Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan, the Milk Carton Kids, are calling their latest album, 'Lost Cause Lover Fool,' "the one." They have finally figured out how to feel and sound like themselves with a broader sonic palette. They attribute that to sharing one mic when they sing with each other. The songs on the album enlarge small feelings and moments, working to turn them all into eternity. Moments that “usually pass too quickly to notice.” The guys have spent their careers making a case for staying small, staying present, and listening closely.

We loved our conversation with Kenneth and Joey so much – in fact, immediately following Lizzie sent me a voice recording expressing just that. She said it was so real: "What great guests and what great hosts!" We learned that Joey is a nepo folk baby as his mother, Debbie, was in a folk duo in college. We dig into what death as well as the banjo are up to on their new album. We explore what it means to be labeled "weenies" versus "gentle" or "the titans of yearning." We also hear from the guys about how they do not actually feel pressured to be funny, they just are.

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Matt Smith is a living legend with his unbelievable 30-year run at Club Passim, the historic folk venue nestled in a Harvard Square basement. Currently Managing Director at Passim, Matt is the most passionate music lover I know. He has used his platform at Passim to help establish artists like Lori McKenna, Anaïs Mitchell, Lake Street Dive, and so many more. I met Matt while working as a student at WERS 88.9FM, where he brought fantastic shows to a listening room filled with people who were clambering for honest music in an intimate space. He's been a very good friend and mentor to myself and thousands of musicians since he began his tenure at the club in 1995.

In honor of Matt's 30th anniversary at Passim, we brought two longtime friends on the pod to talk to him about his role in the Passim community – and beyond. Musicians Edie Carey and Dinty Child join us in conversation with Matt; he shares advice he would give his younger self, we chat about what a vacation without music would look like and his incredible memory. That memory is tested in our lightning round where he answers Passim trivia (almost 100% correctly). There's also a discussion about what Matt is most proud of in all his years at the club: the campfire. festival, which takes place every Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends featuring sets in-the-round of mostly unknown new acts. I would imagine if you're listening to this episode of Basic Folk, you either know Matt or Club Passim. Hello to all our friends and I hope you enjoy this window into one of the best people we've ever known: Matt Smith!

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Well, is this not an excuse to get the girlies together if we've ever heard one!? For our final live interview aboard Cayamo, we arranged a check-in with some of our favorite folks to talk about the state of Folk Music (and folk-adjacent music). Our panel included country artist and host of Apple Music's Color Me Country Radio Rissi Palmer, Canadian sweethearts Rose Cousins (CEO of emotions) and Kaïa Kater (Dean of Sad Songs), and Jobi Riccio, a self-proclaimed "rizzler." We spoke about the function of folk songwriting, the hope and confidence of Gen Z, the inspiration taken from elders, and the fact that there are Black people in the future (thank you, Alice Randall).

We’ve noticed some folk songs coming out recently about moving forward and persevering despite living in hard times. It seems like the folk zeitgeist is collectively coming together to say something and we wanted to explore what’s happening with folk musicians at this time. What is the function of folk songwriting in modern times? Comfort? Information? Inspiration?

Folk is the big scoop that catches everyone. We need there to be a place for everyone else – and we are the everyone else. When you choose to be in this community, you grab onto this big rope, pulling against all that needs pulling against (feeling, current events, poverty, capitalism, things that homogenize, surveil, and control). These artists and the stories they tell take care of communities in a way that is similar to healthcare workers, but how are these workers being taken care of? We wanted to ask, "What’s the state of your workplace and how is care being taken?" And, "What does it feel like to be moving through the world playing music for people at this time?"

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