
Folk State of the Union: Rissi Palmer, Rose Cousins, Kaïa Kater & Jobi Riccio Live on Cayamo, ep. 343
From Basic Folk by The Bluegrass Situation
May 14, 2026 · 1h 3m
About this episode
The episode features a discussion with prominent folk artists about the current state and function of folk music in modern society.
Well, is this not an excuse to get the girlies together if we've ever heard one!? For our final live interview aboard Cayamo, we arranged a check-in with some of our favorite folks to talk about the state of Folk Music (and folk-adjacent music). Our panel included country artist and host of Apple Music's Color Me Country Radio Rissi Palmer, Canadian sweethearts Rose Cousins (CEO of emotions) and Kaïa Kater (Dean of Sad Songs), and Jobi Riccio, a self-proclaimed "rizzler." We spoke about the function of folk songwriting, the hope and confidence of Gen Z, the inspiration taken from elders, and the fact that there are Black people in the future (thank you, Alice Randall). We’ve noticed some folk songs coming out recently about moving forward and persevering despite living in hard times. It seems like the folk zeitgeist is collectively coming together to say something and we wanted to explore what’s happening with folk musicians at this time. What is the function of folk songwriting in modern times? Comfort? Information? Inspiration? Folk is the big scoop that catches everyone. We need there to be a place for everyone else – and we are the everyone else. When you choose to be in this…
People in this episode
Guests: Rissi Palmer, Rose Cousins, Kaïa Kater, Jobi Riccio
Topics covered
- Folk Music
- Songwriting
- Gen Z
- Community
- Cultural Inspiration
- Perseverance
Keywords
- folk music
- songwriting
- community
- Gen Z
- cultural inspiration
- perseverance
- Rissi Palmer
- Rose Cousins
- Kaïa Kater
- Jobi Riccio
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Apple Music
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