Allison Russell joins forces with Allison de Groot for a banjo duet in the premiere of Following Folk
CBC Arts | Posted: March 7, 2023 8:15 PM | Last Updated: March 7, 2023
New CBC Arts series Following Folk takes us on a journey to discover the artists who are redefining folk music
Streaming now on CBC Gem, Following Folk takes us on a journey to discover the artists who are redefining folk music today. Featuring in-depth interviews and intimate performances, this series is a treat for all music lovers.
In this first episode of Following Folk, we begin with a collaboration. Montreal's Allison Russell, a pillar of Americana music, joins forces with another Canadian expat in Nashville, Winnipeg's Allison de Groot, for a very special impromptu banjo duet of the song "Sparrow" by Allison Russell.
This coming week at the 2023 Juno awards, airing March 13th on CBC and streaming on CBC Gem, Alison de Groot is nominated along with Tatiana Hargreaves in the Traditional Roots Album of the Year category for their album Hurricane Clarice. In 2022 Allison Russell won Contemporary Roots Album of the Year for her album Outside Child and was also nominated for Songwriter of the Year.
One of my favourite things about playing the banjo is that it's like a glue that fills in the space of whatever musical setting I'm in and I just love to try to find ways to connect with all these different musicians. - Allison de Groot
The Americana community goes beyond genre and that's what I love about it. It really speaks to the melting pot — from the Indigenous roots here, to the Black diasporas, Jewish diasporas, Asian diasporas, all the waves of immigration that have come to these shores and brought music. - Allison Russell
Follow Allison Russel at @allisonrussellmusic and Allison de Groot at @allison_de_groot on Instagram. Stream Following Folk now on CBC Gem.