Folk punk is a genre of music that combines elements of folk and punk rock music. There are two distinct types of folk punk. The first is artists like The Knitters - punk music musicians who play in a traditional folk style. There are also modern artists who perform acoustically in the folk style, this is the "riotfolk" genre.
Like much punk music in general, folk-punk tends to be quite political, most often on the radical left and anarchist side of the spectrum. Folk punk is seen as exploring the legacy of traditional American folk music, which often contained themes of working class solidarity and community resistance facing the encroaching problems of industrialization and modern capitalism. Classic folk songs such as "This Land is Your Land" and "Sixteen Tons" have been covered by folk punk bands.
While the genre has grown greatly recently, much credit to the establishment of folk punk has gone to Plan It X Records of Bloomington, Indiana for helping popularize the sound. Many staple folk punk bands are either currently on the label or have previously had some connection to it. Among these are Against Me! - perhaps the best known folk punk band - although their sound has been moving more and more towards general punk rock and has moved away from the DIY (do it yourself) ethic that is central to the genre. However, some of these bands don't actually have any real relation to (or even sound like) actual folk music. The only relation could be pointed at the use of "obscure" instruments (or instruments hardly used in punk rock) like a violin, banjo, or a mandolin. Other notable folk-punk labels and bands include This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb, Fistolo Records, (Philadelphia, PA) and The Riot-Folk! Collective
Other locations significant to the folk punk scene are Athens, Ga and Gainesville, Fl (the birth place of Against Me!). There are also a few folk-punk acts from the northeast such as Bread and Roses, The Can Kickers, Evan Greer, and Sharp Teeth, all from the greater Boston area. Also, Salt Lake City, UT has a large folk punk scene with bands such as Bombs and Beating Hearts, James Miska, xacrox and xJoshx. The scene is also taking shape in Toronto, Canada with artists such as Timothy Cameron, and the collective based band PondScum, in DC with artists like Spoonboy and Rachel Jacobs, and Ohio, with the very popular band Defiance, Ohio (also involved with plan-it-x.)
Other significant folk punk artists and bands include ArnoCorps, Erik Petersen, Mischief Brew, xacrox, Chris Fredda, Madeline Adams, The Heroic Livers, bombs and beating hearts, "Defiance, Ohio", Ghost Mice, Saw Wheel, Rumbleseat, Spoonboy, ,Tennessee Whiskey Tots, and the artists involved in the Riot-Folk! Collective.
A symbol commonly used by the folk punk music scene is the anarchy heart. This is similar to the anarchy symbol except that instead of the A being set in a circle it is set within a heart. This symbolises "love is freedom" while the A within an O symbolises "anarchy is order". This may have originated in northern Florida.
Like much punk music in general, folk-punk tends to be quite political, most often on the radical left and anarchist side of the spectrum. Folk punk is seen as exploring the legacy of traditional American folk music, which often contained themes of working class solidarity and community resistance facing the encroaching problems of industrialization and modern capitalism. Classic folk songs such as "This Land is Your Land" and "Sixteen Tons" have been covered by folk punk bands.
While the genre has grown greatly recently, much credit to the establishment of folk punk has gone to Plan It X Records of Bloomington, Indiana for helping popularize the sound. Many staple folk punk bands are either currently on the label or have previously had some connection to it. Among these are Against Me! - perhaps the best known folk punk band - although their sound has been moving more and more towards general punk rock and has moved away from the DIY (do it yourself) ethic that is central to the genre. However, some of these bands don't actually have any real relation to (or even sound like) actual folk music. The only relation could be pointed at the use of "obscure" instruments (or instruments hardly used in punk rock) like a violin, banjo, or a mandolin. Other notable folk-punk labels and bands include This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb, Fistolo Records, (Philadelphia, PA) and The Riot-Folk! Collective
Other locations significant to the folk punk scene are Athens, Ga and Gainesville, Fl (the birth place of Against Me!). There are also a few folk-punk acts from the northeast such as Bread and Roses, The Can Kickers, Evan Greer, and Sharp Teeth, all from the greater Boston area. Also, Salt Lake City, UT has a large folk punk scene with bands such as Bombs and Beating Hearts, James Miska, xacrox and xJoshx. The scene is also taking shape in Toronto, Canada with artists such as Timothy Cameron, and the collective based band PondScum, in DC with artists like Spoonboy and Rachel Jacobs, and Ohio, with the very popular band Defiance, Ohio (also involved with plan-it-x.)
