The NERFA Podcast presents Wisdom of the Elders, a new monthly series where our host, Sonny Ochs, along with co-host, Ron Olesko, invite distinguished members of the Folk community to share stories, advice and the occasional song! This series will be a mix of conversations that were recorded starting at the 2010 Nerfa Conference as well as new discussions that are exclusive to our podcast.

This month’s episode includes discussions of the 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene and the political unrest of the era. This episode was recorded at NERFA in 2012 and featured Sonny Ochs and Roger Dietz in conversation with:

Happy Traum - From his start playing American folk music in the 1950s, Happy has been an active participant of the legendary Washington Square/Greenwich Village folk scene of the 1950s and ‘60s, and studied guitar with the famed blues master, Brownie McGhee.  A first-rate fingerstyle guitarist and singer, he has performed throughout the U.S. and across the globe, both as a soloist and as a member of various groups. He is recognized as a performer, writer, editor, session musician, teacher and recording artist.

Bob Fass - A radio personality who was a pioneer of free-form radio for over 50 years, primarily on WBAI in New York. His show,”Radio Unnamable” was home to a long list of guests from the folk world, including Bob Dylan (Dylan’s first radio appearance), Joni Mitchell, Arlo Guthrie, Richie Havens, Muddy Waters, Townes Van Zandt and many others.  Bob passed away in 2021 at the age of 87

Josh Dunson - An author, editor, musical artist representative, and social justice activist,  Josh was an editor and writer for Broadside Magazine as well as other folk publications of the era.  Josh is the author of the 1965 book " Freedom In The Air: Song Movements Of The Sixties” as well as “Anthology of American Folk Music”. As an artist represented, Josh has worked with Joe Heaney,  Ola Belle Reed, Katherine Davis and Erwin Helfer and Sidney James Wingfield, Mike Seeger, Peggy Seeger,  Si Kahn Laura Fuentes, Sol y Canto, and Sotavento.