This week, Hindman, Kentucky writer, educator, vocalist and world champion mountain dulcimer Jedi Sarah Kate Morgan recorded live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, a special performance by the 2024 Ozark Folk Center Mountain Dulcimer Contest winner Melinda McMillan of Martinsville, IN. “Born of Appalachian soil in Sharps Chapel, Tennessee, Sarah Kate Morgan sings, plays, and writes like she’s been in these hills since the dawn of time. She’s had plenty of varied influences, beginning with hearing a classical music CD belonging to her family and going on to discover old time music thro ..read more

This week, here comes Dulcimer Jamboree once again! Each year, dulcimer players from all over come to the Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, Arkansas for a weekend of learning, listening, and loving all things dulcimer. Each evening of the event features concerts by world renowned dulcimer teachers and performers. We’ll enjoy highlights recorded from these live performances featuring both mountain dulcimers and the more ancient hammered dulcimers. Artists performing this year include: OHR guest contributor, renowned traditional folk musician, writer, and step dancer Aubrey Atwater ..read more

This week, Springfield, Missouri based Ozark original husband & wife duo The Creek Rocks recorded live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with these genuine Ozark troubadours. A bonus offering of songs and interviews with Ozark original singer-songwriter and multiple ACMA winner Grace Stormont. The Creek Rocks from Springfield, Missouri are Cindy Woolf and Mark Bilyeu. Cindy Woolf was raised in Batesville, Arkansas along the southern foothills of the Ozarks Mountain region. Mark Bilyeu hails from Springfield, located atop the Ozarks Plateau. They began their musical coll ..read more

This week, unconventional folk-blues-Americana-bluegrass trio “The Howlin’ Brothers” recorded live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with these folk music mavericks. “The Howlin’ Brothers are a Nashville based string band composed of Ian Craft, Ben Plasse and Jared Green. Anchored in a bed of old-time blues and bluegrass, their upbeat shows are heavy with original and traditional music, featuring the sounds of slide banjo, harmonica and old-time fiddle. Sounding like what would happen if a bunch of Appalachian punk rockers formed a jug-band, The Howlin’ Brothers play with a ..read more

This week, Kentucky Music Hall of Fame member and six time International Bluegrass Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year, Dale Ann Bradley, recorded live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. “Dale Ann Bradley is a Kentucky native who is proud of her state. Her music reflects that love as she often sings of the state’s multiple charms including sparkling streams, rolling hills and mountains, lush hillsides filled with native plants and beautiful landscapes. She also includes songs about coal mines (her father was a miner) and another business, that of moonshine stills. Thanks to a great ..read more

This week, voices. A collection of contemporary folk singers with unique and authentic voices recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park. Ballad singing is a primary form of expression in folk music. Folk ballads merge melody and story to recount events but also transport the listener to an emotional space. How well a ballad can bring the listener into that space very much depends on the singer. Less important to an effective folk singer are the rudimentary aspects of singing than is the authentic sound of their voice. The timbre and character of the singer’s voice in service to the ballad ..read more

This week, Ozark original ACMA nominated and rising national bluegrass sensation The Casey Penn Band recorded live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, an interview with Casey Penn. As a bonus, music and commentary from Ozark original prodigies and Mountain View’s very own Ozark Strangers. Based in Central Arkansas, Casey Penn is an Arkansas Country Music Award-nominated songwriter and a performing bluegrass and Americana artist. She's represented by Mountain Fever Records, for which she has released three singles and a debut album (One Step Away / February 2023). Her newest single, "We ..read more

This week, authentic Minneapolis old time bluegrass string band Steam Machine recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, an interview with the bands founders AJ Srubas and Rina Rossi. Joining AJ and Rina in this performance are David Robinson on banjo and Andrew Deia on upright bass. “Steam Machine is a midwest based old time/bluegrass music project fronted by award winning in-demand Minneapolis fiddler AJ Srubas and Twin Cities old time music & dance instigator Rina Rossi on guitar. A spectacular shortlist of stellar musicians perform with the band on banjo and bass, and when po ..read more

This week, traditional Irish musician, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Seamus Egan recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, an interview with Seamus. “It’s hard to think of an artist in traditional Irish music more influential than Seamus Egan. From his beginnings as a teen prodigy, to his groundbreaking solo work with Shanachie Records, to his founding of Irish-American powerhouse band Solas, to his current work as one of the leading composers and interpreters of the tradition, Egan has inspired multiple generations of musicians and helped define the sound of Irish music toda ..read more

This week, hammered dulcimer prodigy, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and Ozark original Ben Haguewood recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, an interview with this upstart hammer wielding dulcimer master. Ben Haguewood is an Ozark original hailing from the tiny hamlet of Potosi, Missouri near the heart of the Mark Twain National Forest. Although a relative newcomer to the competitive world of hammered dulcimer playing, Ben has left his mark on the art form both as a player and a composer. Since becoming a regular Ozark Folk Center performer as a teen, he’s voraciously a ..read more