Just what is folk music? Is it soft-spoken, intimate confessions poured out over an acoustic guitar? Is it “We Shall Overcome,” sung on the National Mall? Is it ever playful? Joyful? Does it do something other than teach? Can it be “pop?” Clearly, the answers to these questions are subjective, but at their core is a common notion: “Folk” music is “apart” from other music. There is something different about the folk singer – that mythic figure of storytelling and poetic wisdom. But is that really true?
Folk Music for What Lies Ahead, out now on Yer Bird, gives us eighteen different answers to the question: “What is Folk?” Of this, Sandy from Yer Bird and Slowcoustic writes:
The title of “What Lies Ahead” is kind of a play on the fact that the label is new to us since assuming it in 2010 from previous owner and friend Morgan King (who also did the artwork for the CD packaging!) and where we will go with actually having a music label. It is also my way of trying to figure out what is ahead for “folk” music since it has been assumed into daily musical reference (kind of like “indie” 5 years ago and “alternative” 15 years ago) – who knows! As folk tends to take up a wider seat at the musical table, the artists on the compilation tend to span from traditional to gothic to bluesy to “pop” with numerous other aspects of what folk music can be.
The tracks on the album come from a wide range of artists such as Paul Masson, Ghosts I’ve Met, Luke Elliot, Hezekiah Jones, Strand of Oaks, and many more. And rather than have me force-feed you the answer to the “What is Folk” question, why not visit the compilation’s page to stream samples of the songs. You can buy a digital copy from Musicfloss, or get a physical copy from Yer Bird (purchase includes a coupon for discounts on other Yer Bird releases).
And hey, some of the proceeds from each copy will be donated to Music 4 Hunger. So, you can feel great, and do something great, all at once!
Here’s Paul Masson’s “My Girl Baltimore (Acoustic):”
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And here’s Ivana XL’s “Couch Surfing (Acoustic):”
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