Anti-folk
Encyclopedia
Anti-folk is a music genre
that takes the earnestness of politically charged 1960s folk music
and subverts it. The defining characteristics of this anti-folk are difficult to identify, as they vary from one artist to the next. Nonetheless, the music tends to sound raw or experimental; it also generally mocks seriousness and pretension in the established mainstream music scene.
, including Folk City and The Speakeasy. Soon after, singer-songwriter Lach
started The Fort, an after-hours club, on the Lower East Side
, after a booker at Folk City told him his music was "too punk." The Fort's opening coincided with the New York Folk Festival, so Lach dubbed his own event the New York Antifolk Festival. Other early proponents of the movement included Cindy Lee Berryhill
, Brenda Kahn
, Paleface, Beck
, Michelle Shocked
, and John S. Hall
.
The original Fort was shut down in 1985 and the club moved from location to location, including East Village
bars Sophie's and Chameleon, before winding up in the back room of the Sidewalk Café from 1993. The Antifolk Festival continues to be held semi-annually in the East Village (long outlasting the original Folk Festival). Events have also taken place in the band shells in Tompkins Square Park
and Central Park
. While living in San Francisco for a few years in the early 1990s, Lach helped establish a West Coast anti-folk movement at the Sacred Ground club.
and The Bobby McGee's. The UK anti-folk scene (largely centred in London
, Manchester
and Brighton
) has established its own identity, which has been written about in a six-page feature in the September 2007 issue of Plan B
magazine. Plan B held an anti-folk night at the Huw Stevens-curated Sŵn
in Cardiff in November 2007. The beginnings of the UK anti-folk scene were in London, with shows promoted by Sergeant Buzfuz that, although not billed as anti-folk, featured many U.S. and UK anti-folk singer/songwriters. Around this time, Jaymay
, a New York native, moved to London. In 2004, the lo-fi musician Filthy Pedro
started seasonal anti-folk festivals, which he promoted with Tom Mayne of the band David Cronenberg's Wife
.
The Brighton anti-folk scene was quick to follow, curated primarily by Larry pickleman and Mertle. Other key figures within the UK anti-folk community include Dan Treacy of Television Personalities, JJ Crash, Milk Kan
, Extradition Order
, Lucy Joplin and Paul Hawkins
. Emmy the Great
is loosely connected with the English anti-folk scene, having played at Sgt Buzfuz's nights in 2003 as part of the duo Contraband. Kate Nash
started her music career playing anti-folk-style shows, including a concert promoted by Larry Pickleman and mertle in Brighton. Laura Marling
is sometimes linked with anti-folk, although this is less to do with the UK movement and more to do with her perceived musical style.
Anti-folk-influenced acts such as The Bobby McGee's have begun to pick up regular national radio airplay and media coverage. In August 2006, Timeout Magazine called anti-folk "One of London's hottest subcultures". The first anti-folk UK compilation album, Up the Anti, was released in 2007, mastered by Mark Kramer
. The Welsh anti-folk artist Mr Duke
has gained some popularity in Wales.
Music genre
A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...
that takes the earnestness of politically charged 1960s folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and subverts it. The defining characteristics of this anti-folk are difficult to identify, as they vary from one artist to the next. Nonetheless, the music tends to sound raw or experimental; it also generally mocks seriousness and pretension in the established mainstream music scene.
Anti-folk in the US
Anti-folk was begun by artists unable to gain gigs at established folk venues in Greenwich VillageGreenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
, including Folk City and The Speakeasy. Soon after, singer-songwriter Lach
Lach
Lach is a musician associated with the anti-folk movement. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he was trained as a classical pianist from an early age only to abandon it once he heard The Sex Pistols, The Jam and The Clash for the first time. Realizing he was a songwriter, Lach backtracked and explored...
started The Fort, an after-hours club, on the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
, after a booker at Folk City told him his music was "too punk." The Fort's opening coincided with the New York Folk Festival, so Lach dubbed his own event the New York Antifolk Festival. Other early proponents of the movement included Cindy Lee Berryhill
Cindy Lee Berryhill
Cindy Lee Berryhill is a singer-songwriter. Berryhill was born in LA's Silverlake, and grew up in various parts of California. Her debut album, Who's Gonna Save The World came out in October 1987 and was followed by the Lenny Kaye produced, Naked Movie Star in 1989...
, Brenda Kahn
Brenda Kahn
Brenda Kahn is a NYC-based singer-songwriter known for her poetic lyrics. Her career began in 1990, when her first album, Goldfish Don't Talk Back, was released to critical acclaim. Her punk-tinged folk music led to a major label deal with the Chaos label at Columbia Records, and in 1992, Kahn...
, Paleface, Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, Michelle Shocked
Michelle Shocked
Michelle Shocked is the stage name of Michelle Karen Johnston, an American singer-songwriter.-History:Shocked received her first international exposure in Europe, particularly Britain, with her debut album The Texas Campfire Tapes .Her first U.S...
, and John S. Hall
John S. Hall
John S. Hall is an American poet, author, singer and lawyer perhaps best known for his work with King Missile, an avant-garde band that he co-founded in 1986 and has since led in various disparate incarnations....
.
The original Fort was shut down in 1985 and the club moved from location to location, including East Village
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
bars Sophie's and Chameleon, before winding up in the back room of the Sidewalk Café from 1993. The Antifolk Festival continues to be held semi-annually in the East Village (long outlasting the original Folk Festival). Events have also taken place in the band shells in Tompkins Square Park
Tompkins Square Park
Tompkins Square Park is a 10.5 acre public park in the Alphabet City section of the East Village neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is square in shape, and is bounded on the north by East 10th Street, on the east by Avenue B, on the south by East 7th Street, and on the...
and Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
. While living in San Francisco for a few years in the early 1990s, Lach helped establish a West Coast anti-folk movement at the Sacred Ground club.
Anti-folk in the UK
In the 2000s the label has been adopted in Britain, particularly in the London underground scene, with acts including David Cronenberg's WifeDavid Cronenberg's Wife
David Cronenberg's Wife is a London-based band.Described as "where genius meets idiocy" by BBC Radio 2's Mark Lamarr, the band's lyrics combine dark subject matter with an off-kilter humour. They released their first single "I Couldn't Get Off" in 2007, followed up by two singles and their first...
and The Bobby McGee's. The UK anti-folk scene (largely centred in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
) has established its own identity, which has been written about in a six-page feature in the September 2007 issue of Plan B
Plan B (magazine)
Plan B was a monthly music magazine based in London, England. It catered mainly towards independent music but did not discriminate between the relative popularity of the bands it features. Plan B also documented alternative culture such as film, comics, video games, visual art and books. The...
magazine. Plan B held an anti-folk night at the Huw Stevens-curated Sŵn
Swn
The Sŵn Festival is a music festival curated by BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens and Cardiff-based promoter John Rostron, which takes place annually in Stephens' hometown of Cardiff, Wales. The first Sŵn Festival took place on the 9–11 November 2007...
in Cardiff in November 2007. The beginnings of the UK anti-folk scene were in London, with shows promoted by Sergeant Buzfuz that, although not billed as anti-folk, featured many U.S. and UK anti-folk singer/songwriters. Around this time, Jaymay
Jaymay
Jamie Seerman is an American folk singer-songwriter from New York. She performs under the name Jaymay.-Biography:Jaymay was born on January 3, 1981, and was raised on Long Island...
, a New York native, moved to London. In 2004, the lo-fi musician Filthy Pedro
Filthy Pedro
Filthy Pedro is an antifolk musician based in London. Born Simon Parry in Anglesey, Wales, he moved to London in the late 90s. Parry had grown interested in antifolk after hearing Beck's 'Stereopathic Soulmanure' album...
started seasonal anti-folk festivals, which he promoted with Tom Mayne of the band David Cronenberg's Wife
David Cronenberg's Wife
David Cronenberg's Wife is a London-based band.Described as "where genius meets idiocy" by BBC Radio 2's Mark Lamarr, the band's lyrics combine dark subject matter with an off-kilter humour. They released their first single "I Couldn't Get Off" in 2007, followed up by two singles and their first...
.
The Brighton anti-folk scene was quick to follow, curated primarily by Larry pickleman and Mertle. Other key figures within the UK anti-folk community include Dan Treacy of Television Personalities, JJ Crash, Milk Kan
Milk Kan
Milk Kan is a musical duo from south London, England, formed in 2003. Their EPs, the acoustic "Bling!" and "Wat U See Ain't Wat U Get" were followed, in December 2005, by a single, "Bling Bling Baby" and their later single, "God with an Ipod"...
, Extradition Order
Extradition Order (band)
Extradition Order are a band from Warrington, England now based in London.The band were originally made up of school friends from the North West of England; lyricist and guitarist Alastair Harper, keyboardist Matthew Bergin, bassist Nicholas Boardman and drummer Mark Davies...
, Lucy Joplin and Paul Hawkins
Paul Hawkins (musician)
Paul Hawkins is a London-based singer-songwriter who grew up near Bristol and has been a key figure in London's antifolk scene. He regularly records in collaboration with Death in Vegas and Dot Allison guitarist Ian Button and a 6-piece band under the name of Paul Hawkins & The Awkward...
. Emmy the Great
Emmy the Great
Emma-Lee Moss , known by her stage name Emmy the Great, is a London-based singer-songwriter. She has released two albums, First Love and Virtue.-Early life:Moss was born in Hong Kong to an English father and a Chinese mother...
is loosely connected with the English anti-folk scene, having played at Sgt Buzfuz's nights in 2003 as part of the duo Contraband. Kate Nash
Kate Nash
Kate Marie Nash is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. She had a UK no. 2 hit "Foundations" in 2007, followed by the platinum selling UK number 1 album Made of Bricks. She was named Best Female Artist at the 2008 BRIT Awards....
started her music career playing anti-folk-style shows, including a concert promoted by Larry Pickleman and mertle in Brighton. Laura Marling
Laura Marling
Laura Beatrice Marling is an English folk musician from Eversley, Hampshire.Initially prominent within the London folk scene, she has also toured with a number of well-known indie artists in the UK. Her debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim and her second album I Speak Because I Can were nominated for...
is sometimes linked with anti-folk, although this is less to do with the UK movement and more to do with her perceived musical style.
Anti-folk-influenced acts such as The Bobby McGee's have begun to pick up regular national radio airplay and media coverage. In August 2006, Timeout Magazine called anti-folk "One of London's hottest subcultures". The first anti-folk UK compilation album, Up the Anti, was released in 2007, mastered by Mark Kramer
Mark Kramer
Mark Kramer , known professionally as Kramer, is a musician, composer, record producer and founder of the New York City record label Shimmy-Disc...
. The Welsh anti-folk artist Mr Duke
Mr Duke
Mr Duke is a Welsh bilingual country singer-songwriter. Born in Snowdonia, North Wales he took his name from a character in Hunter S...
has gained some popularity in Wales.