Who exemplifies contemporary Folk?
paul...@diespammererinet.com
I cut my musical teeth on Peter, Paul, and Mary, Buffy St. Marie, Pete Seeger,
Leadbelly, Carter Family, Rev. Gary Davis, Clara Ward, New Christy Minstrels,
Harry Belefonte, Jeannie Ritchie, Odetta, and the Chad Mitchell Trio.
Now, after a 27-year hiatus, I'm singing "folk music" in coffeehouses again,
and my only consistent frame of reference is the Seeger/PPM/etc. thing, and
the little bit of folk-style acoustic music popularized in the meantime by Don
McClean, Arlo Guthrie, Jim Croce, James Taylor, and the like.
My local PBS station (WYSO) is broadcasting pop music from third-world
countries every time I turn it on (I suppose there's a certain appeal to disco
music played on traditional Latin American instruments) so I don't have access
to anything like a contemporary folk program. Saw McCutcheon last summer, and
Tom Chapin a few years back, heard Arlo on a Folger's commercial, but I don't
have any consistent exposure.
Who SHOULD I be listening to, to tune my ears to what is going on in
contemporary folk music today? And what labels should I be looking at? Is
Windham Hill still the biggie?
BTW, I default to folk-style songs (in the key of D or G) when I'm writing, my
music is often compared to Croce or Buffet, even though I don't deliberately
try to sound like either. And I don't find either comparison entirely
hateful, and I'm not looking to change my "sound." But I'd like to know
what's getting played on the "folk stations" and sold in the "folk" bins and
staged at the "folk" concerts in your neck of the woods so I know what is
being presented as "folk" music today, and whether I am falling into that
category or should be calling my music something else.
E-mail or post replies here, I'll check both. Thanks - p/r
(When replying, remove the DIESPAMMER from my return
address.)
Paul D. Race
Breakthrough Communications
If the expressed opinions are not those of management,
they probably should be.
Stephen Suffet
Dear Paul----
Listen to whomever and whatever you can and borrow liberally! I
don't give a rat's ass about what's in the folk music pigeon holes,
whether those pigeon holes are found in the bins of Tower Records or
the PD's meeting at your local NPR affiliate!
Some suggestions, just for inspiration...
1. Irish music in the USA is certainly a living tradition, and an
easy one to incorporate into a folk music repertoire. It attracts
everyone from pre-teens to centagenarians. Try to catch a live
performance of the Wolf Tones when they make one of their semi-annual
North American tours. They are best heard when they play a ballroom or
catering hall rather than when they are in an auditorium.
2. Bev Grant, Matt Jones, or any of the political/topical/protest
singers who are still hanging in there. And, of course, Pete Seeger.
3. Michael Cooney. Anything he does.
4. Bomba y plena. Two traditional Puerto Rican musical styles
which are also living traditions.
5. John Mellencamp. He's a contemporary country-rocker with lots
of raw energy who made it big, but not quite to super-stardom. Try to
hear a live concert. I'm not claiming he's a folkie, but John and his
band do a fantastic cover of Guthrie's "Do Re Mi" at most of their
concerts I have seen.
6. The singing parties, jam sessions, retreats, and other get
togethers of your local folk music society.
Best of luck.
Regards,
Steve
JesiAna
I can only speak for what I am hearing myself, but my local public radio has a
very good folk program. The artists being played include the following (of
course this list is subjective, as these are the ones I personally have
noticed):
Tom Paxton (still brilliant after all these years)
Dar Williams
John Gorka
Bob Franke
Ronnie Gilbert (yup...she's still being played!)
Pete Seeger (still going strong!)
Iris Dement
Mary McCaslin
Utah Phillips
Kate Wolf (gone but not forgotten)
They also play the "historical" folksingers, such as Phil Ochs, and Woody, of
course.
However, I don't know that these "exemplify" contemporary folk. I'm only giving
you a brief list of artists I've noted as being played. Still, they may be a
place to begin. I find Dar Williams and Bob Franke have sounds that springs
from the traditions, but have evolved differently, and to me sound
"contemporary," but I am much the traditionalist.
Jesiana
Fairbankss
>Who SHOULD I be listening to, to tune my ears to what is going on in
>contemporary folk music today?
