I was on an internet rabbit hole chase for “Folk Music”. The reason was because I was trying to put myself in a marketing box for when people ask me “ What kind of music do you play?”. This is a tricky question because I’ve been doing music for 30 years now. I’ve done a lot! I write songs, sing, play guitar, play drums, and DJ.
How do I spit that out into one sentence? Usually the best thing to do is send people to my Spotify or website and decide for themselves. I thought the easiest answer was “ Folk” because I’m white, I wear a hat, I play acoustic guitars, so that’s enough. I looked up a wikipedia article to see if I was on the right track to label myself. I found a different story.
The article said that music can be broken down into 4 types: Tribal, Folk, Art, and Pop. Looking back at my career I’ve had involvement with all 4. They’ve worked with each other as a creative index fund. I’ve invested my time in all 4 of them to build my own portfolio.
My experience in drum circles has fulfilled my tribal investments. I played drums for West African lady killers in Massachusetts. There were trance sessions in fire drum circles at the backwoods summer solstice parties in Starks, Maine. There were polyamorist dance parties in the deep country mansions of Tennessee. I find when I need a kick to the system a tribal music music session is the remedy. All you need is your voice and something to bang on.
The world is full of folk music. Folk music is music passed aurally from generation to generation. It’s those Nashville pickers who slept in the clubs while their parents played a show. Now that kid is holding a residency at Robert’s Western World keeping the flame burning. It’s the open mic parking lot kids playing the spoons or screaming like Kurt Cobain for a crowd of 10. They smoke cigarettes and try to turn you into a communsist. It’s the dark lizard lounge spotlight showcasing a farm hand finger picking a Martin flat top singing a song about the rain in July. All of it is by the ear, feeling, and imagination. My contribution is Lyrics, Guitars, and Percussion. Folk is a way to inherit wisdom.
Art music is for those who study music through academics. I went to art school at Berklee College of Music. It’s where I trained my ears, eyes, and ascetics. We studied the measurements of Jazz, Pop, Classical, and World music. We took trips to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts to study the masters. Art enriches me from every angle I invest my attention. I study art music because it cracks my brain open, then inspires me to compose, perform, and draw.
Finally there’s pop. Pop is the No Doubt concert I took my college girlfriend to. Pop is the music that keeps the writers churning on Music Row. It brings the group together to take shots at the Greenwich Village bar while the DJ cuts between Queen and Biggie Smalls. Pop is today. Pop is Nostalgia. Pop is the anticipation of tomorrow. My contribution is DJing. I do NHL, NFL,Parties, Broadway night clubs, Line Dancing, Events, and weddings. The pop stocks fluctuate, but it’s worth the risk.
All of these styles bleed into each other. House music is artistic, popular, tribal, and the word of the next show is passed around in the verbal folk style. Art rock is mixed into popular festivals like South By South West. Kids are taught aurally the Suzuki method then gradually crossfade into the art of reading and writing music. Those students may have a taste for jazz, dump loops into a sampler, rap, sing, send it to a DJ, the DJ mixes it at an Arab night club, and everyone busts out drums…. You see the vision? I have witnessed it. Come up with your own recipe for creativity.
Everyone goes through ups and downs in their music career. This is why I urge you to invest in the 4 kinds of music. Even If you’re doing them for free your soul will feel clean. Karma states: you must give to the things you believe in. Invest in yourself. Invest in music!