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aquapiranha
22-03-2009, 21:18
I thought it a god idea to start a thread about folk - any type you like.

Some of my faves are..

Pentangle - what more nned be said?
Trees - short lived band with great talent.
Vashti bunyan
Marissa Nadler

So what do you like and why?

:)

symon
22-03-2009, 22:09
Bert Jansch - amazing guitar and a very subtle voice - 'subtle' in that you need to acclimatise yourself to it, but it's worth it once you do.
Pentangle
Martin Carthy - still going strong and such an amazing guitarist. Nice bloke to boot
Eliza Carthy - what a voice
Waterson:Carthy - what voices!!
Chris Wood - great singer, great musician, all round bloke - lives where I used to live
Last Night's Fun - amazing musicians. Sadly split up recently, but were amazing live

There is much more - John Renbourn, Annie Briggs,

and the true folk - The Copper family, Walter Pardon - these are the ones who were not affected by Victorian fantasy. Singers with a long tradition behind them who were the last of their kind before the folk revival took over.

I could go on, but my main interest is in Bert Jansch and Martin Carthy - they are gods but they still walk the earth and appear in places I can go see them.

aquapiranha
22-03-2009, 22:18
I like Bert Jansch too, though at the moment I have only Black swan. Eliza Carthy is pretty good too. Also, Sandy Denny if great solol and there are many more like Sally Oldfield.

symon
22-03-2009, 22:24
Black Swan is good. But I highly recommend his first four or five albums - up to Rosemary Lane

Beechwoods
22-03-2009, 22:26
Good band, Trees. 'Garden Of Jane Delawney' and 'On The Shore' (great cover on 'On The Shore' too). I got the early 90's reissues on vinyl, but they were very sibilant pressings :( The recent CD releases were very welcome :)

Must admit to liking the occasional bit of prog-folkers Gryphon too. And Third Ear Band - psychedelic free-folk avant-garde!

Roll on the avant-folk revival :lol:


Hi Nick

Love Gryphon but I am not much of a Folk fan English or otherwise. Though I do like those bands like Clannad,Iona and Renaissance that mixed some folk elements with Prog....but pure folk no.....I just don't get it.

http://www.progarchives.com/progressive_rock_discography_covers/135/cover_1752317102008.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Vv0NP-LBfi8/SKzs9BhFk9I/AAAAAAAABzk/QM4vioFq8h8/s320/Gryphon1.jpg

http://www.progarchives.com/progressive_rock_discography_covers/135/cover_13542217102008.jpg

Iona live

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/iona.jpg

http://www.iona.uk.com/newindex/images/circling%20hour%20pics/BAND_london.jpg

Renaissance

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_yU1SOZYDgU4/SZnYQD_txtI/AAAAAAAABuU/aQgElaAG0uU/s400/Renaissance+-+Novella.jpg

'Pure folk'... I'm sure that some folk could argue til the cows came home if there was even such a thing! I like Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick - I saw Swarbrick play an amazing unamplified solo gig at the Troubadour near Wembley in the early 90's. Amazing show, very intimate, maybe 100 people present. You could hear him breathing as he played, and his characteristic grunts - completely into the music. A lot of the 'straight' folk I like is political, but isn't that where folk came from :)


Umm....I thought it was a Victorian middle class attempt to recreate some mythical golden age that never existed except in peoples imagination. All costumes, dancing, art, building design etc is a recreation, as the original stuff is mostly lost. This goes for English Folk, Irish Folk, some Scottish, and most of Europe. The Arts and Crafts movement, Art Nouveau and the Pre-Raphaelite where all part of this too. As is most folk music present today. Not all because some must have survived as tradition but the rest of it is all fantasy IMHO.

