing in the articles section), Cindy Kallet, Lucy Kaplansky, Patty Larkin, Anaïs Mitchell, Carrie Newcomer, Tom Russell, Richard Shindell, Gillian Welch, Dar Williams, Lucinda Williams.
Some preeminant Irish, Anglo-Irish, and Irish-American bands and artists: Altan, Anúna, Luka Bloom, Paul Brady, Karan Casey, the Chieftains, Cran, Dervish, Danú, Dàimh, Flook, Frankie Gavin, Gráda, Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill, Paddy Keenan ("the Jimi Hendrix of the pipes"), Kíla, Lúnasa, Josephine Marsh, Áine Minogue, Christy Moore, Melanie O'Reilly, Niamh Parsons, Tommy Peoples, Cathie Ryan, Slide, Moira Smiley, Solas, Téada, Seán Tyrrell. See also the profiles at Ceolas and the Celtic Music Base.
Here too are some Scottish artists and bands: The Battlefield Band, Capercaillie, Julie Fowlis, Lau, Jim Malcolm, Malinky, Shetland harpist Catriona McKay, Old Blind Dogs, Karine Polwart, The Poozies, Skyedance with Alasdair Fraser, Shetland fiddler Chris Stout, The Tannahill Weavers.
And Continental Celtic artists and bands from Brittany, Galicia, and Asturias: Carlos Núñez, Felpeyu, Karma, Llan de Cubel, Luar na Lubre, Madredeus, Milladoiro, Lídia Pujol, María Salgado, guitarist Soïg Siberil, Susana Seivane.
And Scandinavian musicians and bands:
Mari Boine,
Dråm,
Ellika & Solo,
Frigg,
Garmarna,
Gjallarhorn,
Hedningarna,
Maria Kalaniemi,
Karelian Folk Music Ensemble,
Annbjørg Lien,
Loituma,
Ale Möller,
Swåp,
Triakel,
Värttinä,
Väsen.
Pages for Ireland's famed Black Family: Michael Black, Mary Black, Frances Black, and the Black Brothers.
Ross Daly, the brilliant multi-instrumentalist and composer in varied Eastern traditions.
A Sandy Denny memorial site for the great English singer. Links to other tribute pages, mailing lists, and discographies.
Fairport Convention, the venerable folk-rock band.
Scottish singer Dick Gaughan has a great site with a song archive and many links.
Jack Hardy, the magus of Greenwich Village and founder of Fast Folk.
Andy Irvine, famed of Planxty, Patrick Street, and numerous other connections.
American originals and east coast countercultural types: The Holy Modal Rounders and resources for longtime associate Michael Hurley.
Si Kahn, the folk singer, songsmith, and organizer.
David Lindley, multi-instrumentalist extraodinaire. Here also is a tribute site for his old band the Kaleidoscope.
Jez Lowe, the great performer and songwriter from Durham in the Northeast of England.
Dougie MacLean along with his gallery and recording studios in Dunkeld, Scotland.
Judy Mayhan, the Northern California singer-songwriter and all-but-lost legend of the sixties and seventies, has a Web site and CDs available. " 'See here,' she said."
John McCutcheon, singer, songwriter, multiinstrumentalist, folklorist.
Loreena McKennitt with her Quinlan Road label.
Susan McKeown with numerous great collaborations and solo projects.
All Things Phil: Phil Ochs links.
The Pentangle, from the early days to its present incarnation as Jacqui McShee's Pentangle.
Utah Phillips: a short jog through a long memory.
Maddy Prior of Steeleye Span and Silly Sisters fame.
Tom Rapp and the Pearls Before Swine Connection.
Legendary English guitarist John Renbourn has this site.
Lou Rhodes, the creative young singer-songwriter from Manchester, England.
A Stan Rogers page in memory of the great Canadian singer/songwriter.
Kate Rusby, the rising young English traditional singer.
The Pete Seeger Appreciation Page.
The official site for guitar wizard Martin Simpson, and another interesting site for him.
The duo Still on the Hill brings us their wonderfully original music with bluegrass roots.
The official Richard Thompson site. See also Henry the Human Fly Caught in the Web and The Guitar of Richard Thompson, which seems to be inactive but offers some good background on the songs as well as transcriptions and such.
