Over the years, the folk music industry has brought up many legendary artists. The music genre has produced some remarkable artists who are responsible for creating one of the most exciting music, yet they have not received the kind of recognition that they truly deserve, as a band like Tool would.
Today, in this article, we’ll talk about seven underrated artists in the folk music scene:
- First Aid Kit
First Aid Kit is a folk duo from Sweden, formed by two sisters – Johanna and Klara Soderberg.
Since their first appearance in 2007, they have released three albums and two EPs so far, and they’re known for their famous song, “Emmylous,” recorded in 2012.
While their latest album, Stay Gold, was able to receive a fair amount of critical acclaim, they still haven’t made much impact commercially.
- Winter Wilson
Winter Wilson is a folk band made up of two indie-folk artists, Kip Winter and Dave Wilson. And ever since 1995, the duo has been performing and composing music together. They come from Lincolnshire, UK.
Many people know them as someone who loves visiting folk music festivals, particularly during the fall and the summer, but most people don’t realize that they love making appearances too.
In 2014, the Telegraph labeled their latest album, Cutten Free, as one of the best folk albums of the year.
- You+Me
You+Me was a folk music duo consisting of singers Dallas Green and Alecia Moore (famously knowns as Pink).
The duo had met through mutual friends several years ago before forming a band in 2014. Green invited Moore to sing along with him at many of his shows in the UK. Soon, they also started to write songs together, and the duo released their debut album, “Rose Ave.”
In September 2014, the band had also released their promotional song, “You and Me,” from their debut album on their Vevo Channel.
The band name, You+Me, is based on their desire to sing songs together.
- The Rails
The Rails is a folk rock band that consists James Walbourne and Kami Thompson (husband and wife) who hail from London, England.
They met first in 2007, during one of the recording sessions of Kami’s mother, Linda Thompson for Versatile Hearts album.
And, after they felt they had a great music connection, they immediately formed their folk-rock band in January 2014. Then they signed up a record deal with Island Records and released their first album, Fair Warning, in 2014. The album soon peaked the #95 on the UK Album chart.
Today, many musicians consider The Rails as a folk, folk-pop, and folk-rock band.
- Phillip Henry & Hannah Martin
Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin are a folk duo from England.
Henry is a harmonica player and a slide guitarist, while Martin is a singer and a songwriter.
Since becoming a bank in 2010, the folk duo has released several albums, such as ‘Singing The Bones,’ ‘Live in Calstock,’ and ‘Mynd.’
They have also received several awards such as BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, South West Music Awards for Best Folk Act 2013, and Spiral Earth awards for Best Duo 2013.
- Hudson Taylor
Hudson Taylor (formerly “Harry & Alfie”) are an Irish folk rock band formed by two brothers (Harry and Alfie Hudson-Taylor) in 2011.
They both grew up in Dublin, and come from a musical background family. Their father was musician and mother was a dancer.
They are signed to Rubyworks Records. However, they had released their first album, “Battles,” a few years ago, in 2012. Their debut album gained popularity and soon climbed the #1 ranking on the Irish version of iTunes and the #14 ranking on UK version.
And, in November 2012, the band went on to release their second album,”Cinematic Lifestyle.” In 2013, they released their third album, “Osea,” at which time they both decided to sign a record with the Polydor Record in the UK.
- Seasaw
Seasaw is an American folk duo composed of two members – Meg Golz and Eve Wilczewski. Since forming a band, the duo has released several albums, such as Seasaw, Too Much of a Good Thing, and The Look in Your Eyes Tell Me This is a Bad Idea.
Meg and Eve met first time while working at an Italian restaurant. As soon as they realized that had similar taste in music and same life goals, they soon started to play together, as a cover band, “BoboMosie.”
Their album “Too Much of A Good Thing” was rated one of the top 5 underground albums of the month by The Nerdist.
And, at a Wisconsin Summerfest, they were also named as one of the top emerging artists of the year.
Their song “Into the White” was considered one of the best songs of 2016.
I understand that hiring one of these underrated folk duo artists for your events and parties might be almost impossible, considering their availability and your budget. But there are several famous cover bands (such as the ones from the Greenlight Booking bands) that can turn your wedding reception, corporate function, or gala into a jaw-dropping event.
Over to you: Have you hired cover bands for your events? How was your experience? Please tells us in the comment box below.
* This was a special editorial. Any views, rankings, or folk arguments are limited to the authors and not necessarily Greg or Matt who are overall agreeable people
