Folk Punk?!
My favorite musical genre that I just learned exists
Some years back, I remember coming up with this term to describe what I thought was a nonexistent genre of music I’d enjoy. Why I never bothered to look “folk punk” up and see if there were any bands describing themselves this way, I’ll never know. Folk punk exists, and it is glorious.
Starting back in middle school (way back in the nineties), I started listening to punk CDs from the mall, downloading a bunch of MP3s, and eventually (when I got my license) driving to Fitzgerald’s in Houston for punk shows. Before that, I'd mostly been raised on Bob Dylan, The Beatles, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. All that combined with the fact that I grew up in the woods of rural Texas goes a long way to explaining why my tastes have always gravitated toward folk punk (long before I knew the genre’s name).
Up until my first year of college, when I discovered Neutral Milk Hotel, the band I listened to most consistently was probably Violent Femmes, definitely one of my favorites. And just now I looked up folk punk on Wikipedia and learned that they were one of the bands that started it all, along with The Pogues, who I've also loved since high school. Of course it makes sense. I’m so late to the party it’s not even funny. I have a lot of lost time to make up for.
If all of this is new to you too, then absolutely check it out! Here’s a little beauty to get you started.