Paul,
My short list includes, in no particular order:
John Gorka
Dar Williams
David Mallet
Scott
Ian Anderson
paul...@DIESPAMMERerinet.com wrote:
>
> My local PBS station (WYSO) is broadcasting pop music from third-world
> countries every time I turn it on
Which is quite possibly contemporary folk. Just not contemporary
*American* folk, which is another matter.
Interesting term really.
In the UK, they still largely use the term "contemporary folk" to mean
'60s style singer/songwriter material. Like much of this newsgroup.
In other spheres, "modern jazz" means '50s style jazz, and "progressive
rock" means stuff stuck in the '70s mould.
That's the trouble with inventing genre names that should have a
sell-by date attached ;-)
Ian Anderson
Folk Roots magazine
fro...@froots.demon.co.uk
http://www.froots.demon.co.uk/
remove anti-junkmail .off to reply
sari laufer
Definitely Dar Williams.
Fool's Progress and From Good Homes are a little more rocking, but
definitely with folky roots.
Ani DiFranco calls herself a folk singer, though the music is definitely edgier.
It seems to me that most "contmporary" folk is still influenced by the
biggies. Whoever said Joan Baez exemplifies all folk is right on- "Gone
From Danger" is beautiful.
Sari
--
"In the laughing times we know that we are lucky, and in the quiet times we know that we are blessed. And we will not be alone."
-Dar Williams
sari laufer
Northwestern University
http://pubweb.nwu.edu/~srl542
s-la...@nwu.edu
mark katz
i'm new to newsgroups, so i'll make my first post somewhat easy
here's a list of some of the folks i like (i know i'm forgetting some, since
i'm doing this off the top of my head, without looking at my albums):
john gorka
james keeleghan
dougie maclean
richard shindell
nanci griffith
fred small
dar williams
cheryl wheeler
lucy kaplansky
bill morrissey
susan graham white
laurie rose griffith and peter mealy
grace griffith
dave mallett
christine lavin
pete nelson
mary black
al petteway
terra nova
some record companies are:
rounder/philo
schanachie
razor and tie
waterbug
1-800-prime-cd
signature
red house
dunkeld
maggie's music
this is really hard without looking at the labels, so i may've misspelled
some
that's it for now,
- mark
Richard L. Hess
Paul,
I agree with Bill about not rejecting the artists who have been around
for years. While there is some argument that Judy Collins is no longer
a folk singer, she has just released a two CD Anthology called
"Forever" and is about to appear on A&E (taped last Christmas) in a
holiday special which is also available on CD.
I have a comprehensive 'folk' music page which features Judy Collins.
Take a look around my page. All the artists on my main folk music page
and my links page deserve looking at. The ones on my folk-music page
are my favorites...in no special order:
Judy Collins
Priscilla Herdman (and friends Anne Hills and Cindy Mangsen)
Nancy White (a great satirical singer-songwriter from Canada despite
some uncomplimentary comments recently posted in this newsgroup)
Joan Baez
Dar Williams
Tish Hinojosa
Kate Wolf
Stan Rogers
Kate Campbell
The list goes on.
Have fun!
Cheers!
Richard
Richard L. Hess rlh...@mindspring.com
Glendale, CA, USA http://rlhess.home.mindspring.com/
Fred and Evelyn Wolke
Hi, there.
I'm in a similar situation, though my break was not as long. I'm
blessed to live in the Metropolitan DC area, and to have the opportunity
to listen to Mary Cliff's _Traditions_, and have been able to catch up a
bit on the 20 years' worth of wonderful music that I have missed. I'll
second any of the lists I've seen in these replies, and add a few other
folks that I didn't see mentioned. If I'm repeating, please forgive me.
First, my favorites, the Canadian singers:
James Keelaghan, a man with the voice of an angel who sings about
history and ordinary folks made extraordinary by circumstance. Check
out "Lazarus".
Garnet Rogers, with a voice that would melt a heart of stone and
incredible chops to match -- not to mention a wicked sense of humor.
Try his live album, _Summer Lightning_.
And of course, the late, great Stan Rogers. Try anything you can find
of his...
Stephen Fearing, a recent discovery. I've only heard a few of his
songs, and they've knocked me flat.
Grit Laskin (he who makes incredible guitars), ditto.
