Anti-folk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anti-folk (or antifolk) is a genre of music related to punk rock and American folk music that originated in the mid-1980s in New York City.
Anti-folk had its roots in punk rock, and is still considered by some to be an active subgenre within that scene. By a loose definition, Anti-folk combines the raw, abrasive, and frequently politically charged attitudes of the punk scene with the sounds of American folk tradition.
This genre takes the earnestness of politically charged '60s hippie music and subverts it into something else: music that sounds raw and poorly executed, but mocks the seriousness and pretension of the established mainstream folk scene and also mocks itself. In Anti-folk, self-mockery and self-aggrandizement have somehow fused, just as political commentary fused with poppy love songs in the sixties.
[edit] Recent developments
In recent years Antifolk has spread beyond the US. The UK Antifolk scene (largely centred around London and Brighton) is rapidly developing its own identity. UK Antifolk began in London with shows promoted by the lo-fi musician Filthy Pedro and the disturbingly humorous David Cronenberg's Wife. The Brighton scene was quick to follow, set up and run primarily by Larry Pickleman and Mertle. Other key figures within the UK Antifolk community include the politically charged JJ Crash, shouty acapella poet Spinmaster Plantpot, and outsider musician Paul Hawkins. Antifolk-influenced acts such as the Bobby McGees, Milkkan and Emmy the Great have begun to pick up regular national radio airplay and media coverage and in August 2006 Timeout Magazine called antifolk "One of London's hottest subcultures". An Antifolk UK compilation album is due to be released in early 2007, to be mastered by Kramer (Producer of Jeffrey Lewis, Galaxie 500, Butthole Surfers)
There is arguably an active Antifolk scene in Australia. Centred around inner-city Melbourne, a collection of artists including The Lucksmiths, Darren Hanlon, Jodi Phillis and The Mabels play bitingly witty songs with accessible melodies that take a lot from 60's pop. The most internationally successful is The Lucksmiths. Melbourne's Candle Records is the home of many of these artists.
The singer-songwriter Beck (who has reached a greater level of popularity than most Antifolk acts) has been influenced, to at least some extent, by the New York Antifolk scene, though one would not really consider his recent music actual Antifolk.
In May of 2006, The Best Thing Ever brought the sounds and concepts behind anti-folk music to college audiences in New England with their infamous Bathroom Tour. As an homage to their New York City influences, Jeffrey Lewis was invited to headline the only scheduled show of the tour.
[edit] External links
- Antifolk Dot Net
- Antifolk UK - The Home of the London Antifolk Scene
- Antifolk dot Org - Brighton Based UK Antifolk Site
- Helper Monkey - Irish Anti-Anti-Folkers
- Olive Juice Music
- Unicorn Sounds
- Luv-A-Lot Records
- Antifolk Online
- RIYL Records
- Candle Records
- We're Twins Records
- BBC Collective: Jeffrey Lewis video session
- Aberdeen Antifolk - Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
- Morning Star article on Antifolk
- Time Out London feature on Antifolk
[edit] See also
| Folk music |
|---|
| American folk music - Anti-folk - Celtic music - Counterfolk - Filk music - Folk metal - Folk punk Folk rock - Folktronica - Neofolk - Pop folk - Psych folk - Roots revival - Urban Folk |
| Festivals - Folk dance - Folk clubs - Instrumentation - Protest song - Singer-songwriter - Traditions - World music |
| Punk rock |
|---|
| 2 Tone - Anarcho-punk - Anti-folk - Art punk - Celtic punk - Cowpunk - Crust punk - Dance-punk - Deathcountry - Death pop - Deathrock - Digital hardcore - Electro rock - Emo - Folk punk - Gaelic punk - Garage punk - Glam punk - Gothabilly - Hardcore punk - Post-hardcore - Horror punk - Jazz punk - Mod revival - Nazi punk - New Wave - No Wave - Noise rock - Oi! - Pop punk - Post-punk - Protopunk - Psychobilly - Punk blues - Punk Pathetique - Queercore - Riot grrrl - Scum punk - Ska punk - Skate punk - Streetpunk - Synthpunk - Taqwacore |
| Other topics |
| DIY ethic - Forerunners of punk music - First wave punk musicians - Second wave punk musicians - Punk subculture - Punk movies - Punk fashion - Punk ideology - Punk visual art - Punk dance - Punk literature - Punk zine - Rock Against Communism - Straight edge |