Steve Tilston, long-time English performer and fine songwriter.
The Waterson:Carthy Web site, and an unofficial site for Eliza Carthy, and yet another unofficial site rich with discographies and other information for the family.
Our modern bard Robin Williamson and a couple of sites for his old group, the Incredible String Band, including an official site and this collection of further resources.
The Kate Wolf memorial Web site.
These are the names that turn up frequently for indie labels. For more obscure labels or self-produced albums, please check the lists at the end of this section or the playlist for the program with the song in question.
Alula Records, 14134 NE Airport Way, Portland, Oregon 97230; 503-257-8480.
Appleseed Recordings, P.O. Box 2593, West Chester, PA 19380; 610-701-5755.
Arhoolie Records, 10341 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito CA 94530; 510-525-7471.
Canyon Records, 3131 W. Clarendon Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85017; 800-268-1141.
Claddagh Records, Dame House, Dame Street, Dublin 2, Ireland; 353 1 6778943.
Cló Iar-Chonnachta, Indreabhán, Conamara, Co. na Gaillimhe, Éire/Ireland, +353-91-593307, is a book and music publisher with a strong interest in Irish language and culture and sean-nós music.
Compass Records, 916 19th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37212; 615-320-7672.
Coop Breizh, Kerangwenn, 29540 Spézet/Speied, Bretagne, France. The leading Breton label.
Culburnie Records, P.O. Box 219, Nevada City, CA 95959; 800-830-6296.
Fellside Recordings, P.O. Box 40, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 3GJ, UK.
Fifty Fifty Music (formerly Prime CD), 111 East 14th St., Suite 300, New York, New York 10003; 212-366-5982.
Fledg'ling Records, P.O. Box 547, London SE26 4BD, England. Recordings of some popular English folk revivalists; the site includes bios and discographies.
FM Records S.A., 7 Knossou str., 11146 Athens, Greece; Phone: + 00 (301) 2222301 / + 00 (301) 2230600, Fax: + 00 (301) 2221603. This label has made available much historically important material.
Folk-Legacy Records, Box 1148, Sharon, CT 06069; 800-836-0901.
Folktrax.org, Heritage House, 16 Brunswick Square, Gloucester, GL1 1UG, England. Maintaining Peter Kennedy's legacy of English and Irish folklore.
Free Reed Records & Music, The Cedars, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 1DD, UK. British folk revival favorites.
Green Linnet Records (Xenophile), 916 19th Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37212; 800-468-6644.
Greentrax Recordings, Cockenzie Business Centre, Edinborough Road, Cockenzie, East Lothlan EH32 OHL, Scotland.
Kalan Music, IMC 6.blok No:6608 Unkapani- Istanbul; 0 212 512 35 13. Produces a lot of great historical and modern Turkish folk and art music.
Kells Music, a part of Rego Irish Records, P.O. Box 1515, Green Island N.Y. 12183; 1-800-458-REGO (7346).
Kicking Mule Records, an info page.
KRL (Lochshore, Monarch, ELM), 9 Watt Road, Hillington, Glasgow, Scotland G52 4RY; +44 141 882 9986.
Mad River Records,
58 Side Cut Road, Redding, CT 06896
Mulligan Records, now a Compass label.
NorthSide Records, P.O. Box 7367, Minneapolis MN 55401; 866-HEARFUL. Scandinavian music.
Omnium Recordings, P.O. Box 7367, Minneapolis, MN 55407; 612-481-2320.
Park Records, P.O. Box 651, Oxford OX2 9BE, UK.
The Persian Arts Society, home to Kereshmeh Records, P.O. Box 13354, La Jolla, CA 92039; 858-605-6612 puts out a rich selection of Iranian music.
Putumayo World Music, 411 Lafayette 4th Floor, New York, New York 10003; 212-460-0095.
Red House Records, P.O. Box 4044, St. Paul, Minnesota 55104; 800-695-4687.
Rounder Records (Flying Fish, Philo, Temple), One Rounder Way, Burlington, Massachusetts, 01803; 617-354-0700; 800-ROUNDER (800-768-6337).
