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HomeWelcome to FolkWords created by journalist and writer Tim Carroll - 'telling folk about folk'. As well as researching a book about folk music, Tim and the FolkWords Crew produce this web site as a source of 'folk' information. The book focuses on what influences folk music, how it's developing and why. The aim is to unravel the intertwining threads of folk music and discover why and how folk music relates to people today. The web site focuses on folk resources, musicians, reviews, comment, observation and provides interesting links. We always welcome your views and our review team is pleased to receive albums for review.
What will you find on FolkWords? To get straight to the point head for:Observations and Comment
To see what other people have to say go to: Current Interviews
To read latest and current reviews visit: Latest Reviews
Folk music is many things to many people. It is classified and categorised in varied, strange and often inaccurate ways. From traditional, acoustic, world and roots, to nu-folk, electric folk, medieval folk and folk-rock, via bluegrass, country and Americana, through progressive folk, neo folk and electronic psych, to punk folk, folk metal and thrash folk.
Folk influences come from far and wide - from Western and Eastern Europe, America, Africa, India - almost anywhere you can imagine. Those influences ebb, flow and coalesce to create the new, different, strange and sometimes awe inspiring threads of folk. FolkWords looks at the threads and those folk that take the time to weave those threads into the rich tapestry that is folk music.
FolkWords interests are open-minded and eclectic (without too much dependence on artificial or pointless definitions) - we are interested in almost anything that falls under the wider category of folk music written by folk, for folk, about folk, from folk.
What else will you find on FolkWords?
There's a rich variety of 'folk stuff' that changes and updates regularly - to see what we're talking about, who we are talking to and to find out who is saying and doing what - just follow the links below:
FolkWords Blog: our views (and yours if you choose to comment) on anything folk
FolkWords Blogroll: some views we enjoy from other folk
Review Archive: this is where the older reviews live
Folk Links: links to clubs, pubs, folk resources and magazines Online Folk: links to podcasts, radio stations and online folk sites
Music Links: people who are a driving force in their particular slice of folk music Folk Events : only events and gigs we know about, so send us the details Talk About: tell your friends about FolkWords
Link to FolkWords: link your site to FolkWords
Would you like to link to the FolkWords site? That's easy just follow this link: Link to FolkWords and it will take you to the Folk Links page where you will find out how to link to FolkWords. Don't be bashful, contact us and help spread the folking word.
Thank you for visiting FolkWords we hope you enjoy your visit and find something 'interesting' to read about folk. If you enjoyed your visit then tell someone else - they might like the site too. If you didn't like it, then contact us and tell us why. Don't forget, if you want to talk to FolkWords then don't hesitate to contact us, we look forward to hearing from you.
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"Ask a hundred people to define folk music and you’ll get an even larger number of definitions. Depending on the prejudices and pastimes of the people you talk to, definitions will range from the sensible and considered to the derogatory and overtly biological. There’s an even split between the lovers and haters of folk music, with a large raft of indifferent opinion somewhere in between. "Over the years, I have asked both folk-haters and folk-lovers (and many of the 'somewhere in betweens') to succinctly describe or define the style and give me the benefit of their opinions about its present and future. Now I readily admit that such ‘research’ - based on talking to a cross-section of people and getting subjective responses, will doubtless horrify the statisticians and market researchers, but hey-ho each to their own. The fun aspect to writing about any topic (and folk music is not alone) is to air the prejudices held by various groups. It is only a moment before the richness of opposing views makes the subject more alive and interesting than ever." Tim Carroll - 2007 "The future of folk music lies in more than reworking the tradition, it also lies in taking the tradition into the 21st century and beyond. Of course, tradition remains – future without tradition is like trees without roots. However, there are a growing number of artists and bands that extend the 'folk' branches way beyond the roots that bred them. These musicians and singers add a rich (and sometimes unexpected) variety of instruments and influences into the mix. They cover didgeridoos and saxophones, synthesisers and programming – the range is only limited by imagination and experiment. Not too long ago this continual development would be met with disgust. The cult of sacrosanct-folk (that which shall not develop) would howl with derision or mutter vehemently. Some would attempt to extinguish the new. Others would ignore it. The more enlightened would see not competition or desecration but creation and relish the difference." "However, times change and musicians being creative souls will find a way to express their message in the way they want to express them. Today, there are more bands and artists pushing out the branches than this small exploration will allow but the point to make is these are bands that ensure folk music grows, evolves and regenerates. To illustrate the observation I will discuss a few bands that belong to the ranks of ‘boundary pushers’ – although I suspect none would class themselves thus." Tim Carroll - 2010 "With folk lyrics there's often a question over authenticity. How close to the original version is today's rendition of a one or two-hundred year old lyric? Does it really matter and should we even care? The answers are either labelled ‘inquisitive development’ or ‘heretical sacrilege’ – depending of course on your point of view. Indeed, we may ask the same question of the tune. How many variations are there from when a song was first written to today? The answer is probably dozens as subsequent musicians alter the tune and tinker with the melody. So does this tinkering and adjustment have any bearing on the genre? There are divided camps with strong opinions coming from each but is there some case for middle ground? "The various worthies that researched, transcribed and categorised folk music worked extensively to refine their tomes. Many regard their contribution as fundamental to the continued existence of folk others see their work as irreplaceable, some see it as the prototype not the finished article. However, there are dissenters and although some regard the offerings of Cecil Sharp, Walter Pardon, Vaughn Williams and others as little short of dogmatic gospel there are many that consider it fair game to plunder their work to re-write, amalgamate, edit and re-visit to create their own brands of folk music." Tim Carroll - 2011
Legal, Copyright and Responsibility Legal Notice: This is the boring legal stuff not worth reading unless you plan on ripping off our content and passing it off as your own or blaming us because you're offended by what we say or what you see on another site or you've picked up a nasty virus and your computer has died. Apologies to anyone offended by these words, this is the voice of experience and the fact that we've been there before.
Copyright Notice: This site, its content and the FolkWords name are copyright to FolkWords. That means FolkWords holds the intellectual property of all the copy written on this site and no part of the copy or other content of this site may be used or copied without the express written permission of FolkWords. Responsibility Notice: FolkWords is not in any way responsible for the security, content or validity of any of the third-party links or sites referred to or shown on FolkWords, either acessed through Folk Links, Music Links, Folk Events, Album Reviews, Review Archive, FolkWords Blog, FolkWords Blogroll or from anywhere else on the FolkWords site. © FolkWords - 2007/2012 |
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