Give Pearls Before Swine a try, especially their first two LPs on the ESP label. That's American folk from a nightmare.
Lou
Looking forward to my day in court.
The problem with the people who say they don't like folk music seem to point to singer-songwriters as being the only type of folk music. That's like someone saying they don't like prog because they don't like neo.
I agree that singer-songwriters either need to be masters of their instruments or have lyrical brilliance to entertain me, but blues is folk music, and bluegrass is folk music, and celtic is folk music, and world music is folk music, and the Moulettes are folk music, and I like a lot of that stuff.
"The woods would be very silent if the only birds that sang were those who sang best..." - Henry David Thoreau
Here's one for you guys.
Don't worry--the harmonies stop being quite so bluegrass after the first 10 seconds or so.
I think of acts like Dave Rawlings Machine to be more Americana than anything. They fit into that blurring Venn between folk, country, and southern rock. It's funny, I heard an interview with Jason Isbell and he was adamant that his music wasn't country. He figured that he was more of a folk musician than anything now. I just label his stuff as Americana but who knows. Here he is blurring the lines with a cover of the Allmans' Whipping Post.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
At work I get to listen to a lot of neo -country.
(This is what I've just dubbed it. They call it New Country)
(Yeeha.)
And although I often find myself thinking the old timers, the country veterans aren't liking a lot of it, I also find myself thinking some of it I do like.
Is it anathema to admit such a thing in such a place?
And I'd say some of it qualifies as American folk too.
I'd go so far as to say that with regard to some of the instrumentation on some of these tunes I hear echoes of prog.
Some very fine musicians down there in Nashville. I don't often enjoy the vocalizing, but more often than I have until lately been willing to admit, there be some swingin' goin' on with some of those bands.
Flame away.
lol
I had a bad experience kimchi when I was about 7.
(there's also that episode of MASH where Burns thinks the Koreans are burying bombs near the 4077th, so they dig one of the "bombs" up, only to find out it's their kimchi, which apparently turns out to be very "aromatic", shall we say)
The OP was not referring to any of the stuff I bolded above. He specifically referenced American folk.
And yes, he should have been a bit more specific (like exclude bluegrass).
But for the most part, I agree with him. Sure, American folk, of he variety he is referring to, puts more importance on the lyrics, but it still bores me, and sounds way to similar to me.
And if there were a god, I think it very unlikely that he would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt His existence - Russell
I've been digging this album quite a bit:
Folk is what happens when poets can't play instruments...
I will stop you here. Now, I always try not to refer to anyone as ignorant; however, "Skeletons of Quinto" is a parody -- from the mockumentary A Mighty Wind referred to previously in this thread. It's rather like you disparaging the hard rock genre by using "Big Bottom" from This is Spinal Tap as an example. That you had no idea you were listening to a parody leads me to believe you should probably not comment further, as your opinion is not based on musical knowledge.
"And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision."
Occasional musical musings on https://darkelffile.blogspot.com/
hipster folk?
Not really a fan of MOST American folk, there are variations and exceptions always, but much just sounds very bland to me. It doesn't matter a bit to me that it doesn't aspire to be anything else. It just doesn't excite me. I realize if I grew up with it, and felt it in my bones and all that it likely would. Maybe. Anyway, just my personal unsolicited opinion. I do quite enjoy British folk for whatever reason. More to hold my interest, both emotionally and intellectually. As Tony Banks once said (paraphrasing), 'I have no idea why I like what I like, and write what I write. It just happens to be what I feel'
Where would the Decemberists fit into all this? That's a hard act to pigeonhole.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
I think the issue here is that many prog fans are, first and foremost, drawn by the complexity of the music of the genre and, thereby, indifferent to lyrics. We've seen many here being dismissive of lyrics, which is certainly their choice. I would not expect to find many folk fans here.
I happen to love both. Give me some early Dylan any time. His lyrics are transcendent. I have no problem following early Dylan demos with some Yes.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
Music first for me definitely, melody moves me the most followed by complexity I suppose, the combination is very satisfying for me. Having said that, I will say lyrics are big for me personally too, and always respect and enjoy good lyrics. If the music is bland, then I suppose it would be like listening to poetry which is okay. Often in some American folk however I don't get much mileage out of lyrics. Dylan is different-his lyrics are often interesting, at least to me, even if the music does little for me, but the 'American folk music' that the OP alluded too I was under the (perhaps false) impression that it was the old-timey sameness that predated Dylan and a lot of the artists mentioned in this thread.
Last weekend Austin City Limits had highlights from the Americana Music Festival and it was stunning!
http://acltv.com/2017/11/17/episode-...festival-2017/
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
Bookmarks