Mumford & Sons
And the Comeback of Folk/ Folk Rock in Popular Music

Ok guys! What are your thoughts on Mumford and Sons? Your favorite song they play? What do you think about Folk? Folk Rock? Do you think that indie bands are making their way back into the spot light? What other folksy bands, new and old do you fancy?

I've always been a fan of folk/folk rock/bluegrass-y music. Since I was a kid, I had tapes and cds of irish and scottish traditional and folk music, and it's progressed from there.

Post away and discuss!! Feel free to post videos so we can share our favorites and learn about new bands!! Please follow the usual Mene Rules while posting: Rules Rules Rules and be nice! Constructive comments and banter only! Please keep it kind! And please rewind!

I really like Mumford & Sons, the lead vocalist has such a wonderful voice. I've missed them three times to see them live which is a shame. They were busking at a statue in the centre of my local city a few days after they did a gig there. Also they're headlining at a festival this weekend that I was meant to be going to, but I couldn't afford the ticket.

My favourite song that you listed is probably 'Little Lion Man' although it was a close call between that and 'Awake My Soul'. They also did a wonderfully folk cover of a song by one of my favourite artists, Calvin Harris. 'I'm Not Alone' -- Mumford & Sons.

Also, I don't think anyone can fault Scottish and Irish folk music! It makes me proud to be a Scot haha. My favourite folk band is definitely Runrig. They have some really rocky songs too, which is brilliant. My favourite song by them is definitely 'The Cutter'.

I missed them in Portland, Or by a few days! I was pretty upset...But then again, I probably couldn't afford the ticket anyways. But I need to check up on their North American tour dates.

And I've heard of Runrig from a friend of mine, but I haven't listened to their music yet, much to my friends dismay... :P

I'm not sure that I like the new folk rock that's coming out as much as some older stuff, but oh well. Everything changes!

I like stuff like creedence clearwater revival better than anything new they throw at me.
CCR-Have You Ever Seen The Rain? Lyrics - YouTube

Ooooh, I like that Runrig song, Bucket. <3 And I love Scottish folk. Such a great place to be.

I'm for both Rainbow. I love old folk. Simon and Garfunkle and Joni Mitchell are some of my favorite performers. Such great story-telling that modern music has lost to a certain degree. But, it's definitely coming back. CCR is great. Reminds me of my dad. Mostly because I still hear him playing their stuff whenever he is working in the garage >.<

Glad you liked it! Another good one to check out by them would be 'Loch Lomond' that song is the epitome of a Scottish new year haha. No matter where you go, that song gets played. Last year was my first proper new year out, and the club I was in blasted that at midnight, it was a fantastic experience! :')

Mumford and Sons weren't too expensive when they played here. It was just a matter of getting the ticket. They didn't sell them online because it's a small venue and it would probably crash their website's server, so people started queuing up outside around one in the morning.

Maybe it's because the newfolk I hear on the radio has a different vocal style. I just don't love it as much. XD;

Oh! Speaking of folk music! 'I'll Tell Me Ma' by The Dubliners is an amazing song. :boogie:

Haha, ooh, that'd be me in the tent ;)

We get the occasional small venues of bands playing that I love. And, I like some very offbeat bands. I just saw Gaelic Storm again, and the concert before that was a band from New Foundland called Great Big Sea. Both are celtic-y sounding folk rock bands. Great Big Sea is pretty popular up in parts of Canada, and along the coast where there is a strong Scots/Irish community there. It's not as common for them to be playing around my parts in New England, but I am happy when they are.

I don't listen to the radio, thankfully, otherwise I'm sure I would be driven mad by all the stuff I heard/ overheard on it. There just aren't any really good stations where I am.

"I'll tell me ma" is awesome! I have a version of that song done by Gaelic Storm, and I have the Dubliners version! Of course!

Oooh. I'm blessed to be in the minneapolis-st paul area. Our radio.. the selection, variety, and personality. It beats literally every area in the US. I love radio, but I was disappointed when I went on a cross-country road trip - by california, all I could find were pop stations! Maybe a couple spanish music stations, but that's everywhere too.

Oh, I'm very jealous! Where I went to school in Vermont, there was more variety in music, especially when we could get Albany, NY stations, but here in Southern New England, it's mostly pop >.< So my ipod comes with me when I am going out, all the time.


Good new folk: Fleet Foxes!

For a small music venue, they have surprisingly good bands going there. I saw one of my favourite artists there last year (and met him). This year they have the likes of Primal Scream and Lost Prophets, as well as Newton Faulkner. I don't think I'll get to see any of them though because no-one will go with me. :c

I have three versions of that song haha. I have The Dubliners, The Young Dubliners and then I have a female version that I found on youtube, but I'm not sure who it's by. I may look at the Gaelic Storm version. :') I really love that song!

