#5191, Dark Folk

There’s unsettling folk music from both sides of the Atlantic for this show, from both the Appalachian region and the British Isles. Hear Irish trio Rattling Ark, English musician Alison Cotton, and North Carolina band Jesus Is The Path To Heaven, among others.

Photo of Rattling Ark, courtesy of the artist's Bandcamp

From the Irish experimental folk trio Rattling Ark, hear surreal textures in a song called “Leprechaun”, where cellos, zither, percussion, and violyra (an experimental string instrument) combine. The group draws on influences ranging from folk supergroup Pentangle to darker textures of The Haxan Cloak and the cinematic, atmospheres of The Gloaming. Listen also to another of their tracks, "Omos Silverskin” where cello and bass set an expanse of drone over which the zither and voices gently glide until percussion comes in to bring the piece home.

There’s music by American composer and experimental folkster Dorothy Carter, master of the hammered dulcimer, zither, and other hammer chord instruments. Listen to the shimmer and drone in a piece from her 1978 masterwork, Waillee Waillee, which features  Bob Rutman on the steel cello. Also, hear drone-anchored cosmic psych-folk courtesy of English musician Alison Cotton, who interprets Dorothy Carter's “Shirt of Lace”.

Then, experience the North Carolina-based trio Jesus Is The Path To Heaven, a folk-leaning trio, who are perhaps “an extension of the ‘old weird America’ that characterizes so much Appalachian music. But JITPTH is something different. Their new album, Power!, uses the language of Christianity, the language of the Bible, in ways that make it appear shockingly violent. Put another way, there is a lot of blood in the five songs on this album” (Schaefer, July 2026). Listen to one of these tunes, called “All Along the River”. 

Also, hear the blended acoustic and electronic sounds of guitarist Meg Baird and harpist Mary Lattimore from their recent record Ghost Forest, and more. – Caryn Havlik

Program #5191, Dark Folk (First aired 10/6/26)

ARTIST: Dorothy Carter
WORK: Tree of Life [1:43]
RECORDING: Waillee Waillee
SOURCE: Palto Flats / Putojefe Records
INFO: https://paltoflats.bandcamp.com/album/waillee-waillee-2

ARTIST: Rattling Ark
WORK: Leprechaun [4:09]
RECORDING: Top Of A Mountain
SOURCE:  Rattling Ark Music
INFO: https://rattlingark.bandcamp.com/album/top-of-a-mountain

ARTIST: Dorothy Carter
WORK: Tree of Life [5:45]
RECORDING: Waillee Waillee
SOURCE: Palto Flats / Putojefe Records
INFO: https://paltoflats.bandcamp.com/album/waillee-waillee-2

ARTIST: Jesus Is the Path to Heaven
WORK: All Along the River [5:11]
RECORDING: power !
SOURCE: Jesus Is the Path to Heaven
INFO: https://jesusisthepathtoheaven.bandcamp.com/

ARTIST: Rattling Ark
WORK: Omos Silverskin [6:07]
RECORDING: Top Of A Mountain
SOURCE:  Rattling Ark Music
INFO: https://rattlingark.bandcamp.com/album/top-of-a-mountain

ARTIST: Fern Knight
WORK: A Murder of Crows [3:19]
RECORDING: Music for Witches and Alchemists
SOURCE: VHF Records
INFO: https://fernknightvhf.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-witches-and-alchemists

ARTIST: Meg Baird and Mary Lattimore
WORK: Fair Annie (trad) [8:18]
RECORDING: Ghost Forests
SOURCE: TLR-125 - Three Lobed Recordings
INFO: threelobed.com | threelobed.bandcamp.com

ARTIST: Alison Cotton
WORK: Shirt of Lace [12:04]
RECORDING: Only Darkness Now
SOURCE: Bloxham Tapes
INFO: https://bloxhamtapes.bandcamp.com/album/only-darkness-now