Folk (and more)

Anybody here into folk? I love folk, but have had a hard time getting my hands on it, other than Joan Baez (can't remember if thats how you spell her name...), David Grisman, Jerry Garcia, Woody Guthrie, and Pete Seeger.

I plan on quitting my job at Mcdonalds once i get enough money for my Gibson Les Paul and have a few hundred left over so i can get the Boss GT-6, then i'll have saturday and sunday (those were the only days i worked) free...By this time ( a few months), i'll prolly have a band or 2 together (im joining one, and gonna get another one together, or another 2 together, i wanna gig every night), theres this one pizza place that would probably let me gig there, and kids hang out there all the time...i'd gig there for free every night (i'm 14, and am more interested in exposure than $) , but will prolly end up doing it 3 times a week there, 3 times a week at the coffeehouse, and 1 day with another musician writing songs.

Back on the subject...There is this one CD package i've heard about, its like a ton of folk songs for $130 bucks. Its a huge package, i dont know more than that,not even the name, but if anybody has this or any good folk album (you can include bob dylan, i guess), respond please!

Oh get this, im eating chinese food yesterday, i crack open the cookie, inside it says
" Elements in your routine life are holding you back more than you think."

this got me really thinking, because i was thinking how much mcdonalds was affecting me as a musician. pretty wierd eh?

yeah thats pretty much what i have in mind, joining one and starting one.

"3 nights a week gigging w/one band, then another 3 with another band, and then 1 writing your own material? Remember the whole discussion dating back to when you wanted to put 11 switches & knobs on your guitar and you ultimately decided on two? it's the same thing. Don't stretch yourself out too much or the music is no longer art, the peformance is no longer fun, it's just a chore. By the time you hit 16, you won't want to touch a guitar again. Trust me on this, I know."

I can't say i agree, i think its better to be out playing with musicians (if not gigging, at [u]least[/u] jamming with other musicians, i mean i spend the same amount of time at home practicing compared to what i would at a gig, and i figure it would be overall a smart move, and would give me alot of exposure to audiences and confidence and all that.

"And be careful playing places where other kids hang out, especially if you're into the dead. They aren't the ticket nowadays, nor is folk, and you're apt to have a bunch of them tell you you're a dork for not soundin glike Linkin Park (if they do, just ignore them, they're idiots anyhow). Even if you play hard stuff, teens like to insult and tear, and if you're onstage, you'll get the brunt."

Well the hippie population in Wisconsin is a bit higher than alot of other states (take...Utah for example), and with a little advertising at my high school i could fill up the pizza place pretty nicely with long-haired freaks:D.

Hey Man
Give it everything you got, your only young once!
knock um dead

Better learn a couple of Polka tunes!

i do agree with ponyone (except i love folk), I do definetly think that when you'll be giging there'll be pressure to write, and it wont be as fun... but your into country folk, kinda stuff...
Dylan is great, Jeff Buckley isn't really country folk but is definetly worth a listen...

I love folk, but i can really say it's something i'd go into... I like my effects a lot, and layering sounds..

oh definitely, i love that too...But there arent that many folk artists today, and its a good place to get into, i think.

hmmm, yeah i agree with ya... there aren't any real folk artists that are making waves at the mo... but I think that's cos that a lot of todays song writers aren't that eloquent and/ or astute... I think were lapsing into another 80's... we're a long way from being there yet, but we're already seeing the better song writers leave our charts..
I hope the 80's cheese never comes back... Although, Alt Rock is being cheapened and comercailised in the same way hardrock was in the 80's... grrr... so we may now be left with people who cant play and cant write... :eek:

true...

i look in the jam band scene, they dont compromize their ability as much as alot of other genres.

If you want folk band try "The Band"

Can't get more folk that. Back to the roots my friend.

Then again, maybe not a good thing to play at a pizza place :)

No seriously this pizza place is very cool...there really isnt much of a linkin park scene in my town, but theres prolly 9,000 people who are deadheads/phans, which is nice.

well... I can't really help with your situation, but I like folk. Specifically folk-rock like Simon & Garfunkel. I have an electric guitar, though - so I won't be doing too much folk off the bat (I'm a new guitarist :)).

My favorite is Baby Driver by Simon & Garfunkel - their least folk song, probably... their other stuff is good too, like El Condor Pasa and the Sparrow.

ummm... hate to be the voice of reason here, but if you're 14 years old, and you want to gig or practice 7 nights a week, what time does that leave you for school work and household chores?

Although I love guitar and jamming with friends, and even playing in public, I do realize that life, unfortunately, is not all about playing guitar.

You can maintain or even improve your guitar skills while still making achievements in education, relationships, etc. The ability of music to bring happiness is sadly lacking when compared to more meaningful things in life.

Again, I recognize that some people here feel very strongly about music, etc., and will probably tear me apart for what I've just said, but I'm sure some of the older folks will agree with what I've said.