I don't really listen to the radio much. My local station is quite good, but there are way too many adverts.

EDIT: I love Fleet Foxes. They do a lovely Elvis cover of 'Can't Help Falling In Love' :')

It's a nice fun version. They are a great band to see live.

And, there are a few nice venues for bands here, but just....not a lot of variety with the genre/type of popular music here.

The Ironworks is the only music venue within a reasonable distance to me. All the others are in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow which are around four hours away. So since I don't drive and public transport back to my area is pretty unreasonable at night, I'd have to pay for a hotel too. So all in all, it's a pretty big expense when I'm poor haha.

Ooh, I like that version. I've got it downloading as we speak! :boogie:

Nice! Glad you like it Bucket!

So, it sounds like you are FAR North huh?? Cause if you were down South, it isn't such a big drive to Glasgow or Edinburgh.... Lucky!
The furthest north I've been in Scotland was..Dornie/ The Isle of Skye.

I guess I am luck to be no more than two hours from Boston and NYC since my state is wedged between the two. It's closer to NYC, but I never drive there. Just to a train station and there....and I try not to drive into Boston, but I have. Better there then driving into Manhattan XO

My fourth version of the song is now on my iPod. :') It's probably one of my favourite Irish folk songs.

I'm a little further south than Skye, but I'm closer to there than I am to the bigger cities. :yes:

I've never been to any of those places. D; The only places I've been in America are Florida and just across the border at Niagara Falls.

EDIT: Also, this doesn't really count as folk, but it's still pretty amazing! It's a bagpipe cover of We Will Rock You by Queen and Eye Of The Tiger by Survivor

Cool! I've been in your neck of the woods then. I've stayed for a few nights in Fort William. Nice place! Everything closed early, but I loved it there. I stayed at a cute hotel overlooking the town and the city center/ loch

Ah...Florida....land of older people, limestone, and Disney :P

That's a sweet cover!

I've only been to Fort William a few times. I had the best ham sandwich ever when I was there though. I was feeling car sick, and that totally settled my stomach. Though then my good thoughts were ruined when some weirdo called Kevin stalked me after New Year, and that was where he and his weird friends were from.

I went for Disney. I met Donald Duck twice. :cool:

I love it! They have a cover of Hey Jude and Smoke On The Water and everything! I love their cover of Auld Lang Syne though.

Haha. Donald Duck has no pants! He needs to do something about that... Just saying.

Oh, is the bridge to Skye just as expensive? I was there a few years ago and man.....Crazy. I know it was privately owned....Dunno if that changed.

I love some good bagpipers. The guy who plays pipes for Gaelic Storm is pretty: Gaelic Storm :: About - Pete Purvis But way more standoffish than the rest of the band. I had a few awesome chats with the drummer *eyebrow waggle*

It's funny because when he comes out of the shower he covers his bottom half with a towel. :lol:

I think I know someone called Pete Purvis haha. Asdfghjk! I didn't know they were the band in the steerage party in Titanic!!! :o

I couldn't tell you haha. I've not been to Skye in years. One of my friends has a boyfriend that lives there, so I'll ask her.

Lol :P Yaaah, that towel is redundant when Donald is normally flashing his bottom at us O.o

Yes they were! I didn't know that either when I started listening to them, and when I bought their second cd, it was written in there. XD Of course I had to go back and watch that scene to see.

It took me ages to find out what the score played in the party scene was, but now I've finally found it! :heart: That's every single song that was playing in Titanic on my iPod now. *fangirl*

Haha. The music for the movie was pretty awesome. Glad I mentioned Gaelic Storm then! You'll love their others stuff. Some of it is silly, fun drinky type songs, and then they do the classics very well!

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One of my absolute favorite folk performers JONI!!! So amazing. This song is just. Ah. So perfect. I need to get my hands on a mountain dulcimer so I can play this song.

I might go on a little download spree for them later! :eager:

That's quite a nice song. :')

This isn't really a new folk song, but I love Ye Jacobites By Name by The Corries. Also, just The Corries in general.

Ah Gosh, i really like Mumford & Sons. I didn't really listen to them right when The Cave got popular because I'm always nervous about what's popular and I was hiding away in my other Indie/Folk music. (Fleet Foxes, As Tall As Lions, Good Old War and The Dear Hunter mostly). But I'm really glad I did start listening to them. I think my favourite song is "Sigh No More" but all of them are so nice it's really hard to choose gosh.