Blimey :) The 'manufacturing of tradition', old Eric Hobsbawm eh ;) You're right, but for me the best folk came from the working classes, songs of revolution. I know the Victorians tried to create a new idea of 'nation' to keep people in line, but there was a grass roots that kept the local traditions and songs alive, and thankfully the folk revival of the 50's and 60's ensured that a lot of the songs were written down or recorded before they were lost. And punk kicked it all up the ass. So much good music, so little time :)


Hi Nick ohhh...I didn't quote from a book that was my opinion...I love that period of Victoriana and I love the work of the Arts and Crafts movement and everything which followed. But its all just FANTASY.

;) It just amused me because it reminded me of my firebrand youth, having discussions just like that over a pint in the student union bar. I studied Politics and that era was very much my bag. It's a fascinating time, and a very interesting analysis. Clan Tartan anyone?? :eyebrows:

symon
22-03-2009, 22:30
Ah - Swarbrick and Carthy - there's a fine pairing. I've been lucky enough to see them a few times. But, I have to admit that the sight of seeing Swarb walking around (having had a lung transplant) was a truly wonderful sight!

Beechwoods
22-03-2009, 22:31
A classic pairing. I have a tape of the two of them live back in 1991, Leicester I think, a Folk On Two BBC R2 broadcast. I need to do a decent transfer from tape. It was a great 20 minute excerpt from the show.

symon
22-03-2009, 22:36
Oooh! That sounds interesting! ;)

Beechwoods
22-03-2009, 22:40
I'll pull it out and get it digitised. It has a Fairport (Acoustic) Convention session on the other side (from the following week) which is also great. I'll let you know how I get on :)

symon
22-03-2009, 22:42
Cool. I have some recordings on DAT, only one or two which have been converted to CD. Your welcome to a coppy of what I've transferred or a dub of the DATs if you like.

I should clarify - recordings of Swab and Carthy, Martin on his own, Pentangle, and Waterson:Carthy, Eliza Carthy, and other folky goodness.

Beechwoods
22-03-2009, 22:46
I'll PM you later ;) Gotta get to bed shortly, but that sounds interesting :)

snapper
23-03-2009, 00:58
John Martyn

A genius.

symon
23-03-2009, 01:02
I was going to include John Martyn, but couldn't decide if he was folk!
Yes, he was/is a genius. I was glad I took the chance to see him just the once a few years ago.

shane
23-03-2009, 11:57
Can't believe no-one's mentioned Sandy Denny or Kate Rusby yet. Chalk and cheese, but both can move me to tears.

Beechwoods
23-03-2009, 12:16
Au contraire Shane :) See post #3 ;)

aquapiranha
23-03-2009, 13:27
As has been said already I suppose a lot can depend on what your interpretation of "folk" actually is. some might say that fro example the Be Good Tanyas could be described as American folk, others my say they are country or bluegrass.

At the moment I have been listening to the John Barleycorn double CD which has some artists on it that I have never even heard of, and will have to investigate further.

:)

Beechwoods
23-03-2009, 14:09
I've never heard the Be Good Tanyas, but Bluegrass is definitely American folk music, and a lot of Country likewise (not the pop-stuff that passes for Country in the Country Chart Top 40, mind :). Oohh... this is looking like an interesting discussion chaps! wish I had more time... maybe this evening :eyebrows:

SteveW
23-03-2009, 21:37
Somewhere else on here, and I can't find it right now, recommended the download subscription service from B&W.
http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/display.aspx?infid=3550

As a bit of a gamble, I paid up. The first album that I got last month was OK, by Justin Adams, but I prefer some of his other stuff especially with Robert Plant.

However this months...is from a Bristol,based band called Spiro. Contemporary Folk. I love Philip Glass and Folk...and this is an perfect meld of the two in my humble etc. So..just burnt an Apple Lossless file onto CD to play on my main system and I am also allowed another downlaod which I've done in 24 bit for the 'library' when I can play these studio quality files properly.
All I can honestly say is that the music is spellbinding.

aquapiranha
23-03-2009, 21:39
Get yourself on youtube, or maybe that spotify thingy, they are excellent! and while you are about it also look at

Joanna Newsome

Marissa Nadler

Caravan

espers (maybe not strictly folk but worth looking out for)

aquapiranha
23-03-2009, 21:48
Somewhere else on here, and I can't find it right now, recommended the download subscription service from B&W.
http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/display.aspx?infid=3550

As a bit of a gamble, I paid up. The first album that I got last month was OK, by Justin Adams, but I prefer some of his other stuff especially with Robert Plant.