I'm not Canadian, mind you... I think it's something in the water.
Others I have enjoyed (some local, some not)
John McCutcheon, from Virginia. Wonderful traditional and original
songs, multi-instrumentalist.
Dougie MacLean, from Scotland. Sensitive writing, beautiful melodies,
just darn good.
Anything by Silly Wizard.
Vance Gilbert, a singer of slightly off-center (and frequently
hilarious) story songs.
Al Pettaway, certified guitar god.
Anything by Bok, Muir, and Trickett. You may know who Gordon Bok is.
Ed Trickett and Anne Mayo Muir make up the other parts of an optimal
mix.
Try the Foremen for some topical comedy. Hysterical.
Enough for a start?
Your Mileage May Vary....
Cheers and have fun! I almost envy you discovering all the great stuff
that's out there now...
Evelyn
Daniel Hooks
Hi Ho! Maybe I'll get in trouble for this, but: I've been playing solo
gigs for quite awhile, raised on whitebread folk, blues, etc; graduated
to gram parsons et al, heard the sex pistols, found nanci griffith and
robert earl keen.
I think folk music is just THAT: music that speaks to folks two songs I
am trying to learn this week are "girlfriend" by Matthew Sweet and "I
can't reach you" by the Who. Both very great acoustic guitar songs with
the kind of lyrics I like. And if I like them, it will come across to
the people listening.
Gardening at Night, Dan
paul...@DIESPAMMERerinet.com wrote:
>
> I cut my musical teeth on Peter, Paul, and Mary, Buffy St. Marie, Pete Seeger,
> Leadbelly, Carter Family, Rev. Gary Davis, Clara Ward, New Christy Minstrels,
> Harry Belefonte, Jeannie Ritchie, Odetta, and the Chad Mitchell Trio.
> Who SHOULD I be listening to, to tune my ears to what is going on in
> contemporary folk music today? And what labels should I be looking at? Thanks - p/r
Clifford D. Bennett
Whether anyone else considers the following artists to be folkies, I do.
Tom Russell--outstanding singer/songwriter
Ian Tyson--the best singer/songwriter about the West since Bob Nolan
Doc Watson--now in his 70s but going strong
Norman Blake--old time, bluegrass, folk, and back-porch music
Dave Mallett--mentioned by others. I prefer his initial recordings
("David Mallett," "Pennsylvania Sunrise," and "Hard Light")
before he moved to Nashville
Carol Zander
In article <3489DF...@intr.net>,
For the record, Dave Mallett, my all-time favorite, has moved
back to Maine. It's where he belongs and he knows it.
Carol
Paul Leach
My favorite release in recent memory is Greg Brown's "Further In"
Paul
{ * }====#
Eileen Fisher
I am a DJ on wdvr-fm in New Jersey and i paly a wide range of folk and
acoustic music on my show. High Street is the Windham Hill label that does
a lot of contemporary song -- like John Gorka. Redhouse Redcords has a good
mix of singers that have been around for thirty years and less than a
decade. Check out Dar Williams, (label: razor and Tie) Richard
Shindell(?), Catie Curtis(Guardian), Susan Piper(Sliced Bread).
Rounder/Philo records out of Cambridge, MA. Green Linnet records has a line
called "The Redbird" series. Both Janis Ian and Joan Baez have new albums
out.
janis "The Hunger" on High Street records. Joan's is "Gone from Danger"
Guardian. O yeah and Ani Difranco.
This list is just off the top of my head. But I think it reflects some of
the best of the scene right now. Of course I've omitted the Irish artists
of the last twenty odd years like Christy Moore. Jean Rirchie has an album
out with her sons "Mountain Born"
Most of these companies can be accessed on the net.
Eileen
ps. I think exemplification is all in the ear.
paul...@DIESPAMMERerinet.com wrote in message ...
>
.
>
>Who SHOULD I be listening to, to tune my ears to what is going on in
>contemporary folk music today? And what labels should I be looking at? Is
>Windham Hill still the biggie?
>
>Paul D. Race
Fred Levy
Good choices. I also am very fond of Ann Hills, Claudia Schmidt, the group
of Gordon Bok, Anne Mayo Muir, and Ed Trickett (Folk Legacy), and Magpie
(based in the Washington D.C. area).
