RIP: Scott Alarik
(January 5, 1951-December 1, 2021)
Scott Alarik was a writer for publications like the Boston Globe, SingOut!, Billboard magazine and others. He was also a folk singer. From Minneapolis, Minnesota, he was a community activist and his writing centered around the benefits of folk music. He moved to Boston in 1984 and was asked to write about folk music for the Boston Globe which he did for 25 years. He also wrote a book called Deep Community: Adventures in the Modern Folk Underground. It was published in 2003 by Black Wolf Press. The book is a compilation of over 120 articles by the author that appeared in either The Boston Globe or Sing Out! between 1992 and 2002. The compilation includes interviews and stories about many of the key figures in contemporary folk music in America and the United Kingdom. Some of the writing is focused on the folk music scene in the Boston, Massachusetts area. The book is 416 pages and contains 96 photographs of the featured musicians. He also wrote a novel called Revival: A Folk Music Novel which was about a love story set in the subterranean world of modern folk music. Talented, charismatic songwriter Nathan Warren lost his chance at stardom years ago, and now sees his life as waste and ruin. Kit Palmer is young, beautiful, and explosively gifted, but her dreams are also doomed unless she can keep from falling apart on stage. They travel the Boston folk scene as lovers and artists, through basement clubs and funky jam sessions, rowdy open mikes and sprawling festivals, seeking stardom for one and redemption for the other.
Scott hosted a one hour radio show on WUMB called Folk Tales about the roots of roots music, exploring “why the music of the past connects with the music of today.” He frequently performed on Prairie Home Companion and released three vinyl albums.
Read more about Scott on his website.
RIP: Scott Alarik
(January 5, 1951-December 1, 2021)