However this months...is from a Bristol,based band called Spiro. Contemporary Folk. I love Philip Glass and Folk...and this is an perfect meld of the two in my humble etc. So..just burnt an Apple Lossless file onto CD to play on my main system and I am also allowed another downlaod which I've done in 24 bit for the 'library' when I can play these studio quality files properly.
All I can honestly say is that the music is spellbinding.

Nice video, with added Peter Gabriel!

You should google Fovea Hex, I have not seen them on sale except via the website, I have been hovering over the buy button for a while...

*EDIT.. here is the link... http://www.myspace.com/foveahex

aquapiranha
23-03-2009, 21:59
OK, back OT. Of late I have been listening to the John barleycorn album quite a bit. This is the kind of folk music I like, along with more traditional or should that be recognised stuff like Pentangle and Fairport etc. I also have a liking for the strange band in my avatar - Comus. If you like your folk on the dark side I strongly urge you to give them a go.

Spectral Morn
23-03-2009, 22:18
Jethro Tull....Folk,blues,jazz-Prog Rock. Excellent.....seen them live twice very good live.


Regards D S D L

symon
23-03-2009, 22:52
I haven't got into Jethro Tull yet. I'm sure I have a best of cd somewhere, but I don't remember listening to it. oops. Must dig it out soon.

Spectral Morn
23-03-2009, 23:11
Hi Symon

Yes Tull are worth checking out....strictly speaking they're not folk but do have a lot of Folk elements but regardless they are very good IMHO.


Regards D S D L

Beechwoods
24-03-2009, 00:02
What defines folk... it's an interesting question, because I've been trying to work out the difference between country and folk since the earlier comment in this thread. I'm a big Country fan, but like a lot of music Country has become very commercial, with a lot of rock / pop crossover that has destroyed a lot of what it was originally about. A lot of the alt-country / americana around these days is more like indie-rock or 'cow-punk' than real old-time country.

I must admit that I got into Country, and Bluegrass through The Byrds, one of the biggest County-Rock bands ever, and certainly the most influential (without whom Poco, The Eagles etc wouldn't have had a blueprint). But tracing their sound backwards, via Clarence White, there are some very interesting finds.

Clarence was a bluegrass player, and made his first professional recordings at the age of 13, playing in bands with his older brother, Roland. This was around 1961/62. It was in 67 that he picked up an electric. Prior to that he played session guitar with a lot of the greats.

Some of my favourites:

Tut Taylor - Dobro Country, 1964
This video is from much later, sadly I can't find any from the album, it's still great though!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUZ0aQ079ss

The video is a bit glitchy at the start but you get a feel for what he's about a few seconds in.

The Kentucky Colonels
Clarence's own band.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vj_pLTJxiw8

Andy Griffith with the Country Boys
Clarence is the one in the middle. He was about 15 at the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpKhWePGNPc

Clarence & Roland on Bob Baxter's Guitar workshop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMQuuZNvwLU

Here's some Byrds playing with Earl Scruggs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqbswmcdaSY

I have this one on DVD. There's a really funny bit where Scruggs is talking about how suspicious about the young folk people always were, but he knew that these guys knew their music!

The Dillards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6cGva0USk0

That's enough for now :)

symon
24-03-2009, 00:41
There is a lot of cross over between American and English folk songs. I thik American folk is certainly bluegrass and Applachian music, early country, ass well as people like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, early Dylan even. maybe even Delta blues is a form of folk?

aquapiranha
26-03-2009, 21:38
There is a good site for all folk related stuff, including tour dates..

http://www.brightyoungfolk.com/gigs/homepage/default.aspx

The Grand Wazoo
27-03-2009, 08:51
There is a lot of cross over between American and English folk songs. I thik American folk is certainly bluegrass and Applachian music, early country, ass well as people like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, early Dylan even. maybe even Delta blues is a form of folk?

