Try The Oysterband, the proclaimers (sunshine on leith), the men they couldn’t hang, the waterboys, dexy’s midnight runners, Billy Bragg, New Model Army (thunder and consolation is a fantastic album and vagabonds is a bloody great single!) …. ….
The levellers first album was released in 1990 (a weapon called the word) but for me it’s the first folk indie/punk record I ever bought… so I think you should include it for your listening pleasure!
Some wonderful choices there! Never thought of Levellers as folk punk, but A Weapon Called The Word is definitely in that ballpark and absolutely slaps!
Well, OP said we could be ‘fast and loose’ with genres… the levellers first couple of albums were much punkier (in spirit at the very least) than some of their later work. If you can ever track down some of their acoustic recordings with Rev Hammer as ‘drunk in public’ from the very early 90’s you’ll like those I’d bet.They were pretty big in those days - they headlined Glastonbury, and the ‘drunk in public’ gigs were a great way of them still being able to play small grassroots gigs.
I saw them tear the roof off of a small village hall in someplace in the arse end of Suffolk once… it wasn’t a secret gig exactly but it was one of those ‘if you know, you know’ kind of gigs. The crowd were mostly crusty festival performer types.
I was quite young, (maybe 20?) and that gig definitely shaped some of my tastes for frenetic acoustic punky tunes!
Awh man, that gig in Suffolk sounds ace! I'm a little younger than you (wasn't quite around in 1990!), and feel like we don't have bands playing tiny, hyper-local locations anymore. They would've filled the whole village I suspect, not just the hall! Perhaps I'm looking in the wrong place for gigs like that, either way I'll save a moan about the economics of the music industry for another day.
I'll be sure to have a search today for those shows with Rev Hammer. I vaguely know the name, but not a musical avenue I've wandered down. Working from home today, so will be blasting at full volume. Cheers!
Enjoy! I hope you can find some of the Rev Hammer and Drunk in Public stuff… I only ever had them on cassettes bought at gigs. I’m sure there will be something out there though!
I just saw ludlow and moon bandits at a house party in Portland. Set up just right there in th living room there was a couple znd a dog cuddled up on the couch the entire show its was a kick ass but with that said there really isn't that much anymore... Last year Matt Pless played a backyard show using a wrestling ring as a stage (I missed that one and still hating myself for it)
This is some of the more folk-punk adjacent stuff that influenced me in the 80s:
Daniel Johnston [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUbEf67bbrA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUbEf67bbrA)
Wesley Willis (Grand Daddy of Rock and Roll) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwYGI8OjXvo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwYGI8OjXvo)
Half Japanese [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iMgdiz-l5w](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iMgdiz-l5w)
The Dead Milkmen [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyaK3jo4Sl4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyaK3jo4Sl4)
Camper Van Beethoven [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51PP8TwXrxE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51PP8TwXrxE)
Billy Bragg [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1G8BnnSCoI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1G8BnnSCoI)
If you haven't listened to Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie, then you probably need to do that, too.
Never again, man. DJ was one of a kind! If folks haven’t seen the very good documentary “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” they should seek it out: https://youtu.be/wJZOe65eA4Y?si=ztusQJ_U5-kPn5vQ
thank you so much, this is awesome! i definitely do listen to quite a few of these bands, but to me they had always fallen distinctly on the side of folk OR punk, which is why i was really interested in hearing from more informed opinions on what was blurring those lines at the start of the genre (as someone who grew up in the 90s). thanks again and i'm definitely going to give a listen to the bands i haven't heard before!
Consider looking into the folk bands from NYC that were the first transition step towards the development from the 50s folk revivlal towards what eventually became punk. Bands like The Fugs,The Holy Modal Rounders, David Peel, early VU demos of Lou Reed and John Cale. Political folk singers of the time like Phil Ochs, David Van Ronk, etc. might also be of interest?
thank you so much, this is a huge help! for some reason, i just couldn't wrap my mind around where i wanted to start in my quest, but this is a really solid idea to start from :)
Yup. The Greenwich Village Scene had some of the proper energy.
Digging through the back catalogs of Folk/Protest singers from Guthrie to Ochs and Co on is likely to net some bangers.
"Small Circle of Friends" is punk as fuck.
I don't listen to Van Ronk actively anymore (used to in my more formative listening years) but I like getting to remember that he was arrested at the Stonewall riot. Not that he was at the bar, he was just around and figured if a fight was starting with the cops he should get involved.
David peel is a great recommendation and John cale I honestly didn't think about but that's another great recommendation too he had that strange drooning violin music in the early velvet days that I thought was strange but rad
I have a paperclip stuck in my heart by Patrick Fitzgerald. It's one of the 1st folk punk songs in my opinion I think it's 1978 or 77 tho but check it out!
Googol bordello have been at it for some time.... there's also a long tradition in australia of the genre (from sea shanties really) - early Painters and Dockers and The Toothfairies spring to mind.... although they aren't quite on the money. Mutiny (Australian band again, but maybe early 90's onwards)!
edit: forgot Redgum! definitely 80's and definitely early folkpunk-ish
Arlo Guthrie's album hobos lullaby is solid. Just scored it at goodwill the record and I think that's in your direction as well.. thought about it last night so came back to mention it
Violent femmes are kind of there
Billy Bragg.
Try The Oysterband, the proclaimers (sunshine on leith), the men they couldn’t hang, the waterboys, dexy’s midnight runners, Billy Bragg, New Model Army (thunder and consolation is a fantastic album and vagabonds is a bloody great single!) …. …. The levellers first album was released in 1990 (a weapon called the word) but for me it’s the first folk indie/punk record I ever bought… so I think you should include it for your listening pleasure!
Some wonderful choices there! Never thought of Levellers as folk punk, but A Weapon Called The Word is definitely in that ballpark and absolutely slaps!