Fred L. from Virginia
Eileen Fisher <E.Fis...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in article
<66sgqk$o...@bgtnsc03.worldnet.att.net>...
> I am a DJ on wdvr-fm in New Jersey and i paly a wide range of folk and
> acoustic music on my show. (etc.)
Mark Spittal
Fred Levy wrote:
>
> Good choices. I also am very fond of Ann Hills, Claudia Schmidt, the group
> of Gordon Bok, Anne Mayo Muir, and Ed Trickett (Folk Legacy), and Magpie
> (based in the Washington D.C. area).
Nice people, but as usual rather regionally limited. One of the
problems with this forum is that so many of the people subscribing to it
seem to live on the East Coast, and East Coast musicians are all they
know. So....make a left turn head rest and look for:
Larry Murante
Tracy Spring
Kym Tuvim
Jim Farrand
Jeff Knoch
Dave Nackmanoff
Mark Spittal
Tom May
David Roth
Nancy Colton
Heidi Muller
Kamm and McDonald
Jim Page
Dan Page
David Maloney
and others...
and these are just mostly from Washington State with three exceptions
(dang Californians!). Look for people like Jamie Anderson in Arizonia,
some great people in New Mexico and Colorado...
I will repeat my continuous raving:
Best known does not always mean best music and performers. It usually
means just the best marketing. Listen with your heart.
Mark
--
________________________________________________
there can be hope in the trying to make the leap
past the anger we carry so deep
there can be hope in the singing of songs that rejoice
in the coming together of our voices
hope/mark spittal/seattle/copyright 1996
Acoustic Northwest -
http://www.isomedia.com/homes/mspittal/acoustic.html
Mark Spittal's homepage -
http://www.isomedia.com/homes/mspittal/wisdomtree.html
Mark Spittal
After writing this, I thought of some others...
Babes With Axes out of Eugene, Or. Superb group of women musicians,
together and when doing their solo concerts.
Also, quite a few performers out of Canada such as Eilleen McGann and
James Kleehagen(don't know about the spelling on his name)...
Look on the Waterbug label. Can't say I like everybody there, but they
are a very impressive collection of musicians and writers, especially
Kat Eggleston, one of the most undrated writers and performers in the
country.
PegBertsch
>I will repeat my continuous raving:
>
>Best known does not always mean best music and performers. It usually
>means just the best marketing. Listen with your heart.
>
>
Though Mark and I may butt cyberheads on occasion :-), and my own take on the
regional bias/best marketing thing may be more tempered than Mark's view (even
though I understand where he's coming from), I have always agreed
wholeheartedly with him on one thing: you should listen to the music with
your heart.
That said, I have to say that if you (the original poster) ever have the
opportunity to attend an event such as the Kerrville Folk Festival (in
Kerrville, TX, for 18 days every spring starting just before Memorial Day) or
the North American Folk Alliance conferences (its largest conference, the
international one, takes place every February in a different North American
city, this year's (1998) being in Memphis Feb. 12-15) -- just two of many such
events -- it can be a wonderful opportunity to be exposed to hundreds of
"folk" singer/songwriters all at one time (often including many of the names
already mentioned in this thread). (What constitutes "folk" music these days
is subject to interpretation; my perception is it encompasses any
singer/songwriter-driven music, particularly that where the primary instrument
is acoustic guitar, that cannot find a home on *commercial* radio
formats....which isn't much of a definition, and that's exactly my point :-)
If you go to one of these singer/songwriter fests with the right frame of mind
(that being an open one), and as an *observer* rather than a participant with
a personal agenda (these events -- particularly Folk Alliance -- have a
definite "schmooze" ingredient where everyone is competing for attention, so if
you get caught up in that it can defeat the purpose of just enjoying
discovering "new" artists), you can hit the motherlode and find all kinds of
gold nuggets. And meet lots of incredible people.
