Young Folks - Issue 3

Written by Louise Evans

 
It’s a murmur that’s beginning to roar, as an invigorated old force sweeps through. It keeps the heart and the feet beating, it creates a sense of soul and belonging. In New Zealand, the young folks are claiming, with passion and dedication, a music tradition that is centuries old. Tales woven of lost love, and the joy of new, death and birth, sorrow and hardship are commanded by youthful voices. Finely crafted melodies are put in the hands of a new generation of musicians. What was once considered as perhaps ‘un-cool’ and geeky, is now an acceptable and valid part of the spectrum of music in New Zealand.
 Folk music can be closely linked to identity. It’s common knowledge that many of the trials and tribulations of youth are attributed to the search for what is true to self. Folk music is preserved and taken up through a feeling of kinship for the sound or story. One can then add that for many in New Zealand, their heritage is of British, Irish, or European extraction, so whether they are a first or even fifth generation New Zealander, they can still relate the music to belonging to them and their family.
Direct connection with ones ancestry is not a cut and dried reason for why young people take up the music, however, and it is most certainly not exclusive for those of that background.  Emily Giles, cellist and daughter of the Bunker folk clubs’ Roger Giles says ‘I was brought up with it, so the whole scene, the music, the people and the events feel like home. But folk music is such a diverse genre, there’s something special about it, it tells stories, it tells emotions’. So, even if children are brought up in the musical style, it still seems that the one thing that attracts people to it, and keeps them playing, is an affinity for what the music represents.
What the folk scene also offers so invitingly is a warm and genuine companionship, and the fostering of young people. Laura Quin, a folksinger and guitarist, came to folk music in her late teens, with much support from her not particularly folk-absorbed parents. ‘When I really got into the scene about three years ago, it was an amazing sense of community.  Once you are part of the folk scene, most people treat you like family.’
 The scene as we know it in this country has been solidly built by the incredibly dedicated folkies in the 60’s. With a distinct lack of nightlife relative to today, they created their own entertainment in the form of clubs and festivals. These have grown to such proportions that they are now iconic. Roger Giles, emigrating from England, became a reckoning force in the folk scene, and continues to be -‘We were pretty well all self taught and involved with the peace/ environmental issues so folk music was a natural and acceptable expression of our interests.  Today there is a percentage of young folk musicians, who are progeny of the folk scene’s founders, that recognised the struggle they had learning instruments and music and made sure their kids had a good musical education that they could afford or was available, and this is showing in the performance of young folk today.’
 It’s true that many people entering the scene nowadays have had formal training in other genres than folk music. This has the positive effect of capable, accomplished musicians or vocalists taking a musical style and being able to confidently work within it, bringing new instruments and arrangements. Combinations of instruments and different styles of folk are now being mixed together to create a refreshing fusion, that still doffs its cap to tradition. This respect for origins is what is encouraging for the older generation. The maintaining of tradition, whilst finding ones own expression within it, is revolutionising the sound of folk, in a different way from how it was done in the 60s and 70s.
 It seems that young folks are festival folks. A folk festival is like a folk scene microcosm, and it is often the pinnacle of the year for a musician. Here one can perform and share music honed, and for a few days and nights one will be totally surrounded by likeminded people and the songs, stories and tunes will flow as easily as the homebrew. It’s a lively affair, and people dance until dawn and forge many lasting friendships. It’s no wonder then, filled with such merriment, that these festivals act consistently as a catalyst for inspiring young people to take up instruments and singing. Every year in January Auckland hosts one of the largest folk festivals in New Zealand, featuring a strong line-up of international and national acts.
Auckland Festival also has other attractions for young musicians as it hosts the Martin Blackman Young performers Award, and the Frank Winters Memorial Award. These are cash grants given to promising performers in order to encourage them to pursue their music.  Competitions receive a mixed response, as many believe that folk tradition should be a non-competitive affair. This is a perfectly valid reaction, as folk music is based on sharing music, but for others, they see competition simply as recognition and incentive.  Money for their efforts could pay for recordings or travel to strengthen their knowledge of the music.  
To solidify a place for youth out of the performance and festival spotlight means them becoming more involved in the organisation of regular events and new initiatives.  A burgeoning young folk presence would revitalise the folk clubs and sessions. Currently in Auckland there are sessions such as the Clare Inn, Dogs Bollix, and the Bunker New Roots. The young folkies session (for under 18s, generally) at the Irish Society clubrooms is run by Celtic harpist Anna Dunwoodie, who wanted to create a session ‘to be at their level, where they feel they have a place and can join in and make mistakes, where they can have an equal part and suggest tunes or make comment about other musicians’ playing/pieces.’
  Folk clubs in the area include the Bunker in Devonport, the Titirangi Folk Club, the East Coast Bays Club and Rafters in Ponsonby, as well as the excellent open mike night at 121 Café.  Club nights usually run on the format of an open mike, with contributors performing a couple of songs/tunes. The clubs are also venues for reasonably priced concerts with visiting or local musicians. These places have a moderate amount of young people participating, but it appears that the mindset is more on performance at larger events. This is what worries some of the older folkies, as they know well that the sustainability of folk music lies in regular, more informal meetings.
 As much as youth feel compelled to disregard the advice of their elders, and likewise the older generation of their younger counterparts, this is where the essence of folk music can break down these barriers. Folk music is the people’s music. It’s enjoyed most often in the company of others, with the appreciation of others. The best form to learn it is from another person, who will convey their interpretation of the music, and the music will then be passed from generation to generation. Essentially, to play folk music well, one has an understanding of the genre, and a good ear for what the person playing it is making of the story or feeling. Encouraging both parties to interact and learn from one another will ensure the survival of the genre. When those ground breaking folkies from back in the day are gone, then it is really the responsibility of the youth of today to bear the tradition upon their shoulders, and inspire the next generation.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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