Folk music is evolving, shattering conventions while reaching a larger audience than ever. With tired rock retreads saturating the market, people are turning to folk like never before, and the genre boasts an impressive grassroots network of rabid fans.
Key players in the folk resurgence are The Nields, who bring their quirky, sophisticated sound to the new Ark tomorrow. What makes them unique in the folk world is their rhythm section, and their tendency to plug in and rock out at shows.
"I think we sort of came out of the folk scene, because at one point we were acoustic," founding member Nerissa Nields explained in an interview with The Michigan Daily. The group, which was originally a trio of Nerissa, her sister Katryna and her husband Dave, formed a substantial cult following playing rooms in the burgeoning music scene of Northhampton, MA.
When they added a bass and drums, and diversified their sound to pop and rock domains, they shook things up a bit at usually subdued concerts. "Folk festivals have been great for us. They've really been the high point of our touring years, and we've tended to go over really well there," Nerissa said of shows where they were often the only act to go electric.
"I think there's definitely a folk thing going on. I think the bands that all of us loved when we were growing up were sort of the classic rock bands of the '60s, like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Janis Joplin," she said.
This sort of amalgam of influences plays to great effect on the band's latest record, "Gotta Get Over Greta" (Razor & Tie). The shimmering vocal harmonies created by Katryna and Nerissa are in finer form than ever, and complex rhythms and counterpoint slip seamlessly into deceptively simple pop gems like "Best Black Dress" and the title track.
Almost as stunning as the music is the packaging, an intricate tapestry of pastel-colored cartoon images modeled after the newsletter the band's hardcore fans circulate. "It's a really cool cover. We had almost nothing to do with it," but a New York artist the band admired handled the artwork, Nerissa said.
As for The Nields live, expect the excitement of a rock show mingled with the intimacy of folk. "I think that we're definitely theatrical, and definitely do a lot of chatting with the audience," Nerissa said about their unique performance style. Since the band didn't see too many shows growing up, their brand of live audience interaction is pretty self-styled.
With folk music fast emerging from underground status to the mainstream, it's hard to deny The Nields a place in the resurgence, however much they may want to play it down. "I'd be flattered to be considered part of the new wave [of folk artists]," Nerissa laughed.
But with raves in Spin and Musician, that sort of praise doesn't seem very far-fetched at all.
This is the Nields.