Anti-folk
Anti-folk (sometimes referred to as unfolk) is a music genre that emerged in the 1980s in response to the remnants of the 1960s folk music scene. Anti-folk music was made to mock the perceived seriousness of the time's mainstream music scene, and artists have the intention to protest with their mocking and clever lyrics. History In the United States Anti-folk was introduced by artists who were unable to obtain gigs at established folk venues in Greenwich Village such as Folk City and The Speakeasy. (article in on pages 1 and 36) In the mid-1980s, singer-songwriter Lach started The Fort, an after-hours club on NYC's Rivington Street in the Lower East Side. The Fort's opening coincided with the New York Folk Festival. Because of this, Lach dubbed his event the New York Antifolk Festival. Other early proponents of the movement included The Washington Squares, Cindy Lee Berryhill, Brenda Kahn, Paleface, Beck, Hamell on Trial, Michelle Shocked, Zane Campbell, and John S. Hall ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lach (musician)
Lach is an American singer-songwriter associated with the anti-folk movement. As a songwriter, Lach founded the anti-folk art and music movement, which is cited as a main inspiration by contemporary performers like Beck, Jeffrey Lewis, Hamell on Trial, The Moldy Peaches and Regina Spektor in the US and Laura Marling in the UK. Lach has released six albums, a book of poetry, and has a regular series on BBC Radio 4 called ''The Lach Chronicles''. Early life Lach was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in suburban Rockland County. He learned to play classical piano at a young age, but turned to rock music after discovering punk bands like the Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Damned, and the Jam. Lach went to college but quickly dropped out to live in Las Vegas, resuming his education at Boston University, where he met his later bassist Geoffrey Notkin. Career Lach moved to Greenwich Village in New York City in 1983, looking to play the renowned Folk City club. Having been rejected ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kirk Kelly
Kirk P. Kelly (born circa 1960) is a folk singer, songwriter and labor activist from New York City. In the mid-1980s Kelly and a group of like-minded musicians started calling themselves "anti-folk" and started a small but intense movement.Robbins, Tom"Citystate: Labor's Punk Songman" ''The Village Voice'', 49:10, March 10–16, 2004, p.22 Kelly's music has been infrequently recorded over the years.Henderson, Alex, "Kirk Kelly Biography" AllMusic His work has often included topical songs. Some of Kelly's early songs dealt with the labor movement and were based upon his own work experience. A decade or so after starting his musical career Kelly was accepted to and attended an AFL-CIO organizer's training school and began working throughout the United States as a union organizer. Biography Kelly was born on Long Island circa 1960 and grew up listening to (among other things) Irish musicians such as the Clancy Brothers. In the early 1980s he began performing music that was in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Beck
Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his experimental and lo-fi style, and became known for creating musical collages of wide-ranging genres. He has musically encompassed folk, funk, soul, hip hop, electronic, alternative rock, country, and psychedelia. He has released 14 studio albums (three of which were released on indie labels), as well as several non-album singles and a book of sheet music. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Beck grew towards hip-hop and folk in his teens and began to perform locally at coffeehouses and clubs. He moved to New York City in 1989 and became involved in the city's anti-folk movement. Returning to Los Angeles in the early 1990s, he cut his breakthrough single "Loser", which became a worldwide hit in 1994, and released his first major album, ''Mellow Gold'', the same year. '' Odelay'', released in 1996, topped critic ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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New York Antifolk Festival
The New York Antifolk Festival is an annual music festival featuring anti-folk, indie rock, post-punk and indie pop bands and singer-songwriters. It also has featured performance artists, comedians and magicians. Conceived in 1985 by Lach, the festival was created in response to the New York Folk Festival, allegedly after a number of musicians were rejected from folk music venues in the Village, though that allegation has been disputed. The festival initially took place at the Fort, before settling down in its current location at the SideWalk Cafe in 1993. Lach served as the host of the festival until 2007, when the role of impresario was taken over by Ben Krieger. The festival has been credited as a factor in keeping the anti-folk movement "vital, evolving and inclusive of what is now a generation of artists." The festival hosts up to 50 acts over a seven-day period. It was traditionally kicked off by the SideWalk Cafe open-mic, which until its closure in 2019 was one of ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Regina Spektor
Regina Ilyinichna Spektor (russian: Регинa Ильинична Спектор, ; born February 18, 1980) is a Russian–born American singer, songwriter, and pianist. After self-releasing her first three records and gaining popularity in New York City's independent music scenes, particularly the anti-folk scene centered on New York City's East Village, Spektor signed with Sire Records in 2004 and began achieving greater mainstream recognition. After giving her third album a major label re-release, Sire released Spektor's fourth album, '' Begin to Hope'', which achieved a Gold certification by the RIAA. Her following two albums, '' Far'' and '' What We Saw from the Cheap Seats'', each debuted at number 3 on the ''Billboard'' 200. 2016's '' Remember Us to Life'' peaked at 23 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Mayor Bill de Blasio proclaimed June 11, 2019, Regina Spektor Day in New York City. Spektor was also inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame on May 18, 2019, by Borough Pre ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Roger Manning
Roger Manning is a New York City based singer-songwriter who plays an aggressive acoustic style of music. Manning, along with a small handful of other artists, composed the original New York City anti-folk scene. On February 6, 1985, Manning was cited by New York City's MTA police for "entertain ngpassengers by singing, dancing or playing any musical instrument" on a subway platform. Manning mounted a legal challenge to the long-standing ban on busking and in September 1985, Judge Diane Lebedeff ruled in ''People v. Manning'' that busking was constitutionally protected. The ruling led to the establishment of the Music Under New York program. In December 1988, SST Records released Manning's first self-titled album, which he supported with a tour of North America, crossing the United States two and a half times. In 1990, he hosted the first season of the short-lived syndicated radio program "Soho Natural Sessions." Since 2001, Manning has made a living as a web designer in New ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hamell On Trial
