Joan Shelley is a songwriter and singer who draws inspiration from traditional and traditionally-minded performers from her native Kentucky, as well as those from Ireland, Scotland, and England, but she’s not a folksinger. Her disposition aligns more closely with that of, say, Roger Miller, Dolly Parton, or Tom T. Hall, who once explained—simply, succinctly, in a song—“I Witness Life.”

Her perspective and performances both have been described, apparently positively, as “pure,” but there’s no trace of the Pollyanna and there’s little of the pastoral, either: her work instead wrestles with the possibility of reconciling, if only for a moment, the perceived “natural” world with its reflection—sometimes, relatively speaking, clear; other times hopelessly distorted—in the human heart, mind, and footprint.

Nathan Salsburg is a frequent collaborator of Joan Shelley and a prolific singer-songwriter through his own endeavors as a guitarist, composer, and curator for the Alan Lomax archive for over 20 years.

He has left an indelible mark on the folk music scene: He’s collaborated with additional renowned artists like James Elkington, and Shirley Collins, and dedicates his other time to preserving musical heritage.