Shanachie Records, 37 East Clinton Street, Newton, New Jersey 07860; 800-497-1043.
Signature Sounds Recording Company, P.O. Box 106, Whately, MA 01093; 413-665-4036.
Silver Wave Records, P.O. Box 7943, Boulder, CO 80306; 800-SIL-WAVE.
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings (600 Maryland Ave. SW, Suite 2001, Washington, DC 20024; 888-FOLKWAYS (365-5929) or 202-633-6450) will custom-burn for you almost any CD from the old Folkways Records catalog (available onsite) if it's not already in stock.
Sugar Hill Records, P.O. Box 55300, Duke Station, Durham, North Carolina 27717-5300; 800-996-4455.
Tara Music Company, Basement, 18 Upper Mount Street, Dublin 2, Ireland. Includes links to Tara artists such as Christy Moore, Liam O'Flynn, and Rita Connolly, sound clips, where to buy, and more.
Topic Records, 50 Stroud Green Road, Finsbury Park, London N4 3ES, United Kingdom.
Traditional Crossroads, P.O. Box 20320, Greeley Square Station, New York, NY 10001-9992; 800-422-6282. Fine recordings of traditional musics of the Middle East.
Waterbug Records, P.O. Box 83, Glen Ellyn, IL 60138-0083; 800-466-0234.
Water Lily Acoustics, P.O. Box 91448, Santa Barbara, CA 93190; 805-968-8188. Dedicated to preserving authentic traditional music and encouraging creative collaborations toward a future music.
WildGoose Records, May Cottage, Fullerton Road, Wherwell, Hampshire. SP11 7JS. English music with a strong bias toward the traditional.
World Village Music, 1117 Chestnut St., Burbank, CA 91506; 818-333-1500 a Harmonia Mundi label with releases by Susan McKeown, Flook, Habib Koité, others.
Other lists of record company addresses or links: at Dirty Linen, at English Folk and Traditional Music on the Internet, at folkmusic.org.
These outfits collectively offer for sale much of what we air. Rarer sources for particular CDs often appear in the playlists for the programs in which they were heard.
See also Local Record Stores.
Asturshop for music from the Spanish province of Asturias.
Athens NetRadio, for music from Greece.
Camsco Records, 145 Hickory Corner Road, East Windsor, NJ 08520; 800-548-3655. "If it's folk, we'll get it for you."
CD Baby, 5925 NE 80th Ave., Portland, OR 97218-2891; 800-BUY-MY-CD. Specializes in independent artists. Many unfamiliar names (even under traditional folk). Sound samples and good descriptions.
CDconnection.com, 292 Kifer Road, Suite 803, Sunnyvale, CA, 94086-5311; 408-822-0033. Offers good service, many audio samples, and some helpful search methods such as by song title.
cdRoots has a great collection of roots-oriented music from much of the world.
Celtic Fire, Ltd., 47 Main Street, Plymouth, MA 02360; 508-746-5387. Specializing in pipes and whistles and associated instructional materials and recordings.
Claddagh Records, Dame House, Dame Street, Dublin 2, Ireland; 353 1 6778943, with an extensive catalog of Irish music.
Custy's Traditional Music Shop, Francis St., Ennis, Co. Clare, Ireland; +353 (0)65 6821727 for music from Ireland.
Elderly Instruments, 1100 N. Washington, Lansing, MI 48906; 517-372-7890, 888-473-5810. Recordings, new and used instruments, instructional videos, and more.
Etnomusic, C/ Bonsuccés, 6 - 08001 Barcelona; Tel/fax : 34 93.301.18.84. Has an extensive catalog of Spanish and world music.
Farside Music, Flat C, 80 Belsize Park Gardens, Hampstead, London NW3 4NG, UK; (44) 020-7722-3054. They offer music from Japan, Okinawa, and other East Asian countries, as well as CD series from Japan, such as the World Music Library.
Folktrax.com, Australian and other music. Not to be confused with the Folktrax.org label.
The Global Electronic Music Marketplace is a service that lists new and used recordings from many sources, domestic and international, accessible through a search engine.
Harmony Ridge Music, dedicated to female singer-songwriters (from many traditions).
