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Folk music is made by the people and is for the people. It's happening all over the world and has been for generations and it's accessible to everyone right now. There's is so much variety. You might hear singer/songwriters singing about love. Or maybe the songs will be deeply historical or political. Perhaps the music will be played by crazy Celtic or Zydeco or Gypsy bands. Sometimes the music is really sad and sometimes it's so danceable that you cannot stay still. Enjoy the moods.
whatthefolk@me.com
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Your name:
Susi Lanagan
Your program:
What The Folk!
Give us a brief history of the music and genre you play on your show.
Folk music from all around the world in every variety possible.
Describe your program (What sort of music do you play? Are interviews an integral part of your show? Do you have any special weekly/monthly segments or regular acts and labels that you play? Etc)
I think I’m very lucky as there is such a wide variety of music I can play – African, Brazilian, Bulgarian, Celtic, Country, Canadian, Eastern European, Latin, Roots, Singer/songwriters from every country, World, Quebecois, Zydeco and everything in between. I do interviews but only when there are musicians in town who suit my tastes. At the moment I’m interviewing many musicians that I would normally play anyway even if they weren’t in Melbourne. They’re here because of all the festivals that are on this Autumn. For example there are– The Wailin’ Jennys, Harry Manx, David Francey, Jez Lowe, Kristina Olsen, Mozaik, Colum Sands and many more. Otherwise I don’t do many interviews. Personally I just like to listen to music. If I needed to know more about the musicians I’d look up the Web. And mostly I don’t feel a need to know if I like their music. The music speaks for itself I think.
How long have you been doing your program and why do you do a show on PBS?
, 13 months. I’m so grateful to PBS because I’m charmed by the idea of being able to play whatever music I like without any interference. Also, PBS is a music station for enthusiasts. We announcers don’t have to talk about anything else except the music that we love. I learnt about this music I play from programs I heard on the radio in Vancouver 10 years ago when I discovered how various folk music could be. And now I enjoy passing on this rarely heard music to people who either know it well or who are just about to discover it.
Do you know the date you started and how many shows you have done?
What The Folk! has been playing since February 2005 and I’ve only missed 6 shows, mostly because of a trip to Canada last year so that makes it about 46 shows, plus I’ve done fill-ins for other shows, like Global Village and Africa No 1 (the latter on Christmas Day – it was great fun!)
Why did you start doing your program/ why did you apply to do a program on PBS?
When I learnt about radio announcing in Vancouver, Canada, the only radio station that I could find in Melbourne was PBS and it was Roger Holdsworth’s show. So when I got back here he was the one I called. There didn’t seem to be a show on PBS that dealt with the wide variety of folk music that I was interested in so I hoped I would be able to fill a gap and I hope I have managed to fill it. It seems to from the people who’ve called me up. There are people from every nationality and lots of musical tastes who call me. And it’s so great to hear from them all.
Why is community radio and PBS important to you?
I think I’ve probably already answered this question, but it’s the freedom that PBS gives to play your own preference of music that appeals to me. And I feel supported by the staff here.
Who are your favourite bands?
What a huge question! The ones that spring to mind are lively ones like La Bottine Souriante (from Quebec) who were just out here for the International Melbourne Festival and Unified Gecko (Australia) and beautiful singer/songwriters like Kate Rusby (UK), Karen Savoca & Dar Williams (both from the US). But my list of favourite bands changes every week…
Where are your favourite places to see live music?
Last week it was the Alexandra Gardens while the Melbourne Festival was on. It was so lovely to dance to La Bottine Souriante, Miriam Makeba, Shooglenifty, Doch and many more under the stars. This week it’s the Brunswick Town Hall during the Brunswick Music Festival. Next week, it will be under the stars again in Canberra at the National Folk Festival. That’s if it isn’t raining!
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