RIP Amy

What a talent!
What a tragedy.
Rest in peace.

The New Folk Music: What's New?

                                          Bon Iver (Justin Vernon)
                                      
Currently, artists considered to be "folk singers" are singer/songwriters who create introspective, personal, and generally quiet music, yet may use pop and rock production techniques. The labeling of these musicians as "folk" doesn't seem quite right to me, yet this type of music can be seen as a progression from Bob Dylan's personal and unique style. Prior to Dylan folk singers concentrated on classic folk or topical songs. At Niles Library we shelve these artists in various categories including, folk, rock, and country, and truly their styles are equally varied.

Here is a list of contemporary folk artists with a few links and a YouTube video at the end:

Avett Brothers
Bon Iver
Jackson Browne
Neko Case
Tracy Chapman
Shawn Colvin
Ani DeFranco
Fleet Foxes
Patty Friffin
Nanci Griffith
Indigo Girls
Mumford and Sons (see video)
John Prine
Paul Simon
Suzanne Vega
Tom Waits (Martha, one of the most beautiful songs ever written)
Lucinda Williams

Here is Mumford and Sons, Little Lion Man:

The New Folk Music: Folk Rock

The Byrds, pictured above, were the seminal folk rock band of the mid 1960s. Their music featured chiming guitar passages and harmonious vocals. They were among the first bands to meld the songwriting style of folk with a rock and roll beat. The Byrds were primarily a cover band, picking up songs from Bob Dylan and others including some traditional folk tunes. Below is a video of The Byrds covering Mr. Tamborine Man. They are famous for this version of the great Bob Dylan song, but clearly, to me, they do not do it justice.


The Byrds established the blueprint for folk rock to follow. Toward the end of the 60s folk-rock groups tended to return to the acoustic origins of folk. But over the next three decades both acoustic and electric rock prevailed.

Early Folk Rock Artists at Niles:

The Byrds
Leonard Cohen
Nick Drake
Bob Dylan
Grateful Dead
Richie Havens
The Lovin' Spoonful
Joni Mitchell
Van Morrison
Tom Rush (not at Niles but worth hearing)
Simon and Garfunkel
Neil Young

Note that list list includes some of the greatest musical performers of all time and some of the very most irritating. I'll let you decide which is which.

Now I Have to Watch the Voice Too????

I guess I do.  I haven't blogged the show, but I sure liked it. To me, it compares favorably with American Idol and, in fact, leaves AI in the dust in some ways. First off, I find the judges credible and entertaining. And after several years of following reality contest-type shows on TV, I've learned that it's all about the judges. Although these judges are not any more incisive than the AI judges in their comments, their extreme music chops and their role as coaches ups their credibility many times over the AI judges. let's face it. JLo, Steven, and Randy are all on the downswing of their careers. Not so Adam, CeeLo, Blake, and Xtina. Plus I'm in love with CeeLo and have fallen for Adam. Not so much Steven and Randy.

Second, the singing talent is more polished and mature, and the musicianship in general is more entertaining. Not to mention the stagecraft. Only James Durbin on AI has ever approached The Voice level of staging. One thing I will say for American Idol though - it's more of a contest. I always have my favorites and get really excited to see who will stay in the running and who will win.  All four finalists in this premier episode of The Voice were so outstanding that I wouldn't have been sad to see any of them win. I was rooting for Beverly McClellan (Christina's team), a superb rocker, but I didn't think she had the popular support to win. During the final performance show, I was very impressed with eventual winner Javier Colon of Adam's team, although I thought that Xtina and Beverly's duet of Beautiful was the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard (and not in the Steven Tyler sense of every performance being 'beautiful').

This brings me to the third point of The Voice's superiority over AI: the coaching. AI guest coaches seem bogus, and I think  Jimmy Iovine may have done more harm than good last season. The Voice coaches all know what they're doing and seemed to be helping their teams. It was clear that Javier Colon, who was on his last chance in a failing music career, benefited hugely from Adam Levine's advice. He was a different and much better singer at the end of the competition. He deserved to win.

I'll be back next year with Idol though. Nothing beats seeing young people grow into their talent. But let's see how The Voice shapes up in future seasons. Meanwhile here is Javier in his outstanding winning performance of Stitch by Stitch. (Btw, having the competitors sing new, unreleased songs was a great move. They are not hampered by anyone else's version or performance.)


How did you like The Voice. Was Javier the Best?