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Music
“Who the hell is Ralph Rinzler?” I asked. “The director of the Smithsonian’s Festival of American Folklife, you idiot!”
There are times when a songwriter, a song, and a moment come together to make an impact beyond anyone’s expectations.
This video examines Rahim AlHaj’s composition “Running Boy,” drawing from a letter written by Rahim’s nephew Fuad.
On one hot August evening, A Tribe Called Red turned the National Museum of the American Indian into a dance party.
Al Hurricane’s music and image will forever be synonymous with the proud history of New Mexico.
Gilberto Reyes is one of the most influential, modest, and under-recognized people in American regional and Mexican traditional music.
Una vez al año, la gente se reúne en El Parque de la Amistad en San Diego, California, y Tijuana, México, para una ocasión feliz: el Fandango Fronterizo.
Once a year, people gather at Friendship Park in San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Mexico, for a joyous occasion: the Fandango Fronterizo, or border fandango.
Listen to an interview with Arrington de Dionyso about his early inspirations from Folkways Records, the merits of explicit versus implicit political art, and his motivations to create collaborative and challenging music.
Folklife Magazine explores how culture shapes our lives. We publish stories about music, food, craft, language, celebrations, activism, and the individuals and communities who sustain these traditions.