What is Folk?

What is folk? And what does it mean when someone says that "folk is dead in Greenwich Village" as I read recently on the occasion of the closing of one more historic club?

I can think of at least 3 definitions of folk.
The first is: Woody Guthrie, Kingston Trio, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, ie, a certain style of music that involves accoustic instruments and a certain unadorned style that was very popular in the 60's and 70's and kind of petered-out with Carter and died with Reagan, although some have tried to make a comeback, including Bruce Springsteen, Suzanne Vega and others like Tom Russell. This is what you would find if you went to the "folk" section of your record store.

The second is: "Authentic folk". Irish ballads, whaling songs, mining songs, railroad songs, rails, jigs, fiddle tunes, blues--accoustic music that is generally played by "folks"--or at least used to be before radio and TV were invented. This music tends to be appreciated by white upper-middle-class well-educated types such as Pete Seeger and yours truly, for its authenticity and simple charm.

The third definition of folk is: whatever music people who are not professional musicians play when they get together with people they don't know that well. In that sense, any song that we've all heard a million times makes the cut (i.e., LA Woman, Dead Flowers, Me & Bobby McGee, Margaritaville) as well as any song that is so simple that anyone can follow (eg, Jambalaya, My Bucket's Got a Hole in it, Busted). I heard someone say that CCR songs (Proud Mary, Bad Moon Rising) became folk songs as soon as they were released--each one feels oddly familiar and inevitable, even the first time you hear it. And they tend to be pretty easy to play as well. Basically, any song that people can relate to, and possibly play or sing along to if they have some personal musical inclination, is folk. Ideally, folk is music that brings ordinary people together, without pretensions or exclusions.

Anyway, my personal opinion is that the third definition of "folk" is the most true and significant one, and that the first two are either simplifications, subversions or intellectual snobbery.

The first definition is the most pernicious, not because I'm not a huge consumer of Dylan and others (I am). But because it focuses more on a marketing classification than the essence of what the thing is and does not put a premium on the spontaneity and freshness that is the true beauty of folk. And because it makes it possible to say such things as "folk is dead."

Folk music is not dead. There will always be ordinary people getting together to make music--God help us if this kind of activity ever stops. If we're not hearing good folk music it's because we're not listening for it or we're not going out and making it. We know that folk music has served as the inspiration for professional music since the classical composers and before. And we know that it doesn't take much to ignite a popular flame; all it takes is a Guthrie, a Seeger and a Dylan to take something valuable but discarded from the past and present it to the people in a way that they can connect to. Spontaneous music, played by non-professional musicians will never disappear, no matter how technologically advanced we become.

With time, words change and lose their meaning. In Spanish, folk music might be called "popular music", meaning music "of the people" with a distinctly socialist tinge. In English, popular music, or "pop music", means empty, facile, commercial music. And folk is dead. So there is no English word that really succeeds in saying "authentic music of the people". But that doesn't mean that folk music is dead. Folk music will always be around whenever people are willing to get together and play "I've Been Working on the Railroad" or "Oops I did it Again" or "Achey Breaky Heart" and not worry too much if they are playing it exactly the same as on the recording. And eventually, people will prefer it to what they are hearing on the radio or seeing on the tv, then the next Guthrie will come along, followed by the next Dylan, and the next folk revival will be in full bloom.

Anyway, I'm glad to be playing real authentic folk music in historic Washington Square Park, as well as other places. I'm certainly no professional, but music is the opposite of cooking: a song that you make for yourself will always seem better than one that is prepared for you, even by a professional. If your own song sounds even half good it is a joy and a revelation. This is the engine behind all folk music.

Photo I found

I found this photo at http://www.flickr.com/photos/maomee/467579621/

I'm the one with his back to the camera. Pete is playing the resonator guitar, and Australian Pete on the harmonica.

You can read about it here.

Lots of people take pictures of musicians of musicians in the park. But this is the first one of me I've found floating around cyberspace.

Monday 5/7/07

Yesterday around 5:30 pm at the height of rush hour I'm walking down 6th Ave by 14th St Street, headed for the park. Someone is begging loudly, would someone please give him some change, he's trying to save enough for a harmonica. All he needs is a harmonica, a little music, he keeps whining, really.

I walk past, then turn to look. The guy is standing by the F train entrance; he's kind of old and raggedy, tall and thin with long gray hair. I start to walk away then turn back again. Finally I ask him: do you really want money to buy a harmonica?

Up close I see he's not so old. Maybe my age. He's pretty dirty and his teeth are mostly gone--3 or 4 brown stubs. He's happy I asked. Of course he wants a harmonica.

I happen to be carrying a backpack full of six harmonicas, so I give him my C harp which is the only marine band. I tell him it's been used, but he doesn't mind. He plays a little bit of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", then some blues. He gives me a big smile and a big filthy hand-shake, heads down the subway stairs to make some money, I hope.

Two steps down he turns back and says: Who sent you? Was it Jesus?

I keep going to the park It's half-closed, roped-off and patrolled by glowering security guards. NYU graduation is coming.

Some say that NYU wants to make the park its front lawn. NYU is a prestigious university with no campus, except Washington Square which becomes campus defacto, because NYU buildings surround it.

No guitarists are out, but there is a serious jazz duet --bass and saxophone--which demands complete respect. Music students, I guess. If I had their talent and dedication I could probably do at least as well. The guy I gave my harmonica to wasn't bad, either.

James Reames in Brooklyn, May 11

This was emailed to me. Sounds pretty good....


