Doris Folkens Archives | Folk Roots Radio

Folk Roots Radio Episode 576: Hillside Festival Girls & Guitars Songwriting Course 2021

Apr 16 2021

We’re giving over the whole of Episode 576 of Folk Roots Radio to the 2021 Hillside Festival Girls & Guitars Songwriting Course. We are joined by facilitators: Marie Zimmerman, Executive Director of the Hillside Festival and Guelph-based singer-songwriter Doris Folkens and three of their students: Halley McKeown, Missy Bauman, and Tania Joy who also share their songs with us. Girls & Guitars is a longstanding feature of Hillside Inside and part of an ongoing project designed to address the gender imbalance in the music industry and thus further Hillside’s mission of encouraging inclusion and equality. The songwriting course is a very special part of that initiative. This year because of Covid-19, the course was virtual and took place on four Friday evenings in January. Halley, Missy, and Tania also performed virtually at this year’s Hillside Inside. Check out the full playlist below.

2021 Hillside Festival Girls & Guitars Songwriting Course – Folk Roots Radio

Apr 10 2021

We’re pleased to showcase the 2021 Hillside Festival Girls & Guitars songwriting course on Folk Roots Radio Live. We are joined by facilitators Marie Zimmerman, Executive Director of the Hillside Festival and Guelph based singer-songwriter Doris Folkens, and three of their students: Halley McKeown, Missy Bauman and Tania Joy who will also share their songs with us. Girls & Guitars is a longstanding feature of the summer festival winter counterpart, Hillside Inside, and part of a 10+-year-old project designed to address a gender imbalance in the music industry, furthering the festival’s mission of encouraging inclusion and equality. The songwriting course is a very special part of that initiative. This year because of Covid-19, the course was virtual, and took place on four Friday evenings in January. Halley, Missy and Tania also performed at this year’s Hillside Inside.

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Folk Roots Radio Episode 511: We’re All About The Music! (Lockdown Edition)

May 04 2020

We’re bringing you another hour of great new music on Episode 511 of Folk Roots Radio. This time around we’re including more new Covid-19 tunes, some songs recorded during the coronavirus lockdown, alongside some fine new releases. Join us for new music from Martyn Joseph, Chip Taylor, Crys Matthews & Heather Mae, Gillian Nicola, Shawn Clarke, Bill Bourne, Katie Dahl, Doris Folkens, Pharis & Jason Romero, Claudia Nygaard, Leeroy Stagger, Maggie Duffy, Nelson Sobral, Donovan Woods, Carolyn Anele and Shelley Posen. Stay safe and well everyone! We will get through this… together and apart. Check out the full playlist below.

Folk Roots Radio Episode 441: Hillside Festival Girls & Guitars Songwriting Course 2019

Apr 17 2019

We’re giving over the whole of Episode 441 of Folk Roots Radio to interviews with the participants and facilitators of the 2019 Hillside Festival Girls & Guitars Songwriting Course that took place in Guelph during the winter. The songwriting workshop is specifically designed to help aspiring female songwriters develop effective songwriting skills and strategies while gaining confidence in their own ability, and all within a supportive learning environment. As you will hear during these interviews, the music industry is currently skewed 70:30 in favour of men – not just in terms of performers, but also behind the scenes – in management, booking agents, tech crews, artistic directors, and critics. During the four-week course, participants worked on an original song that was eventually recorded by Nick Zubeck at Arthur North Studios in Guelph. The students also played their song live at a special event during the Hillside Inside winter festival this past February. It’s our privilege to share those songs with you again today. Check out the full playlist below.

Folk Roots Radio Episode 405: feat. Jory Nash & More New Releases

Nov 08 2018

Jory Nash joins us on Episode 405 of Folk Roots Radio to chat about his latest album “Wilderness Years”, and the challenges of making a living as a singer-songwriter in a world where online streaming is rapidly becoming the primary way people listen to music. He also plays two songs from the new album live for us. It’s a great interview and definitely worth sticking around for. We also hear from Guelph based singer-songwriter Doris Folkens who has just released a new single for Remembrance Day, “All Our Roses”, and check out more of the new music we’ve received including new releases from Kaia Kater, Missy Raines, Kathy Kallick Band, Kittel & Co. and Jenie Thai. Check you the full playlist below.

