Since 1981, Michael Stock has been hosting “Folk & Acoustic Music” on WLRN, every Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. His shows feature all types of folk music, from old-time to contemporary, in addition to hosting live in-studio performances of local and touring musicians. His Youtube channel features more than 900 videos of studio live performances, while the performances are also broadcast live on WLRN’s Facebook page.
His commitment to folk music was recognized last week at the 11th annual South East Region of Folk Alliance International Conference. SERFA awards began in 2014 to honor people, organizations and business for their contributions to the folk music community. This year’s recipients include producer Jim Rooney and bluegrass duo Ginny Hawker and Tracy Schwarz.
During his more than 30 years with WLRN, Stock’s initial transition to live interviews started out with a station-wide shift in programming.
“Twenty years ago, the station used to be a music station, then consultants came in and told us we should do more talking,” Stock said. “So I started focusing more on interviews.”
Stock is now more involved in the storytelling aspect of folk music, as he has coupled his show with “The Public Storyteller” in which he and professional storyteller Caren Niele, Ph.D, MFA, help South Florida residents narrate stories about their lives. Find out more about Michael Stock's work here.
You can also listen to his latest Facebook Live, featuring folk musicians who participated in the Farm 2 Fork Festival in Wynwood:
