Blog
we’re a pandemic project
so we write about bandcamp fridays, livestream set-ups, video editing etc.
we interview people too
do you want us to cover something?
Bandcamp Friday(s) Playlist
Bandcamp Friday recommendations from Ministry of Folk artists. Bandcamp's fee-free Fridays are a great day to support musicians by buying their music! New(ish) releases from Scottish, Irish and Old-Time artists.
Bandcamp Tips for Musicians
Are you a musician wondering how to set up a new Bandcamp page for success, reach a wider audience, and best leverage Bandcamp to promote your music? We sat down with Jackson Clawson, website designer at Bandcamp, to answer these questions. Below are some tips to help you get your profile in shape for the next Bandcamp Fridays: February 5th, March 5th, April 2nd, and May 7th!
Interview: (virtual) Music Camp Organizers
Ministry of Folk co-founder Summer McCall sat down with camp organizers Mike Block, Alasdair Fraser, Katie McNally, Chris Stone, and Will Wheeler to talk about their decisions to move music camps online in the summer of 2020.
The Complex History of Folk Music, Old Time Music, and Race in America: A Resource List
We wanted to learn more about the history of the music that feeds popular folk music traditions in America today, like Old Time music, and how race has played a role. We reached out to our community as well as music historian and banjo player Tony Thomas to gather useful resources on this topic. These resources are a small window into the wealth of information and scholarship available.
Interview: Mise Fosta (#MeToo)
An exclusive Ministry of Folk interview with the team behind the Mise Fosta (#MeToo) movement shaking the Irish traditional music community.
Bandcamp Day Recommendations
Bandcamp continues to waive their revenue share on the first Friday of the month in order to help artists and labels impacted by the pandemic. This list highlights some of the artists in our community that have released music since the pandemic hit.
Interview: Inside the World of Patreon with Neil Pearlman
An exclusive interview with Neil Pearlman, a brilliant pianist and the host of TradCafe (a podcast of conversations and collaborations with unique artists in traditional music), who walks us through the ins and outs of Patreon.
Folklife Archive Challenge
The American Folklife Center has announced a quarantine challenge: learn a song, tune, poem, or story from the archive, make a recording or video of yourself performing it, and post it online. Find out how to access the archives below, then share your video on social media using the hashtags: #FolklifeArchiveChallenge and #MinistryofFolk
Interview: The Making of a Viral Fiddle Video with Dylan Ladds
Join Summer McCall for an informative interview with filmmaker Dylan Ladds of Dooster Film to discuss his process in making the finale video for the Pure Dead Brilliant Livestream Concert that aired April 14, 2020 and has since received over 100k views world wide. In this interview Dylan will share his screen with us to explain the software and steps he took to sync individual videos of nearly 45 musicians to sound like one live and exciting concert finale!
4 Tips for Students Thinking About Virtual Lessons
Chances are high that most of your favorite folk musicians are offering their expertise through Skype, FaceTime, or Zoom lessons, some of them even here on Ministry of Folk. In order to make the most of your time (and investment) with your musical hero, here are a few tips to keep in mind.
Club Passim’s School of Music Online
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, Passim has smoothly shifted their entire school to online learning making their classes available to people all around the world. Their upcoming spring session for workshops and classes is set to begin May 4, 2020 and is still currently open for registration. You can find many group lessons and workshops available with teachers listed here on Ministry of Folk including Hanneke Cassel, Ethan Setiawan, Louise Bichan, and many more talented musicians.
Basic Zoom Tips
Lots of us are attempting to use Zoom to conduct online lessons, and sometimes we’re getting bad feedback or distortion. Luckily we have a resident techie friend to show us how to change Zoom audio settings for online music lessons.
Bandcamp Day (May 1st)!
On May 1, June 5, and July 3 (the first Friday of each month), Bandcamp is waiving their revenue share for all music/merch purchased on the site. We put together a list of some of the Bandcamp albums from the fantastic musicians who are giving lessons on our site. Please help us support them on Friday May 1 and beyond!
Congrats, you graduated from the Acapella App…
Guest contributor Brennish Thomson talks us through some of the common audio and video woes that people face when trying to showcase their music online. He covers syncing audio and video from two separate sources, simple upgrades to improve video and audio quality for web use, and some other generally useful links to up your production value!
All About Acapella App
Have you wondered what’s up with all these grid videos? Why everyone suddenly seems good at video editing? Update: most of them aren’t, they’re just using the Acapella app. We asked a bunch of friends about their experiences using the app to make solo and collaborative grid videos. The results? It’s a mixed bag.
Ministry of Folk is on Spotify!
Check out music from Ministry of Folk artists on a brand new Spotify playlist! Also check out a new fundraising initiative that Spotify launched yesterday for artists on their platform. And finally, find some other playlists for your quarantine soundtrack.
Equal Sound Corona Relief Fund
In response to the coronavirus pandemic and its devastating effect on our artistic community, the Los Angeles based non-profit Equal Sound launched the Corona Relief Fund (CRF). Through the fund, musicians can apply for an initial grant up to $500 due to the impact of COVID-19. Guidelines to apply and ways to donate are listed at equalsound.org/corona.
7 Tips for Putting Your Music Online
Traditional music is a genre that relies heavily on people playing with people. Since we’re all in quarantine this has become impossible to do, and we all need our tune fix. The closest substitute you’ll find is the internet, but getting your music online can be a huge leap outside your comfort zone. Here’s a list of the top seven things to remember when putting your music online.
Artist Relief Project
The Artist Relief Fund will distribute $200 emergency stipends and support every other week on an ongoing, first-come, first-serve basis as long as funding continues. The first round of payouts is anticipated to be distributed around April 16th. The Artist Relief Project is an initiative by Artly World, a registered 501c3 nonprofit based in Austin, TX; donations are tax deductible.
Club Passim PEAR Fund & Keep Your Distance Fest
The community looks to music for comfort and strength, so Club Passim is working to give them songs that reflect those sentiments. Musicians are posting their songs on YouTube along with the fundraising link that allows people to donate to The Passim Emergency Artist Relief Fund (PEAR Fund).