10 Folk Music Artists to Watch in 2020

With a new year comes new music, and we can’t wait to see what the next 12 months have in store. Here are 10 folk music artists to watch in 2020.

Jenn Grinels

Jenn Grinels is a singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. Jenn’s music has been featured on TV shows such as Sons of Anarchy, The Fosters, and Switched at Birth. In 2020, Jenn was named one of Folk Alliance International’s Emerging Artists.

The Ballroom Thieves

The Ballroom Thieves are a folk rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The band consists of Martin Earley (vocals, guitar, cello), Calin Cormaci (vocals, guitar), and Devin Mauch (drums). They have released two studio albums, A Wolf in the Doorway (2016) and Unheartened (2018).

The band’s music has been described as “dark folk-rock with hints of Americana, Celtic music, and jazz.” Their 2016 single “Archer” was nominated for Best American Roots Performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.

The Ballroom Thieves have been described as “one of the most promising new bands in the folk scene.” They have toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe, and have headlined festivals such as Newport Folk Festival and Lotus World Music & Arts Festival.

The Brother Brothers

The Brother Brothers are a refreshing breeze of new talent in the folk world. Comprised of actual brothers Adam and David Moss, the duo’s harmonies and beats will transport you back to a time when folk music was making a name for itself. TheBrother Brothers’ debut album, Some People I Know, was released in 2018 to critical acclaim. Their latest single, “Minnesota,” is a hopeful ballad about home that will stay with you long after the last notes fade away.

Darlingside

Darlingside is a four-piece indie folk band based in Northampton, Massachusetts. The band consists of Don Mitchell (vocals, guitars, banjo), Auyon Mukharji (vocals, violin, mandolin), Harris Paseltiner (vocals, cello), and David Senra (vocals, percussion). They are known for their intricate vocal harmonies and use of traditional folk instruments in a modern context.

The band has released three studio albums: “Pilot Machines” (2011), “Extralife” (2014), and “Birds Say” (2016). Their most recent album, “Whorl”, was released in September 2018. Darlingside has been praised by critics for their thoughtful songwriting and inventive use of traditional instrumentation.

The band has toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe, and have performed at festivals such as Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and SXSW. In 2017, they were named one of NPR Music’s “100 Greatest Emerging Artists.”

Elephant Revival

Elephant Revival is an Americana quintet based out of Nederland, Colorado. Since self-releasing their first album in 2005, the band has toured relentlessly, sharing the stage with such luminaries as The Decemberists, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Avett Brothers, and Railroad Earth. In 2013 they released These Changing Skies, which debuted at #1 on the iTunes Singer-Songwriter charts and went on to sell over 30,000 copies. The band’s most recent album, Petals, was released in 2016 to critical acclaim.

The Greencards

The Greencards are an Americana duo based in Austin, Texas.Comprising British singer-songwriter Caroline Spence and Australian multi-instrumentalist Kym Warner, the band take their name from the green cards that allow Warner to remain in the United States.

The Greencards were founded in 2002 by Spence and Warner, who met while busking on the streets of Santa Cruz, California. The duo’s debut album, Movin’ On, was released in 2003, followed by Weather and Water in 2005. In 2006, the band won a Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance for their song “Mucky the Duck”.

The Greencards’ fourth studio album, Viridis, was released in 2010. The album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard bluegrass chart and No. 1 on the folk chart. The band’s fifth studio album, Sweetheart of the Sun, was released in 2012. The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard bluegrass chart and No. 4 on the folk chart.

The Greencards have toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe, performing at festivals such as Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Glastonbury. In 2016, the band released a live album entitled Live From Solutions Audio-Visual Recording Studio in Austin, Texas.

The Greencards are currently working on their sixth studio album, due for release in 2020.

The Head and the Heart

The Head and the Heart is an American indie folk band from Seattle, Washington. The group’s self-titled debut album was released in 2011 on Sub Pop Records. The album was followed by Let’s Be Still in 2013 and Signs of Light in 2016, both of which topped the Billboard US Folk Albums chart. The band’s fourth studio album, Living Mirage, was released in 2019.

The Head and the Heart’s music is characterized by its use of harmony-heavy vocal melodies, vintage instrumentation, and lyrical themes of love, loss, and redemption. The band has been praised for its “old-fashioned” sound and “heart-on-sleeve” songwriting.

The Lone Bellow

Ahead of the release of their third album, Walk Into a Storm, in September, Brooklyn-based trio the Lone Bellow announce a world tour that kicks off in October. The album’s first single, “Time’s Always Leaving,” is a raucous track that was co-written by all three members of the group—Zach Williams, Kanene Pipkin, and Brian Elmquist—and sets the stage for what promises to be an anthemic record. “It’s a song about impermanence and holding on,” says Williams. “It’s about how everything changes and how things end, but also how those things don’t have to define us.”

The Lone Bellow formed in 2011 and released their self-titled debut album the following year. The record was met with critical acclaim, with the New York Times raving that the band’s “harmonies pierce the heart as easily as a three-pronged arrow.” The group’s sophomore effort, Then Came the Morning, was released in 2015 to similar praise, with NPR declaring that the band had “arrived fully formed” on the album.

The Secret Sisters

The Secret Sisters are an Americana duo consisting of sisters Laura and Lydia Rogers. The pair hinge their music on classic country, gospel, and folk sounds, but also dip into rockabilly, punk, and pop. Their 2020 album Saturn Return is a masterclass in heartbreak country, with the Rogers sisters writing some of the most devastatingly beautiful songs about love and loss in recent memory.

The War and Treaty

Brothers Michael and Tanya Trotter, who make up The War and Treaty, met at an Appalachian Soul workshop in 2007 and the rest is history. With Michael’s bluesy, gravelly voice and Tanya’s powerhouse vocals, the Maryland-based duo make soulful music that is steeped in tradition but fresh and modern all at once. Their debut album Healing Tide was one of the most acclaimed albums of 2018, earning them a Grammy nomination for Best American Roots Performance as well as a slew of other awards and accolades. They are currently working on their follow-up album, which is due out later this year.