Hatikvah Music International, 436 N. Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036; 323-655-7083 features Klezmer, Sephardic, all sorts of Jewish music.
Ladyslipper, P.O. Box 3124-R, Durham, NC 27715; 800-634-6044. Music by women in all genres.
MusicScotland.com for Scottish as well as some Irish and other releases, links, and info.
Musikfolk Limited, P.O. Box 181, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 2NZ, United Kingdom; Tel: +44 (0) 1326 318085, Fax: +44 (0) 1326 212512. They are fast, have a large catalog, and will find about anything available in the British Isles for you.
Primarily a Cappella, P.O. Box D, San Anselmo, CA 94979; 800-SING-181. Dedicated to the discovery, dissemination, and celebration of the best vocal music from around the globe.
Roots & Rhythm, P.O. Box 837, El Cerrito, CA 94530; 888-ROOTS-66.
Still Records after All These Years,
6 Franklin Court, Northampton, MA 01060-2014; 413-586-0270. "America's Leading Specialist
in the Sale of Rare, New, and Used Folk Music on Vinyl and CD Since 1989."
Tayberry Music, 916 19th Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37212; 615-320-7672. A very rich source for Irish and Celtic music, now operated by Compass Records.
Tulumba.com for Turkish music in the U.S.
Village Records, P.O. Box 3216, Shawnee, KS 66203; 913-631-4199; featuring Americana-style artists such as Tom Russell.
Wooden Ships Music, 3042 Rt 32, Saugerties, NY, 12477; 646-391-1133. Chanteys and music of the sea.
World Music Institute, 49 W. 27th St., Suite 930, New York, NY 10001; 212-545-7536. Catalog of int'l music.
Browse from this section down through Local Online Resources to see different kinds of listings for the Bay Area.
Amoeba Music, 1855 Haight Street, San Francisco; 415-831-1200; 2455 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley; 510-549-1125.
Aquarius Records, 1055 Valencia Street, San Francisco 94110; 415-647-2272.
Down Home Music, 10341 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito 94530; 510-525-2129; 1809b Fourth St. Berkeley 94710; 510-204-9595.
Streetlight Records, 3979 24th Street, San Francisco; 888-682-3550; also 2350 Market Street; 888-396-2350.
See also Dance under Online Resources.
Artists for Literacy is a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization aimed at connecting low-level readers to literature through the arts. Their SIBL Project in particular uses music (some of it available on CDs) as a vehicle to engage, inspire, and reinforce the magic of literature and the power of reading.
The Bay Area Country Dance Society promotes, preserves, and teaches traditional English and American music and dance in the San Francisco Bay area. You can find more contra dance links around the state and the nation at this location.
The Cooley-Keegan branch of the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ) is the local branch of a worldwide organization to promote traditional Irish music, dance, language, and culture.
The Jewish Music Festival is a program of the Jewish Community Center of the East Bay, coming your way in March.
The San Francisco branch of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, which offers classes and parties, and the parent organization.
The San Francisco Folk Music Club meets twice monthly. They are also the sponsors of the annual San Francisco Free Folk Festival.
World Arts West, presenters of the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival. Fort Mason Center, Landmark Building D, San Francisco 94123-1382; 415-474-3914.
The Albatross pub at 1822 San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley, 510-THE-BIRD, is frequently home to live music.
Amnesia, 853 Valencia Street,
San Francisco; 415-970-0012.
The Ashkenaz Music & Dance Community Center, 1317 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley 94702; 510-525-5054.
Beckett's Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. near Bancroft, Berkeley; 510-647-1790. Check their calendar for upcoming live music.
The Blackthorn Tavern, 834 Irving Street, San Francisco 94122; 415-564-6627. Culann's Hounds is their house band.
The Blue Heron Restaurant, P.O. Box 20, Steelhead Boulevard, Duncans Mills 95430; 707-865-9135.
Café Du Nord, 2170 Market Street, San Francisco 94114; 415-861-5016.
The Clarion Music Center, 816 Sacramento Street, San Francisco 94108; 415-391-1317, featuring a world music concert series.
The Croatian American Cultural Center, 60 Onondaga Ave., San Francisco 94112; 510-649-0941. Host to the Slavonic Web.
