Baez, Carthy: 'Co-mentors' in folk

Eliza Carthy, left, and Joan Baez, right, share the stage. Baez says the two musicians are "co-mentors"

(CNN) -- Everyone knows the bride's adage: "Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue."

But who knew it could be applied to British artist artists such as Beth Orton and Equation's Kate Rusby, who are embracing the legacy of their elders?

New artists, old traditions, a borrowed - or inherited - musical legacy: But what about something blue?

How about blue hair?

Eliza Carthy, with her cobalt-colored hair and multiple piercings, looks more like a punk rocker than a folk singer, but this 24-year-old is decidedly traditional when it comes to her music.

AUDIO Listen to Carthy and Baez sing "No Mermaid" 459K MP3 sound 632K WAV sound Carthy says there are many differences between American and European folk music 538K WAV sound    VIDEO Beth Orton performs live at Radio City Music Hall Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)    VIDEO CNN's Gary Imlach explores a revolution in the roots of British folk music Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     ALSO From Baez and Seeger to Williams and White Jr.: Folk music, past and present August 4, 2000

"Over here, if you're going to go see a folk concert, you're going to see maybe a singer with a guitar writing their own songs," said the fiddler/songwriter. "Whereas what I call folk music, and what I've been doing all my life, is based more on traditional music -- on the old stories and songs and the fiddle tunes and that kind of thing."

The daughter of British guitarist/vocalist Martin Carthy and vocalist Norma Waterson, Carthy made her debut at 7. Since then, she's caught the attention of her peers and her elders, including Joan Baez. Carthy toured with the folk icon for a tour in the United States.

Baez told WorldBeat why she was drawn to Carthy.

"The English have a tradition," she said. "America doesn't have much in the way of traditions, but in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland it comes up out of the ground with the trees. And you'll see that in Liza.

"She says, 'I think I'll play a tune,' and it will be something Medieval and she'll know every turn and every chord. I'm blown away by it. I don't know any of that."

The learning curve goes both ways, the artists say. Baez and Carthy share their knowledge, experience and new ideas. They are, in Baez's words, "co-mentors."

"Whatever I'm sharing with somebody half my age I'm getting equally, at least, the same back from them," Baez says. "What Eliza does for me, with me on the stage, is kick it up a notch."

If she brings youthful energy to the stage, Carthy says, it's Baez who lends each of their shows historical credibility.

"She's not only a performer that people are very fond of," said Carthy. "She's also a person that people have always identified with."

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Official Site: Eliza Carthy
Fan page: Eliza Carthy
Joan Baez at Folk Library Index

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