10 Folk Music Artists You Need to Know in 2014

2014 is shaping up to be a great year for folk music. Here are 10 artists you need to know about.

The Revivalists

The Revivalists are a seven-piece rock band from New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., formed in 2007. The band members are David Shaw (lead vocals), Zack Feinberg (guitar), George Gekas (bass guitar), Andrew Campanelli (drums), Rob Ingraham (saxophone), Ed Williams (pedal steel guitar) and Michael Girardot (keyboard, trumpet).

The Revivalists have released three albums: their self-titled debut album in 2009, City of Sound in 2013, and Men Amongst Mountains in 2015. All three albums have peaked at number one on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart. ” Wish I Knew You”, the first single from Men Amongst Mountains, reached number one on the Billboard Adult Alternative Songs chart and number two on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.

The Lumineers

The Lumineers are one of the hottest folk-rock bands around, and their song “Ho Hey” has been almost inescapable over the past year. The group’s self-titled debut album has been in the Top 10 on the Billboard album chart for most of 2013, and they’ve sold out shows across the country. The Lumineers are proof that there’s still a large audience for stripped-down, heart-on-sleeve music.

The Head and the Heart

The Head and the Heart are an American indie folk band from Seattle, Washington. The band’s debut album, The Head and the Heart, was released in June 2011 on Sub Pop records. The album was produced by Marcus Hamblett and recorded in a rented house in rural Oxfordshire, England.

The band is composed of Josiah Johnson (vocals, guitar, piano), Charity Rose Thielen (vocals, violin, guitar), Jon Russell (guitar, vocals), Chris Zasche (bass), Tyler Williams (drums), and Kenny Hensley (piano).

The Head and the Heart have toured extensively throughout North America, Europe and Asia. They have performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Conan and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. In 2014, they performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Of Monsters and Men

Of Monsters and Men is a six-piece band from Reykjavik, Iceland who originally formed in 2010. The group, who first gained international attention after winning a national music competition in their native country, released their debut album ‘My Head Is an Animal’ in 2011 which went on to be certified Platinum in the US, Canada and several other countries. The band’s pleasing blend of indie pop and folk music has drawn comparisons to Mumford & Sons and Arcade Fire, and their anthemic single ‘Little Talks’ was even nominated for a Grammy Award. With a second album due out this year, Of Monsters and Men are sure to be one of the biggest breakout bands of 2014.

Mumford & Sons

Mumford & Sons is a British folk rock band formed in 2007. The band consists of Marcus Mumford (lead vocals, guitar, drums), Ben Lovett (vocals, keyboard, piano), Winston Marshall (vocals, banjo, mandolin) and Ted Dwane (vocals, bass guitar). Mumford & Sons have released three studio albums: Sigh No More (2009), Babel (2012) and Wilder Mind (2015). The band has also issued two live albums: Live at Shepherd’s Bush Empire (2011) and The Road to Red Rocks (2012).

Mumford & Sons’ music is characterised by Marcus Mumford’s lead vocals and acoustic guitar Homehttp://www.mumfordandsons.com/discography/, as well as Winston Marshall’s electric guitarhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGKfrgqWcv0&feature=youtu.be&t=109, Ben Lovett’s keyboardshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGKfrgqWcv0&feature=youtu.be&t=109 and Ted Dwane’s bass guitarhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGKfrgqWcv0&feature=youtu.be&t=109 and drumshttp://www.nme.com/news/various-artists/74609#KQ2lmgxJP55bPCi4.99/. Their debut album Sigh No More was released in October 2009 in the UK followed by a North American release on 16 February 2010 which subsequently became a commercial success reaching platinum certificatio in both regions http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS#album/. The album peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/mumford%20and%20sons/#albums and number one on the US Billboard 200 chart http://www.”

The Avett Brothers

The Avett Brothers are an American folk rock band from Concord, North Carolina. The band is made up of two brothers, Scott Avett and Seth Avett, who play the guitar and banjo, respectively. The Avett Brothers also have a third member, Bob Crawford, who plays the double bass.