The Epic Arts Studios, 1923 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley 94703; 510-644-2204.
The Espresso Garden & Café, 814 S. Bascom Ave. (2 lights south of 280 on the left after Wendy's, opposite the Valley Medical Center), San Jose 95128; 408-298-0808: home to the Fiddling Cricket concert series.
The Fillmore, 1805 Geary Blvd., San Francisco 94115; 415-346-6000.
The Fox Theatre and the Little Fox, 2215 Broadway, Redwood City 94063; 650-FOX-4119.
The Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse, 2020 Addison Street, Berkeley 94704; 510-644-2020.
The Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell between Polk and Larkin, San Francisco; 415-885-0750.
Johnny Foley's Irish House, 243 O'Farrell St. between Mason St. and Powell St., San Francisco 94102; 415-954-0777.
La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley 94705; 510-849-2568.
Murphy's Irish Pub, 464 First St. East, Sonoma 95476; 707-935-0660.
The Musician's Coffeehouse Concert Series, at various East Bay venues; 925-229-2710.
The Noe Valley Music Series (contact Larry Kassin, 415-454-5238) and other events at the Noe Valley Ministry, 1021 Sanchez Street, San Francisco 94114. See the community activities or links page at the Ministry site for more numbers.
O'Neill's Irish Pub, San Francisco and San Mateo locations.
The Palms Playhouse, 13 Main Street, Winters 95694 (west of Davis); 530-795-1825.
The Plough and Stars Irish pub, 116 Clement Street at 2nd Avenue, San Francisco; 415-751-1122.
The Black Rose Pub, 2074 Armory Drive, Santa Rosa 95401; 707-546-ROSE.
The Rose Street House of Music in Berkeley, 510-594-4000 ext. 687.
Sally Greenberg's house concert series in Berkeley. For reservations, information, and directions: e-mail per the site or call 510-644-2135.
The San Francisco Maritime Park Association, host to occasional concerts on board the Balclutha.
The San Gregorio General Store at Highway 84 and Stage Road in San Gregorio offers live music on weekends.
Slim's, 333 Eleventh Street, San Francisco 94103; 415-255-0333.
The Starry Plough Irish pub, 3101 Shattuck Avenue (between Ashby and Alcatraz), Berkeley 94705; 510-841-2082. Home to the Sunday Starry Session hosted by Shay Black, and of varied forms of live music and other events.
Strings is a recording studio and performance showcase space located in Emeryville, featuring weekly performances by locally and internationally recognized acoustic musicians; 510-653-5700.
The Sweetwater Saloon, to be relocated.
Villa Montalvo, 15400 Montalvo Road, Saratoga 95070; 408-961-5800. Montalvo is a nonprofit arts organization that holds regular concert series at its Mediterranean-style villa.
The Wisteria Ways house concert series, Oakland; 510-655-2771; or e-mail per site.
This section begins with some links to Bay Area sites; it then lists sites around the world treating folk music at large; regional musics and other topics follow.
You can jump to local, general, Webzines and reviews, song finders and tune finders, radio and media, dance, instrument-related, Balkan, English, Irish/Celtic, Scandinavian/Baltic, Spanish, Mexican, Australian and New Zealander, Native American, ecology-related, or corvid-related resources.
Celtic Crossings, for concerts, classes, workshops, and other resources.
The Folknik, San Francisco Folk Music Club, 885 Clayton Street, San Francisco 94117; 415-661-2217.
The Slavonic Web, a project of San Francisco's Croatian American Cultural Center, offers information on Balkan and Balkan-inspired music happening locally.
Traditional Celtic Music in the San Francisco Bay Area, with an events calendar and its own list of venues and other resources.
The Contemplator, listings and studies of O'Carolan tunes, Child ballads, early popular songs, and songs of the sea, by Leslie Nelson.
Folking dot Com, "a folking great community" online, with artists, festivals, clubs, and more.
The FolkLib Index: A Library of Folk Music Links, which is very diverse but focuses on folk music, bluegrass and old-time music, acoustic blues, and fingerstyle acoustic guitar.
The site called folkmusic.org is working to create a "virtual community" of artists, venues, and organizations.
Mauro Ravera's Folksy Links, folk bands and musicians online, listed by name or by country.
