Reworking tradition or forging a new one? March 05, 2010
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.
... [MORE]
The CD is dead - long live the CD February 11, 2010
Fine, no
problem, the CD is dead. However, it's worth recording (pun intended) that this
passing is not th... [MORE]
Horror of horrors folk music is not politically correct! December 14, 2009
Horror of horrors
folk music is not politically correct!
More preci... [MORE]
Searching for songs for Halloween November 11, 2009
There’s an infection from a world-influencing source that
spread to our shores ... [MORE]
The timeless appeal inherent in natural sounds November 02, 2009
Something about the antique smell of leather endures, as
does that of new-mown grass and freshly baked bread. There's an everlasting appeal
in the s... [MORE]
How about a new programme - 'The Niche Factor' October 22, 2009
There is no such thing as niche music. The truth is simple.
Music hides in niches. That’s because of the so-called music that pours out of
broadcast... [MORE]
Go on - try just a little harder October 18, 2009
Recently I’ve noticed a steady increase in the number of albums that
arrive through the... [MORE]
Intelligent opinion and thoughtful debate October 10, 2009
There is
something deeply satisfying when the FolkWords e-mail delivers some pithy
discussion, informed opinion, or reasoned argument.
... [MORE]
Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery ... September 28, 2009
Over
a summer of festivals and gigs there’s something that has begun to nag away at
my brain with ever increasing insistency.
... [MORE]
Folk isn't proper music... August 19, 2009
Back from a
holiday and raring to go - into the local pub to sample... [MORE]
Folk on the rocks July 09, 2009
Folk influencing rock music - whatever next?
Interestingly,
while it is common folk-knowledge that rock flowed into folk and gav... [MORE]
Folk festival or festival with folk - and other stuff? June 29, 2009
Strange isn’t it – many folk festival promotions show an
increasing number of so-called headline and suppor... [MORE]
Folk music revives and revives June 16, 2009
Ah yes – yet
another English folk music revival wanders through the folking world. That’s
what we’re living through in case you had failed to notice... [MORE]
Reflecting the world or commenting on it? May 31, 2009
Does music reflect life and change due its influence or does
music act as an impetus for change?
... [MORE]
I can tell by your music that you are a boatman May 28, 2009
A few weeks ago we were wandering aimlessly around yet one more canal festival gazing longingly at the boats and idly pursuing the dream of one day ch... [MORE]
Electric folk – what and why? May 20, 2009
Is that folk
that are powered by electricity? Or is it folk music that uses electric
instruments? Or is it... [MORE]
The quiet joys of brotherhood ... April 07, 2009
So there I was listening to the music and suddenly it's my
turn. No I don't mean my opportunity to get ... [MORE]
Questions, questions ... but are there any answers? March 23, 2009
Since setting out on the FolkWords journey
and speaking to hundreds of people along the way, I’ve explored some
questions ... [MORE]
And then there’s folk-punk ... March 06, 2009
There are
doubtless a few people wandering around the planet that still adhere to the
prec... [MORE]
Medieval folk – something more than dressing up in costume February 24, 2009
Medieval
folk – something more than dressing up in
costume.
The
genre of medieval folk – if there’s enough of it... [MORE]
Folk metal – a genre, a fashion or an anachronism? February 20, 2009
So then
tell me more about folk metal – is it heavy-metal-with-folk or heavy-folk-with-metal?
And does it follow on from o... [MORE]
Web-folk, network-folk ... and whatever comes out of the interaction January 19, 2009
With
all types of musicians, artists, singers and bands from every musical genre,
folk music uses the wonders of the world... [MORE]
Spelling mistake or art form? December 22, 2008
There
is something endearing in the fact that increasingly folk music has few restrictive
boundaries but by contrast confu... [MORE]
What do we protest about now? November 11, 2008
The
type of folk song that takes on the role of protest ranges far and wide
across the planet wherever anyone has something to protest against.
E... [MORE]
Why do so many English singers persist in singing with an American accent all the time? October 08, 2008
American
folk music is great, American folk songs are great, especially when
they’re sung by Americans.
They’re even OK when sung by English p... [MORE]
If music says nothing then all it offers is noise – pleasant though that noise may be September 25, 2008
If music speaks all languages then apparently a large amount of it that crashes through the airwaves converses in the langua... [MORE]
Who’s going to be the first folk musician to write a song about the credit crunch? September 14, 2008
Now
then, now then – as Mr J Savile was wont to say – who’s going to be the first
folk musician to write a song about the ... [MORE]
After all - what's in a name? August 04, 2008
According
to many news channels there are those in a certain minority group that want the
term ‘chav’ to be outlawed as it is derogatory, offensive ... [MORE]
Folk to rock to psych to thrash – a journey of experience July 14, 2008
Over the years, folk
artists have added many flavours to folk music and each addition of essence
has gained as many fans as haters. The folk traditi... [MORE]
Folk is just another ‘F’ word June 12, 2008
Forget parliamentary debate
about performing rights or how many people can sing in a pub before you need
more licences than the DVLA, or comments fr... [MORE]
‘Live folk music is dead’ June 11, 2008
Well if it is then there’s a plague of
zombies trundling round the UK
playing at clubs and festivals, and doing great impressions of being alive... [MORE]
Morris on and on - English folk dance June 06, 2008
“It’s impossible to discuss
English folk without making some reference to folk dance and if you’re going to
start anywhere try the morris.” I heard ... [MORE]
More life and less cash – true probably, unfortunate definitely. May 12, 2008
Folk music has always drawn on what musicians see
around them. The ‘stuff’ of life is the ‘stuff’ of folk music. Invariably, that
means folk s... [MORE]
Folk in the year 3000..... April 23, 2008
Today’s folk musicians fall into a greater number of
writing camps than ever before. The wealth of musical influences that travel,
communication and... [MORE]
Fear and argument in the pub ... April 21, 2008
A few nights ago I found myself on the edge of a discussion based on the seemingly
misplaced fear the growth of ‘new folk’ is eroding the old-style o... [MORE]
Folk resurgent and revived - again. And so the wheel goes round. March 21, 2008
Folk resurgent and revived - again. And so the wheel
goes round.