What I love best about my experiences at these events, particularly festivals
like Kerrville (which I've attended mostly as an observer), is that they can be
a great equalizer; you may happen upon a late-night song circle at Kerrville
where Peter Yarrow is sitting with a bunch of songwriters you don't know, their
faces barely visible in the dark, and definitely no one wearing any name tags
-- so all you are left with is the music. I can't tell you how many wonderful
singer/songwriters I have "discovered" this way. In some cases, when they
finished playing and I was already in love with their music and I tapped
someone on the shoulder to ask who that was that just played, I would find out
they were someone I had heard *of*, but never heard or seen...in other cases,
it would be someone I'd never heard of at all...but it was the *songs* that
made me an instant fan. In my favorite example, the very first song circle I
ever (nervously) played in at Kerrville, the guy before me -- whom I did not
know at the time -- played a song and I realized I recognized his voice, and
it turned out that he had written (and performed) this incredible song on a
compilation CD I owned that absolutely floored me (that would be Pete Nelson
and his epic "Summer of Love") ...we became fast friends that night. And I
heard plenty more of his songs, and became an even bigger fan. I just didn't
want to have to *follow* him in the song circle ;-)
The other great thing is that for the most part, these events draw
singer/songwriters from all over the place, so you get to discover artists from
regions you might not otherwise get a chance to visit; they come to you, in a
sense. (I don't know when Mark's health-related travel restrictions will allow
him to next attend one of these things...maybe Folk Alliance in Vancouver, B.C.
in a couple of years?...just a reminder that there are always notable
exceptions who may be missing, of course)
This year, I'll be attending Folk Alliance as a full-fledged participant with a
personal agenda, no doubt engaged in shameless self-promotion :-), but you can
bet I will also spend a good chunk of my time just wandering the halls,
checking out all the showcases, making it a point to try and go listen to some
people I've never heard of before, in the hopes of making my next great
"discovery"...that moment of discovery when you hear something that knocks you
out is one of my favorite things in the whole world....
--peg (rambling as usual...)
P.S. For more information on Folk Alliance and its events (individual
membership for this non-profit org is $40/yr in most cases, I think), you can
visit their website at (according to the info on their letterhead)
www.hidwater.com/folkalliance/ or e-mail them at f...@folk.org. I definitely
think it is an organization worth joining for any "folk" performing
singer/songwriter, or anyone with an interest in this (relatively
all-encompassing) genre of music.
Mark Spittal
PegBertsch wrote:
>
> >I will repeat my continuous raving:
> >
> >Best known does not always mean best music and performers. It usually
> >means just the best marketing. Listen with your heart.
> >
> >
> >Mark
>
> Though Mark and I may butt cyberheads on occasion :-), and my own take on the
> regional bias/best marketing thing may be more tempered than Mark's view (even
> though I understand where he's coming from), I have always agreed
> wholeheartedly with him on one thing: you should listen to the music with
> your heart.
Oh my goodness....Peg and I agree for once!!! Miracles do happen!!
World peace is possible!!! 8-)
Nothing is impossible.... 8-)
JesiAna
I thought of a few more I think are worth a listen, and will list here. They
may have been named before:
Ian Tyson (now well into his sixties, and the best of the western
singer/songwriters by far)
Eric Bogle (great songwriter, great sound)
Alisa Fineman (not well-known...heard her at the Kate Wolf Festival and she
knocked my socks off)
John McCutcheon (whose work I've only recently discovered)
Someone in this thread mentioned the Irish influence on American folk music,
and it is evident in much of the music I've been hearing today. Of course, at
the root of many a "traditional" American folksong is an Irish or Scottish air
that is far older. The Irish influence in American folk music has very old
roots!
Brett Weiss
You might be interested in checking out John McCutcheon's web site at
http://www.folkmusic.com
Happy holidays!
--
Brett
JesiAna wrote in message <19971224095...@ladder01.news.aol.com>...
Glenn Hirshon
Folk artists I like -
Dar Williams
Pierce Pettis (Go out and get 'Making Lite of it' - its great)
Richard Shindell
Christine Lavin
Greg Brown
Patty Larkin
Ellis Paul
are a few..