My take on it is that almost all music is folk music. If you go back to the fundamentals, it's only music that was commissioned by the idle rich (i.e. most classical music) that wasn't made by 'the folk'. So yes, blues is the folk music of a certain sector of the population, as is country and so on. The roots of 'The House of the Rising Sun' has been traced back to an old English ditty (16th century, I think).

Beechwoods
27-03-2009, 21:16
Blues is definitely folk music, as is gospel. I think I share your definition of folk Chris!

Jason P
28-03-2009, 00:22
I can recommend Tim Van Eyken, 'Stiffs Lovers Holymen Thieves' for a new take on traditional folk. Some wonderful reworkings of standards and very atmospheric - and not afraid to let rip when called for - some of the drumming is almost drum n bass!!

I've a big soft spot for Sharon Shannon too, ever since she joined the Waterboys in their diddley diddley phase. Her later solo stuff is fab.

One brill but obscure album I found on re-release was Judee Sill's first (still looking for the second) bought on the strength of one song heard on R2 and a mention she gets in a Jackie Leven song (as he's a hero of mine) - brilliant 60's folk with some wonderfully inventive tunes. Shame she died so young...

Jason

aquapiranha
30-03-2009, 09:26
I can recommend Tim Van Eyken, 'Stiffs Lovers Holymen Thieves' for a new take on traditional folk. Some wonderful reworkings of standards and very atmospheric - and not afraid to let rip when called for - some of the drumming is almost drum n bass!!

I've a big soft spot for Sharon Shannon too, ever since she joined the Waterboys in their diddley diddley phase. Her later solo stuff is fab.

One brill but obscure album I found on re-release was Judee Sill's first (still looking for the second) bought on the strength of one song heard on R2 and a mention she gets in a Jackie Leven song (as he's a hero of mine) - brilliant 60's folk with some wonderfully inventive tunes. Shame she died so young...

Jason

The Waterboys are ace, I went to see them at the Phil in Liverpool a couple of years ago, superb. I will check out sharon Shannon too thanks!

symon
30-03-2009, 11:53
There is a host of young 'uns who are connected to Waterrson: Carthy in some who are all worth checking out for the style they are adopting and the breath of fresh air they are putting into the folk scene. Some of them have already been mentioned, but they are:
Eliza Carthy and the Ratcatchers
Bellowhead
Spiers and Boden
Van Eyken
Faustus

A common element to many of those is either Spiers and Bowden or the fact that they are/were part of Waterson:Carthy.
I can recommend all of them.

Jason P
31-03-2009, 08:12
The Waterboys are ace, I went to see them at the Phil in Liverpool a couple of years ago, superb. I will check out sharon Shannon too thanks!

Steve,

If you're a Waterboys fan (they are pretty much my 'desert island' band) then check out Jackie Leven. I got in to him after seeing Mike Scott credited on his album 'The Mystery of Love is Greater than the Mystery of Death' and loved it from track one. His next, 'Forbidden Songs of the Dying West' was even better, and his prolific releases just get better and better IMHO.

It's an eclectic mix of all sorts of influences from folk to rock and soul... well worth checking out. Google or youtube him - a fantastic and charismatic performer.

Jason

Beechwoods
14-04-2009, 22:31
Came across an interesting article when I was doing some reading about American Appalachian music. The examination of how the music evolved over time and with influences from different cultures is particularly interesting...

http://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/appalach.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWWP0Nif5Z4&fmt=18

Simon
17-04-2009, 17:57
What about (ex-Fairport) Richard Thompson? A towering figure in 'popular' music - more folk-rock of course but of a consistently high standard, a true national treasure,

On the Watersons/Carthy front, recently bagged Lal Waterson/Oliver Knight 'Once In a Blue Moon' - a fantastic folk album.

