{"id":519,"date":"2024-03-07T22:24:17","date_gmt":"2024-03-07T22:24:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/archive.whus.org\/?page_id=519"},"modified":"2024-04-18T17:58:09","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T17:58:09","slug":"folk","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/archive.whus.org\/?page_id=519","title":{"rendered":"Folk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written by Lily Goldblatt and Jonathan Kopeliovich, edited by Susan Forbes Hansen<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Folk holds an unusual place at WHUS. For the most part, the genre-mainstays here, like polka, bluegrass, and jazz, have transformed to changed focus as DJs have replaced previous ones. But long-time folk-host Susan Forbes Hansen has tried to balance the old with the new, the traditional with traditionally-inspired and just plain inspired, to present a consistent but representational mix of possibilities, for 45 years and counting on the Sunday Night Folk Festival (Sundays from 7 to 10 PM). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Folk music is a mix of storytelling, complaining\/protesting, and describing. Is it as concerned with style or technique or musical rules as other genres? Possibly. Or not. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certainly much of the music of protest and social change fits into the genre with subjects like women\u2019s rights to class struggles to the rights of farm worker to this morning’s headlines. Folk icon artist Woody Guthrie summed up its spirit with statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
1943 photograph of Woody Guthrie with his guitar. From the Library of Congress. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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This machine kills fascists. <\/p>\nWoody Guthrie<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This topicality was part of what drew Susan Forbes Hansen to the folk genre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the great things about folk music is that it is very topical. So, if something happens on the news, and you can think of a good song or six good songs that go with that, then you play them,” Susan said in a phone interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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