Best Medicine, the Yep Roc Records debut by acoustic trio The Stray Birds, was the most-played album on folk radio during October 2014 according to charts compiled by Richard Gillmann from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in all folk-based music on the radio. Hailing from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, The Stray Birds are comprised of classically-trained multi-instrumentalists and vocalists Maya de Vitry, Oliver Craven and Charlie Muench, who have been impressing audiences for several years with their songwriting, instrumental virtuosity and three-part vocal harmonies. Their CD’s title track reportedly tied with “Another Day,” the new single from Pennsylvania-based high-energy Celtic folk group Burning Bridget Cleary, as the month’s most-played song.

The October 2014 FOLKDJ-L charts are based on 12,446 airplays from 138 different DJs. The number of reported spins (airplays) is shown in parentheses, while label and release dates appear in brackets. They are posted with permission on AcousticMusicScene.com.

Top Albums of October 2014

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1: “Best Medicine,” The Stray Birds [Yep Roc, 10/14] (98)
“Adelaide”
“Best Medicine”
“Pallet”
“Bells”
“Simple Man”
2: “The Early Mays,” The Early Mays [Bird On The Wing, new] (77)
“Little Darling Pal Of Mine”
“I’m Sorry, Wyoming”
“Lonesome John”
“Nothing Stands”
3: “The Longing Road,” Johnsmith [johnsmithmusic.com, 7/14] (69)
“Borders Of The Moon”
“The Longing Road”
“Little Man”
“Rainbird”
4: “Abigail Washburn And The Sparrow Quartet,” Abigail Washburn And The Sparrow Quartet [Nettwerk, 2008] (64)
“Railroad”
“Banjo Banjo”
“Ride To You”
“New South Africa”
5: “Dear Jean: Artists Celebrate Jean Ritchie,” Various Artists [Compass, 9/14] (60)
“L&N Don’t Stop Here Anymore,” Robin And Linda Williams
“Young Man Who Wouldn’t Raise Corn,” Peggy Seeger
“Jubilee,” Kathy Mattea And Friends
6: “Lay It Down,” Louise Mosrie [Zoe Cat, new] (59)
“Lay It Down”
“Singing My Heart Out”
“I’ll Take You In”
“When Cotton Was King”
6: “You Can’t Outrun The Radio,” Jonathan Byrd [Waterbug, new] (59)
“You Can’t Outrun The Radio”
“Big Truck Brought It”
“Starlight”
“38 Baby”
8: “The Rose Of No-Man’s Land,” Nell Robinson [Compass, new] (48)
“Scots Irish”
“Blue-Eyed Boston Boy”
“Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier”
9: “When I’m Free,” Hot Rize [Ten In Hand, 9/14] (47)
“Blue Is Fallin”
“Western Skies”
“You Were On My Mind This Morning”
10: “Standing In The Breach,” Jackson Browne [Inside, 10/14] (46)
“Birds Of St. Marks”
“Standing In The Breach”
“Long Way Around”
“Leaving Winslow”
11: “A Reasonable Amount Of Trouble,” Jesse Winchester [Appleseed, 9/14] (43)
“All That We Have Is Now”
“Never Forget To Boogie”
“Rhythm Of The Rain”
12: “Tracks,” Anne Hills [Hand And Heart, 9/14] (38)
“City Of New Orleans”
“Maria Took The Train To Town”
“Train To Morrow”
13: “North Star,” Kyle Carey [Americelta, 9/14] (36)
“Across The Great Divide”
“Casey Jones Whistle Blow”
“Wind Through Casper”
13: “What About The Water,” Lee Murdock [Depot, new] (36)
“What About The Water”
“Kilkelly”
“Tiny Fish For Japan”
15: “Down The Deep Well,” Hardin Burns [Ithaca, new] (35)
“Down The Deep Well”
“Get Back Home”
“Call”
15: “Still On The Levee,” Chris Smither [Signature, 7/14] (35)
“Leave The Light On”
“No Love Today”
“What They Say”
17: “Old Silo,” James Hill [Borealis, 9/14] (34)
“Village Belle”
“New Moon”
“I’ll Never Know”
18: “Link of Chain: A Songwriters Tribute to Chris Smither,” Various Artists [Signature, new] (33)
“Love Me Like A Man,” Bonnie Raitt
“Leave The Light On,” Jorma Kaukonen
“Train Home,” Patty Larkin
19: “Return To Trion,” Chris Coole And Ivan Rosenberg [Vole-O-Tone, 9/14] (32)
“Train That Carried My Girl From Town”
“Stage Fright”
“Standard Mule”
20: “Fiddle Tune X,” Billy Strings And Don Julin [billystrings.com, new] (30)
“Walk On Boy”
“Beaumont Rag”
20: “Sometimes Love,” Beth Wood [bethwoodmusic.com, 6/14] (30)
“Bird Girl”
“To Get To Zero”
“Wildest Dream”
22: “Milltowns,” Mark Erelli [Hillbilly Pilgrim, 9/14] (29)
“Birches”
“Handsome Molly”
22: “Laurie & Kathy Sing The Songs Of Vern And Ray,” Laurie Lewis And Kathy Kallick [Spruce And Maple, 8/14] (29)
“Little Birdie”
“My Old Kentucky Home”
24: “The Last Shot Got Him,” Scott Ainslie [Cattail, new] (28)
“First Shot Missed Him”
“Avalon Blues”
“Let The Mermaids Flirt With Me”
25: “While This Planet Spins Beneath Our Feet,” Heather Styka [Kite Stripe, 9/14] (27)
“Birch Log”
“Like It’s 1945”
