The Folk Implosion

Last updated
The Folk Implosion
Lou Barlow 2005.jpg
Lou Barlow of Folk Implosion in 2005
Background information
Origin Boston, Massachusetts
Genres Indie rock, alternative rock, trip hop, indietronica [1]
Years active1993–2004, 2021–present
LabelsChocolate Monk, Communion Label, Interscope, Domino, Joyful Noise
Members Lou Barlow
John Davis
Past members Russ Pollard
Imaad Wasif

The Folk Implosion is an American band founded in the early 1990s by Lou Barlow and John Davis. [2] It was initially a side-project started by Barlow to explore different territory than that which was being canvassed with his primary band at the time, Sebadoh. [2] The name is a play on the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. The band was on hiatus from 2004 to 2020.

Contents

History

Following the release of Sebadoh's Bubble and Scrape in 1993, Barlow received a tape from Davis, songwriter and librarian, that kicked off their collaboration as a songwriting team and studio recording project. [3] The Folk Implosion released Walk Through This World with the Folk Implosion on cassette in 1993 on the Communion Label and as a 7-inch EP in 1994 on Drunken Fish. [4]

The band's status was relatively obscure before Larry Clark's film Kids , and its soundtrack, most of which contained original compositions by Barlow and Davis. Both Sebadoh and Folk Implosion contributed to the soundtrack, with the track "Daddy Never Understood" attributed to Deluxx Folk Implosion. Deluxx Folk Implosion included Barlow, Davis, and members of the band Deluxx, Bob Fay and Mark Peretta. [3] [5] The introduction of Fay and Peretta to the band allowed the Folk Implosion to realize its songs live.

"Natural One", one of the Folk Implosion songs from the Kids soundtrack, became a hit single. [2] It peaked at no. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100, no. 4 on the Billboard Modern Rock Charts and no. 20 on the Mainstream Rock Charts. [6] The track peaked at no. 45 in the UK Singles Chart. [7] The video for "Natural One" was included in MTV's Buzz Bin. [8]

In 1995, the band contributed the song "Indierockinstrumental" to Red Hot + Bothered , a benefit album for people with AIDS, produced by the Red Hot Organization. [9]

In 1996, the band covered the song "I'm Just a Bill" from Schoolhouse Rock! for the tribute album Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks as "Deluxx Folk Implosion".

Though the band attempted to duplicate the success of "Natural One", their subsequent releases were not as successful. [2] Dare to Be Surprised was released by Communion in 1997 and received 6/10 when reviewed in SPIN Magazine. [10] The group had started work on the album in 1995 before "Natural One" was released. [11] After the success of the Kids Soundtrack, Folk Implosion signed to Interscope Records and recorded the 1999 studio album One Part Lullaby. The lead single "Free to Go" peaked moderately in both the US and UK. While the album was well reviewed, Barlow and Davis chose not to tour for the album and the project in its original incarnation slowed to an end. [3] [12]

After Davis left the band in 2000, Barlow recruited Russ Pollard and Imaad Wasif from the band Alaska! to record The New Folk Implosion . In 2002, the band appeared as the backing musicians for the main character played by Alessandro Nivola in the film Laurel Canyon .

John Davis returned to teaching and began to release music again as a solo artist in 2013. [13] [14]

In 2021, the band begun recording new material, and played a small acoustic set live. [15] They also released an expanded edition of the Walk Through This World EP on Bandcamp on September 11, 2021. [16] The following year, the band released the "Feel It If You Feel It" single, followed by the It Just Goes With EP in March 2023, and it was their first new material in nearly 20 years. A few months later, Folk Implosion released Music for Kids. It consisted of the band's contributions to the Kids soundtrack in addition to other songs recorded during the same era. [17]

Discography

Albums

Singles and EPs

Compilations

Other appearances

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dinosaur Jr.</span> American rock band

Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984. Originally called Dinosaur, the band was forced to change their name because of legal issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domino Recording Company</span> British independent record label

