Anti-folk
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox music genre
Anti-folk (sometimes spelled antifolk) is a genre of folk music that emerged in the 1980s in New York City. It was founded by the musician, author, and comedian Lach, as a reaction to the commercialization of folk music. It is characterized by its amateur sound, DIY ethos, and often humorous, rebellious, or satirical lyrics. Antifolk music was made to diverge from, and sometimes mock, the perceived seriousness of the era's mainstream music scene,<ref name="Petrusich2008">Template:Cite book</ref> while often still being protest music aimed at social change.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Folk Punk, Rogue Folk, Anti-Folk: Three Chords and the Truth|PopMatters</ref> The latter element especially overlaps with folk punk.
History
In the United States
Antifolk was introduced by artists who were unable to obtain gigs at established folk venues in Greenwich Village such as Folk City and The Speakeasy.<ref name=Bessman1994>Template:Cite magazine (article in on pages 1 and 36)</ref> In the mid-1980s, singer-songwriter Lach started The Fort,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> an after-hours club on NYC's Rivington Street on the Lower East Side.<ref name="Kihn">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The Fort's opening coincided with the New York Folk Festival. Because of this, Lach dubbed his event the New York Antifolk Festival.<ref name="light">Template:Cite news</ref> Other early proponents of the movement included the Washington Squares, Cindy Lee Berryhill, Brenda Kahn, Paleface, Beck, Hamell on Trial, Michelle Shocked, Zane Campbell, John S. Hall,<ref name="Bessman1994" /><ref name="Kimpel2006">Template:Cite book</ref> Roger Manning,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Kirk Kelly,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Block.Template:Cn
The original Fort was shut down in 1985 by the police, and because of this the club moved locations several times, including East Village bars Sophie's and Chameleon, before settling in the back room of the SideWalk Cafe starting in 1993.<ref name="Kihn"/><ref name="light"/> The New York Antifolk Festival was held annually at the SideWalk Cafe until its closure in 2019 (long outlasting the original Folk Festival).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Events have also taken place in the band shells in Tompkins Square Park and Central Park.<ref name="light"/> While living in San Francisco in the early 1990s, Lach helped establish a West Coast anti-folk movement at the Sacred Grounds Coffee House.<ref name="Kihn"/>
Other artists to have achieved a notable level of success who have been considered anti-folk include Jeffrey Lewis, Regina Spektor and the Moldy Peaches.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="crud">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Gothamist Oral">Template:Cite web</ref>
In Britain
In the 2000s the term was adopted in Britain, particularly in the London underground scene, with acts including David Cronenberg's Wife and The Bobby McGee's.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The UK antifolk scene, largely centred in London and Brighton, has established its own identity, which was written about in a six-page feature in the September 2007 issue of Plan B magazine.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2004 the lo-fi musician Filthy Pedro started seasonal anti-folk festivals, which he promoted with Tom Mayne of the band David Cronenberg's Wife.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> An anti-folk scene in Brighton, curated primarily by Mertle, was quick to follow that of London.
Other key figures within the UK anti-folk community include Dan Treacy of Television Personalities, Jack Hayter, Milk Kan, Extradition Order, Benjamin Shaw, Lucy Joplin, Candythief, JJ Crash, Larry Pickleman and Paul Hawkins.Template:Citation needed Emmy the Great and Laura Marling were added to the roster of antifolk artists as they play antifolk music with mocking lyrics.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Kate Nash started her music career playing anti-folk-style shows, including a concert promoted by Larry Pickleman and Mertle in Brighton.<ref name="moshimoshimusic.com">Template:Cite web</ref>
Dan Willson, who performs under the name Withered Hand, is an Edinburgh-based musician often considered part of the genre. His first studio album, Good News, was released in 2009.<ref name="Withered Hand">Template:Cite web</ref>
Welsh antifolk artist Mr Duke has gained some popularity in Wales, and Crywank, an antifolk project from Manchester, surfaced in 2009.
See also
References
External links
- Template:Cite web
- Antifolk.com The most updated Antifolk website, covering the movement across the world
- Antifolk.net The New York Antifolk website, started by Lach to promote the scene
- Morning Star article on Anti-folk
- Time Out London feature on Anti-folk
- Village Voice article on UK Anti-folk
- musicomh.com's Review of Anti-folk night at Sŵn Fest, Cardiff 2007
- Washington Post article about Zane Campbell's part in Anti-folk