Kevin Bronson on January 25th, 2018

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The makers of the new film “American Folk” could hardly have selected more venerated musicians as stars than Joe Purdy and Amber Rubarth. Between them, the duo have released somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 albums and have appeared on many others. In an era when a lot of things get called “folk,” they embody the rich troubadour tradition of the form. They are poignant storytellers cast in a poignant story; the movie, which opens Friday, follows two musicians whose flight is grounded in Los Angeles in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Needing to get to the East Coast, they secure a van and embark on a classic American road trip.

The “American Folk” soundtrack is out Friday as well, featuring the duo’s sublime voices on a host of traditionals, covers (highlighted by John Prince’s John Prine’s “Some Humans Ain’t Human” and Jerry Garcia & David Grisman’s “Freight Train”) and originals by each of the stars. The Rubarth-penned “Townes” and Purdy’s “Someone Singing With Me” are deeply affecting, the kind of unvarnished gems that seekers of “authenticity” in music will cherish, and find timeless.

||| Stream: “Someone Singing With Me”

||| Also: Stream “Moonlight” and “Townes”

||| Live: Joe Purdy & Amber Rubarth appear tonight at the Grammy Museum for a screening of “American Folk,” a conversation and a short performance. Tickets. The duo also plays the Hotel Cafe on Friday night. Info.