For those tuning in from New York City - check out concert listings for the
fast folk cafe as well as the Bottom Line
glenn
Stephen Suffet
Greetings---
OK, here I go again. For every recording artist there are 100,
maybe 500, maybe 1,000 guys/gals walking around with guitars, banjos,
autoharps, harmonicas, steel drums, congas, bodhrans, bagpipes, penny
whistles, dulcimers, mandolins, what-have-you, making up, copying,
adapting, interpretting, swiping, stylizing, preserving, reserving,
conserving, forming, transforming, reforming, performing, refiguring,
configuring, transfiguring music and playing it for whoever will
listen. Sometimes they get lucky and get a paying gig or two in a club
or at a small festival. Other times they play schools, hospital,
prisons, old age homes, hospices, parks, subway stations, police
stations, fire houses, day care centers, rallies, demonstrations,
picket lines, bars, grills, auditoriums, beaches, lounges, hotels,
summer camps, dude ranches, picnics, wakes, weddings, bar mitzvahs,
street fairs, ceilis, hoolies, whore houses, brau halls, etc.
I could mention some names of some really good musicians I've
heard right here in New York City. I don't know how many of them have
been recorded. Probably some, certainly not all. Doesn't matter much
to me. Who? Bob Malenky for one. Bob Zaidman for another, although I
haven't seen or heard him in quite a while. The Disabled in Action
Singers for another yet. Also Adam Kreiswirth, Gene Tambor, Carlos
Rosello, Alan Friend, Art Streichler. Need more names? Let me add
Danny Kalb -- yes, the former whiz kid of the Blues Project whom I
last heard playing a roof- top party in Brooklyn about a year ago.
Want some more? Some young Irish guys who call themselves Four to the
Bar. And a couple of young women with strong voices and really great
harmonies who call themselves the Cruel Sisters, although I believe
their real name is Kelley or something like that. Also, a couple named
John and Makelena Gallagher who lead a band called Hawaiian Express.
And a very versatile musician named Henry Oelkers who used to play all
the Renaissance Fairs. Add to that a really wild ex-Coast Guard
bluesman named Steve Posner. I could go on.....
My point? Folk music is much more than the "big names," no matter
how talented they may be. And if in trying to find who exemplifies
folk music you confine yourself to the big festivals, the concert
halls, and the CD racks, you're going to miss a heck of a lot.
Take it easy but take it!
Steve Suffet
Jeri Corlew
Stephen Suffet wrote:
> My point? Folk music is much more than the "big names," no matter
> how talented they may be. And if in trying to find who exemplifies
> folk music you confine yourself to the big festivals, the concert
> halls, and the CD racks, you're going to miss a heck of a lot.
Whether somebody on one coast of the US has heard an artist from the
other coast, or whether either coast has heard an artist from the tiny
little strip of land in between the coasts, or whether artists are heard
in different countries is all due to promotion. Not talent, but talent
plus promotion.
One of the best songs I ever heard was at a party. The song had never
been recorded and the artist hadn't performed in many years. He's since
recorded his songs and started performing, but has anyone else heard of
Kenny Girard? The performers on the lists are all undoubtedly good, but
the real magic happens when you're surprised by unexpected greatness.
Who exemplifies contemporary folk? Nobody - and everybody!
Go listen to someone you've never heard before!
Jeri
Replace "nonet" with "inet" to reply.
Mark Spittal
Jeri said:
<<Who exemplifies contemporary folk? Nobody - and everybody!
>>Go listen to someone you've never heard before!
Amen! There is good music being played all around us by people who are
not famous...but their music is good.
How many of you go to open mikes? Go to your local club even when you
don't know the name of the performer?
When you do like a song or performer, how much of that is the result of
your heart responding to the music itself, and how much was your mind
being marketed to?
Mark
--
there will come a time when our eyes will acknowledge
what our hearts have known for so many years
that we are sisters and brothers united in wonder
united in joy, and united in tears
sisters & brothers/words and music ©mark spittal 1992
Mark's Page: http://www.isomedia.com/homes/mspittal/wisdomtree.html
Acoustic Northwest:
http://www.isomedia.com/homes/mspittal/acoustic.html
JesiAna
Not just open mikes, but concerts in the park, harvest festivals, and the like,
provide venues for local performers. Here in the San Francisco area, there are
some pretty good acts. One person I discovered in just that way was playing at
a mustard festival, up in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I later heard him with a
group that sings primarily Irish, Scottish, and Irish/Scottish American songs,
and they are very good. The solo was Steve Kritzer, who writes much of his own
material. However, the group, known as the South Bay Wailing Company, does more
traditional folk. Both Steve and the group are excellent. I don't know how much
they are heard outside the area, but they are well worth a listen should they
be out your way.