The International Traditional Music Society, with a tune database, links for different countries and instruments, and more.
The Mudcat Café hosts the Digital Tradition Folk Song Server and includes a lively Discussion Forum, among other things.
Usenet groups: rec.music.celtic, rec.music.folk, soc.culture.celtic, soc.culture.irish (and other related soc.culture.*), uk.music.folk. If your provider makes Usenet available poorly or not at all, try going to Google and choosing More > Groups.
Web rings for folk and traditional and Celtic music.
Many of the sellers listed under Mail-Order and Online Distributors offer good capsule descriptions of recordings.
See also print magazines.
Folkworld: the online music magazine, with a European emphasis.
The Green Man Review, reviewing the roots and branches of music, arts, and culture. Many informative reviews.
The Irish Music Review, with reviews of 475-odd albums and some books.
Kevin & Maxine's Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews site also offers a guide to music of the Monterey Bay area and other listings.
Minor 7th, reviewing the best in non-mainstream acoustic guitar music.
Musical Traditions, an English Webzine covering a wide range of world musical traditions.
Rambles.net, a cultural arts Webzine covering the British Isles, Celtic lands, and elsewhere; it also includes numerous concert and book reviews.
Rootsworld, a magazine of roots, folk, and pop music.
World Music Central has artist lists, reviews, venues, organizations, and more.
Many tunes in Western scales are available on the Internet in the ASCII-friendly ABC format, which available software can translate directly into staff notation or even play over computer speakers. Musicians can learn to read it directly. The abc home page brings together much information.
You can search the ABC Tune Finder by title or other means.
The Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads include more than 30,000 ballads reproduced digitally from sixteenth- to twentieth-century sources.
The Digital Tradition Folk Song Server ("Lyrics and Knowledge Search," the box in the upper-left corner) can help you find the source for some lyrics. (Try the IP address or this copy in case of problems.)
The Celtic Lyrics Corner has lyrics and translations for songs by some contemporary Celtic artists and groups, arranged by album.
Re the Child Ballads: The Heritage Muse site offers information on a CD-ROM edition of Childs' original work, and this Sacred Texts site includes the texts online. The Loomis House Press is issuing a complete new edition of the printed work.
The Fiddler's Companion at Ceolas is a huge encyclopedia of fiddle tunes from the Celtic, British and American traditions.
Folk Music: An Index to Recorded Resources, a song database searchable by title or performer.
G8INA's Irish Music Page, with collections of MIDI files and other links.
Try the tune database at the International Traditional Music Society.
The Irish Traditional Music Tune Index is a way to identify a tune or a recording.
Follow the link to the Irish Tune Bank at Irish flute player Grey Larsen's site.
Browse for jigs, reels, and such under the tunes listings at MadforTrad.com.
The Session is an Irish tune exchange, somewhere you can find where a tune has been recorded, or conversely, what tunes appear on numerous albums. It also lists many live sessions and invites discussions.
That Real Old Time Religion: Perhaps the most nearly complete set of verses available.
The BBC Radio 2 Folk Site, with Webcasts and other features. See also the Celtic Roots site for BBC Scotland.
The Folk DJ List, the Web site for an e-mail list catering to folk music programmers and others interested in folk music on the radio. Playlists for KALW's A Patchwork Quilt appear here. (Try searching the archives on "Patchwork Quilt" or "Kevin Vance." Kevin also has a page at Myspace).
The Internet Folk Festival and the Festival Radio are two sources for continuous folk and roots music programming on the Web.
The Internet Folk Radio List, how to find folk programming wherever you may go.
Prisons In Crisis is the site dedicated to FM&B host JoAnn Mar's latest radio production, about the prison overcrowding crisis in California. The program is available there to listen to.
The prodigious PublicRadioFan.com will tell you what folk music (or other public radio programming) is streaming at the moment, as well as info about public radio stations around the world.
Radio for Peace International, progressive Webcasting.
RTÉ Online, including live music broadcasts from Ireland. Also, Clare FM, which features live traditional music 7 to 9 P.M. (beginning 11 A.M. Pacific Time) weekdays.
Scottish & Celtic Broadcasting on the Internet, a handy starting point.
