Comments on: The fading of “folk music” http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/05/28/the-fading-of-folk-music/ Roger Bourland writes about music and life Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:26:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: GlennFazio http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/05/28/the-fading-of-folk-music/#comment-81381 GlennFazio Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:34:13 +0000 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/05/28/the-fading-of-folk-music/#comment-81381 http://www.ibiblio.org/jimmy/folkden-wp/ http://www.ibiblio.org/jimmy/folkden-wp/

]]> By: GlennFazio http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/05/28/the-fading-of-folk-music/#comment-81380 GlennFazio Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:25:58 +0000 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/05/28/the-fading-of-folk-music/#comment-81380 Although the Byrds did not like being labeled, their early albums contained bona fide folk music, mostly from the mind and pen of Bob Dylan and which when blended with "a Beatle beat" produced the highly popular genre - folk-rock. It was this hybrid rock'n'roll creation that echoed, fueled and sounded much of the protest music of the 1960's. Following a long tradition of folk troubadors, Roger McGuinn of the Byrds has kept the folk tradition alive almost singlehandedly with his "Folk Den" project. For the past decade he has been recording and preseving folk music in an archive in Texas, at the rate of 1 song a month. You can visit Roger's Folk Den and hear some of your favorite folk music played in 12-string style and with one of the most distinctive voices in popular music. Although the Byrds did not like being labeled, their early albums contained bona fide folk music, mostly from the mind and pen of Bob Dylan and which when blended with “a Beatle beat” produced the highly popular genre - folk-rock. It was this hybrid rock’n'roll creation that echoed, fueled and sounded much of the protest music of the 1960’s. Following a long tradition of folk troubadors, Roger McGuinn of the Byrds has kept the folk tradition alive almost singlehandedly with his “Folk Den” project. For the past decade he has been recording and preseving folk music in an archive in Texas, at the rate of 1 song a month. You can visit Roger’s Folk Den and hear some of your favorite folk music played in 12-string style and with one of the most distinctive voices in popular music.

]]> By: Ndugu http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/05/28/the-fading-of-folk-music/#comment-80341 Ndugu Thu, 29 May 2008 20:17:20 +0000 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/05/28/the-fading-of-folk-music/#comment-80341 Interesting take on Folk music. There seem to be a lot of misconceptions and the history might be getting lost. One ray of light is the discovery of Woody Guthrie performing live, which we can hear for the first time on an album called "The Live Wire," which came from a wire recording. Check out our Songfacts interview with Guthrie's granddaughter for a better explanation: http://www.songfacts.com/int/2008/03/anna-canoni-woody-guthrie.html Interesting take on Folk music. There seem to be a lot of misconceptions and the history might be getting lost. One ray of light is the discovery of Woody Guthrie performing live, which we can hear for the first time on an album called “The Live Wire,” which came from a wire recording. Check out our Songfacts interview with Guthrie’s granddaughter for a better explanation:
http://www.songfacts.com/int/2008/03/anna-canoni-woody-guthrie.html

]]> By: Chuck http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/05/28/the-fading-of-folk-music/#comment-80331 Chuck Thu, 29 May 2008 05:23:25 +0000 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/05/28/the-fading-of-folk-music/#comment-80331 There is still a lot of folk music sleeping under the surface. I play a lot of (often empty) coffee houses, and many of the younger musicians I meet sing Dylan covers. Many sing their own political songs. What seems to be missing is the familiarity with a shared repertoire of popular folk songs. I like this: "Young people today are still cool, but I am happy to speculate that the pendulum is slowly swinging back, and I predict an age of sincere teenagers who are not jaded, is just around the corner." I hope it is true. There are a few pop musicians - Ben Harper and Jack Johnson for example - who seem to have awareness of and respect for the folk tradition. Very nice blog... There is still a lot of folk music sleeping under the surface. I play a lot of (often empty) coffee houses, and many of the younger musicians I meet sing Dylan covers. Many sing their own political songs. What seems to be missing is the familiarity with a shared repertoire of popular folk songs.

I like this: “Young people today are still cool, but I am happy to speculate that the pendulum is slowly swinging back, and I predict an age of sincere teenagers who are not jaded, is just around the corner.” I hope it is true. There are a few pop musicians - Ben Harper and Jack Johnson for example - who seem to have awareness of and respect for the folk tradition.

Very nice blog…

]]> By: PK http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/05/28/the-fading-of-folk-music/#comment-80324 PK Wed, 28 May 2008 16:22:05 +0000 http://rogerbourland.com/blog/2008/05/28/the-fading-of-folk-music/#comment-80324 The last ten years has brought me many moments of sad, nostalgic astonishment, the Mount Rushmores of my youth crumbling slowly but surely before my very eyes. I've seen works of great prominence slip quietly below the surface to obscurity. "All is vanity"... I start to wonder, should my time be spent trying to hold on, like a miser, to all the gold of the past, or should I spend my time finding some way to appreciate all these new and strange things coming up over the advancing horizon (which is not always so easy for me at this time,I have to work at it)? Is cultural memory inherent at a naturally sufficient level in humankind, or does it need amplification and definition provided by the likes of myself, and might that very act distort the history? I like your point about grunge being a neo-folk, I had never thought about it like that but it feels very possible. And thanks for returning the Inky-dinky spider to my current top-ten, now I will be quietly be singing it to myself all day (with small, hidden hand gestures so people won't think I am too crazy). Perhaps people with children tend to get doses of this stuff still. The last ten years has brought me many moments of sad, nostalgic astonishment, the Mount Rushmores of my youth crumbling slowly but surely before my very eyes. I’ve seen works of great prominence slip quietly below the surface to obscurity. “All is vanity”… I start to wonder, should my time be spent trying to hold on, like a miser, to all the gold of the past, or should I spend my time finding some way to appreciate all these new and strange things coming up over the advancing horizon (which is not always so easy for me at this time,I have to work at it)? Is cultural memory inherent at a naturally sufficient level in humankind, or does it need amplification and definition provided by the likes of myself, and might that very act distort the history?

I like your point about grunge being a neo-folk, I had never thought about it like that but it feels very possible. And thanks for returning the Inky-dinky spider to my current top-ten, now I will be quietly be singing it to myself all day (with small, hidden hand gestures so people won’t think I am too crazy). Perhaps people with children tend to get doses of this stuff still.

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