Folk Show host Ian Zolitor is leaving WXPN

After nearly a dozen years of hosting WXPN’s Folk Show, Ian Zolitor is leaving WXPN.

The Norristown native who grew up listening to our broadcasts and fully enmeshed in the regional folk scene, having attended Philly Folk Fest since he was a baby, will host his last Folk Show on Sept. 13.

“I’m going to miss the absolute joy I get in sharing music I’m so passionate about with as many people as possible over the airwaves,” Zolitor said.

The deep passion for folk music and its iterations made Zolitor’s leaving the show all the more bittersweet.

“The decision to leave the folk show was extremely difficult,” he said. “I love that i got to host the Folk Show. It was a dream come true in a very real sense. I’m proud of the work that I’ve done over the years; I stand behind it.”

Zolitor joined the show in April 2015 when local folk icon and former host Gene Shay stepped down from the role. The two became friends in the preceding years, and it stemmed from a cold email and a chance run-in at a mutual friend’s wedding.

“I was 27 or 28, living in the Germantown area, between jobs, playing music, and running an open mic,” Zolitor said.

Having grown up in the folk scene (a photo of his father holding he and his brother at Philly Folk Fest in the late ’80s made the front page of his local newspaper), Zolitor sought to take in as much folk music knowledge as possible and reach out to Shay, who co-founded the festival in 1962.

He found Shay’s contact email and sent a message off. But he never heard back. It was at the aforementioned wedding when Shay invited Zolitor to come hang out at the station on Sunday nights during the broadcast.

For about two years, Zolitor volunteered at WXPN to help make the Folk Show happen alongside Shay. When Shay’s departure was announced, Zolitor applied for the hosting gig and got the job.

The electrician-turned-radio-host-turned-children’s-special-education-teacher has plenty of fond memories from his tenure in the booth.

Among them are introducing artists such as Billy Strings and Jesse Welles to local folks fans.

“I had [Billy] on the folk show about nine years ago,” Zolitor said. “He just released Turmoil & Tinfoil and was on tour. He had some other radio appearances set up, but missed them. WXPN was the first taping they made it to.”

Strings and his band played “full force” across the studio from Zolitor.

“My face was melted,” he said. “Being able to share Billy with the Folk Show audience before 99 percent of the country heard of him was a thrill.”

As for Welles, Zolitor said he may have been the first host to play the breakout musician’s tunes on the station.

“I think [Welles] understands that folk music belongs to the people, in its origins and its message, too,” he said.

Other notable guests he’s hosted include Amy Helm, daughter of The Band founding member Levon Helm, Justin Townes Earle, Billy Bragg, Richard Thompson, and Charlie Parr.

But he also showed love to local folk artists. Hezekiah Jones, The Flying Vees, Dave Cope, Brad Hinton, and more are among his regional favorites who appeared on air with Zolitor. And, in an upcoming show, he plans to have local brother-sister duo Sam & Louise on to talk about their origins in the old-time folk scene.

While Zolitor is leaving, the Folk Show is staying: starting on Sept. 27 the Folk Show will be hosted by rotating DJs—including David Dye, Bruce Warren, and Jim McGuinn—in the interim.

“With over ten years hosting the Folk Show (along with more years as assistant to the late Gene Shay), Ian has been a strong supporter of Folk music on our airwaves and in the community, spending every Sunday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the radio spanning the width of the history of folk music from around the world to our own backyard, from the earliest recordings to the latest releases, and also booking and recording numerous live sessions in our studios,” McGuinn said. “I want to thank Ian for adding to the rich tapestry of XPN Music each week and helping us serve as a hub for the folk community in our area and beyond, and for making our world a bit brighter musically with years of artist discovery and celebration. We wish him success as he moves onto new adventures.”