The New 'Emo"

This term really has deviate far far from its original meaning as "emotive hardcore punk" into something melancholic and emotion-filled lyricism...

That said it scares me to read from Studio Subversion's concert reviews of bluegrass/newgrass band The Avett Brothers, folk-rock band Over The Rhine, and jazz/bluegrass/country/classical (and my favorite)band Punch Brothers.

Why?

Because according to the said magazine, almost 3/4 of the audience are 15 to 18 year old guys and girls with "skinny jeans and black T-shirt with bangs that atleast covers one of the eye".

The Emo kids! They got tired of the power pop/pop-punk of My Chemical Romance and the acoustic rock of Dashboard Confessional and Secondhand Serenade and their once hero Fall Out Boy now sounds like Duran Duran and write sarcasm instead of emoism. :-)

Folk music which according to Michael Jonathon of Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour "is a diamond with many facet that includes folk,blues,bluegrass,jazz, celtic, singer-songwriter,down to roots rock 'n roll" writes emotive lyrics long before the word emotive or "emo was invented. Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie and even The Carter Family did this a long time ago and its successors still keep on doing it.

And the "emo" kids found it...

And it's not actually a bad thing. Why?

Because folk music does not promotes suicide and it does not promotes self-image. Folk musicians does not say that in order to belong you have to wear skinny jeans and black t-shirt and have bangs. Johnny Cash never told his fans that in order to be his fans, they have to wear black. No. He didn't!

And if these emo people find comfort on folk music, then maybe their horizon will widen and they will come to respect every genre of music. Cause folk music is all about respect.

A folk music fan listens to country to metal to hiphop and even pop or american idol for that matter for as long as its good and not crap!

Folk music fans judge a song and artists based on his art and not based on publicity...:-)

Peace,

The Difficult Stranger

today's download:
Philippines National Anthem by Mary Anne Alicaba & Michael Anthony Curan