Anti-folk
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Anti-folk is a genre of music related to punk rock and American folk music that originated in the mid-1980s in New York City.
Anti-folk had its roots in punk rock, and is still considered by some to be an active subgenre within that scene. By a loose definition, Anti-folk combines the raw, abrasive, and frequently politically charged attitudes of the punk scene with the sounds of American folk tradition.
This genre takes the earnestness of politically charged '60s hippie music and subverts it into something else: music that sounds raw and poorly executed, but mocks the seriousness and pretension of the established mainstream folk scene and also mocks itself. In Anti-folk, self-mockery and self-aggrandizement have somehow fused, just as political commentary fused with poppy love songs in the sixties.
[edit] Recent developments
In recent years Anti-folk has spread beyond the US. The UK Anti-folk scene (largely centered around London and Brighton) is rapidly developing its own identity. UK Anti-folk began in London with shows promoted by the lo-fi musician Filthy Pedro and the disturbingly humorous David Cronenberg's Wife. The Brighton scene was quick to follow, set up and run primarily by Larry Pickleman and Mertle. Other key figures within the UK anti-folk community include the politically charged JJ Crash, shouty acapella poet Spinmaster Plantpot, and outsider musician Paul Hawkins. Anti-folk-influenced acts such as the Bobby McGees, Milkkan and Emmy the Great have begun to pick up regular national radio airplay and media coverage and in August 2006 Timeout Magazine called anti-folk "One of London's hottest subcultures". An AntiFolk UK compilation album is due to be released in mid 2007, to be mastered by Kramer (Producer of Jeffrey Lewis, Galaxie 500, Butthole Surfers).
Since 2004, the region of Cornwall has developed its own localized brand of Anti-folk. Now the home of Tori Amos, Cornwall boasts a thriving anti-folk movement fronted by the likes of The Red Army (band), Pentorr, Black Friday and Rosie And The Goldbug. Since 2006, such artists have begun to receive both local and national airplays, suggesting the scene is fast becoming more mainstream.
There is an active Anti-folk scene in Australia. Centered around inner-city Melbourne, a collection of artists including The Lucksmiths, Darren Hanlon, Jodi Phillis and The Mabels play bitingly witty songs with accessible melodies that take a lot from 60's pop. The most internationally successful is The Lucksmiths. Melbourne's Candle Records is the home of many of these artists.
The singer-songwriter Beck (who has reached a greater level of popularity than most AntiFolk acts) has been influenced, to at least some extent, by the New York Anti-folk scene, though one would not really consider his recent music actual Anti-folk.
[edit] External links
- Antifolk.net
- AntiFolk UK - The Home of the London Antifolk Scene
- Antifolk.org - Brighton Based UK Antifolk Site
- Helper Monkey - Irish Anti-AntiFolkers
- Olive Juice Music
- Unicorn Sounds
- Luv-A-Lot Records
- AntiFolk Online
- RIYL Records
- Candle Records
- We're Twins Records
- BBC Collective: Jeffrey Lewis video session
- Aberdeen AntiFolk - Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
- Morning Star article on AntiFolk
- Time Out London feature on AntiFolk
[edit] See also
| Folk music |
|---|
| American folk - Anti-folk - Celtic music - Counterfolk - Filk music - Folk metal - Folk punk Folk rock - Folktronica - Neofolk - Pop folk - Iranian folk - Psych folk - Roots revival - Urban Folk |
| Festivals - Folk dance - Folk clubs - Instruments - Protest song Record labels - Singer-songwriter - Lists of traditions - World music |
| Punk rock |
|---|
| 2 Tone - Anarcho-punk - Anti-folk - Art punk - Celtic punk - Christian punk - Cowpunk - Crust punk - Dance-punk - Deathcountry - Death pop - Deathrock - Electro rock - Emo - Folk punk - Gaelic punk - Garage punk - Glam punk - Gothabilly - Hardcore punk - Post-hardcore - Horror punk - Jazz punk - Mod revival - Nazi punk - New Wave - No Wave - Noise rock - Oi! - Pop punk - Post-punk - Psychobilly - Punk blues - Punk Pathetique - Queercore - Reggae rock - Riot Grrrl - Scum punk - Ska punk - Skate punk - Streetpunk - Synthpunk - Taqwacore |
| Other topics |
| Protopunk - DIY ethic - First wave punk musicians - Second wave punk musicians - Punk subculture - Punk movies - Punk fashion - Punk ideology - Punk visual art - Punk dance - Punk literature - Punk zine - Rock Against Communism - Straight edge |