Also, Dick Gaughan ( A Handful of Earth etc ) is great.

Do The Pogues count?!

Beechwoods
17-04-2009, 18:20
I never got the Pogues but I loved the English equivalent, The Men They Couldn't Hang. They had a knack for writing songs with 'modern' folk lyrics. Great live too.

The Colours... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNKLBwAcP04
"Red is the colour of the new republic, blue is the colour of the sea, white is the colour of my innocence not surrender to your mercy" :)

The Crest... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FjNH_1ce-4
"When they shipped him back from Passchendaele it was raining in his head, caused not by any bullet but the faces of the dead..."

Shirt Of Blue... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlVN4av9W8I
I think I saw them at the T&C the day before or after this was filmed... :)

Ghosts Of Cable Street... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzKv5gjOzTA

Simon
18-04-2009, 07:29
Heard of them, no experience - however did get to see a few years back on St Paddy's Day here in Bologna an outfit called Four Men and a Dog - fabulous live mayhem! :cool:

Another true 'folkie' - as opposed to 'ethnic'? - is June Tabor...chiming, bell-like voice as has been described, I recommend 'Aquaba' and 'A Quiet Eye'.

aquapiranha
18-04-2009, 17:50
I never thought there would be so much interest in this thread, but I am really glad there is! I now have many new avenues to explore. Thanks guys, and keep 'em coming!

:)

The Grand Wazoo
18-04-2009, 18:00
What about (ex-Fairport) Richard Thompson? A towering figure in 'popular' music - more folk-rock of course but of a consistently high standard, a true national treasure,



I love his songwiting & guitar playing but surely someone made one of the biggest mistakes ever made in music, when they said, "Hey Richard, Why don't you try singing!"

Beechwoods
18-04-2009, 19:58
:lol: no - I think that was when they asked the Byrds to sing in harmony without the aid of overdubs

:band:

:sofa:

John
18-04-2009, 20:02
I went through Crusty phase and loved the first 2 Leveller albums
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEtVWCiWOVs&feature=related

Beechwoods
18-04-2009, 20:05
Another true 'folkie' - as opposed to 'ethnic'? - is June Tabor...chiming, bell-like voice as has been described, I recommend 'Aquaba' and 'A Quiet Eye'.

Many years ago I heard a version of 'Scarecrow' by the Silly Sisters - June Tabor and Maddy Prior if I remember correctly. It's an amazing song. I found a good version by JT solo here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l1kYWhuZso (there's a high quality option on this one)

Beautiful.

Beechwoods
18-04-2009, 20:21
I went through a Crusty phase

You and me both. Apart from the hair, I haven't moved on from mine.

I've got The Levellers first 12", "Carry Me" on Hag Records. They were excellent live, and the first album was great. The 3rd single, with a few acoustic live numbers on was fantastic, but they ended up too 'rock' for my folk-rock tastes and we parted company thereafter!

I love the fact that like Fairport though, they have their annual festival thing 'Beautiful Days', to bring their friends and fans together. All the more essential now, since 'free festivals' are all but history.

John
18-04-2009, 20:24
I also love the Dirty Three
I am not sure if they belong here at times there music has lots of rage and chaos but I hear a mixiture of folk alternative rock and some Jazz elements
Check out the beautiful Authentic Celestial Music There music combines chaos with moments of beauty The best way to desribe them live is a full on experience that stays with you for ages
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo4OrfS2K8Y

John
18-04-2009, 20:29
You and me both. Apart from the hair, I haven't moved on from mine.
To be honest i was more of hippy than crusty, but the two kind of went hand in hand at the time and I still have the hair!

Ali Tait
18-04-2009, 20:59
The Levellers.A great band! Saw a cracking acoustic set from them at Glastonbury a few years ago. :gig:

Beechwoods
18-04-2009, 21:01
To be honest i was more of hippy than crusty, but the two kind of went hand in hand at the time and I still have the hair!

I wish I still had the hair, but sensible job necessitates a dual-purpose barnet.