Seemingly, now we are in the 'oughties' (what a
hideous expression) ... [MORE]
Music - victim of fad and fashion March 04, 2008
Music is as much a victim of fad and fashion as almost
everything else. Much of it follows the desire to create a minute of fame for
no specific rea... [MORE]
...'the sea shanty isn’t folk music' February 07, 2008
“No, no the sea shanty isn’t
folk music. It’s a distinct music drawn from the sea. It has little or nothing
to do with folk music. Any more than the... [MORE]
Tradition is good - for without it where would ‘new’ be? January 11, 2008
Despite the best efforts of the media to mock the genre
there remains great power and strength in English traditional folk music. Admittedly Englis... [MORE]
Ethnic, roots or world - or just folk? January 10, 2008
The copy that
follows is an extract from a chapter that discusses the changing
face of music definition with direct reference to the 'roots' and 'wo... [MORE]
How hard is music? January 10, 2008
That’s a question worth asking. It’s also worth
asking musicians with strong and clear views to contribute some answers. Not
necessarily definitive ... [MORE]
Song writers and song writing - folk or not December 20, 2007
Ask a
musician what makes them write and you open an interesting debate. The answers are rarely similar and often enlightening. There are those
wh... [MORE]
Consider psych-folk ... November 25, 2007
Arguably (don’t start a chapter with ‘arguably’ it sets
an argumentative tone), there is a need in some circles to classify bands
out of folk music ... [MORE]
‘More marketing then talent’ ... November 18, 2007
‘More marketing then talent’ – now who holds that view?
I heard recently the rise of young, ‘trendy’ folk performers is the
triumph of m... [MORE]
The resistable rise of 'celebrity' November 15, 2007
When 'celebrity' singers and bands become the measure
The age of the ‘celebrity singer’ has a lot to answer for.
One accusation it has to face... [MORE]
Just a thought ... November 05, 2007
There are those who argue that traditional folk and new folk
should never come together. This is despite the fact they’re different branches
of the ... [MORE]
A tribe losing its head? November 01, 2007
Tribalism in music is
unavoidable.
Today we live in a tribalised society. Instincts that found form
with Mods and Rockers, evolved into Hip... [MORE]
Regionalised or networked? October 12, 2007
Regionalised or networked?
Apparently there are two distinct
roots to folk music. The first is social commentary (storytelling) on the human
... [MORE]
“It’s the definitions, it’s the definitions.” October 09, 2007
Somewhat like Victor Hugo’s hunchback driven insane
by the bells, the debate about folk music definitions keeps ringing in my ears.
And like the no... [MORE]
Afraid or too embarrased to speak? September 15, 2007
Is there fear and embarrassment in the English folk tradition?
Talking to songwriters, singers and bands to gain their views on
where fo... [MORE]
Interesting little observation from a close friend. August 22, 2007
Folk is ‘society-driven’ music but do the people who are part and parcel of it react in a society-driven way? Are they running out of step with the ... [MORE]
Folk resurgent - or not? August 06, 2007
Currently, I’m told, this country is experiencing a folk music revival. I think it’s more accurate to say that we are experiencing a folk resu... [MORE]
‘Folk music is such a vague term’ July 18, 2007
‘Folk music is such a vague term’ - that’s an opening remark that’s bound to make you sit up and listen. That’s how several recent interviews starte... [MORE]
"Are folk songs manufactured or do they just happen?" July 05, 2007
Good question. People write songs for many complicated muddy messy reasons. Many folk songs are profound, meaningful, narrative songs, analytical, ref... [MORE]
Folk or pop - take your choice May 07, 2007
Does traditional music have any 'meaning' or is it really as vague as modern pop and is 'pop' nothing more than candyfloss?
The answer is ye... [MORE]
A view from a hill April 03, 2007
An observation from an occasional series
Discussion and definition
Ask a hundred people to define folk music and you’re likely to ... [MORE]
Finding a place in the heap March 21, 2007
The top people performing in
the wider arena ‘folk music’ are the tip of an iceberg – beneath the surface is
a morass of bands and singers who form ... [MORE]
‘Cool folk’ – looking for the ‘cool-factor’ in folk March 06, 2007
“Let’s face it folk music isn't cool.” Despite the temptation to shrug off that remark I decided to consider the possibility that ‘cool-folk’ may ... [MORE]
Beware the definition - or not? February 20, 2007
When people put definitions on music and become religious about those definitions they tend to lose the essence of the music and become a tribe with... [MORE]
Folk music what's it all about? February 02, 2007
How often do I hear: "It's just that finger in the earhole style with some old beardy in a flowery waistcoat droning on." Actually, no it bloody wel... [MORE]
