The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #119547 Message #2601958
Posted By: GUEST,Shimrod
01-Apr-09 - 04:30 AM
Thread Name: 1954 and All That - defining folk music
Subject: RE: 1954 and All That - defining folk music
"Well, I guess I'm not only in the wrong pew, I'm in the wrong church. I found myself agreeing with what Crow Sister just wrote, then, unfamiliar with Mawkin Causley and Bellowhead (out here on the west coast of the U. S. and A.), I pulled them up on YouTube.
What I heard was with what came on like symphony orchestras with whatever solo singers I could pick out being backed by choirs of other singers."
As usual, Don, spot on! I couldn't have said it better myself.
The trouble is that all of these new 'Folk Wunderkind' really aspire to being in a band. There's no doubt that they know a lot about traditional music (quite possibly more than I do!) but they seem to see it as just a vehicle for their 'being-in-a-band' ambitions. For me one of the the refreshing thing about folk music is that, generally, it doesn't need the band treatment. Applying such a treatment is 'over-egging the pudding'. If I want to listen to bands of musical prodigies I'll just switch on the radio (maybe I wont!) - I like my folk music straight and undiluted - otherwise it's like every other noisy, over-hyped racket that saturates our contemporary environment.