When we call ourselves New Englanders, we lay claim to traditions that stretch back across the generations and all along the landscapes we love. Constant among these is the unbroken thread of song that binds the elements of our cultures together over the ages. Stretching from Indian chants to lullabies, sea shanties, broadsides, folk hymns, fiddle dance tunes, ballads, blues, and ragtime all the way to the modern folk revivals, this is a living legacy that is still touching the hearts of young people in the 21st century at festivals, on dance floors, and wherever family and friends gather in song.

Folk New England is our way of keeping faith with these traditions. While we trace our beginnings to the campuses and coffeehouses of Boston and Cambridge in the 1960’s, our task is to collect and preserve the wealth of past generations, save and archive them through the use of modern technology, and make them available for study and inspiration now and in the future.Over the past decade, Folk New England has been collecting and protecting hundreds of artifacts: tapes from coffee house performances and house parties, songs and photographs from folk festivals, dances, and concerts, posters, rare vinyl records, and the treasured spoken remembrances in print, audio tape, and videos. Progress has granted us potent new tools in technology and preservation, but time is of the essence as much of this material is subject to the vagaries of events, the deterioration of tape and paper, and the loss of memory.

We are calling on all those who love these songs, this place, and all the traditions that call New England home to join us in creating a resource and treasure trove that will keep the lamp of folk tradition burning into the future.

“For years, I’ve hoped someone would undertake to develop a serious approach to documenting our folk heritage before we lose access to the first generation of the ‘folk revival’. FOLK New England has begun that process in earnest.” – BILL NOWLIN –

“FOLK New England is vital to our cultural memory.” – JUDY COLLINS –

“FOLK New England is a resource that can help new musicians reassess the definition of folk music as seen now in the 21st century.” – DOM FLEMONS -“

“FOLK New England is an important gathering place for the music that defines us culturally. The photographs, recordings, interviews and artifacts tell the story of how our country’s musical and social evolution intertwine.” – ELLIS PAUL -“

“Music is all about connections- connecting the musician with the listener, connecting the listener with wisps of memory, flickerings of emotion. Music doesn’t just appear from the void- it comes from somewhere, from connections between people, cultures and generations. FOLK New England is a vital part of making that connection for new generations of voices, of making available to them the building blocks from the past that they can use to fashion their own vision, make their own connections with new audiences – connecting the past to the present, and to the future.” – TOM RUSH – “Thank you, Folk New England! Alastair Moock’s three-part series on the role of American folk music in social change was the perfect compliment to our study of the land, history, and people of the United States. Students were able to extend their understanding of events such as the Civil Rights Movement and the Dust Bowl, while also being introduced to new content, such as the role of music in the Vietnam War protests. Alastair’s program is a history lesson and a music concert rolled into one. Students are singing as they learn and learning as they sing.” – HAGGERTY SCHOOL 4TH GRADE TEACHERS –