Aoife O'Donovan, ep. 150

BASIC FOLK 150 EPISODES WOO!!! Ok ok ok... for our 150th episode, we are so pleased to welcome Aoife O'Donovan to the pod. Aoife's new album Age of Apathy is out now! This is her third solo record after years of performing with her bands I'm With Her (along with Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz), Crooked Still, Sometymes Why (Kristin Andreassen and Ruth Merenda) and The Wayfaring Strangers. She was born and raised in Newton, Mass and her dad, (radio host and music champion) Brian O’Donovan, moved to the US in 1980. Thanks to her music loving parents, she and her siblings grew up in the “Irish music party world” in Boston. Aoife spent summers in Ireland and is very closely associated with the music, culture and people there. The impact her heritage and the early environment of her life have had on her musicality cannot be understated. 

The role that Aoife has played in the folk and roots world has grown significantly over the years. From her appearances on Prairie Home Companion and Chris Thile’s Live From Here program to her many appearances at Newport Folk Festival, she is a household name in many folk-oriented communities. On her latest album, she works with producer Joe Henry to insight a hypnotic groove throughout her beautifully written songs. There is so much to listen to and discover on this album. Aoife’s been living in Orlando, FL where her husband is the artistic director and conductor for a few symphonies there. She’s actually turned into the city’s number one advocate! She talks about this and entertains my cosmically woo woo questions about feminism, energy and alcohol. Thank you, Aoife!