School me on folk music.

Lezta

I've whiled away the afternoon listening to The Imagined Village after hearing the name mentioned down the pub and it's occurred to me that although I quite like folk I couldn't really name many specific bands or artists beyond Fairport Convention.

So, where do I start? I'm up for anything, modern, old, whatever.

Esh

You should really look into Pentangle Pentangleor anything by John Renbourn.

matt has a problem

Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie are good places to start.

Overlord

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH2DJvgNlMA

Steev

Steeleye Span is good. I've never heard Fairport Convention, but I've often heard their name mentioned alongside Steeleye Span.

wonderpug

The modern day folk genius is Josh Ritter. I think all his albums can be streamed for free online.

So Runs the World Away is the newest and has been having much praise lavished upon it by reviewers. In particular check out Change of Time, The Curse, Southern Pacifica

The Animal Years and Golden Age of Radio are albums closer to folk roots than the new one. In Animal Years check out Lillian Egypt, Good Man, and Best for the Best. In Golden Age check out Come and Find Me, Me & Jiggs, Harrisburg, and Golden Age of Radio.

Then even older than those is Hello Starling. Kathleen is one of his biggest fan-favorites, but also try Snow is Gone, You Don't Make it Easy.

Last plug, I really like the music video they did for Lillian Egypt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Zx_nYrBoNE

I lied, last last plug is this vid of him on Letterman. This song's one of my favorites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rcUsFatXw4

Bourne

Does Bobby Bare Count?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB_LNGOvVPQ

Vortigern

Heather Dale. Original modern celtic stuff. I tend towards the irish trad myself though. Does that count?

Steev

I was at work before and wasn't able to spend the time to actually post a youtube video of a Steeleye Span song, so here you go:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZv_kshV_7s

Page-

If you want to know what's popular with the kids, well then here's the obligatory [vidURL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrQRS40OKNE"]Fleet Foxes[/vidURL] and [vidURL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd-A-iiPoLg"]Iron and Wine[/vidURL]. Add to them [vidURL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulKPDPSDNSc"]The Tallest Man on Earth[/vidURL], [vidURL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irPIjJl4ByU"]Timbre Timber[/vidURL], and someone classic like [vidURL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVY8LoM47xI"]Stan Rogers[/vidURL].

You can stretch your genre definitions a bit and include the likes of Jason Collett, [vidURL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awTv1mbvlQk"]Basia Bulat[/vidURL], Neko Case.

Beck

I listen to more indie folk but I'll start with something classic.

Lenord Cohen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLq7Aqd_H7g

Joanna Newsom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW8zvWdxCHg

Beirut

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X61BVv6pLtw

The Dodos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhLRxui7vXU

Cat Power

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lJiwKskTlE

Neutral Milk Hotel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iipO9Tvk1EI

Esh

Beck, most of that is not folk by any definition. You've got a couple in there, but the rest...

Anyway, Incredible String Band or Buffy Sainte Marie are a couple others.

Beck

I could take out the indie folk ones heavier on the indie, I guess.

Bourne

I'm gonna put these up here at the risk of being called an idiot, or you already knowing of them.

Bright Eyes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqPVXTOKqqs

Grizzly Bear:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOHM2Qkt32o

Dustin Kensrue:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea116KOUyuc

Icemopper

I'm not sure this is quite what you're looking for but I've been enjoying "The Unthanks"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmhACB1ZPQM

LewieP's Mummy

Icemopper, you beat me, seconded the Unthanks, saw them at Glastonbury festival last year, they were great!

SanguineAngel

Oysterband! I would mostly look at the older albums like Deserter and Trawler - their newer stuff is good but it's more gentle and strikes me as a bit more poppy as far as these things go.

Also: Eliza Carthy, Show of Hands, Jim Moray and June Tabor is an absolute legend. Fairport are also legendary of course.

And who said Steeleye span? Good call.

There are plenty of others but these number among my favourites.

NB: Also quite a lot of Led Zeppelin....

Icemopper

LewieP's Mummy wrote: »

Icemopper, you beat me, seconded the Unthanks, saw them at Glastonbury festival last year, they were great!

Wonderful stuff! Their voices are just so pure and their folk legends are great.

Tylanthus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VYC4eie2kU

I have no idea if this is folk music. But it's from my childhood somewhere and I it.

Vortigern

Lightfoot counts.

Nappuccino

Some might argue that this isn't folk but I don't really care, its great (folkish) music

http://www.myspace.com/mollyroses

MrMonroe

If these links don't work just let me know and I can click through and fix them so they're the original youtube links

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DXAtfDv5pW7o&h=9c0a9mKyzMS3lBbq74515V-0x5Q

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DPnsSaDHtbnw&h=9c0a975ueXcSqbaTKOTRpdA_j9g

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D6VAbrnjdtYw&h=9c0a99Ko_H7E3SoxhWGLbdn7N9A

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DGYhlXdxbAXc&h=9c0a9Q6i-495cjEsQm4NY7JbxTg

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DAyk_qQw0XZg&h=9c0a9GFBTrt_TS5WnCGzdzUoI2w

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D9CKreEvBu_k&h=9c0a9BFSuep-Rpgaunf4xrtL50g

RhalloTonny

Whoa, whoa- no Dylan?

You could go album by album, or you could just get (just about) everything you need on The Essential Bob Dylan. For songs that aren't on there, check out Desolation Row, With God on our Side, A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall, Boots of Spanish Leather, Tombstone Blues.

Also second the Guthrie. He was the big influence on Dylan, who then influenced just about everybody.

Also
more Lightfoot
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml0VI8VZO2U