The Thistle & Shamrock, the official site for the popular NPR program that precedes us.
Berkeley Folk Dancers bring you Folk Dance World. The BFD offers a rich repertoire of dances from around the world and skilled teachers.
The Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS) is an association (headquartered in Massachusetts) of people and groups with a common interest in English and Anglo-American folk dance, music, and song.
The English Folk Dance & Song Society, headquartered at the Cecil Sharp House in London.
Set Dancing News will help you find where, when, and even how to get involved in Irish set dancing.
Accordions Worldwide, including concertinas. See also Accordionlinks.com.
The ezfolk.com site focuses on instructional resources for banjo, folk guitar, and ukelele but includes many other links and resources.
Han's Irish Bouzouki Home Page. See also a short history of the bouzouki, and more about sazes and such.
The Glossary of Folk Musical Instruments & Styles from Around the World from Hobgoblin Music, an English instrument dealer.
The Guide to the Irish Flute and the Wooden Flute Home Page.
The Irish Fiddle brings together tunes, interviews, sample performances of legendary fiddlers, and info on regional styles.
Irish harps at harp.net. See also dealer Melody's Traditional Music & Harp Shoppe.
The House of Musical Traditions, Carroll Ave., Takoma Park, MD 20912, 301-270-9090, supplies acoustic instruments, accessories, and books from around the world.
Lark in the Morning, world musical instruments, books, recordings, and videos.
Mugwumps Online for info on vintage and modern, mostly stringed, instruments.
Some Iranian instruments are described at Arash Dejkam's pages.
Pipes: Uillean pipe news and information. Galician bagpipes. A rich guide to Northumbrian small pipes and pipers. More general piping sites.
Recorder Makers & Retailers are listed.
Check out The Whistle Shop or the Chiff & Fipple to buy whistles and paraphernalia. You can compare the sounds of some flutes and whistles at Flutesite. The WhistleTutor offers online instruction.
Balkanarama's Balkan links to sites concerned with Balkan music, folklore, and culture.
Balkanfolk.com for Balkan workshops, events, CDs, downloads, T-shirts, Windows backgrounds, ring tones, and more.
Ostad Elahi, the late musician, mystic, philosopher, statesman from Iranian Kurdistan. Just a lovely site.
The Roza Eskenazi Homepage for the great Rembetissa. More on Rebetika from Chicago Pete's Rebetiko Row and the Rebetisses. Singer Sophia Bilides's site tells more of the eastern Rebetika traditions.
The Klezmer Shack is a central resource for klezmer (and Sephardic) bands, reviews, studies.
musiq.com: World and experimental music; makam music, rebetika, ouds.
The Patrin Web Journal: Romani Culture and History, and the Romani.org home page.
Sephardic Music: A Century of Recordings plans to document the whole history of recorded Sephardic music.
English Folk and Traditional Music on the Internet, a comprehensive guide to resources.
English folk music performers, a useful list of links.
Fol-de-rol, the Folk On Line Directory of Events and Recording Order Listings, offers extensive listings of albums and of events in England.
The Traditional Song Forum, a UK-based group devoted to studying and disseminating traditional songs and singing.
Cape Breton Music Online is billed as the gateway to Cape Breton music on the Internet.
The Celtic Cafe is a lively site set up to promote Irish dance and Celtic music and culture.
The Celtic Music Base aims to provide the world's largest biographical dictionary of Celtic musicians.
Ceolas, with much information online about Celtic music, and many further links, including their IrishNet directory.
The Donegal Fiddle Pages are full of information on this unique style of fiddling and its heritage.
G8INA's Irish Music Page, with collections of MIDI files and other links.
Iregua is dedicated to Celtic music and culture and is a rich source of information on groups and music in Green Spain and elsewhere.
The Irish Music Box, with news, reviews, a directory, and a jukebox.
The Irish Traditional Music Tune Index is a way to identify a tune or a recording.
MadforTrad.com, Irish CDs, tutorials, news, tour and festival info, artist listings, tune listings.
Traditional Irish music links from irish-music.net.
The World Celtic Community aspires to create an online community for all things of Celtic interest.
Danish Folk Music from the organization by the same name.
