Electric folk

Infobox Music genre
bgcolor=goldenrod
color=white
name=Electric folk music
stylistic_origins=Traditional music, Folk rock
cultural_origins=1970s: UK
instruments=Electric or Acoustic versions of the following Violin, Guitar, Bass guitar/Double bass, Appalachian dulcimer, Mandolin, drums (both as a kit, and Bodhran-like instruments), Recorder, Tin whistle
popularity=Mainly in the 1970s, but the genre continues today as non-mainstream
derivatives=
subgenrelist=List of European folk music traditions
subgenres=
fusiongenres=Celtic rock, Psych folk
regional_scenes=
other_topics=

Electric folk is a genre of music in which British and Celtic traditional music is played in a rock music style.

Electric folk derives from Anglo-Celtic traditional music and Rock as specified in the following list. It should be noted that not all of these features are found in every song. For example, Electric folk groups, while "predominantly" using traditional material as their source for lyrics and tunes, occasionally write their own (much as traditional musicians do).

Definition

The specific features drawn from Traditional music and Rock music are:

Traditional music:
* Lyrics [Refers to Traditional music as "Folk music"; [http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jcutting/efolk.htm#mm http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jcutting/efolk.htm#mm] , From Fol de Rol to Sha Na Na: The Electrification of British Folk Music, Jennifer Cutting, 1993]
* Tunes (including ornamentation) [Ibid Cutting, 1993]
* The drone (cf. bagpipes), but usually on a guitar or bass [Ibid Cutting, 1993]
* Use of some acoustic instruments [Implied by Ibid Cutting, 1993]
* Use of traditional music rhythms: Rhythms of 3+3+2 (ie. 8 beats, with the stress falling on the first, fourth, and seventh beats; cf. The Battle of Evermore) are not unusual (but preclude the standard rock backbeat).
* Blending of multiple songs in the traditional music style: often a short instrumental piece is inserted as an instrumental in a longer lyrical piece (ie. a piece with vocals), both in traditional music and Electric folk

Rock music:
* Rhythm (specifically the back-beat) [Ibid Cutting, 1993]
* The hook [Ibid Cutting, 1993]
* Ostinati (plural of ostinato), a melodic and/or rhythmic figure that is persistently repeated throughout a piece or a section of a piece [Ibid Cutting, 1993]
* Use of some electric instruments [Implied by Ibid Cutting, 1993]
* The tempo of some songs may be altered well beyond the traditional boundaries [Implied by Ibid Cutting, 1993]
* Key changes may be added [Implied by Ibid Cutting, 1993]

History

Background

In the 60s and 70s, England was in a state of social upheaval as a counterculture developed, from which came an explosion of musical innovation derived from American blues, American folk rock, and the simultaneous revival of English folk music, inspired by pioneering artists like the Copper Family. British folk rock was also influenced by some experimental work, found for example in the Scottish Incredible String Band, who found considerable popularity in the university town of Cambridge, Massachusetts. There was mixing between the American folk rock group and the English folk music group. Pentangle is also one of the progenitors of electric folk, although they themselves are more folk-jazz than electric folk. Several temporary groups, such as the duo, "Bert and John", also contributed to the development of the genre. "Bert and John", in particular, developed a style of intricate acoustic guitar duet sometimes referred to as 'folk baroque'. In Brittany, Alan Stivell created Breton and pan-Celtic types of Folk-rock (since the late 60s).

Electric folk

Bands like Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span pioneered Electric folk. Nic Jones, Davy Graham, Roy Harper, Ralph McTell, June Tabor, Shirley Collins, John Renbourn and John Kirkpatrick were among those who balanced innovation with tradition, and criticized the worst excesses of folk rock. When Martin Carthy "plugged in" in 1971, the English traditional scene erupted in an uproar of criticism. At the same time, in Brittany, Alan Stivell began to mix his Breton roots with Irish and Scottish roots and with rock music. Across the English Channel in Brittany or France, a similar fusion of folk and rock elements can be found in the Breton electric folk music of Alan Stivell (1970s and later) and the French Malicorne, founded by one of Alan Stivell's musicians. Ashley Hutchings and Dave Pegg had been earlier innovators of the fusion, and Hutchings helped propel Fairport Convention into the star position of the electric folk scene, starting with the album "What We Did On Our Holidays". Very shortly afterwards, Fairport bassist Ashley Hutchings formed Steeleye Span in collaboration with traditionalist British folk musicians who wished to incorporate electrical amplification, and later overt rock elements, into their music. Fronted by Maddy Prior, Steeleye Span are arguably the most successful band of the electric folk genre and still perform regularly to large audiences 36 years after forming.