Doris Folkens All Our Roses - Folk Roots Radio Interview

Nov 07 2018

Guelph singer-songwriter Doris Folkens has released a new song for Remembrance Day. The new song, “All Our Roses”, is about her mother’s experience as a young child living in Hamburg, Germany during World War 2. Doris Folkens family history has provided rich material for a young singer-songwriter who is already developing a reputation as a storyteller. The song “Across The Sea” on her debut album is a song about a woman leaving home for love and a life across the sea. It’s also partly her mother’s story, as an immigrant from Germany, who found better opportunities in Canada. All Our Roses was produced by Andrew Collins who also plays mandolin on the new recording. We caught up the Doris Folkens in Guelph to chat about the new song. For more information about Doris Folkens, visit dorisfolkens.com. Music: Doris Folkens “Across The Sea” from “Doris Folkens” (2018, Self) and “All Our Roses” (2018, Self).

Folk Roots Radio Episode 381: Doris Folkens & New Releases

May 17 2018

Guelph storytelling singer-songwriter Doris Folkens joins us on Episode 381 of Folk Roots Radio to chat about her music and her self-titled debut album, produced by mando-maestro Andrew Collins. It’s a great interview, and well-worth checking out. We also check out new music from Mayhemingways, Sugar Brown, Birds of Chicago, Miller – Macdonald – Cormier, Sue Foley, Tom Rush, Joe Jencks, Graham Parker and Robert Lane. Check out the full playlist below.

Folk Roots Radio Episode 380: The Lifers & New Releases

May 10 2018

We’re taking a distinctly female musical perspective on Episode 380 of Folk Roots Radio as we chat to Liv and Anita Cazzola from Guelph’s The Lifers about their sophomore release “Honey Suite”. Liv and Anita have been delighting listening audiences across Canada since there release of their first E.P. “Set the Sails” (2014) and their first long player “Out & In” (2016), although our relationship with them goes back to their first band as a duo, Detour. It’s a great interview – well worth sticking around for. We also check out more new music from female performers including new releases from Doris Folkens, Alicia Toner and Ali McCormick and Carly Thomas. Check out the full playlist below.

Doris Folkens - Folk Roots Radio Interview

May 08 2018

Guelph Ontario singer-songwriter Doris Folkens writes songs that are rooted in people and the events that shaped their lives. She’s just about to release her old-time styled self-titled debut. The album, produced by Toronto’s five-time Juno nominee, and seven-time Canadian Folk Music Award winner, Andrew Collins features seven original story songs with support from Collins (mandolin), Shane Cook (fiddle) and Frank Evans (banjo). “The story behind the album started two generations ago. During World War 2 in Hamburg, my grandmother rescued her piano from her burning house (the family house is depicted in the album art), which had been hit by a bomb. This was the piano that crossed the ocean on a container ship to Canada when my mother married. Years later, I learnt music on that same piano. I often wonder: If my grandmother hadn’t rescued that piano, would I be playing music at all? Her actions, two generations later, left their mark on the songs that I’ve written for this album. The songs are based on true family stories. It’s about where we came from and those who raised us.” The album also includes the Doris Folkens song “Lonesome In The Grave No More” which took home the Songs of the Heart award for humorous song at the 2017 Folk Music Ontario conference. We caught up with Doris Folkens at home in Guelph to chat about her music. The Doris Folkens CD release show will take place in Guelph at The Common on Saturday May 26 2018 at 7 p.m. For more information about the music of Doris Folkens, visit dorisfolkens.com. Music: Doris Folkens “Dig A Hole”, “Lonesome In The Grave No More” and “Right Side Of The Tracks” from “Doris Folkens” (2018, Self).