brooklynvegan: Anti-Folk | The Rock Snob's Definition

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Posted in music on April 28, 2005

Anti-Folk | The Rock Snob's Definition

Anti-Folk: Hazily defined genre originally inhabited by young white tenement squatters who combined folk and punk sensibilities, but more recently embodied by LO-FI pretend rustics Will Oldham and Bill Callahan, who under their aliases (Palace and Bonnie "Prince" Billy for Oldham, Smog for Callahan), thrum acoustic guitars and warble ominous murder-ballad lyrics in the style of the authentic twenties hayseeds heard on Harry Smith's ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC. The anti-folk movement (which took it's name from English acousti-punk Billy Bragg's description of his own sound) traces its origins to a scroungy eighties Lower East Side scene that spawned, among others, Beck, Michelle Shocked, Cindy Lee Berryhill, and Ani DiFranco.

Definition from the Rock Snob's Dictionary.
(words in CAPS also defined in the book)

Previously

Sage Francis vs Will Oldham | A Healthy Distrust
No Superwolf Instores for Me
Beck @ Hiro Ballroom, NYC | Pics
Joanna Newsom News | Hal Willner, (Smog)
More Reports From the Drag City Christmas Party
Freak Folk & Pixies in the NY Times

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Posted on April 28, 2005 9:47 AM

Comments (16)

and it's buzzing now with devendra, amos lee, jaymay, jeff lewis, kimya dawson, etc.

Posted by wes | April 28, 2005 10:11 AM

I thought this had been (un)officially dubbed "Freak Folk." It's much more fun to say that Joanna Newsom's waving her freak folk flag high... "Anti-" sounds so negative...and a little like a label plug.

Posted by J | April 28, 2005 10:58 AM

like a label plug? you lost me.

check out:
http://www.antifolk.net/

and our local ant-folk establishment:
http://www.antifolk.net/sidewalk.html

Posted by brooklynvegan | April 28, 2005 11:17 AM

http://anti.com/

Posted by J | April 28, 2005 1:12 PM

ahhhh. now I see.

Posted by brooklynvegan | April 28, 2005 2:16 PM

I always got the impression that sidewalk cafe on A was somehow a foundation of this. Maybe it's just because their schedule is on antifolk.net Maybe it's because they book antifolk musicians. Shouldn't there be some irreverence in the lyrics too? I think pre-Mellow Gold Beck. The "freak folk" musicians seem too somber.

Posted by Ando | April 28, 2005 5:16 PM

http://grant.caclbca.org/double/ greenratioscorching

Posted by anyone | August 31, 2005 2:40 PM

http://online-college.salun.org/communication/ sightstickysubmit

Posted by silk | September 3, 2005 1:09 AM

http://digitalskydiver.com/wwwboard/messages/6573.htm complimentwhosewondered

Posted by behind | October 2, 2005 12:46 AM

http://webmarket.orig.com/CGI/wwwboard/messages/3061.html higherloosertaste

Posted by knew | October 30, 2005 1:33 AM

http://webmarket.orig.com/CGI/wwwboard/messages/3061.html higherloosertaste

Posted by knew | October 30, 2005 1:34 AM

http://www.b-und-w.de/laufline/wwwboard/messages/8393.html complimentwhosewondered