"When you can't do what you do / You do what you can," sings Jon Bon Jovi on his Covid-19-themed song "Do What You Can," which he debuted last night during Jersey4Jersey, a benefit show on behalf of the New Jersey Pandemic Relief...
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Category Archives: Folk
#songoftheday = GLEN HANSARD: “SONG OF GOOD HOPE” (#songsforourtimes #1)
As of today, I'm starting something new on Love is Pop. Until the COV-19 virus, otherwise known as the coronavirus, is behind us or we're at least in a much better position than we're in right now, I am going to post a song of the...
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#songoftheday / #amlistening = POLLY SCATTERGOOD: “RED”
Spoiler alert: the above video for Polly Scattergood's seven-minute+ new single, "Red," is part two of a five-part short film she'll be releasing this Spring. We've included part one here as well....
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#songoftheday / #amlistening = DOE PAORO: “MIDNIGHT CHOIR”
"We're never-ending," sings the always impressive singer/songwriter Doe Paoro as the chorus of her inspiring new song "Midnight Choir" comes to its finish, her voice sounding like that of an angel singing to us from up above the clouds. ...
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CONCERT REVIEW: MARIELLE KRAFT WITH VISITING WINE – CITY WINERY 7/19/19
by Michael McCarthy Last Friday night on July 19th, 2019, I caught Marielle Kraft with opening act Visiting Wine at City Winery in Boston, Massachusetts. It was a great night and I have to start off by praising the venue, which I found most impressive. THE VENUE: CITY WINERY BOSTON First of all,...
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TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY: AN INTERVIEW WITH LUCY SPRAGGAN
interview by Michael McCarthy Lucy Spraggan hails from the UK and she’s one of the most talented songwriters I’ve ever come to know. In all honesty, her lyrics are brilliant and I can’t think of another artist whose lyrics I like more. She’s truly gifted in that department, her songs often telling stories...
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#songoftheday / #amlistening = DOE PAORO: “SILVER SPRINGS”
It's no secret that singer/songwriter Doe Paoro is one of my favorite artists. If you frequent this site, you undoubtedly know that I regularly interview her. So, it should come as no surprise that I'm in love with her cover of...
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BOSTON BOUND: AN INTERVIEW WITH ALFIE OF HUDSON TAYLOR
interview by Michael McCarthy I first encountered the music of Ireland’s hugely popular duo Hudson Taylor when I caught them opening for Gabrielle Aplin a year ago this month. I’d been a big fan of Gabrielle’s for roughly a half dozen years and was so excited to finally see her live. So much...
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ALWAYS A PLEASURE: OUR 4TH INTERVIEW WITH DOE PAORO
interview by Michael McCarthy Between the intros for our previous three interviews and the live show and album reviews I’ve done covering Doe Paoro and her wonderful music, I feel like I’ve written everything I could possibly say about her already. However, for those of you who are unfamiliar with her and her...
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#songoftheday / #amlistening = LICK NEON: “SLIP”
Lick Neon has been gathering quite the following from playing basements and bars around their home city (and Love is Pop's nearest big city) of Boston, but since their adorable folk-pop song "Slip" went live on Spotify about a month ago, they've already...
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#songoftheday / #amlistening = VANESSA PARADIS: “CES MOTS SIMPLES”
"CES MOTS SIMPLES," the beautiful new single by Vanessa Paradis, translates as "these simple words." The video of Vanessa swinging with water below her, which she dips her tip-toes in, is rather simple, too. ...
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TAKE TWO REDUX: OUR 2ND INTERVIEW WITH LARKIN POE, SISTER DUO EXTRAORDINAIRE
interview by Michael McCarthy Roughly a year ago, during November of 2017, I interviewed the soulful sisters Megan and Rebecca Lovell, otherwise known as Larkin Poe, about their exquisite sophomore album Peach, which was a potent blend of roots rock, Americana, folk rock and old-school country… with the occasional dash of hip-hop, trap-style...
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DIGGING DEEP: AN IN-DEPTH CONVERSATION WITH SARAH MCQUAID
Interview by Michael McCarthy Photos of Sarah by Phil Nicholls (www.philnicholls.co.uk) Sarah McQuaid is fast becoming a legendary folk artist in England, although her career began in Ireland. She released her first album, When Two Lovers Meet, in 1997 and has been going strong ever since. Her new album, If We Dig Any...
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#songoftheday / #amlistening = FREEDOM FRY: “DIE TRYIN”
Parisian-born Marie Seyrat calls herself a jerk in the lyrics to "Die Tryin," a song about how you can try to "get" someone -- to figure them out or relate to them -- and it can seem impossible. Still, as you could guess from the song's title,...
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IRELAND ON THE LINE: AN INTERVIEW WITH HARRY HUDSON TAYLOR
interview by Michael McCarthy Hudson Taylor, the duo comprised of Harry and Alfie Hudson Taylor, is not easy to pin down. As I said in the first question below, I hear so many genres all at once when I hear their upbeat songs. Folk, Americana, Country, Pop – it’s all in there. The...
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