"James Reams & The Barnstormers deliver an edge that’s missing from a lot of bluegrass being made today.”
- No Depression magazine

“…tight instrumental excellence and hard-edged vocals …uncompromising, hard-core bluegrass…”
- Sing Out magazine

PLEASE JOIN US ON FRIDAY, MAY 11, FOR TWO SETS OF OLD-SCHOOL BLUEGRASS MUSIC with JAMES REAMS & THE BARNSTORMERS
at
The Good Coffeehouse Music Parlor
Brooklyn’s home for acoustic roots music / 2006-2007: Our 32nd Year
53 Prospect Park West at 2nd Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY
www.gchmusic.org
718-965-8490 / 718-768-2972
or email info@jamesreams.com
Directions by public transportation:
subway: Q train to 7th Av station in Brooklyn; F train to 7th Av; 2 or
3 train to Grand Army Plaza
bus: B69 to 2nd St; B75 to Prospect Park West; B41 or B71 to Grand Army
Plaza; B67 to 2nd St.
Doors open at 7:30; show starts at 8:00
$10 adults / $6 kids

Yesterday in the Park

Saturday, May 5 was a beautiful day in Washington Square Park.

For a while I listened to a very capable (ie, professional) blue-grass quintet: guitar, banjo, mando, stand-up bass. The guitar player (also the strongest singer) was a guy I recognized from Paddy Reilly's. I sat in the audience on the low retaining wall nearby and blew along on the harp for a couple of numbers. Sounded OK to me, but they never invited me to stand up and join them. Good warm-up anyway. I saw them send away a couple of guys with guitar and mando who asked to play with them ("this isn't really a jam").

OK, I could criticize these guys for not being open. On the other hand, I know from experience how accoustic music can seriously degrade when there are too many instruments playing at once, especially if some of them are off the beat or out of tune. Paddy Reilly jam often has 6 guitarists, 4 mandos, 3 banjos a couple of fiddles, and assorted others. It invariably sounds muddy and diffuse, even though many of the musicians are excellent. By contrast, this group in the park sounded terrific, probably because they kept it to a minimum (though a fiddle and dobro would have made it even better). So I understand what they were doing.

So I wandered over to where Pete was playing and spent a couple of hours. There was a guy named Jay there, who was a strong gutsy singer and accompanied himself on an Ovation Applause. Kind of a classic rock guy, I suppose: he did a Doors blues, a U2 ballad which I thought went great with the harp, American Pie, The Weight (a park standard) sung along to Bobby McGee in Janis mode, even though Pete was in Kristofferson mode. He said he was in a band--I guess he is the front man.

I did a few Hank shit-kickers, which I am getting pretty satisfied with. I would like to learn a few more.

A guy named Jeff who I met before played some nice leads on a Gibson, Dan was playing recorder and singing some harmonies, Ron was also singing some harmonies. Larry came by later on and did some Cat Stevens songs that a tourist in the audience kept requesting, as well as Nashville Cats which sounded great with harmonies (and I knocked out a very satisfying harp solo).

Towards the end, Pete, Dan and Ron harmonized on a couple of oldies. These guys are old hands at this kind of song and they always sound great to me.

Musical terms commonly misunderstood by Country Western Musicians

Musical terms commonly misunderstood by Country Western Musicians and Their Translated "Country" Definitions

(thanks, Gerry)

DIMINISHED FIFTH - an empty bottle of Jack Daniels
PERFECT FIFTH - a full bottle of Jack Daniels
RITARD - there's one in every family
RELATIVE MAJOR - an uncle in the marine corps
RELATIVE MINOR - a girl friend
BIG BAND - when the bar pays enough to bring in two banjo players
PIANISSIMO - "refill this beer bottle"
REPEAT - what they do until they just expel you
TREBLE - women ain't nothin' but
BASS - the things you run aroun in softball
PORTAMENTO - a foreign country you always wanted to see
CONDUCTOR - the man who punches your ticket to Birmingham
ARPEGGIO - "ain't he that storybook kid with the big nose?"
TEMPO - good choice for a used car
A 440 - the highway that runs around Nashville
TRANSPOSITIONS - men who wear dresses
CUT TIME - parole
ORDER OF SHARPS - what a wimp gets at a bar
PASSING TONE - frequently heard near the baked beans at barbeques
MIDDLE C - the only fruit drink you can afford when food stamps are low
PERFECT PITCH - the smooth coating on a freshly paved road
TUBA - a compound word: "hey, woman! Fetch me another tuba Bryl Cream"
CADENZA - that ugly thing your wife always vacuums dog hair off of when company comes
WHOLE NOTE - what's due after failing to pay the mortgage for a year
CLEF - what you try never to fall off of
BASS CLEF - where you wind up if you do fall off
ALTOS - not to be confused with "Tom's toes", "Bubba's toes", or "Do-ri-toes"
MINOR THIRD - your approximate age and grade at the completion of formal schooling
MELODIC MINOR - Loretta Lynn's singing son
12-TONE SCALE - the thing the State Police weigh your tractor trailer with
QUARTER TONE - what most standard pickups can haul
SONATA - what you get with a bad cold or hay fever
CLARINET - name used on your second daughter if you've already used Betty Jo
CELLO - the proper way to answer the phone
BASSOON - typical response when asked what you hoped to catch
FRENCH HORN - your wife says you smell like a cheap one when you come in at 4 am
CYMBAL - what they use on deer crossing signs so you know what to sight in you pistol with
BOSSA NOVA - the car your forman drives
TIME SIGNATURE - what you need from you boss if you forget to clock in
FIRST INVERSION - grandpa's battle group at Normandy
STACCATO - how you did all the ceilings in you mobile home
MAJOR SCALE - what you say after chasing wild game up a mountain, "Damn! That was a major scale!"
AEOLIAN MODE - how you like Ma's apple pie
BACH CHORALE - the place behind the barn where you keep the horses