The Roots will premiere The Folk Bag

Tonight at 6 PM, The Roots will premiere The Folk Bag, a new program focusing on Folk music and its role in the St. Louis music scene. We started by finding the perfect producers and hosts.

Both Dusty and Pearl began playing as teens in folk venues and coffee houses where they honed their instrumental skills and the art of crafting tight vocal harmonies. Each possesses in-depth knowledge of the music in their repertoire and folk music, in general. The styles are varied and include traditional folk, roots, singer-songwriter, classic country, Americana, original songs, and surprises. They invite the audience in by conveying the joy that goes with performing tunes that hold special significance for them.

Dusty James (guitar, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, vocals) started playing and singing when he was very young. His influences included Lead Belly, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Doc Watson, Mississippi John Hurt, and Merle Travis. Over the years, he has appeared in numerous settings, both locally and nationally, including A Prairie Home Companion and CBS Radio, and he has had the privilege of performing on stage with the likes of Doc Watson and Roland White, among others.

Abalone Pearl (guitar, banjo, autoharp, dulcimer, vocals) started playing guitar at age 12 when she was inspired by Bob Dylan, Jean Ritchie, Mike Seeger, Memphis Minnie, The Carter Family, Robert Johnson, and the folk movement of the 1960s. She became a professional musician at age 15, playing in coffee houses and other venues. Before that, Abalone was a member of various country rock, folk rock, and oldies bands. Pearl has had a long and abiding interest in music history and owned a popular St. Louis record store, The Disc-Connection, for many years.

The duo was named Top Finalists in the 2021 Great American Song Contest for the lyrics to their original song, “Here You See Me Standin’. Finalists again in the 2023 contest for the lyrics and melody to the same song. The The Great American Song Contest is one of the biggest songwriting competitions in the USA, with 1900 songs entered from 42 countries. The same song was also a finalist in the international Talent Is Timeless contest. Their newest song, “Run for the Border,” was named a Top Finalist in the 2024 Great American Song Contest.

The Folk Bag will take you back to Gaslight Square and the once vibrant Folk music scene we had in St. Louis.
The popularity of folk music is rising significantly, particularly among Gen Z and indie-folk artists on outlets like The Roots FM.
Modern folk-pop and indie-folk artists are topping charts, bringing acoustic sounds and authentic storytelling lyrics to mainstream audiences.

Start at the beginning with Dusty and Pearl. Thursdays at 6pm, right here on The Roots FM.  If you miss the premiere, you can always catch the replay on demand via our Archive Music Player.