At my prime it was shoulder length dreads :)

Simon
28-04-2009, 07:07
Nearly forgot, Topic Records is a specialist label with a roster of really excellent folk artists - some very well-known like the Watersons, Martin Carthy, Martin Simpson, some a little less. They have done some well-crafted - and great value - compilations which are a good point to jump in and discover the tradition and sheer variety of folk.

aquapiranha
28-04-2009, 22:54
thanks for the tip simon! I will have a look...

Simon
30-04-2009, 18:26
thanks for the tip simon! I will have a look...

Tips are what we are all here for!

Dick Gaughan (A Handful of Earth) is a well-established folk icon, another super player/arranger is Nic Jones (Penguin Eggs) - from there the landscape extends to limitless horizons, ethnic, downhome, world.

By the way, is there a World Music thread anywhere on Art of Sound? If somebody could enlighten me....

Sand Dancin Donkey Walker
30-04-2009, 18:30
Hi Simon

I think this may be what you were looking for,

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=2241 (http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=2241)

Andy - SDDW

Simon
01-05-2009, 06:21
Hi Simon

I think this may be what you were looking for,

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=2241 (http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=2241)

Andy - SDDW

Cheers Andy!
I'd like to take the opportunity to express the thought that this forum has completely dispelled any lingering reservations I've harboured with regard to online 'communities' and is a great and unselfish resource for the average music lover.
Great stuff.

Darrenw
06-05-2009, 17:44
dick gaughan has quite a bit more than handful of earth in his bag - check out live in edinburgh for a taster of some of the good stuff - ones to avoid (for me) are sail on and the later stuff (lucky for some) - I like redwood cathedral, different kind of love song - list of solo(ish) albums here:

No More Forever (1972)
The Boys of the Lough (1973) (The Boys of the Lough)
Kist O'Gold (1976)
Five Hand Reel (1976) (Five Hand Reel)
Coppers and Brass (1977)
For A' That (1977) (Five Hand Reel)
Songs of Ewan MacColl (1978) (with Dave Burland and Tony Capstick)
Gaughan (1978)
Earl o' Moray (1978) (Five Hand Reel]
Handful of Earth (1981)
Parallel Lines (1982) (with Andy Irvine)
A Different Kind of Love Song (1983)
Fanfare for Tomorrow (1985) (with Ken Hyder)
Live in Edinburgh (1985)
True and Bold (1986)
Call It Freedom (1988)
Clan Alba (1995) (with Clan Alba)
Sail On (1996)
Redwood Cathedral (1998)
Outlaws And Dreamers (2001)
Prentice Piece (2002)
Lucky for Some (2006)
Gaughan Live! at the Trades Club (2008)

true and bold is a great album of its time (miners strike) well worth checking out - there is also a BBC4 special recording he did (I got free tickets - yippee) which was good but not great - well worth watching live and only a few quid to hear one of the UK best living guitar players - super voice (if you can understand a word he is saying) and all round nice guy

rgds
darren

Mazeppa
16-08-2009, 14:59
What defines folk... it's an interesting question, because I've been trying to work out the difference between country and folk since the earlier comment in this thread. I'm a big Country fan, but like a lot of music Country has become very commercial, with a lot of rock / pop crossover that has destroyed a lot of what it was originally about. A lot of the alt-country / americana around these days is more like indie-rock or 'cow-punk' than real old-time country.:)

We are in agreement on all points here. I really like your term "cow-punk" to describe modern alt-country.


I must admit that I got into Country, and Bluegrass through The Byrds, one of the biggest County-Rock bands ever, and certainly the most influential (without whom Poco, The Eagles etc wouldn't have had a blueprint). But tracing their sound backwards, via Clarence White, there are some very interesting finds..:)

Count me in as a fan of the Byrds and Poco, never quite connected with the Eagles, though. Moving on down this road, have you heard "Powerglide" by the New Riders of the Purple Sage?


