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Almost all music has a folk origin: blues, jazz, rock and even so-called classical. As Big Bill Broonzy famously said - "all songs are folk songs; ain't never heard a horse sing!"
Arguably the first Kiwi to make a living with a mandolin, David spent some of his musical life playing bluegrass, but was performing in the folk boom as early as 1964.
He was playing in Europe and the UK in the 70s, dabbling in folk rock and pop in California in the 80s, and creating a country garden in the 90s and teaching children to read.
These days, kind of retired, he is free to pursue any of the musical paths he loves: song-writing, tuition, and performance with guitar, piano, banjo, mandolin, autoharp, dulcimer, even bass; playing jazz, folk, blues and originals. Or to just kick back and listen to Bach or Grappelli ...
A long-standing performer of NZ folk, Davey also maintains a love affair with US old-time music nurtured since Doc Watson's LPs first made it to these shores. A natural entertainer since his debut on radio aged six, David thinks radio is the perfect performance medium.
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Podcasts
Click on the title of an episode to listen
Happy Christmas
Season's Greetings
Another Old Year soon gives way to the New Year, and we we wish you a happy summer with a programme of songs for the festive season.
Duration: 00:52:22 | Date: 15 December, 2019
Old Roots, New Boots
Traditional songs can walk out in new stylings, and the Kronos Quartet have collaborated with four singers, arranging striking string settings for the voices. The result makes for a beautiful programme of folk music.
Duration: 00:58:14 | Date: 8 December, 2019
First Woverview 2020
A first look at some of the artists who will be performing at WOMAD 2020
Duration: 00:56:37 | Date: 1 December, 2019
Kiwi Women Songwriters
Celebrating NZ women who write and sing contemporary folk but with hints of jazz and lashings of country
Duration: 00:56:55 | Date: 24 November, 2019
The Singing Word 4
Rounding off our series about poetry set to music, including Emily Dickinson, Kipling, Behan and Burns, ranging from the Americas to Ireland, Scotland and England to NZ's West Coast.
Duration: 00:57:19 | Date: 17 November, 2019
The Singing Word 3
More verse set to music, poems becoming immortal songs, including arguably the world's most famous folk song.
Duration: 00:53:36 | Date: 10 November, 2019
The Singing Word 2
We continue our series investigating great songs which started life as poems.
Duration: 00:56:35 | Date: 3 November, 2019
The Singing Word 1
We begin a series investigating what happens when poetry is set to music, becoming folk song. Subtitled Poems:Sung, we take our title from Barry Mitcalfe's seminal work on Māori poetry.
Duration: 00:56:04 | Date: 27 October, 2019
Mix Tape 5
A set of really good songs and instrumentals we've come across and haven’t been able to fit into a programme until now. And we remember Mike Seeger (1933-2009)
Duration: 00:59:28 | Date: 20 October, 2019
Touring
Some fab artists are coming to NZ now and soon. We take a look and have a listen.
Duration: 00:58:53 | Date: 13 October, 2019
John Cohen
We celebrate the life and work of the founding member of the New Lost City Ramblers whose contribution to the revival of American vernacular music has been so important. The NY musician, photographer, filmmaker, collector and ethnomusicologist died recently, aged 87.
Duration: 00:54:27 | Date: 6 October, 2019
Our Native Daughters
Four important women of colour reclaim the banjo for the African American folk tradition, and turn in a powerful set
Duration: 00:58:26 | Date: 22 September, 2019
Tom Rush
Tom Rush's impact on the American music scene has been profound. He helped shape the folk revival in the '60s and the renaissance of the '80s and '90s
Duration: 00:57:54 | Date: 15 September, 2019
Te Wiki O Te Reo Maori
Duration: 00:57:21 | Date: 8 September, 2019
15 Beautiful Folk Songs
We put together a personal collection of the most beautiful folk melodies - traditional and contemporary. Send us a list of your own favourites, for a second show in the future.
Duration: 00:58:19 | Date: 1 September, 2019
Blues With a Difference
The world's most versatile musical form lends itself to songs both sad and funny, and sometimes quite blue.
Duration: 00:52:37 | Date: 25 August, 2019
Boucher and McNeill
Gillian Boucher, fiddler, and Bob McNeill, singer and guitarist, have formed a folk duo well worth listening to, and are touring in anticipation of the release of a new album.
Duration: 00:59:14 | Date: 18 August, 2019
Mix Tape 4
A set of really good songs and instrumentals we've come across and haven’t been able to fit into a programme until now. And we remember Mike Seeger (1933-2009)
Duration: 00:58:22 | Date: 11 August, 2019
Kiwiana
Duration: 00:57:28 | Date: 4 August, 2019
Our 250th
To mark the 250th episode of The Folk Music Hour on ART, David invites you to indulge him and enjoy a selection of contemporary folk song writing that he has enjoyed over the years.
