My guest on this episode is Brandi Waller-Pace. Based in Texas Brandi (she/they) is the founder and organiser of the Fort Worth African-American Roots Music Festival (FWAAMFEST). Brandi also founded the nonprofit organization Decolonizing the Music Room in 2019, with a mission “to center Black, Brown, Indigenous and Asian voices in music education, research and performance.” Brandi holds Bachelor and Masters degrees in Jazz Studies from Howard University, and taught music to elementary school children for over a decade.

Brandi does an incredible amount of fascinating and important work as an educator, event organiser, speaker and musician. We discuss how Brandi came to old time music and why she has a keen interest in the history of the banjo, as well as finding out more about her experiences as a Black woman working in music. Brandi also told me a bit about HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) in the US and how attending an HBCU benefited her own development as a young adult. This was a thoroughly absorbing, eye-opening conversation – I learned a lot and I hope you will too.

Podcast theme music ("The Old Ways - instrumental") was written by Maria Wallace with musicians Jay Bradberry (fiddle) Mike Giverin (mandolin) Lucille Williams (double bass) & Phil Stott (guitar). Copyright © and ℗ 2025 Maria Wallace. All rights reserved. This episode also features unreleased clips of Brandi Waller-Pace playing & singing the traditional (public domain) song Red Rocking Chair, with her permission.

Links:

https://www.brandipacemusic.com/

https://www.decolonizingthemusicroom.org/

https://www.fwaamfest.com/

Follow Brandi on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/brandipacemusic/

https://www.instagram.com/decolonizingthemusicroom/

https://www.instagram.com/fwaamfest/

https://www.facebook.com/DecolonizingtheMusicRoom

https://www.facebook.com/fwaamfest

Check out Brandi’s singing and playing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8wEV9pzmdM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwwIVHCrtZ4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAtbuLYR2vA

True history of the banjo:

Uncovering the History of the Banjo with Rhiannon Giddens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiP8Tfa8bB8

Why this instrument explains Black American folk music, with Jake Blount:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrRfOzhM2AE

An article by Martin Urbach (on DTMR website) about harmful songs:

https://medium.com/@martinurbach/you-might-be-left-with-silence-when-youre-done-the-white-fear-of-taking-racist-songs-out-of-89ecdc300ee5

More on the history of HBCUs:

https://hbcufirst.com/resources/hbcu-history-timeline

90min PBS documentary film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FscDlqZg5dk

Kate Griffin

My guest on this episode is Kate Griffin, a talented English multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer, photographer and visual artist. Known for her innovative clawhammer banjo playing, evocative singing and genre-blurring musical adventures, Kate is a founder member of acclaimed folk-roots band Mishra, which performs in various guises from duo to six-piece. She was formerly a member of folk trio The Magpies, and has an ongoing duo collaboration with Mozambique multi-instrumentalist Matchume Zango.

In our chat we discuss how Kate came to folk and roots music, how Mishra went from bluegrass covers band (her words, not mine!) to global folk collective, and about how Kate likes to push the boundaries of banjo playing in her efforts to stretch her own creativity. We also talk about some of her experiences as a woman on the UK folk scene, and her love of nature and the outdoors, which helps to recharge her creative batteries. Kate also mentioned her educational work and playing for children at organisations like Concerteenies and Little Puddle People. This was a really enjoyable conversation – it’s always a pleasure talking to Kate, such a thoughtful, creative person, and a real Renaissance Woman!

Podcast theme music ("The Old Ways - instrumental") was written by Maria Wallace and features Jay Bradberry (fiddle), Mike Giverin (mandolin), Lucille Williams (double bass) and Phil Stott (guitar). Copyright © and ℗ 2025 Maria Wallace. All rights reserved. This episode also features some excerpts of Kate Griffin’s music, with her permission: clips of “Rise” and “Reel to Reel” from Mishra’s album Reclaim, and of “If We Listen” from Kate Griffin & Matchume Zango’s album “Tchopo”. Copyright © and ℗ Kate Griffin, all rights reserved.

Website links:

https://www.kategriffincreative.com/

https://www.mishramusic.co.uk/

Listen to and buy Kate’s music at

https://mishramusic.bandcamp.com/

https://kategriffin.bandcamp.com/

Follow Kate Griffin and Mishra on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/kate.griffn

https://www.instagram.com/mishra.music/

https://www.instagram.com/griffinandcollier/

https://www.instagram.com/griffin.zango/

https://www.facebook.com/mishraband

https://www.youtube.com/@mishra_music

Mishra duo – official video of If We Listen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f_UMSxzwB4

Milholo by Kate Griffin and Matchume Zango

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXTSxqrhBuc

The Manchester Rambler being performed up on Kinder Scout:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiTNmoqfYD4

Making Tracks music exchange programme:

https://makingtracksmusic.org/

Welcome to my conversation with Melody Walker, a brilliant songwriter, singer and musician from California. Melody’s star is in the ascendant as an in-demand co-writer in Nashville, Tennessee, and she recently won a Grammy Award! Melody is a remarkable singer and performer with lots of interesting projects on the go, including the band BERTHA – Grateful Drag, which is causing quite the sensation. I’ve known Melody for a number of years and previously worked with her bluegrass-roots band Front Country. So it’s been fascinating to see Melody’s career blossom and develop. It was great to catch up with her for this interview, where we chatted about all these topics, as well as the value of building community in music, in all sorts of ways.

Womenfolk is a new podcast telling the stories of women working in roots music. Maria Wallace (True North Music) hosts in depth interviews with female musicians, songwriters, creatives and organizers. Please subscribe to the podcast and share the episode far and wide!

Links:

https://www.melodywalker.com/

https://www.gratefuldrag.com/

https://www.frontcountryband.com/

Follow Melody Walker and BERTHA: Grateful Drag on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/melodywritessongs/

https://www.instagram.com/gratefuldrag/

Listen to and buy Melody’s music:

https://frontcountry.bandcamp.com

https://melodywalker.bandcamp.com

BERTHA: Grateful Drag performance videos:

https://www.youtube.com/@GratefulDrag

For Nashville visitors/residents: Writer’s Kitchen every Tuesday

https://www.instagram.com/writerskitchenround

Check out Melody’s most celebrated co-writes:

American Dreaming (Sierra Ferrell):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8e9nbsq-18

Crooked Tree (Molly Tuttle):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8lDUvDMoqQ

The podcast theme music ("The Old Ways - instrumental") was written by Maria Wallace and features Jay Bradberry (fiddle), Mike Giverin (mandolin), Lucille Williams (double bass) and Phil Stott (guitar). Copyright © and ℗ 2025 Maria Wallace. All rights reserved. This episode also features music clips from “Family Band” by Melody Walker and “Sake of The Sound” by Front Country, both written by Melody Walker. These were independent releases and the excerpts have been used with Melody Walker’s permission as the songwriter and owner of the publishing.