Other folk genres

Folktronica isn’t the only interesting amalgamation of folk and another genre to come through the years. Widen your listening horizons by checking out some of these heady cocktails.Folk metal: A European mainstay since the early 1990s, the combination of folk music and heavy metal is still an underground phenomenon in the United States. Common qualities include folk instrumentation, occasionally traditional singing styles, and lyrics revolving around fantasy, nature, and mythology. The first folk metal album is considered to be the English band Skyclad’s The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth in 1990. Modern American examples include The Lord Weird Slough Feg and Agalloch.Folk punk: The fusion of folk and punk is not based in traditional music, but rather in folk instruments like mandolins, accordions, and banjos. However, some subgenres (like Celtic punk) do regularly focus on traditional Irish songs. The Irish group the Pogues is considered to be the first folk-punk group, while other examples include Flogging Molly, Roaring Jack, and The Men They Couldn’t Hang.Psychedelic folk: One of the earliest genre blends to emerge, psych folk combines traditional acoustic instrumentation with psychedelic rock influences. World music and early music elements are also often included. The Holy Modal Rounders, formed in 1964, are considered to be the progenitors of the sound, inspiring a legion of new artists on both sides of the country, include Peanut Butter Conspiracy, H. P. Lovecraft, Pearls Before Swine, and Cat Mother & The All Night Newsboys. Modern examples include Grizzly Bear and Grouper.Skiffle: Skiffle was a popular style of music in the first half of the 20th century that included influences from folk, jazz, blues, roots, and country. It was characterized by improvised and homemade instruments. The term first appeared in 1925 with Jimmy O’Bryant and his Chicago Skifflers. Although the genre began to lose popularity in America in the 1940s, British artist Lonnie Donnegan became a well-known proponent of the genre in the UK in the 1950s. While skiffle is today seen as more of a stepping stone, the British group the Dodge Brothers have revived the sound.Anti-folk: Anti- or un-folk is not exactly a blend of genres, but rather a deliberate subversion of traditional folk elements. As a whole, the genre is difficult to define, but it has had a long life in New York and the London Underground. The musician Lach, originally from Brooklyn, was one of the earliest singer-songwriters from the movement. The number of underground artists is too large to count, but includes Emmy the Great, Milk Kan, Michelle Shocked, Cindy Lee Berryhill, and Brenda Kahn.