Edward James "Ed" Hamell, performing as Hamell on Trial, is an American punk rock, anti-folk, spoken word musician, described by Righteous Babe Records as "loud, fast music informed by politics, passion, energy and intelligence, played by a guy with a sharp tongue and a wicked sense of humor". Biography Born in Syracuse, New York, Hamell spent years as a member of many bands before venturing into the realm of the solo singer-songwriter. He finally got his big break when he moved to Austin, Texas and earned a residency at first the Chicago House and then the Electric Lounge. Since then, he has released a number of albums on various labels, including Mercury Records, his own DiY label Such-A-Punch Media, and Righteous Babe Records, the label started by his longtime supporter and frequent touring companion, Ani Difranco. Ed has a son named Detroit, born in 2002. Detroit performed on Ed's album ''The Happiest Man in the World''. Hamell was seriously injured in a car accident ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Block (musician)
Jamie Block is a New York City-based musician, known for being a prominent member of New York's anti-folk movement. Style and Lyrics Block has been considered one of the early participants in New York's anti-folk movement, a raw and subversive form of folk music that is inspired heavily by punk rock and indie rock. Block includes a multitude of instruments and sounds within each album, including elements of punk rock, electronica, jazz and hip hop. Lyrically, Block focuses heavily on personal experiences and observations living in New York City. Early career Block grew up on Long Island, New York. He went to college to study English in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but dropped out and relocated to New York City, where he began his music career as a subway busker. In 1996, Block self-released his debut album, ''Lead Me Not Into Penn Station'', which was well received by critics. In reviewing the album, Laurel Bowman of Alternative Press wrote that Block "practices the alchemy ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Folk Punk
Folk punk (known in its early days as rogue folk) is a fusion of folk music and punk rock. It was popularized in the early 1980s by the Pogues in England, and by Violent Femmes in the United States. Folk punk achieved some mainstream success in that decade. In more recent years, its subgenres Celtic punk and Gypsy punk have experienced some commercial success. Characteristics Folk punk is related to and/or influenced by various styles such as Celtic punk, gypsy punk, anti-folk, and alternative country. Folk punk is also linked with DIY punk scenes, and bands often perform in house venues in addition to more traditional spaces. Folk punk musicians may perform their own compositions in the style of punk rock, but using additional folk instruments, such as mandolins, accordions, banjos or violins.Sweers, B., ''Electric Folk: The Changing Face of English Traditional Music'' (Oxford University Press, 2005), pp. 197-8. Folk punk possesses a rich history of progressive and left ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jeffrey Lewis
Jeffrey Lewis (born November 20, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter and comic book artist. Early life Lewis was born in New York City and grew up on the Lower East Side. He attended State University of New York at Purchase, graduating in 1997 with a degree in Literature. His Senior Literary Thesis was on the comic book ''Watchmen''. Lewis also lectured on the topic of ''Watchmen'' at the Institute For Cultural Studies at the University of Leuven, Belgium, in 2000, and the text of his lecture ("The Dual Nature of Apocalypse in Watchmen") was published in the book ''The Graphic Novel'', edited by Jan Baetens, in 2001. Starting in 2000, he spent about two years living in Austin, Texas, playing open mic nights, working odd jobs and distributing his autobiographical comics to local coffee shops. Music Several of his musical influences have been acknowledged in his songs such as "Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror", "The History of The Fall" and "The Chelsea Hotel Oral Sex Song ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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SideWalk Cafe
The SideWalk Cafe was a music venue and restaurant/cafe in East Village, New York City founded in 1985. It became a known venue for its underground music scene, and in particular, was known as being the center for Anti-folk in the United States. It offered an eclectic mix of local and national acts ranging from DIY, avant garde music, indie rock, and jazz to pop music and electronic music. The venue also hosted poetry readings, comedy and live-band karaoke. The Local East Village, at the time part of The New York Times, referred to the SideWalk Cafe and its music scene as a "gift to the neighborhood". A number of well-known acts performed at the Sidewalk at the beginning of their career including Regina Spektor, Lana Del Rey, Hamell on Trial, Lach, The Moldy Peaches. The Sidewalk Cafe was also home to an open mic An open mic or open mike (shortened from "open microphone") is a live show at a venue such as a coffeehouse, nightclub, comedy club, strip club, or pub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Paleface (musician)
Paleface is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and artist who has been active in the music business in the United States since 1989. He tours on a full-time basis as duo with longtime girlfriend, Puerto Rican drummer Monica "Mo" Samalot. Early career Paleface met songwriter Daniel Johnston in 1989. Johnston taught him how to write songs and Paleface began to make homemade tapes. At this time Paleface was roommates with Beck in New York City. Beck says, "We used to go to all the open mics together. He taught me Daniel Johnston songs on the sidewalk and let me sleep on his couch. He was a great songwriter, a generous friend, and a big influence on my early stuff". In 1990, Danny Fields (manager of The Stooges, The Ramones, MC5, and The Doors) discovered Paleface at a "Lach's Anti-hoot" (NYC open mic), and signed on as his manager. Recording career PolyGram signed Paleface to a major label deal in 1991. He wrote and recorded his first album, which includes "Burn and Rob" ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |