Lach
Encyclopedia
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 the roots, relishing the works of Bob Dylan
, Phil Ochs
and Woody Guthrie
. In the early 80's Lach went to Greenwich Village's Folk City but soon had to move to the Lower East Side opening his own illegal after-hours club "The Fort". The same week Lach opened The Fort, Folk City held the New York Folk Festival, so, Lach held the first New York Antifolk Festival.
The Fort became a mobile club inhabiting various New York hotspots, finally settling down at The Sidewalk Café on Avenue A where it now resides. Until the summer of 2008, Lach hosted the weekly Antihootenanny there (now renamed the Open Stage and hosted by Ben Krieger).
The anti-folk movement that Lach started in the early eighties has produced such well-known performers as Beck
, Regina Spektor
, The Moldy Peaches
and Hamell on Trial
, amongst others.
Since those early days the Antifolk movement has grown into a worldwide phenomenon. Lach tours rarely and has released only six albums over twenty years.
Anti-folk
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...
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
The Jam
The Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...
and The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
for the first time. Realizing he was a songwriter, Lach backtracked and explored the roots, relishing the works of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Phil Ochs
Phil Ochs
Philip David Ochs was an American protest singer and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice...
and Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
. In the early 80's Lach went to Greenwich Village's Folk City but soon had to move to the Lower East Side opening his own illegal after-hours club "The Fort". The same week Lach opened The Fort, Folk City held the New York Folk Festival, so, Lach held the first New York Antifolk Festival.
The Fort became a mobile club inhabiting various New York hotspots, finally settling down at The Sidewalk Café on Avenue A where it now resides. Until the summer of 2008, Lach hosted the weekly Antihootenanny there (now renamed the Open Stage and hosted by Ben Krieger).
The anti-folk movement that Lach started in the early eighties has produced such well-known performers as Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, Regina Spektor
Regina Spektor
Regina Ilyinichna Spektor is a Russian American singer-songwriter and pianist. Her music is associated with the anti-folk scene centered in New York City's East Village.-Early life:...
, The Moldy Peaches
The Moldy Peaches
The Moldy Peaches was an indie group founded by Adam Green and Kimya Dawson. Leading proponents of the anti-folk scene, the band has been on hiatus since 2004...
and Hamell on Trial
Hamell on Trial
Hamell on Trial is the one-man band of Ed Hamell of Syracuse, New York. Hamell typically describes his style as punk rock. Righteous Babe Records explains the use of the term as "loud, fast music informed by politics, passion, energy and intelligence, played by a guy with a sharp tongue and a...
, amongst others.
Since those early days the Antifolk movement has grown into a worldwide phenomenon. Lach tours rarely and has released only six albums over twenty years.
Discography
- Contender (1991)
- Blang! (1999)
- Kids Fly Free (2001)
- Today (2004)
- The Calm Before (2008)
- Ramshackle Heart (2011)