It's Folk Punk Week!
 

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:
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)

There will be no 'little bit' of Gogol Bordello! There will be 'alotta bit'....





Been a Gogol fan since '06 when they opened for CAKE and stole the show energywise.

Yes! I thought these were all gone. Folk punk is one of my favorite genres, actually it's the style of punk that got me interested in the whole broader genre of punk. Time to post a ton of videos.

Wow Charlemagne, I will have a lot of listening to do. I don't know any of those bands except for Defiance, Ohio. I've heard a couple of their songs here on MB.

Well Charlemagne took the words right out of my mouth by posting the entire P-I-X roster ;).

Anyway here's some more stuff.

I've seen Andrew Jackson and Defiance Ohio live, and Kimya Dawson twice. Combine all those concerts and I payed maybe 10 or 15 bucks TOPS. Which is exactly why Warped Tour sucks.

Umm.....hello?

I love this genre

Billy Bragg? He's just a poncy leftist on a major label. Mischief Brew's where it's at, yall.

And that changes what genre he is?

well it could. Folk Punk is really about rugged DIY

Not really, it's about folk and punk blending together.

there is definitely a subculture dude.

My problem with most folk-punk is that it's far more folk than it is punk. For the longest time I've been looking for some actual punk, and by that I mean fast, simple, rebellious tunes, but with acoustic instruments. Most of this just sounds like really political folk played by a full band.

Sure, but subculture=/=genre.

subculture is part of what genre a band is placed under imo. especially a punk band.

of course it's part of it, Minutemen are called Post-Punk all the time when they aren't really imo but that doesn't change what the genre entails......it's a punk and folk hybrid and that's what Billy Bragg is imo.

Yeah, I kind of feel that way at times, too. Hmm.. One band I like is Evil Robot Us'. You might like their song "The Forest as a Medium for Change". Other than that, you might like This Bike is a Pipe Bomb. Kind of the opposite of what you're looking for, because they're electric, but who knows. I like 'em, anyways.

That's a bit more like it. I'll give the album this is from a listen.

Seriously? I'd say the opposite; Folk Punk to me is nothing more than priveleged kids pretending their fighting for the oppressed because they're bored and overly sheltered. Really, to me, folk has a definite economic and cultural dimension; and priveleged kids from the suburbs playing music and using subcultural symbolism most relevant to other priveleged kids thats about making-pretend Wobbly politics are still relevant... that **** doesn't apply. At all.

There is, after all, a definite reason truckers and farmers listen to Merle Haggard and not The Bike is a Pipe Bomb.

I would point out how stupid you're generalization about folk-punk is, but then again, you're the guy who thinks that the Nazi band Screwdriver is the best band ever. And is probably a troll.


For those of you who really want to know, many members of folk-punk bands are actual grown adults, are from the country, and are not white (...okay, so most of them are white, but not all! The singer from Defiance Ohio isn't, and who knows who else).
And the reason that truckers don't listen to THIS Bike is a Pipe Bomb, not "The Bike is a Pipe Bomb", is that truckers don't generally like punk. And also most of them probably don't even know who TBIAPB is.

bwahahahha!

BLACK PEOPLE LOVE FOLK PUNK!

Really, that reaction is too hilarious. I love listening to white kids play music about smashing racism, at a concert attended by 95%+ white kids.... it's funny ****. "LOOK, A MINORITY! VINDICATION!"

So, are you claiming that the reason why most blue collar workers don't listen to punk bands.... is because they don't like punk? Or are you saying that blue collar workers tend to lack the income security that allows for prodigious amounts of time wasted on researching music subcultures?

In this case, it really does.

No. It doesn't.

Here's a post that has nothing to do with the pointless arguing that has been going on in this thread.

New Spoonboy album!

The Papas | Spoonboy

/happiness.

anyone a fan of foot ox ? fantastic stuff. folk punk thats too focused on political themes is a bore to listen too. just love the easy to sing a long folk punk songs, i think its what makes the genre so appealing.

I love the Pogues but I thought this was folk punk..



at least what we call it here in 'murica. More like stuff Will Oldham pioneered than the Pogues did and definitely more than Billy Bragg.

Folk Punk tends to be the domain of two groups: Middle class people and tramps. I know this because I've been to folk punk concerts. I can attest that at least a half of the people in the crowd are below the poverty line, with about a third of the crowd being tramps.

As far as race goes, I'M NOT WHITE. If anybody complains about white people crowding out shows, it should be me, not you, who are a white supremacist.














edit: or a really really annoying troll.

Ok, let's get something straight: "tramps" are not tramps when they do so voluntarily, and are hopping trains & hithchiking because it's neat and they want adventure. They are not tramps when they have mommy and daddy to fall back on. And you certainly do not qualify as poor (as far as one can be poor in the USA) when you have your parents health insurance to fall back on. 90%+ "tramps" that go to Folk punk shows fall into the above categories; the remainder tend to be some combination of junkies, alcoholics and tweakers. Good crowd, that.

Really, it's no accident that you're more likely to find folk punk fans at a 30k+/per annum university than a community college. It's a genre for rich kids dressing down.

Why would you complain? Clearly it's a white form of music; it was originated by white musicians, continues to be dominated by white musicians, and draws upon white cultural history. What I find annoying about it is the blatantly disingenuous nature of the lyrics and subculture.

Agree with both.

But...damn Aesop Rock did a track with Kimya Dawson. Actually they've been performing live together at a few different gigs is more like it, but with fresh material. It's a fantastic mashup, and Aesop on a similar but different level.

Happy days!

I love me some foot ox, sarcastic dharma society and The taxpayers. Portland seems like a place to be.

So you're offended by white people dissavowing racism? Also, it is more "Scotch-Irish immigrants in America" than "white". It's not like they're playing spanish or polish music or something.

Not sure if it is straight up folk punk, but is acoustic punk. One of the nicest guys I have talked to as well.

I'm really into Oxygen Thief atm. All the ferocity of a grunge band but, it's one guy with his acoustic guitar.

I think folk punk is incredibly juvenile and aside from a few Defiance Ohio albums I almost never listen to it anymore. Stuff like The Pogues is great; though I wouldn't associate it with todays style of Folk Punk.

Paul Baribeu makes me want to kill myself.

I have been lisening to folk punk and riot folk for about a year now and I'm just beginning to break the crust.i mainly listen to johnny hobo in all of his projects. andrew jackson jihad , ryan harvey , and screw you and the four chords any suggestions of others i may like?

This Bike is a Pipe Bomb is my favorite, although Defiance, Ohio and a few other bands are cool too. I like the sound of the sub-genre as a whole. I met Terry from This Bike a couple years ago, she made me dinner. She's very cool and has a vegan restaurant in Pensacola. Just another reason to endorse someone's music.

I usually don't listen to much folk punk at all. But on tour my friend showed me Frank Turner. I really like him and think he is considered folk punk. He uses all hardcore logos and imagery. He also mentions stuff like "skins and punks" in his songs and has a black flag tat. I'm down.