26: “Aberdeen,” Phil Henry [Self, new] (26)
“Old Joe’s Chair”
“Birdhouse In Your Soul”
“Hard Times Come Again No More”
26: “Sake Of The Sound,” Front Country [frontcountryband.com, 9/14] (26)
“Like A River”
“One Kind Word”
“Rock Salt And Nails”
26: “Tell ’em I’m Gone,” Yusuf (Cat Stevens) [Legacy, new] (26)
“I Was Raised In Babylon”
“Dying To Live”
“You Are My Sunshine”
29: “Carousel,” Robert Bruey [robertbruey.com, 4/14] (25)
“Comin’ Around”
“Open Road”
29: “Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone,” Lucinda Williams [Highway 20, new] (25)
“Stand Right By Each Other”
“Cold Day In Hell”
29: “Second Nature,” Adler & Hearne [Spring Hollow, 9/14] (25)
“Love Is A Fire”
“Second Nature”
“Soup’s On”
32: “Live Again!,” Phil Ochs [Rockbeat, 8/14] (24)
“Ballad Of The Carpenter”
“Changes”
32: “Paradise Outlaw,” Pieta Brown [Red House, 9/14] (24)
“Letter In Hand”
“Wondering How”
34: “Georgia I’m Here,” Joe Crookston [Milagrito, 4/14] (23)
“Pretty Saro”
“Riding The Train”
34: “Look Again To The Wind: Johnny Cash’s Bitter Tears Revisited,” Various Artists [Sony, 8/14] (23)
“As Long As The Grass Shall Grow,” Gillian Welch And Dave Rawlings
“Custer,” Steve Earle
“Apache Tears,” Emmylou Harris
36: “Laughter Out Of Tears,” Moira Smiley And Voco [Whim, 9/14] (22)
“Chilly Winds”
“Deportee”
37: “Tucson,” Brad Colerick [Back 9, new] (21)
“Tucson”
“This Is What I Do”
38: “Chasing Beauty,” Ellis Paul [Black Wolf, 7/14] (20)
“Never Want To Lose You”
“Kick Out The Lights”
38: “No Passengers,” Davey O [Self, 9/14] (20)
“Main Street”
“Long Black Veil”
“Song I Wrote”
38: “Warriors Of Love,” Camela Widad [Al-Ubudiyya, new] (20)
“Candle”
“River”
41: “Popular Problems,” Leonard Cohen [Columbia, new] (19)
“You Got Me Singing”
“Samson In New Orleans”
“Slow”
42: “Goodbye Nashville,” Eliza Lynn [Civility, 8/14] (18)
“Space In Between”
“Cry Honey Cry”
42: “Halls Of My Heart,” Jim Photoglo [Grifftone, 7/14] (18)
“Shadow And Light”
42: “New Lady On The Prairie,” Lizzy Hoyt [Blue Crown, 9/14] (18)
“Movement Never Lies”
“New Lady On The Prairie”
45: “The Earls Of Leicester,” The Earls Of Leicester [Rounder, 9/14] (17)
“Big Black Train”
“You’re Not A Drop In The Bucket”
45: “The Red Album,” Red Molly [redmolly.com, 4/14] (17)
“Willow Tree”
“Clinch River Blues”
47: “Three Bells,” Mike Auldridge, Jerry Douglas And Rob Ickes [Rounder, 9/14] (16)
“Panhandle Rag”
“Silver Threads Among The Gold”
47: “Beyond the Blue,” The Duhks [Compass, 5/14] (16)
“Lazy John”
“Black Mountain Lullaby”
47: “A Friend Too Long,” Lac La Belle [Double Lot, new] (16)
“Carry Me Under”
47: “Poor Man’s Diamonds,” John Flynn [Flying Stone, 5/14] (16)
“Malala”
“Like Woody Done”
47: “River Of Sand,” Lynne Hanson [Continental, 9/14] (16)
“River Of Sand”
“Trading In My Lonesome”
47: “The Smiling & Beautiful Countryside,” Jon Brooks [Borealis, new] (16)
“Gun Dealer”
“Queensville”
47: “You Got This,” Haas Kowert Tice [haaskowerttice.com, 7/14] (16)
“Down The Hatch”
54: “Another Day,” Burning Bridget Cleary [Self, 8/14] (15)
“Another Day”
54: “Come Clean,” Teresa Storch [teresastorch.com, 9/14] (15)
“Come Clean”
“Abigail”
54: “Crooked Fiddle,” Aaron Nathans & Michael G. Ronstadt [aaronnathans.com, 9/14] (15)
“Old Joe’s Chair”
54: “The Flower Of Muscle Shoals,” Cahalen Morrison And Country Hammer [Free Dirt, 8/14] (15)
“Delta Divine”
54: “Prospect Hill,” Dom Flemons [Fat Possum, 7/14] (15)
“Polly Put The Kettle On”
54: “Trouble Follows Me,” Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice [Rebel, 9/14] (15)
“Jesus Walked On Water”
“Trouble Follows Me”
60: “One-Take Jake,” Jacob Johnson [Self, 9/14] (14)
“Chim Chim Chiree”
“She’s Got A Way”
60: “The River And The Thread,” Rosanne Cash [Blue Note, 1/14] (14)
“Feather’s Not A Bird”
60: “Stray Birds,” Rose Cousins [Self, new] (14)
“If You Could Read My Mind”
“Stray Birds”
60: “The Turning Point,” Tim Grimm [Cavalier, 9/13] (14)
“Rovin’ Gambler”
64: “Five,” Balsam Range [Mountain Home, 6/14] (13)
“Moon Over Memphis”
64: “And The War Came,” Shakey Graves [Dualtone, new] (13)
“Big Time Nashville Star”
“Hard Wired”
64: “Carter Girl,” Carlene Carter [Rounder, 4/14] (13)
“Gold Watch And Chain”
64: “Everything’s Beautiful Now,” Christine Albert [Moon House, 9/14] (13)
“Old New Mexico”
64: “Letting Go,” Cheryl Branz [Self, 8/14] (13)
“Brevity”
“You”
64: “The Nocturne Diaries,” Eliza Gilkyson [Red House, 3/14] (13)
“Ark”
64: “Staking Flags In The Valley,” Emily White [Self, new] (13)
“Arkansas”
64: “Turn On A Dime,” Lonesome River Band [Mountain Home, new] (13)
“Her Love Won’t Turn On A Dime”

