In 2025, Maria produced and released a mini series of podcasts telling the stories of women working in roots music, on stage and behind the scenes. Womenfolk features in-depth interviews with some fascinating musicians, songwriters, organisers, educators and more. Hit the play buttons on the audio players below to check out the introductory mini episode and the full interviews with wonderful fiddler, guitarist, singer & songwriter Hannah Read, Grammy winning USA songwriter and singer Melody Walker, English banjoist, composer and visual artist Kate Griffin, and Texas festival organiser and educator Brandi Waller-Pace of Decolonizing the Music Room. We hope to record and release further episodes of the Womenfolk podcast in the future.
Introducing Womenfolk
Hannah Read – from the Isle of Eigg to Alaska via Boston, Hannah has built a transatlantic career as a renowned fiddle player, singer and songwriter
Melody Walker – based in Nashville, the Grammy-winning songwriter, singer and activist brings a unique perspective to American roots music
I’ve been lucky enough to get to work with so many fantastic, fascinating people over the years, and in the Womenfolk podcast, I hosted a short season of interviews with female artists and organisers working in roots music – extremely talented and hardworking people who are making fabulous art, making great events happen and generally bringing life-affirming joy and merriment to their local communities and to audiences around the world. Championing women has always been a key part of my mission, and I’ve worked hard to ensure a fair level of gender representation in True North Music’s events and booking roster – read more here. Our programme has featured numerous incredible female artists (and bands that include women), including Sierra Hull, Jaywalkers, Liv Greene, Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards, Molly Tuttle, Front Country, Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves, The Small Glories, Evie Ladin, Sophie Wellington and many more. The podcast theme music was written by me and is the instrumental version of my original song “The Old Ways”. Copyright © and ℗ 2025 Maria Wallace, all rights reserved. Thanks to the musicians on the track, Jay Bradberry (fiddle), Mike Giverin (mandolin) and Lucille Williams (double bass) from Jaywalkers, plus Phil Stott on guitar. The full version with vocals can be found on my EP “The Merryville Sessions” – listen and buy at my Bandcamp page. 
I want to thank Arts Council England, whose funding support via the Developing Your Creative Practice grant helped me bring these podcast episodes to fruition.
I want to thank Arts Council England, whose funding support via the Developing Your Creative Practice grant helped me bring these podcast episodes to fruition.