And, I was serious about household chores - c'mon, help out around the house a bit, if you're not already, eh?

im sorry but your statement only fits the needs of those who put other things before their music career. this is going to be my career, i dont need/want a relationship, and i dont need to give any help around the house, i live in a relatively nice neighborhood, everything gets done.

By the way, are you still looking for that compilation? If oyu are, I'm pretty sure that what you are looking for is Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music. It's incredibly famous, was what got a lot of guys inot the folk scene in the 60s when it boomed, and Greil Marcus wrote about the relationship between that album and Dylan's "Basement Tapes". Anyway, give it a look under Harry Smith on ebay. When I can afford it I will buy it, but seeing as I am typing this on a new G4, that won't be soon :)

Hey IH
I thought exactly the same thing as you when I was at school (hope I’m not being patronizing). I F%^$@*g hated school and the only thing I gave a s7&t about was playing the guitar and playing with my band. As far as education goes, I didn’t care at all. Fifteen years later I have spent loads of time mucking about “On the road”, still play the guitar, have a very demanding career (that did involve many years of misery post- school) and love life in general.

What I’m saying is, "do it" and remember it is never too late! Later, if you need to, you can always go back to school (although school is probably more difficult this way), I was not ready or interested in education when I was 16 !

I have a good friend in the UK who was in quite a successful band, they toured the world and made 3 albums (I wont say lucky b#st%rds as they worked really hard for it). However the band split about 2 years ago and the guitarist is now in another band, has a couple of kids and is going back to school to learn how to teach music production. He is a very happy man !

What ever you decide to do, work hard at it, don’t give up, don’t be put off by idiots and believe in your self. If you are prepared to work your socks off and not be put off by the “put downs” you will come good eventually even if it is not where you originally expected !

OK Im off to get married
all the best
(a very stressed)
Dr S

Originally posted by PonyOne
Incidents, you really don't know anything about having a music career, you don't know anything about playin wit hanyone or even the instrumens themselves, either. I think you're makin ga mistake. Wake up, it's not 1968, and you'r enot on Haight & Ashbury. Go fo your dreams, by all means, but don't destroy yourself in the process.

When you put your music before your relationships, see how many people will want to play with you.

well when you said relationships, i thought you meant like a girlfriend, and not in the entire society in general. i have no problems jamming with people, ive jammed with 4 guitarists so far since school started, and they loved it as much as i.

Here's a tip from someone who isn't in the "biz" but who knows a lot of people who are:
Relationships are your friend IH, if you plan to do your thang. Not just jamming, but meeting lots of people, and being very personable at all times. As Lalimacefolle has often pointed out, a personality and attitude can get you further than your skills a lot of the time.

oh i respect you in the utmost, but i think im not clearly representing myself...I listen to alot of music besides the dead, i just have this 'thing' for the dead. I mean, yesterday i got totally turned on to Roy Buchanan, bought a cd of his (it was an anthology, 2 discs). and 3 weeks ago i got turned onto Wes Montgomery and Charlie Christian. I'm getting turned on to music everyday, the dead are just special to me because i've never liked a band as long as i've liked the dead.

As far as relationships go, i misinterpretted what you said. like i posted before, i thoght you meant girl relationships, and i have many girl 'friends', but none to which i can call 'girlfriend', because all the girls i know are pretty close friends, i just couldn't imagine it.

But your post was not far off, about 2 months off only, during the summer i didnt hang out with anybody, played guitar in my room the entire time, almost drove myself to depression...(sorta, not really)...But by doing that i developed a brand new style, that better suits to what i want to play (and suprizingly, its not that jerry-esque).

As far as relationships go with normal people, alot of people know me as 'the guitar player' at my school (at least the freshmen do, as im a freshmen), which has its good sides and bad sides.


and i was serious about the color thing, so far i've seen 3 colors, white, dark purple, and green.


lol,just trust me, i dont play only the dead...

[Edited by Incidents Happen on 10-03-2002 at 05:26 PM]

LOL, easy ponyone... we were ALL like that...
I was like that when i was 17 for guddsake... Everyone has to do the growing up first hand... I think it excellent your giving him advice... but remember give him the chance to make the mistakes, and learn...

I used to be really into just general pop crap at 15.. so i had a very late start in music... I made the mistakes and learing, and i know there's more mistakes to be made...

I say go for it IH, but dont throw in school... you woulnd't believe how nice school is till you quit it... even if you dont enjoy it, it give you some stability, a constant social life... there's very little to gain from quiting at 16 rather than 18 or even later... Why dont you go for a lot of music related stuff in school...

I think, with all due respect, that your too young to really form an oppinion about what field you really want to go into yet.. take your time, although poeple talk about taking your chances, in life it's really more about doing your work and knowing the right poeple..

and that im not. after i get my gibson les paul im either gonna get a mandolin (might go for the fender electric mandolin), or a keyboard, as a 2nd instrument.