This, in turn, spawned several other variants: the self-consciously English folk rock of the Albion Band and some of Ronnie Lane's solo work.

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from: 1967 till: 1979 text: Heyday color: eracolour

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from: 1967 till: 2007 color:portcolour
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from: 1967 till: 1973 color:pentcolour from: 1981 till: 2007 color:pentcolour

bar: Steeleye_Span

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from: 1980 till: 1987 color:spancolour at: 1980 align:left $markred1 at: 1986 align:left $markred1

from: 1988 till: 2007 color:spancolour at: 1989 align:left $markred1 at: 1992 align:left $markred1 at: 1994 align:left $markred1 at: 1996 align:left $markred1 at: 1998 align:left $markred1 at: 1999 align:left $markred1 at: 2000 align:left $markred1 at: 2002 align:left $markred1 at: 2004 align:left $markred2 at: 2006 align:left $markred2

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from: 1973 till: 1976 color: jackcolour

bar: Malicorne
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bar: Oysterband

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bar: Broadside_Electric

from: 1990 till: 2007 color: brelcolour

Of the original electric folk bands, Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, and Oysterband continue today, although Steeleye Span have been using a lot more original material since 1980. Broadside Electric are an American group who have been producing electric folk since 1990, and also continue today.

Derivatives

Celtic rock

The more prolific current of Celtic rock incorporated traditional music of the Celtic world (both Goidelic (Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man) and Brythonic (Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany)), as well as Electric folk and other folk rock influences. Through at least the first half of the 1970s, Celtic rock held close to folk roots, with its repertoire drawing heavily on traditional Celtic fiddle and harp tunes and even traditional vocal styles, but making use of rock band levels of amplification and percussion. Celtic rock led into Celtic punk, Celtic metal, and other sorts of Celtic fusion.

Folk punk

The popularity of English folk declined in the later 1970s, however, losing ground to glam rock, disco, punk rock, heavy metal and lovers rock. In the mid-1980s a new rebirth of English folk began, this time fusing folk forms with energy and political aggression derived from punk rock. Leaders included The Men They Couldn't Hang, Oyster Band, Billy Bragg and The Pogues. Folk dance music also became popular in the 80s, with the English Country Blues Band and Tiger Moth. Later in the decade, reggae influenced English country music due to the work of Edward II & the Red Hot Polkas, especially on their seminal "Let's Polkasteady" from 1987. In the 21st century, Oxford produced a young duo Spiers and Boden.

Electric folk convention

Fairport's Cropredy Convention (previously "Cropredy Festival") has been held every year since 1974 (and continuing to this day) near Cropredy, a village five miles north of Banbury, Oxfordshire and attracts 20,000 fans. It remains one of the key events in the UK folk festival calendar.

Steeleye Span is running a new festival which they are calling [http://www.kentwell.co.uk/spanfest Spanfest] .

ee also

* Electric folk performers: List of folk rock artists#Electric folk and
* Electric folk songs: In addition to the songs performed by the major groups:
** The Battle of Evermore, a collaboration between Led Zeppelin and Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention is in the Electric folk style, although it is an original composition

Further reading

A recent book, "Electric Folk" by Britta Sweers (2005) concentrates on Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span.

The seventies were probably the heyday for Folk Music Publications.

References

External links

* [http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jcutting/efolk.htm#mm From Fol de Rol to Sha Na Na: The Electrification of British Folk Music] - Including "What is Electric folk"
* [http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jcutting/efolk.htm http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jcutting/efolk.htm]
* [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0195158784 Electric Folk: The Changing Face of English Traditional Music] ; a book by Britta Sweers about Electric folk