What stands out for you about 2009 in terms of folk music,  and what would you like to hear on the Folk Show for 2010?

The death of Mike Seeger stands out for me.  He was such a strong connection to the roots of American folk music,  and he did so much to guarantee that the music of past generations would live on.  Because of who he was and the time he lived in,  he had a tremendous impact on music.

Of course there were many influential folk artists who passed on in 2009 (see separate post from Sing Out!): John Cephas, Mary Travers, and Liam Clancy stand out for me.

I remember 2009 as a time when I came to appreciate artists I hadn’t just discovered or hadn’t paid attention to before: Alash Ensemble,  Nick Annis, Andru Bemis,  Chicken Tractor,  Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart, Laurel Premo,  Putam Smith, Carley Wolf,  and many others.

And in 2010,  I look forward to the new discoveries that await.  I’m especially excited about listening to music that previously had been a bit too loud,  electric or “untraditional” for the Folk Show.  We’ve been adding such “boundary-pushing ” to the mix on the Saturday night segment of the Folk show,  and calling it the Folk Show Saturday Night Edition.  We’re trying to creating a distinctive and consistent mix on the Saturday Night Edition,  and hope listeners are hearing things they like.  We’d love to hear feedback on this change,  and suggestions as we move forward.