“Hannah’s the kind of person that I feel like I could invite over for a plain old bologna sandwich, and she wouldn’t bat an eye,” Folsom says
Next month, Robert Lester Folsom will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his album Music and Dreams with a special reissue. That collection includes Hannah Cohen‘s rendition of the title track, out now.
Cohen lends her signature touch to the cult classic, providing whimsical, feathery vocals alongside a serene horn section. “I’m just dreaming in the summer sun,” she sings. Her version of “Music and Dreams” follows Beach House’s rendition of “April Suzanne,” released earlier this month.
“I remember the first time I heard ‘My Stove’s on Fire,’” Cohen said in a statement. “It was the deep belly of winter in upstate New York when the sun drops behind the mountain and it seems like the day has no end, and no amount of wood in the stove can warm your bones. Lester’s music brought so much light and mischief into my living room. My ears perked up immediately at the sweetness of his songwriting. When I met Lester last year at Newport Folk Fest, I of course couldn’t keep my cool and had to tell him how much I loved his music, and how it had helped me through a long winter.”
Folsom added: “In Summer 2025 I played at the Newport Folk Festival, and Hannah Cohen’s trailer was next to ours. She was so friendly and open right off the bat. A real sweet spirit. We talked and talked and got along from our very first meeting. Her personality and music is so light and inspirational. Hannah’s the kind of person that I feel like I could invite over for a plain old bologna sandwich, and she wouldn’t bat an eye.”
Folsom recorded and self-released Music and Dreams in 1976, but it would take decades for it to gain the recognition it deserved. Music and Dreams: 50th Anniversary Edition, out Oct. 16 via Anthology Recordings, contains the remastered edition, original reel-to-reel demos, and the two covers. He’s currently on tour supporting the reissue, hitting North American cities before heading to the U.K. and Europe later in the fall.
