It's Folk Punk Week!

dankrsta · 04-11-2011, 02:54 PM

I've noticed there's quite some number of people in this forum into folk punk, so I hope this thread will be popular this week. Like the name suggests, folk punk is a music genre that blends elements of folk music with punk rock. It may appear like an unlikely marriage at first glance, but on closer look these two music styles have a lot in common. Both are a sort of peoples music, simple, authentic and accessible, very often rebellious, with an independent mindset. From this point of view punk can be seen as a kind of urban folk. So when punks add banjos, violins, accordions etc to their electric guitars, it only seems natural.

Here's what Wikipedia says:

Quote:

Folk punk (known in its early days as rogue folk), is a fusion of folk music and punk rock. It was pioneered by the London-based Irish band The Pogues in the 1980s. Folk punk achieved some mainstream success in that decade. In more recent years, one of its subgenres, Celtic punk, has experienced some commercial success.

Unlike Celtic rock and electric folk, folk punk tends to include relatively little traditional music in its repertoire. Most folk punk musicians perform their own compositions, often in the form of punk rock, but using additional folk instruments, such as mandolins, accordions, banjos or violins. Nevertheless, some folk punk bands have adopted traditional forms of folk music, including sea shanties and eastern European Gypsy music.

Folk punk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Although fusion of punk and folk music has been around since the 80s, it seems that it has become really widespread in the past decade, so much so that when people now talk about folk punk they think of this new scene.

There are many terms that describe types of music that have a close relationship with folk punk such as: Celtic punk, Gypsy punk, cowpunk, indie roots, anti-folk etc. We don't need to be some genre purists. Let's celebrate folk punk this week by posting some great music.

I'll start with The Pogues - "Greenland Whale Fisheries" (Red Roses for Me, 1984)

Violent Femmes are often called folk punk and I'm gonna use that as an excuse to post this great song "Country Death Song" from their second album Hallowed Ground (1984)

And a little bit of gypsy punk: Gogol Bordello - "Immigrant Punk" (Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike, 2005)