| Psychedelic folk | |
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| Other names |
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| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Mid to late-1960s, United States and United Kingdom |
| Derivative forms | |
| Subgenres | |
| Other topics | |
Psychedelic folk (also known asacid folk) is a loosely defined form ofpsychedelic music that originated in the 1960s. It retains the largely acoustic instrumentation offolk, but adds musical elements common topsychedelia.
Psychedelic folk generally favorsacoustic instrumentation although it often incorporates other instrumentation.Chanting,early music and various non-Westernfolk music influences are often found in psych folk. Much like its rock counterpart, psychedelic folk is often known for a peculiar, trance-like, and atmospheric sound, often drawing onmusical improvisation and Asian influences.[5]
The termacid folk was coined in late 1969 by Australian journalistLillian Roxon to describe the music ofPearls Before Swine.[6] In herRock Encyclopedia, she explained:[6][7]
We already know aboutacid rock. What theunderground group called Pearls Before Swine sings is acidfolk, that is folk music affected by the discoveries of anLSD-influenced generation.
InSeasons They Change: The Story of Acid and Psychedelic Folk (2010), author Jeanette Leech states that the term "acid folk" was a "perfect summation" of the music of Pearls Before Swine and similar acts:[6]
It wasn’t folk music made under the influence of LSD per se but folk music profoundly affected by the attitudes of exploration that also prompted the use ofhallucinogens. Furthermore, Roxon’s term also held resonance for the other meanings of the word ‘acid’ in the sense of tartness or a corrosive, uncomfortable sensation.
The term was nonetheless not used widely until some time after it was coined.[6]Tom Rapp of Pearls Before Swine commented that "acid folk as a label is fine in that it implies borderlessness."[6]
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The first musical use of the termpsychedelic is thought to have been by the New York–based folk groupThe Holy Modal Rounders on their version ofLead Belly's "Hesitation Blues" in 1964.[8] GuitaristJohn Fahey recorded several songs in the early 1960s that experimented with unusual recording techniques, including backward tapes, and novel instrumental accompaniment.[9] Music criticRichie Unterberger stated that the opening track to Fahey'sThe Great San Bernardino Birthday Party & Other Excursions (1966) "anticipated elements of psychedelia with its nervy improvisations and odd guitar tunings".[9] Additionally,Pitchfork writer Jason Heller stated, "While the world went trippy, Fahey formed a parallel psychedelic dimension that was also manifested in his copious, semi-fictional, self-penned liner notes, which mixed serious musicology with a prankish smirk".[10]
Similarly, folk guitaristSandy Bull's early work "incorporated elements of folk, jazz, and Indian and Arabic-influenced dronish modes".[11] His 1963 albumFantasias for Guitar and Banjo explores various styles and instrumentation and "could also be accurately described as one of the very first psychedelic records".[12] Later albums, such as 1968'sE Pluribus Unum and his live albumStill Valentine's Day 1969, which use experimental recording techniques and extended improvisation, also have psychedelic elements.[13][14]
Musicians with several groups that became identified with psychedelic rock began as folk musicians, such as those with theGrateful Dead,Jefferson Airplane,Country Joe and the Fish,Quicksilver Messenger Service,The Beau Brummels fromSan Francisco;the Byrds,Love,Kaleidoscope, andthe Peanut Butter Conspiracy fromLos Angeles;Pearls Before Swine from Florida; andJake and the Family Jewels, andCat Mother & the All Night Newsboys from New York.[15][16]The Serpent Power was a psychedelic rock group with a strong folk influence. The Byrds was the most important Americanfolk-rock band to incorporate psychedelia in their sound and themes.
In the UK, folk artists who were particularly significant includedMarc Bolan, with his hippy duoTyrannosaurus Rex, who used unusual instrumentation and tape effects, typified by the albumUnicorn (1969), and Scottish performers such asDonovan, who combined influences of American artists likeBob Dylan with references toflower power, and theIncredible String Band, who from 1967 incorporated a range of influences into their acoustic-based music, including medieval and eastern instruments.[17] During the late 1960s and early 1970s, solo acts such asSyd Barrett andNick Drake began to incorporate psychedelic influences into folk music with albums such as Barrett'sThe Madcap Laughs and Drake'sFive Leaves Left.[18] Underground artists such asSimon Finn would later be referred to as "acid folk".[19]
By the late 1960s, the influence of psychedelic and acid folk could be felt inpop music.[6] Pop records would sometimes include one or two psychedelic or acid folk tracks, like "Flowers in the Air" onSally Eaton'sFarewell American Tour (1970).[6][20]
In the mid-1970s, psychedelia fell out of fashion and those folk groups that had not already moved into different areas had largely disbanded. In Britain, folk groups also tended to electrify, as did acoustic duo Tyrannosaurus Rex, which became the electric comboT. Rex.[21] This was a continuation of a process by whichprogressive folk had considerable impact on mainstream rock.[22]
Independent and underground folk artists in the late 1990s led to a revival of psychedelic folk with theNew Weird America movement.[23] Also,Animal Collective's early albums identify closely with freak folk as does their collaboration with veteran British folk artistVashti Bunyan,[24] andThe Microphones/Mount Eerie,[25] who combine naturalistic elements withlo-fi and psychedelia. Both artists received significant exposure in theindie music scene following critical acclaim from review sitePitchfork Media[26][27][28] and soon more artists began experimenting with the genre, includingOCS,Quilt,Grizzly Bear,[29]Devendra Banhart,Rodrigo Amarante,Ben Howard andGrouper.[30]
In 2022,Uncut magazine published a CD calledBlackwaterside: Sounds of the New Weird Albion,[31] featuring artists including Jim Ghedi, Henry Parker, Jon Wilks,Sam Lee, and Cath Tyler. This led to the publication of an extensive exploration of Britain's new "weird folk" in Japanese music magazineEle-King.[32] The lead article looked at artists including Nick Hart, Burd Ellen, Elspeth Anne, Frankie Archer, Shovel Dance Collective andAngeline Morrison.[33]
Freak folk is a loosely defined subgenre of psychedelic folk associated with the 2000sNew Weird America movement and used to describe the work of artists such asJoanna Newsom,Devendra Banhart,Animal Collective, andAdem.[4][6][34][35]
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