The Avett Brothers first gained national attention with their 2007 album, Emotionalism. The album featured the singles “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise” and “Shame.” Emotionalism was a critical and commercial success, and it led to the brothers being nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2009.

The Avett Brothers’ most recent album is 2013’s Magpie and the Dandelion. The album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart and No. 1 on the Folk Albums chart. Magpie and the Dandelion includes the singles “Another Is Waiting” and “Morning Song.”

First Aid Kit

Sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg, who make up First Aid Kit, have been impressing music fans since they first appeared online in 2007. Uploading a cover of Fleet Foxes’ “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” to their MySpace page, the Söderberg sisters were quickly praised by both? Fleet Foxes themselves and King of Leon’s Caleb Followill. First Aid Kit’s 2010 debut album The Big Black and the Blue was nominated for a Swedish Grammy and cemented their reputation as one of the most talented younger folk duos around. Their second album, The Lion’s Roar, was released in early 2012 to critical acclaim, with Pitchfork calling it “an undeniably strong follow-up.”

If you’re a fan of: Fleet Foxes, Jenny Lewis, Neil Young

Listen to: “Emmylou,” “I Met Up With The King”

The Civil Wars

From the very first note of their self-titled debut album, it’s clear that The Civil Wars are a special band. Joy Williams and John Paul White have an otherworldly vocal chemistry, and their songs are at once dark and lovely, old-fashioned and yet somehow completely modern.

The Civil Wars won four Grammy Awards in 2013, including Best Folk Album and Best Country Duo/Group Performance. They also took home the prize for Song of the Year for “Barton Hollow,” beating out hits by fun., Mumford & Sons, and Taylor Swift.

The duo is currently on hiatus, but Williams and White have both released solo albums in 2014 — proof that even though The Civil Wars may be over, their exceptional music lives on.

Fleet Foxes

Fleet Foxes are an American indie folk band formed in Seattle, Washington in 2006. The band is composed of Robin Pecknold (vocals, guitar), Skyler Skjelset (guitar, mandolin), Casey Wescott (keyboards, piano, harmony vocals), Christian Zucconi (vocals, harmony vocals), Morgan Henderson (various instruments), andNicholas Peterson (drums). Touring members included Josh Tillman (from 2009 to 2012) and Salvation Army band member Morgan Henderson.

The group received much praise for their 2008 self-titled debut album, nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Folk Album. Their 2011 follow-up Helplessness Blues charted at number four on Billboard 200. In November 2016 they released a third album Crack-Up which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200.

Fleet Foxes began as a childhood friendship between Pecknold and Skjelset who met while attending Lake Washington High School in Kirkland, east of Seattle. Pecknold and Skjelset bonded over an appreciation of Neil Young’s work and respectively played guitar and drums during high school. When Pecknold’s teenage years ended, he enrolled at Acadia University in Nova Scotia to study English literature influenced by his parents who taught English language and literature; he also joined the local church choir with Skjelset and soprano Megan James whom both later joined Fleet Foxes as well as Canadian musician Beggars Banquet recording artist Jenn Grant. The quartet were injecting new life into a local youth group led by Canadian musician Nick Peterson; during their time together the group performed gigs at houses and churches around Puget Sound including one with future Fleet Foxes drummer Jhamilton Norris who had just arrived from South Africa to attend Western Washington University in Bellingham with bass player Cory Hanson of future indie rock outfit Warpaint

Iron & Wine

Spine-tinglingly beautiful and achingly personal, Iron & Wine’s music has won both popular and critical acclaim since the release of 2002’s The Creek Drank the Cradle. The project of singer-songwriter Sam Beam, Iron & Wine draws influence from a wide range of music, from traditional folk to contemporary indie rock. His latest album, Ghost on Ghost, was released in 2013 to much critical acclaim, and Iron & Wine shows no signs of slowing down.