Clarence was a bluegrass player, and made his first professional recordings at the age of 13, playing in bands with his older brother, Roland. This was around 1961/62. It was in 67 that he picked up an electric. Prior to that he played session guitar with a lot of the greats.

Some of my favourites:

Tut Taylor - Dobro Country, 1964
This video is from much later, sadly I can't find any from the album, it's still great though!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUZ0aQ079ss

The video is a bit glitchy at the start but you get a feel for what he's about a few seconds in.

The Kentucky Colonels
Clarence's own band.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vj_pLTJxiw8

Andy Griffith with the Country Boys
Clarence is the one in the middle. He was about 15 at the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpKhWePGNPc

Clarence & Roland on Bob Baxter's Guitar workshop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMQuuZNvwLU

Here's some Byrds playing with Earl Scruggs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqbswmcdaSY

I have this one on DVD. There's a really funny bit where Scruggs is talking about how suspicious about the young folk people always were, but he knew that these guys knew their music!

The Dillards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6cGva0USk0

That's enough for now :)

I percieve that you are a more ardent student of the genre than I. Perhaps because it's just around me, I don't really study Bluegrass music. In Harrison, there are 2 festivals this year, and it seems there are local groups performing at any kind of doings at the town square, at churches, etc. Mountain View, a town about 1 1/2 hours drive further into the hills is kind of a "Bluegrass Mecca". They're old school even compared to the likes of Monroe and Scruggs.
I've got a true story for ya. Back in the day, say 50 years ago or so. a fella named Jimmy Driftwood was employed by the Mountain View school to teach History. Dismayed at the difficulty in getting his students interested enough to learn, he began writing songs that described significant historical events, and presenting the "song lessons" in class. Mr. Driftwood's method proved very successful, much to his gratification. One of these songs was popularized by a singer named Johnny Horton, the title?
"The Battle of New Orleans".
Hey man, that's the only fracas that went our way in the War of 1812, can you blame us for playing it up?

symon
26-01-2010, 11:16
Stepping back into English folk music, old and new, I went to a great gig on Saturday by the Imagined Village, with Chris Wood in support.

Chris Wood is, in my book, an absolute genius. He has a fantastic voice, a great way with a melody, and a beautiful guitar player to boot! He writes what I consider to be new folk songs - songs that really should slip into teh tradition, as it were. It's like he has absorbed all teh old English folk stuff and can now write new stuff that fits very easily into the tradition. And he's a great story teller.

The Imagined Village take old folk songs and twist them slightly, putting them into a modern context - making for a thrilling evening of music. I'm not toally convinced it all works, but most of the time it does. And turning Cum on Feel the Noize into a folk dirge is another flash of genius!

DanJennings
26-01-2010, 18:42
Stepping back into English folk music, old and new, I went to a great gig on Saturday by the Imagined Village, with Chris Wood in support.

Chris Wood is, in my book, an absolute genius. He has a fantastic voice, a great way with a melody, and a beautiful guitar player to boot! He writes what I consider to be new folk songs - songs that really should slip into teh tradition, as it were. It's like he has absorbed all teh old English folk stuff and can now write new stuff that fits very easily into the tradition. And he's a great story teller.

The Imagined Village take old folk songs and twist them slightly, putting them into a modern context - making for a thrilling evening of music. I'm not toally convinced it all works, but most of the time it does. And turning Cum on Feel the Noize into a folk dirge is another flash of genius!



I think that was on in Moseley in December, and I nearly went to it....

+1 on everything you've just said about Chris Wood...
His songs are poignant, funny, inspiring, amazing....
I only have two of his albums (Lark Descending and Trespasser) but can happily say there isn't a bad track between them

chris@panteg
03-02-2010, 10:34
Does anyone have Martin Simpson ' the prodigal Son ' just been issued on vinyl ' quite keen to get it .

The Grand Wazoo
03-02-2010, 18:58
Chris,
I'm not sure if you just want to hear it first to verify whether to buy it or not - if so, it's on Spotify

http://open.spotify.com/album/4bkcEuHLXGSpA8r9BzvBOh