Comments on: We're not those kids, Sitting on the Couch

We're not those kids, Sitting on the Couch

untuckedshirts — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 07:18:05 -0800

Have you reached the 13th level of rock and roll that is anti-folk? Do you think using an 8-track recorder is selling out? If the phone rang while recording a song for your album, would you try another take? Not if you were the Moldy Peaches you wouldn't. . . pansy. The Moldy Peaches are Adam Green and Kimya Dawson. Their first album, "the Moldy Peaches Greatest Hits" was most people's first taste of anti-folk and it featured clever (and occasionally insane) songs recorded in their apartment and subsequently rocketed them to stardom. In fact, they've just formed as a 6 piece and they have a video out. (The video is in realplay*buffering*er format)

But what exactly is anti-folk? The Moldy Peaches are pretty much all over the place musically and other anti-folk artists are no different. Take Jeffrey Lewis, who's songs range from intricate tales (his first love is cartooning) of chance encounters with love to rockin' songs about killing ghouls chimes in: [More Inside]

By: untuckedshirts

untuckedshirts — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 07:20:43 -0800

"On one hand it's "folk-punk", but that doesn't describe a lot of the people on the scene. The thing is, it is a scene of some sort, and that's just the name we've ended up using to feel like we're all part of the same thing." The full text of the interview.
One thing all the bands do have in common is an apparent love of low-fi. Their songs are simply the result of pressing record and catching whatever comes out. This de-emphasis on music and (to the untrained ear) talent has lead to anti-folk being much more lyrically and personality driven. Oh and did I mention that Kimya has a blog? Yep.

By: untuckedshirts

untuckedshirts — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 07:21:36 -0800

Confounded spacing! Blast!

By: soundofsuburbia

soundofsuburbia — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 07:31:57 -0800

antifolk.net also offers a lot of information.

By: soundofsuburbia

soundofsuburbia — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 07:49:45 -0800

That said, one of my favourite anti folk artists is the one and only Ish Marquez (interview by Jeffrey Lewis!). Or, as Antifolk Online put it when reviewing the really rather excellent "Anti Folk vol 1" compilation: "'Gin is Not My Friend' by ISH MARQUEZ is to this day one of the most amazing songs I have ever heard"... That song and a few others are available here. Oh, and thank you for the post, untuckedshirts! Great stuff!

By: rcade

rcade — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 07:52:58 -0800

Interesting link. It always cracks me up to hear bands categorize themselves, but this stuff is interesting -- especially Adam Green. One question, though: If it's all about the lack of polish, I'm not hearing that on "Dance With Me" and "Baby's Gonna Die Tonight." Those songs sound like money was spent producing them.

By: chill

chill — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 08:00:03 -0800

Great links everyone, I've recently discovered Jeffrey Lewis and I'd recommend his first album to anyone. With the exception of those few songs that are so far beyond lo-fi that they sound just sound plain awful, it is an album of melancholy beauty. I still don't quite get the term anti-folk though. I guess it is really just one of those meaningless labels used for convenience more than anything else. If you ask me whether it's half full or half empty, I'd say it's half full, of nothingness - Jeffrey Lewis

By: rcade

rcade — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 08:01:53 -0800

You're right about "Gin is Not My Friend" link, suburbia. That song's great.

By: Twang

Twang — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 08:52:32 -0800

I'm sorry, but is this a redefinition of "stardom"? I never heard of these punks. Oh wait, you mean *recent* stardom. Well, that's *everybody*. Who's the leading star of anti-folk? Other'n Bob Dylan?

By: Satapher

Satapher — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 10:05:26 -0800

whos got the crack?

By: Item

Item — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 10:12:26 -0800

I saw the Moldy Peaches open for someone or other a few years ago. The performance reminded me of a less talented Frogs. Grating. I felt like I was being punished for some long-ago wrongdoing.

By: Item

Item — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 10:16:14 -0800

I also don't like the term 'anti-folk'. 'Anti' is a meaningless prefix when applied to music. C'mon - wouldn't true 'anti-folk' be something like N'Sync or Limp Bizkit? Music that isn't for the people, by the people? Stupid label. 'Post-folk' would be much more fitting.

By: quonsar

quonsar — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 12:35:38 -0800

i so await the dawning of post-newcrapist rock.

By: kindall

kindall — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 14:22:44 -0800

But what exactly is anti-folk? If "folk" is music made my regular people, then logically, "anti-folk" would be music made by irregular people. Which it sounds like is pretty much the case...

By: untuckedshirts

untuckedshirts — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 14:58:50 -0800

rcade: i noticed the Moldy Peaches and Adam Green's production values going up as well. You can really hear it in their "Lucky Number 9" video which sounds nothing like the album version. I think this is probably an effect of the Moldy Peaches becoming "big". So I guess it's not exactly about low-fi, but rather what's available. And to tell the truth my anti-folk knowledge could be far wider. The trackback post to The Melon Colonie provides a good explanation. Unfortunately, it's provided 12 times at the bottom of the page. Thanks for the links SOS. Twang: try clicking the link that says they were rocketed to stardom and you may realize that i was being deliciously ironic.

By: mmoncur

mmoncur — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 15:38:31 -0800

Coincidentally, I was in a truck stop Men's room in Eden, Idaho yesterday and there was a "Moldy Peaches" sticker on the garbage can. There's a meaning in there somewhere.

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 01 Sep 2003 07:24:45 -0800

On the upside, my beloved friends and sometime musical community are apparently getting attention from the Internetworked dendrites!

By: jfuller

jfuller — Mon, 01 Sep 2003 10:07:13 -0800

> If the phone rang while recording a song for your album, "Turn off phone ringer" and "disconnect doorbell" are very early on my getting-ready-to-click-Record list, both to keep from getting these kinds of undesigned intrusions in the .wav file and also to keep them from distracting me while I go down the rest of the checklist and making me forget stuff. I do leave "turn off A/C and refrigerator" until last. We don't do spontaneity here...

By: RubberHen

RubberHen — Tue, 02 Sep 2003 01:17:32 -0800

> If the phone rang while recording a song for your album I live about 100 yds from the train....my recording....has trains in it and until I move....I think will unless I CAREFULLY watch the clock. Oh and according to not only the press at the anti-folk website...Lach would seem to be the king o'anti-folk. I received SPAM from his camp for a few years...until it went away....hence my familiarity with him.

By: hippyboy

hippyboy — Tue, 02 Sep 2003 08:21:18 -0800

I'm a big fan of the Moldy Peaches, but I tend to like the slower tunes like "Steak For Chicken". They're getting a bit old skool these days tho', the Trachtenburg Family seem to be getting a lot of similar press.

By: untuckedshirts

untuckedshirts — Thu, 04 Sep 2003 07:24:23 -0800

I just wanted to thank soundsofsuburbia again. I've been listening to Lonesome Crew nonstop since this thread was posted. Awesome stuff!