Top Songs of October 2014

Another_Day_Album_Art_Ireland_Scene_final

1. “Another Day” (19)
by Burning Bridget Cleary
from “Another Day”
1. “Best Medicine” (19)
by The Stray Birds
from “Best Medicine”
3. “Adelaide” (18)
by The Stray Birds
from “Best Medicine”
4. “Little Darling Pal Of Mine” (16)
by The Early Mays
from “The Early Mays”
5. “Down The Deep Well” (14)
by Hardin Burns
from “Down The Deep Well”
6. “Lay It Down” (12)
by Louise Mosrie
from “Lay It Down”
6. “Railroad” (12)
by Abigail Washburn And The Sparrow Quartet
from “Abigail Washburn And The Sparrow Quartet”
6. “Walk On Boy” (12)
by Billy Strings And Don Julin
from “Fiddle Tune X”
9. “Borders Of The Moon” (11)
by Johnsmith
from “The Longing Road”
9. “Pallet” (11)
by The Stray Birds
from “Best Medicine”
9. “When Fall Comes To New England” (11)
by Cheryl Wheeler
from “Driving Home”
also “Different Stripe”
12. “I’m Sorry, Wyoming” (10)
by The Early Mays
from “The Early Mays”
12. “The Longing Road” (10)
by Johnsmith
from “The Longing Road”
12. “You Can’t Outrun The Radio” (10)
by Jonathan Byrd
from “You Can’t Outrun The Radio”
15. “Across The Great Divide” (9)
by Kyle Carey
from “North Star”
15. “Bells” (9)
by The Stray Birds
from “Best Medicine”
15. “Big Truck Brought It” (9)
by Jonathan Byrd
from “You Can’t Outrun The Radio”
15. “Blue Is Fallin” (9)
by Hot Rize
from “When I’m Free”
15. “Chilly Winds” (9)
by Moira Smiley And Voco
from “Laughter Out Of Tears”
15. “Dear Sister” (9)
by Claire Lynch
from “Dear Sister”
15. “First Shot Missed Him” (9)
by Scott Ainslie
from “The Last Shot Got Him”
15. “Little Man” (9)
by Johnsmith
from “The Longing Road”
15. “Lonesome John” (9)
by The Early Mays
from “The Early Mays”
15. “Scots Irish” (9)
by Nell Robinson
from “The Rose Of No-Man’s Land”
15. “Singing My Heart Out” (9)
by Louise Mosrie
from “Lay It Down”
15. “Starlight” (9)
by Jonathan Byrd
from “You Can’t Outrun The Radio”
15. “Village Belle” (9)
by James Hill
from “Old Silo”