Get The Word Out - Help from people in the Prog-Folk area

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Help from people in the Prog-Folk area

Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Other music related lounges
Forum Name: Get The Word Out
Forum Description: Promote your Prog shop, website, concert, book or CD...
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=54648
Printed Date: January 09 2025 at 10:31
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Topic: Help from people in the Prog-Folk area

Posted By: Brianros1976
Subject: Help from people in the Prog-Folk area
Date Posted: January 09 2009 at 23:53

I have a question for basically anyone who take the time to listen to what I do.

I am Brian Rose a musican who has tried to combine elements of all sorts of different acoustic styles into a singer/Songwriter format. Basically there is classical,Flemenco,Jazz and Folk. Do throw the occasional odd meter in there but nothing substancial.

Lets also take into account its just guitar and vocals.

The Music is located at

http://www.myspace.com/BrianRoseFolk - www.myspace.com/BrianRoseFolk

I am just basically trying to figure out if this is to straighforward to be prog-folk or not

Thank you very Much,

~Brian Rose~

Replies:

Posted By: ClemofNazareth
Date Posted: January 10 2009 at 09:46

Well, you have a lot of influences listed on your site that I can't really see (or hear) any connection to Wink .

But there is clearly at least an awareness of the likes of the Pentangle, Trees, maybe Elonkorjuu or Gentle Soul, stuff like that. You have the right idea, but it is really difficult to listen to an unestablished, acoustic guitar player from New York and hear anything more than an aspiring singer-songwriter, no matter what your fingers are doing on the fretboard. And that ain't prog folk.

The challenge I think in your case is that you need to get beyond the singer-songwriter thing if you want the music to be taken seriously as progressive folk. You have some chord progressions and stylistic nuances on a couple songs that show promise (particularly "Coffin in the Sun" and "Unto Times End"); but there are very few people (probably not even that ".08" percent you mention) that are willing to listen to a singer with an acoustic guitar for more than a few minutes (unless you're Colin Meloy or Neil Young, of course).

The most appealing prog folk is the stuff that works in layers of instrumentation (mostly acoustic is my preference, but we all have our opinions I suppose). A violin or cello can really make a huge difference (a little percussion as well). Check out http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=3262 - Chrysalide and the difference between their first and third albums for a good example of this.

And I think a large number of prog folk fans are quite aware of lyrics, so there should be a point to a song that has them; a moral or proverb, a human-interest tale, some sort of cultural/political/religious/philosophical message, or just something literarily clever (see http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=54312 - great lyricists ).

Anyway, there are a few Saturday morning observations for you. Now I need to go shovel snow....

-------------
"Peace is the only battle worth waging."

Albert Camus

Posted By: Brianros1976
Date Posted: January 12 2009 at 18:46

ClemofNazareth wrote:

Well, you have a lot of influences listed on your site that I can't really see (or hear) any connection to Wink .

Thank you for listening and for your observations. I guess one of the things I am trying to figure out is what exactly is the closest classification to what I do. Singer-Songwriters Hear this and are pretty much look at what I do as something thats strange or over there head. I am certianly a huge prog fan as well as many other styles. You do bring up an interesting point though. Can anything I do be consitered progressive if just basically one guitarist and voice.