What is Folk Music?

By Ben Little

I am a fan of most genres of music but I must admit I did have a pre-conceived idea about folk festivals before attending the National Folk Festival in Canberra and the Port Fairy Folk Festival this year. At both festivals my eyes were opened and my horizons broadened as I witnessed on both occasions music and performers that were not easy to define.

Let me start off by giving you some definitions of the terms "folk" and "folk music."

* In Roget's Thesaurus, "folk" is described as, "regional, local, unsophisticated, primitive."
* In the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music "folk music" is described as, "Songs of unknown authorship, passed orally from generation to generation (and often found in different parts of a country or in different countries)."

What these definitions conjure up is that folk music is traditional music and sometimes not played with much finesse. And I must admit, this is what I thought I was going to witness at a folk festival... music that was predominantly traditional and sometimes played with not much finesse.

How wrong I was!

In contrast to the definition described in Roget's Thesaurus, it was definitely NOT unsophisticated. In fact almost everything that I saw at both festivals including the "fringes" was professional, inspiring, sometimes original and always interesting. And while all of the music can nestle underneath the umbrella called "folk," I believe that the music at these festivals is far more expansive and perhaps a better name for these festivals should simply be... music festivals. Let's start with the festivals themselves then we will talk about the music...

Perhaps it was my "flower power" upbringing, or perhaps it was my inherent love for carnivals and festivals, but I felt quite at home upon arrival at the National Folk Festival in Canberra in 2003. And the same feeling happened again this year at the Port Fairy Folk Festival in March. Both festivals had a relaxed atmosphere and a sense of fun to be had.


What can you expect to see at a folk festival?

There are food stalls, clothing stalls, arts and craft stalls and even instrument makers. Folk festivals have to be the best places on earth for hats! With program in hand, you can find workshops, lectures and classes ranging from dance to singing to playing an instrument. Outside the main performing venues you can also find all kinds of comedic, musical and theatrical acts. All this happens pretty consistently throughout the day and night.

There are also fringe performers, which can be seen at various places outside the main stages. This is a growing part of the festival circuit and a part not to be dismissed. In fact, some people never actually make it into the festivals themselves, instead preferring to remain on the fringe and to soak up the atmosphere around the festival. Certainly there's good music both in and out of the gates.

This is an aerial shot of beautiful Port Fairy.

There are lots of people around, but, because there are different acts to see at different venues at the same time, it rarely seems over-crowded. For more popular acts, all it takes is a little bit of planning and you can get a good seat. And the cool thing is... you always have a choice. Once you are inside the festival, you can go anywhere at any time. So if a particular act doesn't tickle you're fancy, you can take off to another stage and watch something else (with a coffee and a kebab if you so choose!).

Quality music, great performers, and more than just "folk"

At the National Folk Festival in Canberra, one of the bands I saw was a 3-piece band called 'Ember Swift' from Canada. They left me completely breathless. Not only because they were indefinable and original, but because they were so good! The singer, Ember Swift, is a great guitar player. They went beyond what I think of when I think of "folk" music.

No, it goes way beyond "folk." I saw singer songwriters, bluegrass bands, country bands, blues bands, choral groups, guitarists, fiddlers, jazz tinged acoustic rock, pop, contemporary pop and just about anything that can be described as music! I saw groups from Russia, China, Scotland and South America, playing traditional styles from their own countries.

At the Port Fairy Folk Festival we saw 'My Friend the Chocolate Cake' headed by the smooth vocals of David Bridie. Apart from the addition of a violin, I would not really describe this as folk music; they had what I would describe as a pop to contemporary sound. Then there was Bella, who brought contemporary country to the stage, while the Waifs played good solid rock. Perhaps the addition of a harmonica or a fiddle or an acoustic guitar conjures up the word "folk?"

Quality!

Now apart from the notion that a lot of these acts cannot be completely described as folk, the other glaring fact is that everything that I saw was of an extremely high musical standard. The playing was incredible. Amazing guitar players, riveting fiddlers and beautiful singers. And on top of all of that, great songwriting!

If you are a classical, jazz or even blues snob, I guarantee that watching the acts at these festivals would change your perception of folk music.


Treasures Found and Shared

Perhaps one of the best things about going to a folk festival is the discovery of artists and songs you never knew existed. Some of the artists have been recording for many years but have never been heard on the radio. The festivals give us exposure to those artists and, when we find performances we like, an opportunity to buy their records and take the music home.

So, in most instances, we know who the authors are, we pass the music from generation to generation through recordings, and through those recordings and festivals we are able to spread the music well beyond their local/regional roots. Check out a folk festival - you'll see that there's a lot more to them then the name might imply....

Gnome Links:

• My Friend the Chocolate Cake - http://home.mira.net/%7Emftcc/
• Ember Swift - http://www.emberswift.com/ - Just to reinforce that "folk" is too a narrow term for these festivals - on Ember's homepage it says that her music is a combination of many styles from jazz to funk and from folk to punk. See!
• Bella - http://www.bella.net.au
• The Waifs - www.thewaifs.com/
• Port Fairy Folk Festival - www.portfairyfolkfestival.com/ - Tickets usually go on sale in November for the March Festival. If you do go - make sure to go to The Stump pub and say hi to the people singing and playing in the weekend long session!
• Other Australian Music Festivals - You usually need to plan to go to a festival. Fly or drive there. Get accommodation. Take time off from work. Pick one festival to attend in the next 12 months and just make it happen! - www.theharbouragency.com/Festivals.htm