Other significant folk punk artists and bands include ArnoCorps, Erik Petersen, Mischief Brew, xacrox, Chris Fredda, Madeline Adams, The Heroic Livers, bombs and beating hearts, "Defiance, Ohio", Ghost Mice, Saw Wheel, Rumbleseat, Spoonboy, ,Tennessee Whiskey Tots, and the artists involved in the Riot-Folk! Collective.
A symbol commonly used by the folk punk music scene is the anarchy heart. This is similar to the anarchy symbol except that instead of the A being set in a circle it is set within a heart. This symbolises "love is freedom" while the A within an O symbolises "anarchy is order". This may have originated in northern Florida.
1. Did you hear the new folk punk band from salt lake city?
2. I love folk punk music!
3. I wish I knew how to play folk punk.
4. Are you a folk punk?
2. I love folk punk music!
3. I wish I knew how to play folk punk.
4. Are you a folk punk?
by Jordan Cade Halliday May 2, 2006
Get the folk punkmug. by d.moore June 29, 2004
Get the punk-assmug. Pertains to both a literary genre and more recently to an attitude or lifestyle.
The media genre generally is placed in the future and develops more on the fact that the future may not end, but may not be pretty either. Generally the storyline centres around some form of technology.
The more recent lifestyle that has evolved and coined this term is fragmented and hard to classify. It is still very new and there is debate on what the term means. Generally observation shows that "cyberpunks" are not only extremely technologically proficient, but are innately adept at it. They have a desire to know all forms of technology they come into contact with. Their attitude tends to be somewhat apathetic towards anything that doesn't directly involve them and their style of dress and personal tastes tend to be eccentrically futuristic.
The media genre generally is placed in the future and develops more on the fact that the future may not end, but may not be pretty either. Generally the storyline centres around some form of technology.
The more recent lifestyle that has evolved and coined this term is fragmented and hard to classify. It is still very new and there is debate on what the term means. Generally observation shows that "cyberpunks" are not only extremely technologically proficient, but are innately adept at it. They have a desire to know all forms of technology they come into contact with. Their attitude tends to be somewhat apathetic towards anything that doesn't directly involve them and their style of dress and personal tastes tend to be eccentrically futuristic.
by nexusvt100 May 12, 2004
Get the Cyber Punkmug. Horror punk is a dark style of music mixing Gothic and punk rock sounds with morbid imagery. Often, song topics are taken from horror movies, but the best horror punk creates atmosphere by telling tales through the song. Usually with poetic lyrics.
also see: goth punk / gothic punk
also see: goth punk / gothic punk
by Jadyn May 22, 2005
Get the horror punkmug. A type of music usually consisting of drums, bass, guitar, trumpet and saxaphone, that became popular in the early ninties. Ska Punk, rather than ska has a more agressive feel and is also known as Skacore.Some more commonly popular ska-punk bands The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Suicide Machines, Mustard Plug, Voodoo Glowskulls,Bim Skala Bim,Bad Brains,Rancid,Sublime and Catch 22.
by Anita Handjob April 14, 2006
Get the Ska Punkmug. Bob:"Brittany has a punk fish today man."
Carl:"Man that's gross, did you give it to her?"
Bob:"Yea, then I ate it."
Carl:"Man that's gross, did you give it to her?"
Bob:"Yea, then I ate it."
by Jessica Nickel August 30, 2013
Get the Punk Fishmug. Not giving a fuck...
Not giving a fuck if you are punk or not.
Not fucking caring what other people think.
Not giving a damn if you look punk or not.
Knowing that punk is an attitude...
not how you dress or do your hair,
not what kind of music you listen to,
not who you hang out with,
not how much you drink,
not what kind of drugs you do,
not if you sleep on the street or eat out of dumpsters,
not how many tattoos or piercings you have,
ITS A FUCKING ATTITUDE
Not giving a fuck if you are punk or not.
Not fucking caring what other people think.
Not giving a damn if you look punk or not.
Knowing that punk is an attitude...
not how you dress or do your hair,
not what kind of music you listen to,
not who you hang out with,
not how much you drink,
not what kind of drugs you do,
not if you sleep on the street or eat out of dumpsters,
not how many tattoos or piercings you have,
ITS A FUCKING ATTITUDE
That one girl didn't care that she was still in her work slacks and blouse, she still went to the Murder Junkies show not caring what kind of weird looks she got... that was punk as fuck, I think it made her more punk than the people who spent an hour putting up their hawks and chaos spikes.
by Sarah Lambert March 6, 2008
Get the punk as fuckmug.