Latvian Music Pages, a list of many links in all genres of music, including further links pages for Estonia, Lithuania, and Russia.
Norwegian Folk Music and Folk Dance Internet Resources from the Hardanger Fiddle Association of America.
Swedish Traditional Music Links.
Iregua is dedicated to Celtic music and culture and is a rich source of information on groups and music in Green Spain and elsewhere.
La Página de la Música Folk offers links to Spanish groups, distributors, other information.
Alegría, the Mexican Folklórico home page, with links.
Folk Australia, with links pages.
New Zealand Folk Song, home-made songs about life in New Zealand: Maori, Celtic, sea-shanties, more.
An Index of Native American Music Resources on the Internet.
Here is a range of Native Music and Arts Links by a Mohawk librarian at the University of Pittsburg.
Native American Public Telecommunications offers some links to musicians.
Learn about jam sessions with orcas and other beings at the Interspecies Communications site.
Musicians United to Sustain the Environment brings together activist musicians, puts out interesting compilation CDs, and contributes to some worthwhile causes.
Bernie Krause's Wild Sanctuary has nature CDs, sound safaris, descriptions of research projects, and more.
Naturesongs, with free samples of digital recordings from nature, is based in Arizona.
The American Society of Crows and Ravens, with the Corvi Chronicle, frequently asked questions, and links.
The Aviary, sights, sounds, science, stories, spirituality, links.
The Crows and Ravens Webring.
Acoustic Guitar Central, the resource-rich site for Acoustic Guitar Magazine, P.O. Box 767, San Anselmo, CA 94979; 415-485-6946.
fRoots ("Local Music from Out There"), P.O. Box 337, London N4 1TW, England.
Irish Music Magazine, 11 Clare St, Dublin 2, Ireland.
The Living Tradition, P.O. Box 1026, Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, KA2 0LG, Scotland, with a British Isles emphasis.
Penguin Eggs, 10942 80th Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 0R1. Folk, roots, and world music from a Canadian perspective.
Sing Out! P.O. Box 5460, Bethlehem, PA 18015; 610-865-5366.
Strings, P.O. Box 469120, Escondido, CA 92046; 800-827-6837. All things (bowed) strings.
Simon Broughton et al., eds. World Music: The Rough Guide 3/e. London and New York: Rough Guides Ltd., 2006.
Neal Walters and Brian Mansfield, eds. MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1998.
Adam McGovern, ed. MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 2000.
An assortment of interesting sites we've bookmarked.
Mehrdad Aref-Adib has fun graphics to explore at his site.
Calendars: a study of the Celtic calendar with festivals and holidays, the Celtic Tree Calendar, a Calendar of Jewish Holidays, the days of Nourooz, the Persian New Year.
Chicken on a Unicycle: Notes on the psychedelic era, notably on the Jabberwock folk club in Berkeley.
Common Dreams, a progressive portal. Others: Jay's Leftist and "Progressive" Web Pages, TomPaine.com, AlterNet.org.
The Daoism Depot, with a Dao quote of the moment. See also the Taoism Virtual Library.
The Digger Archives, from Gerard Winstanley to Emmett Grogan. See also Hippies on the Web, Haight Ashbury music and culture.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center.
The Gnosis Archive: Collections of Manichaean and other Gnostic texts, engaging Web lectures, books, and more.
The iranian.com site offers wide-ranging, often irreverent perspectives on events, art, and culture.
The Jeffers Studies home page and the Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation, dedicated to the great poet of California.
KissThisGuy.com, the archive of misheard lyrics.
The strange saga of Mel Lyman, lovingly documented.
The Planet Drum Foundation, a voice for bioregional sustainability, education, and culture.
An English site dedicated to the Persian poet Rumi.
An introduction to the strange world of Shakespearean insults: be insulted or view a compendium of Shakespearean insults.
Store Wars: Join the organic rebellion.
Terrain.org, a journal of the built & natural environments.
Drop us at line to Folk Music & Beyond, c/o KALW, 500 Mansell, San Francisco, CA 94134, or write us at k a l w f o l k @ r a h u l · n e t. Please let us know, for instance, of any changed or broken links here or of other interesting sites to add or areas you would like to see covered.