20 Folk Music Blogs for 2017

Last year we decided to do a blog ranking article just as a way of making a contribution to our small little corner of the internet. Well thank you to everyone who viewed that post. It was really successful for us and allowed us to virtually meet many new people. As a result here are our picks for 2017. Now please don’t be insulted if some of these are not PURE folk sites; most of them (like ETTG) cover a few genres. Also, if we missed a good one, feel free to let us know in the comments. Let’s get started:

1. Twangville – twangville.com – Well here we are, a new year and the same champion.  What can we say but that Twangville remains the gold standard for blogs sporting the types of music we love here.  The site regularly posts full reviews on excellent new releases especially in folk and roots country.
2. Drunken Werewolf – drunkenwerewolf.com – Despite the strange name, Drunken Werewolf is a serious music blog.  Providing a wide variety of features from analysis to interviews, the site has a snappy design and plenty of fresh content.
3. Timber and Steel – timberandsteel.wordpress.com – This is a classic blog format with plenty of exciting new content.  If you’re looking for a way to keep up on folk news, you really can’t do better than this blog.  The author really works to stay on top of the top stories and provides tons of information about new albums and tours, too.
4. For Folk’s Sake – forfolkssake.com – Aside from having one of the cleverist names on the list, this site also includes a clean layout and an abundance of content.  The site is updated regularly and features all sorts of different types of folk music.  They’re based in the UK and have a pretty deep roster of writers, so they always have something new to read.
5. Stereofox – stereofox.com – Like us, Stereofox put their new music picks front and center.  The site has a really nice dark theme that allows the band graphics to pop.  They have a cool litany of tracks right in the opening and feel more like a site like Tradiio or Reverbnation than strictly a blog, but you just have to check it out.
6. Folk Radio UK – folkradio.co.uk/ – Well it might not come as a surprise that this site is about folk music in the UK.  They have a really high standard both on quality of music, but also frequency of posting.  It’s really just a quality site.  If I were an artist, I’d want to be featured there.
7. Beautiful Song of the Week – beautifulsongoftheweek.com – If some of these daily-updating sites are just too much for you, consider following the folks at beautiful song of the week.  It’s really a wonderful concept.  There’s an artful style to the site overall and a brilliant mission to spread this great music.
8. Casual Band Blogger – casualbandblogger.com – It’s not surprise that anyone reading this list LOVES music, but if you also love images you need to check out CBB.  They have some of the best concert photographs and bright layout of anyone on the list.  There’s plenty of “buzz” feel to the site, so if you’re a FOMO type you’ll love following them for all the hype.
9. Big Bad Buckle – bigbadbuckle.com – BBB is an unapologetic country blog that teeters on the folk scene, so we’re adding them here.  Really there’s some cool acoustic music on the site that’s worth your time.  But we also wanted to show off their clean style that keeps new music coming straight down the middle.
10. Modern Folk Music of America – themodernfolk.net – Of course folk music in the 21st century is not the same as it was a hundred years ago.  So this contemporary blog explores the newest, freshest sounds in folk music.  Featuring alternative recordings and off-the-beaten-path artists, TMF is an intriguing and unique follow.
11. My Old Kentucky Blog – myoldkentuckyblog.com – MOKB is actually one of the pioneer blogs in the genre.  They are credited with breaking some major acts over the years.  They post with a high rate and seem to have a knack for finding some really great bands.  If you can only follow a couple, I’d put this on the list.
12. Kithfolk – kithfolk.com – If you’re a reader of EarToTheGround, you’ve seen us feature several artists from the folks at Hearth PR.  Their business is so successful, they had to set out and start their own blog, which birthed Kithfolk.  It keeps the high standard of folk and Americana music, posting periodically and not swamping their readers with too much.
13. Indie Obsessive – indieobsessive.blogspot.com – It’s not every day you see a blogspot still kicking it with top notch content, but this one is.  The updates are consistent and the content is high quality.  The word obsessive is properly used, too, as much of the content seems to be early and deep, two characteristics often missing in the blogosophere.
14. Breaking More Waves – breakingmorewaves.blogspot.com – Here’s another site with a clean design and solid content.  The music isn’t purely folk, but it includes some that we put in the folk category.  What we love most is that the blog comes at the music world honestly.  There’s a sincere love of music that comes through rather than commercial promotion.
15. Velvet Independent – velvetindependent.com – If you’re a journalism type, you know all about white space.  Velvet Independent has that nice “thinking space” that is white space and it really works for the site’s look and feel overall.  It makes you really focus in on the easy to follow main thread and encourages clicks on their well-curated feed of music.
16. Recommended Listen – recommendedlisten.com – The whole point of a music blog is to spread the word on good music, so RL just put it right in their name.  The site has a functional design and daily content.  It’s not entirely folk, but there’s some sprinkled in so we put them on the list.  But heck, it’s just a rad looking site with good music.  Let’s not squabble about genre, shall we?
17. Fiddle Freak – fiddlefreak.com – The fiddle is one of the iconic instruments in country, Americana, and bluegrass music, so we were excited to see a blog that features the fiddle and the musicians who use it.  The best part of the site, overall, is that the articles are actual features.  There are no quick hitting promo type posts here.  They are all deep and meaningful.
18. Cover Lay Down – coverlaydown.com – This site features folk covers of popular music.  Seriously, do we need to say anything more than that?  What a great idea!  The recordings are also really good quality and run the gamut of different styles of folk music.  It’s definitely worth a follow to hear something new.
19. 3 am Revelations – 3amrevelations.com – All bloggers are just a little bit maladjusted to the world; it’s part of why we’re drawn to this activity.  We’ve all written blogs at 3 am.  We’ve all found a new band we just HAD to listen to their entire discography no matter how late.  This site appears to be dedicated to that insanity in all of us.  I love it.
20. Folk Alley – http://www.folkalley.com/music/freshcuts/ – Local Kent State University public radio plays home to this collection.  Not only do they find new music (with a cool local venue), they also record several artists and post to YouTube.  Quality.

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