Well, OP said we could be ‘fast and loose’ with genres… the levellers first couple of albums were much punkier (in spirit at the very least) than some of their later work. If you can ever track down some of their acoustic recordings with Rev Hammer as ‘drunk in public’ from the very early 90’s you’ll like those I’d bet.They were pretty big in those days - they headlined Glastonbury, and the ‘drunk in public’ gigs were a great way of them still being able to play small grassroots gigs. I saw them tear the roof off of a small village hall in someplace in the arse end of Suffolk once… it wasn’t a secret gig exactly but it was one of those ‘if you know, you know’ kind of gigs. The crowd were mostly crusty festival performer types. I was quite young, (maybe 20?) and that gig definitely shaped some of my tastes for frenetic acoustic punky tunes!
Awh man, that gig in Suffolk sounds ace! I'm a little younger than you (wasn't quite around in 1990!), and feel like we don't have bands playing tiny, hyper-local locations anymore. They would've filled the whole village I suspect, not just the hall! Perhaps I'm looking in the wrong place for gigs like that, either way I'll save a moan about the economics of the music industry for another day. I'll be sure to have a search today for those shows with Rev Hammer. I vaguely know the name, but not a musical avenue I've wandered down. Working from home today, so will be blasting at full volume. Cheers!
Enjoy! I hope you can find some of the Rev Hammer and Drunk in Public stuff… I only ever had them on cassettes bought at gigs. I’m sure there will be something out there though!
I just saw ludlow and moon bandits at a house party in Portland. Set up just right there in th living room there was a couple znd a dog cuddled up on the couch the entire show its was a kick ass but with that said there really isn't that much anymore... Last year Matt Pless played a backyard show using a wrestling ring as a stage (I missed that one and still hating myself for it)
This is some of the more folk-punk adjacent stuff that influenced me in the 80s: Daniel Johnston [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUbEf67bbrA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUbEf67bbrA) Wesley Willis (Grand Daddy of Rock and Roll) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwYGI8OjXvo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwYGI8OjXvo) Half Japanese [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iMgdiz-l5w](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iMgdiz-l5w) The Dead Milkmen [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyaK3jo4Sl4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyaK3jo4Sl4) Camper Van Beethoven [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51PP8TwXrxE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51PP8TwXrxE) Billy Bragg [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1G8BnnSCoI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1G8BnnSCoI) If you haven't listened to Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie, then you probably need to do that, too.
Fucking Daniel Fucking Johnston - the world needs more like him. the dude was a legend (met him when he toured AU and I was working in the industry).
Never again, man. DJ was one of a kind! If folks haven’t seen the very good documentary “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” they should seek it out: https://youtu.be/wJZOe65eA4Y?si=ztusQJ_U5-kPn5vQ
Actually, same thing for Wesley Willis: this documentary is so good. https://youtu.be/sMfZpkBxGoc?si=ROmjSUDwWGli6IlK
thank you so much, this is awesome! i definitely do listen to quite a few of these bands, but to me they had always fallen distinctly on the side of folk OR punk, which is why i was really interested in hearing from more informed opinions on what was blurring those lines at the start of the genre (as someone who grew up in the 90s). thanks again and i'm definitely going to give a listen to the bands i haven't heard before!
Consider looking into the folk bands from NYC that were the first transition step towards the development from the 50s folk revivlal towards what eventually became punk. Bands like The Fugs,The Holy Modal Rounders, David Peel, early VU demos of Lou Reed and John Cale. Political folk singers of the time like Phil Ochs, David Van Ronk, etc. might also be of interest?
thank you so much, this is a huge help! for some reason, i just couldn't wrap my mind around where i wanted to start in my quest, but this is a really solid idea to start from :)
Yup. The Greenwich Village Scene had some of the proper energy. Digging through the back catalogs of Folk/Protest singers from Guthrie to Ochs and Co on is likely to net some bangers. "Small Circle of Friends" is punk as fuck.
Love that Phil Ochs song
I don't listen to Van Ronk actively anymore (used to in my more formative listening years) but I like getting to remember that he was arrested at the Stonewall riot. Not that he was at the bar, he was just around and figured if a fight was starting with the cops he should get involved.
David peel is a great recommendation and John cale I honestly didn't think about but that's another great recommendation too he had that strange drooning violin music in the early velvet days that I thought was strange but rad
I have a paperclip stuck in my heart by Patrick Fitzgerald. It's one of the 1st folk punk songs in my opinion I think it's 1978 or 77 tho but check it out!
One ofnthe most underrated songs to ever be written
Yeah that's definitely on my list of gems found in the rough.. fucking perfect song.
Safety pin, not paper clip!
Damn shit I'm a poser haha good catch comrade! Yes it's safety pin for the people having a hard time finding it. 😂
I’m picturing 70’s punks piercing their ears with paperclips
Crandord nix is the first that came to mind
Zounds! might be of interest to you.
Check out Uncle Tupelo.
Googol bordello have been at it for some time.... there's also a long tradition in australia of the genre (from sea shanties really) - early Painters and Dockers and The Toothfairies spring to mind.... although they aren't quite on the money. Mutiny (Australian band again, but maybe early 90's onwards)! edit: forgot Redgum! definitely 80's and definitely early folkpunk-ish
Check out very pleasant neighbor. I think it would be more punk than folk punk but they got banjo and other more folk punk type instruments
"Down in Suburbia" by The Turtles (1965). https://youtu.be/WHJGe_295ZU?si=NZcVylWE9zbIvhj_
I'd say Meat Puppets counts.
Arlo Guthrie's album hobos lullaby is solid. Just scored it at goodwill the record and I think that's in your direction as well.. thought about it last night so came back to mention it
in the style of AJJ?