Back in 2011, American Songwriter addressed the conundrum, “Why is American folk music bigger in Europe?” A quick glance at the EuroAmericana charts indicates continued strength for the music in Europe, with new albums often leaping to attention well before they do here in the States. Many musicians also fare much better touring in the UK and Europe than they do here. There are even labels and publishing groups based abroad whose rosters are primarily songwriters based in Nashville.
Folk, country, and Americana overlap in slightly different ways in each place, as well. How exciting to see Iris Dement and Dave Rawlings Machine topping a country chart, or the artistically stunning “Best Country Music of 2015” list from the Telegraph, or the depth of the fan blog Nashville Over Here! Podcasts reflect this span of music as well. From regular contributors like The International Americana Music Show to the Troubador Show, hosted by a Scottish man based in Spain, hosts present their take on the best music from or on air in their countries. US podcasters are not exclusive to songwriters from their own country, but perhaps we do not “branch out” within roots music quite as much.
Enjoy a few different takes on music from here and there in the collection below, and let us know in the comments who you think is “huge in Europe” but does not get the attention they should in the States.
Do y’all have a podcast theme, recurring thread, or podcasting technical question you’d like me to cover in this section? Pop me a note via the Contact link, and I’ll do my best to serve it up soon. As always, if you know of a great roots music podcast, we would love to have them upload it to No Depression — all a podcaster has to do is join at the top right of the page (free!), read & agree to the FAQ & regulations, and post under “Podcasts.”
