Joni Mitchell’s performance at Newport Folk Festival defied the ‘permissible’ ways older women ‘should’ behave.
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It may seem counter-intuitive to turn to Leonard Cohen’s ‘depressing’ songs during times of grief and uncertainty. But he shows there is always a reason to keep on keeping on.
While some stereotype Alberta as a “conservative” province, the bucking and swift horses that typify the Calgary Stampede speak to a more complex spirit of risk seen in local musicians.
Woody Guthrie’s anthem has become a rallying cry for immigrants. But did he really have a ‘blind spot’ for Native Americans, as some have claimed?
How can a band so slavishly derivative – and sometimes downright plagiaristic – be also considered radically innovative and influential?
Folk’s emphasis on authenticity and community has renewed appeal in today’s beard-friendly, organic-appreciating culture.
Musicians were able to connect with confused, scared and angry Americans – including those who supported the war – in a way actors, broadcasters and writers could not.
Rather than replace humans, AI could actually boost our creativity.
‘Trump made a tramp out of me,’ Guthrie lamented, denouncing his landlord who barred black families and pocketed federal funds.
Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection depicts the fully-formed artist – a blues musician, yes, but also a performer of string-band, country and pop songs.
If Alan Lomax were still alive, he would turn 100 Saturday. His name might not be as familiar as some other giants of folk music in the 20th century (such as Pete Seeger). But if you listen to folk or…
Searching for Sugar Man (2012) brought worldwide attention to the music of Detroit singer-songwriter Sixto Rodriguez. The academy award-winning documentary focused on the efforts of South African fans…
Earlier this year the number of views of South Korean mega-star Psy’s Gangnam Style YouTube video exceeded two billion. That’s more than a quarter of the people on the planet who have watched the video…
Folk is fashionable. Its latest manifestation at Tate Britain is only the most recent of stirrings – it been on the up for a number of years. Perhaps most obviously is the resurgence of folk music, which…
We Shall Overcome became the theme song of the American civil rights movement in the 1960s. It is most identified with Pete Seeger, the great American musician who died January 27. Yet as Arlo Guthrie…
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Senior Lecturer In Music Literature and Research, Griffith University
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Professor of American Literature and Culture, University of Central Lancashire
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School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong
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Dean, Graduate Research, University of Canberra
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Director of Studies, Design, Manchester Metropolitan University
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Adjunct Lecturer of American Studies, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
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Associate Professor in Guitar, Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, The University of Melbourne
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Associate Professor of Communication Studies, American University School of Communication
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Senior Lecturer in Music Technology, Kingston University
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Lecturer in Digital Media, Queen Mary University of London
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Associate Professor of History, University of South Carolina
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Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Monash University
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Contract lecturer, Music section, Department of Philosophy, Toronto Metropolitan University
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PhD Candidate, La Trobe University
