this question was posed on another board I'm on (single artist focus) What is the difference to you? I'll put my answer up in a few responses. Don't breathe/ Ellis Paul Picture my face at your kitchen table, We're both fifteen years old. Your parents are sleeping upstairs in their bedroom, The house is quiet, but cold. Did I tell you then? These are moments whole lifetimes are built on. You're my best friend, and if it's tonight will these walls hold our secret? Don't breathe out loud -- it's like breaking glass, And the walls must hold the moments fast... Picture my face in the space of your garage. We're still fifteen years old. Naked in blankets, the angels would thank us If they knew how the future was told. Did I tell you then? These are moments whole lifetimes are built on. You're my best friend -- and now we're skin to skin only sweat runs between us. Don't breathe out loud... Don't breathe out loud... Don't breathe... Hold these pieces, pictures in tatters. Fade the colors, still a fortune to hold. Picture my face in frame in a picture Of when we were fifteen years old. Fumbling for answers, two out of step dancers Content in darkness to hold. Did I tell you then? These are moments my whole life is built on. You're my best friend. Did I tell you then? Did I tell you then? Did I tell you?
OK, we so don't really care about folk on this board. We can argue Phish v Dead for months, but defining what folk is compared to someone who just happens to play acoustic songs seems to be beyongd what we are willing to do. A shame. So much good folk out there that wasn't recorded in Meyer's heyday. So, my answer for now, is folk is music made by people with a sensibility of their roots. It's "Portable" music, as one of my favorite writers says. How about you. Is Ani D folk? Tish Hinajosa? Utah Phillips? Planxty? Slaid Cleves?
I guess the difference is the feel of the music, and that seems a very random thing to say. To me, folk has a kind of mellow traditional sound (though of course there are exceptions), something like Nick Drake or maybe Joni Mitchell. I think commonly many folk artists are singer-songwriters, but not all singer-songwriters are folk artists.
its really hard for me to define folk. Folk is such a wide range of music, being as people have so many different heritages. As i see it, folk is a more indepth form of music centering on a specific individual or society while incorporating the cultural upbringings and musical styling of the artist. The way this board is setup is under the assumption that folk has a specific sound, which seems to me to be almost an oximoron being as many modern artists that i have encountered are not considered to be solely folk in genre. For me folk is understanding your roots, accepting them, and using them in your music
i think the two genres can easily be played by a single artist in the course of a few songs. i always thought of folk being more story-telling and not really sticking to pop structure whereas singer-songwriter songs sometimes do, or something along those lines.
richard thompson cheryl wheeler trapezoid , dougie McLean ,Suzi Katz,Maura O'Connel , yea,yea,yea lot's of great under appreciated talent out there I know where you're comming from.....I know the music
I love folk music, but I find it often blurs into other categories to the point of almost being undefined. I think singer-songwriters write songs that sound folky but might, given the chance, build them up into something else if given the opportunity. I'm not really sure. Nick Drake being one of my favourite artsts, I love the way his songs are not over-instrumentalised. But what is folk? I think it's something that permeates pretty much every category of music and therefore is a bit difficult to define in agreeable terms.
I can't find the liner notes, but my tricky memory keeps saying Sharon Teeler, who I beleive is the lovely Mrs Ellis & wonder mama of Ella. Live, it's usually Patty Griffin.
Ok, so A song written about a rperson who has been living within 5 year (of teh song's creation) is folk or a singer-songwriter piece? such as: While Hollywood sleeps, A young man is dying On the concrete of a sidewalk downtown. As his brother weeps, The sirens come calling And the medics feed him lines on the ground. Run, river, run...
I personally feel it is kind of like form and subject matter. A folk song has a a political or historical agenda woven into its lines. Either that or it is chronicalling a snippit of current life. I also think that what you use to creat the music is imoportant to. i thinking you mentioned portable music. The instruments have to be somewhat acessable. Most folk music is played on instruments enterprising people can make for themselves.
Ellispaul.com I'm a HUGE EP fanatic. or does my current sig give that away? But I often get on Tribes or discussion board for single artists. I'm also on Kimock list, Thamusemeant and Garaj Mahal for e-mail ists. I really prefer the board format, though. but to the topic: if all music is of the people (As pop once was) is singer songwriter just folk to be?
I think folk music and song writing are complementary to each other. Like cause and effect. I like to go to a folk festival called Kerrville an exceptional place like the rainbow gatherings and burning man has. http://www.beadsongs.org/rainarose4.htm and Raina Rose a singer song writer answers my question what is folk music according to her. Here you can hear one of her songs. http://www.beadsongs.org/rainarose2.htm
Kerrville from Canada? Thank you brother for being part of what has kept that lovely fest alive ( I went as a youngster) but the question is (and was posed by a folkie-singer friend of mine) what is a folk singer and what is a singer songwriter. To wit, technically, before Nashville got him, Garth Brooks was Singer-songwriter, unless he had a band (then it was the crappy country he bacame known for). and the singer on don't breathe ( i was thinking of the wrong marriage) was Johnatha Brooke of The Story (since disbanded)
you've just said folk is more about an approach on the creative process and music right? I think that's the same in other genres. music get's poor when it is about some kinda sound instead of an approach.
