Re: folk music

[DustyVolume <dustyvolume at yahoo_com>]

--- Don Smith <dasmith at rotse2_physics.lsa.umich.edu> wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> Yeah, I agree that folk music is difficult, if not impossible to define.  I
> suppose ostensibly it means "music by/for the people

Speaking of drawing lines of dinstiction, has anyone else come to the
conclusion that it's easier to pigeon hole the different types of rock music?  
I mean there's *usually* less of a question whether you're listening to Rap,
Metal, Pop, Techno, Ska, Industrial etc, but on the country side, what are the
different sounds that qualify music as Alt. Country, rather than folk, or No
Depression?  Is it just my lack of familiarity with the country sub-genres, or
are the lines actually more blurred in the "country" camp?  Maybe there are
just fewer rock/pop musicians that are willing to take a chance on sounding
different than what the mainstream buyer will purchase.


> That's often quintessential modern folk: one person and an acoustic
> guitar.  But sometimes people like Peter or Jim Infantino, or Jennifer
> Kimball,
> or Over the Rhine, for that matter, will have two modes of performance: the
> acoustic solo gig and the full band electric gig, playing the same songs.  Is
> the rock band mode still folk music?  


OtR is a good example to use in this discussion.  I don't consider them to be
folk, even when they do a song like Orphan Girl which *is* what most would
define as a folk song.  Sure, I've heard versions of their own songs that sound
country--think Last Night, but still they predominantly are pop to me.  Back
Porch would have us believe that they're either Roots, Rock or Americana.  Who
can say which hole they fit into best?  Not me.  Perhaps the old "folk-tinged
pop" still works best for OtR.


> But then you have to figure
> in
> Jewel Kilcher (who certainly started out folk, at least when I saw her solo
> with an acoustic guitar.  I haven't seen her play since she went huge.)

Well, ca. Pieces of You and Spirit, she was certainly  not very folk when
compared to her early live performances.  Some could even argue that she is
more like OtR in that she has certain folk/country tendancies during live
sessions.  I would even say that in those early days, she might have seemed
more folk simply out of necessity.  Dan has already pointed out that it's easy
for a large group of people to equate a singer songwriter as folk, and Don
mentioned earlier that to him, a solo performer and an accoustic guitar are
"quintessential modern folk".  I would argue that "to me" it's not a given, but
I tend to rely less on labels than most people. To me Jewel is just good ole'
pop music.


> Does Ani DiFranco still count as folk? 

um, again this is my opinion, but no, not to me.

> For a while,
> people
> were calling her folk-punk. 

Did I mention that I like to call Merle Haggard and George Jones
"Acid-country"? 


And as far as Dar Wms goes, I don't listen to her, so I'm the wrong person to
comment.  I have heard her and I think she sounds like comic relief
country--just sort of goofy sounding.  I guess she reminds me of too many
people I know that sound like that in everyday life.  Not my cup of tea.

I did buy and like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, though which is a major milestone for
me.  Wilco fans can thank the Girl Interrupted soundtrack for winning me over.

Peace out,
Mark



=====
Wisdom has two parts: Having a lot to say, and not saying it.--from a Dove Promise foil

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