I thought I'd start a thread covering some Folk Music artists, a genre I feel is sadly underrated and misconceived by many people today. I'll expand on this thread over time with recommendations, feel free to add your own 
I thought I'd start with Show Of Hands who are a modern British folk duo, probably one of the best around at the moment. They play mainly songs they've written themselves, but also have an extensive repertoire of traditional folks songs which they perform. I've been a fan of their music for a few years now since I first heard some friends covering a few of their tracks at a local pub. Its through this band that I started listening to folk music, and no its not all twiggy beer, long bears and stuff. Possibly the biggest reason I love this stuff comes down to the quality of the lyrics as well as the musical ability. I get so tired of bland meaningless albums like the majority being pumped out commercially today and its great to come across artists like this that don't hold any punches and aren't ashamed to speak (sing?) their mind when singing about either modern or historic Britain.
I've been listening to their latest album "Roots" today, which is a Best Of album, and been picking up a few good tracks. The title one in particular is a great track, a criticism of this nation which seems so determined to give up its history and traditions whilst embracing other cultures. I've dug up a few links through YouTube if you're interested:
Roots
Tall Ships
Cousin Jack - Another one I tend to play on a regular basis.
Also coming with a strong recommendation from me: Seth Lakeman
He's a young folk musician, primarily a violinist, but a multi-instrumentalist too, including the tenor guitar and viola. He's been popping up in all sorts of places for years, Glastonbury, GMTV and the like, and picking up awards. With the amount of commercial pap around I doubt he'll ever get a break through into the charts, which is a shame because with his talents he deserves a lot more attention than he's likely to get.
Kitty Jay - Live
Lady of the Sea - one of my favourites.
The White Hare
Finally (for now) Martha Tilston. I came across her by accident at a festival. I'd arrived and set up my tent in record time, as had a mate of mine. The others looked like they were going to take a little while but had things all under control so he and I decided to have a wander around and see how things had changed layout wise and see what was going on. As we wandered past one stage I saw this lovely lady singing A Capella, and stamping on the stage to provide the beat. I think from the first word I heard her sing I was entranced, as was my friend who didn't like his folk stuff at all, and I stuck around for what was possibly for me the most memorable half hour of the festival. She hails from Brighton, and is the daughter of the famous folk singer Steve Tilston, and I believe her mother is Maggie Boyle.
Her album "Bimbling" is amongst my favourites, covering a wide variety of subjects. Like Seth she's also played at Glastonbury and a few other major music festivals.
Willy of Winsbury - Live
Playing at Glastonbury, not sure what the song is though
Space - One of my favourites from Bimbling
I thought I'd start with Show Of Hands who are a modern British folk duo, probably one of the best around at the moment. They play mainly songs they've written themselves, but also have an extensive repertoire of traditional folks songs which they perform. I've been a fan of their music for a few years now since I first heard some friends covering a few of their tracks at a local pub. Its through this band that I started listening to folk music, and no its not all twiggy beer, long bears and stuff. Possibly the biggest reason I love this stuff comes down to the quality of the lyrics as well as the musical ability. I get so tired of bland meaningless albums like the majority being pumped out commercially today and its great to come across artists like this that don't hold any punches and aren't ashamed to speak (sing?) their mind when singing about either modern or historic Britain.
I've been listening to their latest album "Roots" today, which is a Best Of album, and been picking up a few good tracks. The title one in particular is a great track, a criticism of this nation which seems so determined to give up its history and traditions whilst embracing other cultures. I've dug up a few links through YouTube if you're interested:
Roots
Tall Ships
Cousin Jack - Another one I tend to play on a regular basis.
Also coming with a strong recommendation from me: Seth Lakeman
He's a young folk musician, primarily a violinist, but a multi-instrumentalist too, including the tenor guitar and viola. He's been popping up in all sorts of places for years, Glastonbury, GMTV and the like, and picking up awards. With the amount of commercial pap around I doubt he'll ever get a break through into the charts, which is a shame because with his talents he deserves a lot more attention than he's likely to get.
Kitty Jay - Live
Lady of the Sea - one of my favourites.
The White Hare
Finally (for now) Martha Tilston. I came across her by accident at a festival. I'd arrived and set up my tent in record time, as had a mate of mine. The others looked like they were going to take a little while but had things all under control so he and I decided to have a wander around and see how things had changed layout wise and see what was going on. As we wandered past one stage I saw this lovely lady singing A Capella, and stamping on the stage to provide the beat. I think from the first word I heard her sing I was entranced, as was my friend who didn't like his folk stuff at all, and I stuck around for what was possibly for me the most memorable half hour of the festival. She hails from Brighton, and is the daughter of the famous folk singer Steve Tilston, and I believe her mother is Maggie Boyle.
Her album "Bimbling" is amongst my favourites, covering a wide variety of subjects. Like Seth she's also played at Glastonbury and a few other major music festivals.
Willy of Winsbury - Live
Playing at Glastonbury, not sure what the song is though
Space - One of my favourites from Bimbling