Duration: 00:58:12 | Date: 28 July, 2019
Peter Cape
We're still playing NZ folk, and celebrating here the work of the great originator of Kiwiana, Peter Cape.
Duration: 00:49:19 | Date: 21 July, 2019
Tamburlaine
The then-Wellington trio's seminal albums have been remastered onto CD, but they were recorded before the term psych-folk had even been thought of.
Duration: 00:58:10 | Date: 23 June, 2019
Martha Louise
The American-born musician and songwriter has made NZ her home, and can be seen at many venues around greater Auckland singing with her mates.
Duration: 00:58:34 | Date: 16 June, 2019
Gumboot Tango
The Taranaki Kiwiana exponents' two albums from the 90s are still not past their amuse-by date.
Duration: 00:57:53 | Date: 9 June, 2019
Kath Tait
Kiwi singer Kath Tait is more well known in the UK than in NZ, but her wry sense of humour and idiosyncratic songwriting deserve a wide following here.
Duration: 00:55:59 | Date: 3 June, 2019
Mike Harding
Duration: 00:55:58 | Date: 26 May, 2019
Victoria Vigenser
Victoria Vigenser is an extraordinary talent and we predict a global future for her beautifully sung and thoughtful songs. A FMH NZMM special.
Duration: 00:59:07 | Date: 19 May, 2019
Folk Blokes
A programme of songs by Kiwi bloke artists, part of our NZ Music Month series.
Duration: 00:59:20 | Date: 11 May, 2019
NZ Women Folk
A programme of songs by Kiwi women artists, part of our NZ Music Month series.
Duration: 00:57:41 | Date: 5 May, 2019
NZMM Come All Ye
We launch into NZ Music Month with a programme of Kiwi singers and songs. Thanks to those who generously shared their music, we have enough for over two months!
Duration: 00:57:18 | Date: 28 April, 2019
Anzac Day Special
As we honour the fallen, we play songs, both rock and folk, which touch on many wars, and ask why so many died to create our two nations and our legends.
Duration: 00:49:57 | Date: 21 April, 2019
Four Women of English Folk
Shirley Collins, Maddy Prior, June Tabor and Norma Waterson have all enriched the repertoire of Anglo-American Folk Music.
Duration: 00:57:49 | Date: 14 April, 2019
Robert Burns
Of the hundreds of recorded hours of Robert Burns' poems and songs, the Folk Music Hour plays some gems, and reveals the importance and enduring charm of this world famous Scot.
Duration: 00:54:01 | Date: 7 April, 2019
Siblings 2
A second programme of folk artists who happen to be sisters, or brothers, or both, from both sides of the Atlantic. Who would you nominate for a third such show? [email protected]
Duration: 00:58:27 | Date: 31 March, 2019
Sona Jobarteh
Sona Jobarteh's Kora music from The Gambia wowed WOMAD 2019, bringing light into NZ's darkest days. The festival was a triumph of shared cultures, kindness and peaceful coexistence.
Duration: 00:54:28 | Date: 24 March, 2019
Mimi Baez Farina
The younger sister of Joan Baez made a great contribution to folk song and to the humanitarian Bread and Roses organisation
Duration: 00:53:47 | Date: 17 March, 2019
Good For a Laugh
Folk Music sometimes seems to take itself a little too seriously. This programme mines the rich vein of humour in the genre.
Duration: 00:59:54 | Date: 10 March, 2019
Baltic Folk
We step outside the comfort zone of the Anglosphere to explore some beautiful folk music from Estonia
Duration: 00:57:07 | Date: 3 March, 2019
Folk Wover View
A listen to some of the 'folkier' acts at WOMAD 19 in New Plymouth, March 15 through 17 at the Bowl of Brooklands.
Duration: 00:58:33 | Date: 24 February, 2019
Mixtape 3
A repertoire of songs that don’t necessarily fit a theme but are too good to miss
Duration: 00:56:01 | Date: 17 February, 2019
McCutcheon Plays Seeger
Our annual Pete Seeger show honours his passing in late January; this one features John McCutcheon's tribute album "To Everyone In All The World".
Duration: 00:58:20 | Date: 10 February, 2019
Maeve Gilchrist
Maeve Gilchrist, the Scottish lever harp virtuosa now resident in the US, is on tour round the North Island in February. Details of the tour at KiwiFolk.org, or drop a line to [email protected]. Here's a glimpse of her great playing and singing.
Duration: 00:56:54 | Date: 3 February, 2019
Summer Festivals
The first programme for 2019 plays some of the music from two summer festivals, the Auckland Folk Festival, and Kiwigrass near Hamilton.
Duration: 01:00:10 | Date: 27 January, 2019
Sandy Denny
Sandy Denny is regarded as one of the UK's finest singer-songwriters and her work has grown in stature over the years. Her effortless, smooth vocal delivery still sets the standard for many of today's female folk-based singers.
Duration: 01:00:23 | Date: 6 January, 2019