Hallways

In January 2020, the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame journeyed to New Orleans for the annual Folk Alliance International Conference. The meeting brought together the artists and supporters who keep storytelling alive and well, and it is a unique opportunity for all musicians of different generations and styles to listen, perform and learn. Over the next 3 months, the Hallways team will bring the meeting to you through music and conversation… starting with Executive Director of the FAI, Aengus Finnan.

Since 2014, Aengus has led the Alliance, and he happens to be the first non-American Director – A Dublin-born, Canadian-raised artist and humanitarian. Aengus knows first hand the touring life of a folk musician, and has recorded three of his own albums, including award winning songs. He has produced highly successful music festivals, and as an administrator of the arts, he has seen the importance of musical culture and community. As a musical anthropologist of sorts, Aengus teaches us all about the music of “Americana before America” and that we cannot lose sight of our roots of Folk.

We were honored to get to know Mr. Finnan and have a conversation about where the Folk Alliance has been and where it is heading. We talk about the voice of the Indigenous artist that cannot be forgotten, and should be celebrated, and the responsibility we have to care for ourselves and others, and a planet that allows us to keep sharing the story, from one generation to the next.

Hallways is created in Partnership with the Boch Center and Above The Basement – Boston Music and Conversation.

www.folkamericanarootshalloffame.org

www.abovethebasement.com

https://www.folk.org

We first met Chuck at the Wang Theater at an event for all the board members of the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame. But Chuck’s story starts much earlier than that. Growing up in Dubuque Iowa, Chuck started playing guitar at a young age and never looked back. In 1963 while living in DC, Chuck was hit hard by the arrival of The Beatles. When he finally arrived in Boston he formed the influential country group Wheatstraw. Their two albums Last Straw and Follow the Music, drew critical praise from Rolling Stone, the Village Voice, the New York Times, Billboard, Variety and others.

Later moving to Los Angeles, Chuck met The Kingston Trios John Stewart, and began a friendship and musical collaboration that continued throughout John’s life.

Over the last few decades, Chuck has devoted himself to energy and environmental policy issues, working in government and the private sector, but he never turned away from music.

In 2015 Chuck was an inductee into the Massachusetts Country Music Hall of Fame and in 2017, Chuck released his album Gin & Rosewater.

We met Chuck just before a performance at the legendary Club Passim in Harvard Square to talk Wheatstraw, his collaboration with John Stewart, songwriting, and last but not least the importance of have a Folk Amerciana Roots Hall of Fame in Boston.

Hallways is proud to report that our next guest Patty Griffin has received a 2020 Grammy award! This is the third Grammy for our friend Patty Griffin, a New Englander from Maine with with a heart in Boston heritage and a love for music that goes back to her family roots in Ireland.

We caught up with Patty just before her performance at the 60th anniversary of Club Passim event at the Boch Center’s Schubert Theater.

As an artist covered by music icons from Emmylou Harris to Kelly Clarkson, it is obvious how her music resonates with so many people. All you need to do is listen to her and a guitar on stage to appreciate all she contributes, down her own Hallway of this music culture and the Folk Americana Roots Hall Of Fame.

Welcome to Hallways!

We are excited to talk to artists from all over the world through conversation and live performance. We will bring you the voices and artists that inspire – and continue to inspire generations of artists, musicians and music lovers, like Patti Griffin, Keb Mo, Milk Carton Kids and many more throughout this new year.

But let's start with the genesis of the whole idea of this podcast – and the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame - with Boch Center CEO, Joe Spaulding. American music history has been right below our feet in The Wang Theater in downtown Boston, a nearly 100 year old theater, once known as The Music Hall. Joe Spaulding’s longtime dream of new Hall Of Fame for the music that inspired him ever since his days of touring as a folk artist is finally here. It was Canadian artist Neil Young who pulled Joe aside to ask him - "Why wouldn’t you have the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame right here in this living breathing museum."

And that was all Joe needed to hear.

After touring with his band after college, Joe stayed in the music world, eventually running his own record label, pressing folk and blues into vinyl and recording some of American music’s greats. During the time when Boston raised folk legends and gathered musical styles from the roots of Ireland, Africa and Eastern Europe, Joe was there – at Club 47 - that would eventually become Club Passim. And it wasn’t just the music – It was and continues to be about the places that bring people together like The Wang Theater and The Hall Of Fame that lives inside.

Joe brought his own passion into an iconic building so others with a love for this music can share that same experience. History, music and physical artifact come together in one special place, for visitors and Bostonians alike, to look and listen to an American musical story.

It is fitting to sit with Joe in the heart of The Hall and look around at the music history surrounding us.

Thank you for joining us at the Hall for our first episode of Hallways with Joe Spaulding.

This is an introduction to a new podcast called Hallways - the official podcast of the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame in Boston, Massachusetts. (www.folkamericanarootshalloffame.org)

Hosted by Chuck Clough and Ronnie Hirschberg from the Boston based podcast Above The Basement - Boston Music and Conversation. (www.abovethebasement.com)

Music by Honeysuckle (www.honeysuckleband.com)