Bare, naked. Soulful, man.

folk music started as a conscious, counter culture music, a raw, stripped down form in which you could voice opinions and get them heard. it was dangerous because it was a tool brought down to the masses which spread ideas and sentiments quick and effectively.

then, of course, like all good music does, it became popular - and rightly so. but in this it gets distilled and diluted and becomes a safer, marketable form of music. it gets to the point where the folk of today is something radically different because the term and style itself has gotten so stretched out.

punk music was the next wave of folk. taking it back to the streets, voicing opinions and reactions. that’s why first wave punk and hardcore can really rattle your soul as well. that was the counter culture progression of folk music. something dangerous and true. the funny thing is that a lot of people who consider themselves immersed in the folk music, won’t acknowledge that. folk music isn’t built to last, it gets commandeered by pop culture (the folks like it, so it becomes popular and mass marketed, it’s easy), but that’s also the exciting thing about it, it goes back underground during that time. the folk artist with the goatee, beret and major label deal is a lot less folk than the DIY punk band releasing their own records. it’s interesting when you really tear down the meaning of “folk music” like you did above. it’s exciting.

i whole-heartedly agree that Megafaun is true, inspiring modern day folk as well. they’re pushing the boundaries of the traditional (though still respecting it), re-interpreting it and growing it in their own direction. by intertwining white noise, subtle feedback and tape loops into their harmonies and banjo rhythms they’re back to pushing that envelope. which was the point in the first place.

check out This Bike is a Pipe Bomb and Ghost Mice. that’s some heavy, wordy and powerful modern day folk as well. it’s still all around us. it just does like all forms of great, real, inspiring music - it’s taken to the underground and is happy to lie there.

with it’s dirty, unshaven, disheveled, tour-hungry fans.

i love your rants!