Domino Recording Company, or simply Domino, is a British independent record label based in London. There is also a wing of the label based in Brooklyn, New York that handles releases in the United States, as well as a German division called Domino Deutschland and a French division called Domino France. In addition, Stephen Pastel presides over the subsidiary label Geographic Music, which releases more 'unusual' music from Britain and outside of the Western world. In 2011, the company announced that it was beginning a book publishing division, The Domino Press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebadoh</span> American indie rock band

Sebadoh is an American indie rock band formed in 1986 in Northampton, Massachusetts, by Eric Gaffney and Lou Barlow, with multi-instrumentalist Jason Loewenstein completing the line-up in 1989. Barlow co-created Sebadoh as an outlet for his songwriting when J. Mascis gradually took over creative control of Dinosaur Jr., in which Barlow plays bass guitar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lou Barlow</span> American musician

Louis Knox Barlow is an American alternative rock musician and songwriter. A founding member of the groups Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh and The Folk Implosion, Barlow is credited with helping to pioneer the lo-fi style of rock music in the late 1980s and early 1990s. His first band, which was formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, was Deep Wound.

Russell "Russ" Pollard is an American rock musician, who has been a member of Sebadoh, The Folk Implosion, Alaska!, Everest, and the Calf Fiends, a trio fronted by Louisville-born writer J.D. Daniels which also included stalwart Louisville musician Tony Bailey, who died in 2009 at age 31.

<i>Kids</i> (film) 1995 film by Larry Clark

Kids is a 1995 American drama film directed by Larry Clark in his directorial debut and written by Harmony Korine in his screenwriting debut. It stars Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce and Chloë Sevigny in their film debuts. Fitzpatrick, Pierce, Sevigny, and other newcomers including Rosario Dawson portray a group of teenagers in New York City. They are characterized as hedonists, who engage in sexual acts and substance abuse, over the course of a single day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deep Wound</span> American hardcore punk band

Deep Wound was an American hardcore punk band formed in 1982 in Westfield, Massachusetts. They released one self-titled 7-inch and contributed two songs to the compilation LP, Bands That Could Be God, both of which are sought after by fans and record collectors alike. The band influenced the Massachusetts hardcore scene and the development of grindcore.

<i>Harmacy</i> 1996 studio album by Sebadoh

Harmacy is the sixth album by American indie rock band Sebadoh. It was released by Sub Pop in 1996.

<i>Sebadoh III</i> 1991 studio album by Sebadoh

III is the third album by the American indie rock band Sebadoh. It was released by Homestead Records in 1991.

<i>Bakesale</i> 1994 studio album by Sebadoh

Bakesale is the fifth album by American indie rock band Sebadoh, released by Sub Pop in 1994. It was the first Sebadoh album released following the departure of founding member, Eric Gaffney, though he did drum on four of the album's tracks from a session engineered by Bob Weston. Tara Jane O'Neil contributed drums to three tracks. Bob Fay, who had previously filled in for Gaffney, officially joined the band for this record. The cover is a photograph of Lou Barlow, aged one-year-old, taken by his mother.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imaad Wasif</span> Indian musician (born 1977)

Imaad Wasif is a singer, guitarist and songwriter whose music combines elements of psychedelic folk and rock. Wasif's music has been described as "unbelievably intense with sparkling, raga-influenced guitar and a mystic bent."

<i>Dare to Be Surprised</i> 1997 studio album by The Folk Implosion

Dare to Be Surprised is the second studio album by the Folk Implosion. It was released on Communion in 1997.

<i>Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock</i> 1992 compilation album by Sebadoh

Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock is a compilation album by the American indie rock band Sebadoh. It was released in 1992, and marked the band's debut on Sub Pop.

<i>Weed Forestin</i> 1990 studio album (home-recorded album) by Sebadoh

Weed Forestin is an album by the American indie rock band Sebadoh. It was originally self-released by Barlow on cassette in 1987, under the Sentridoh name, the solo home-recording project of American rock musician and Sebadoh member Lou Barlow, and sold at record stores in his native Massachusetts in an approximate run of 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natural One</span> 1995 single by The Folk Implosion

"Natural One" is a song by the band The Folk Implosion.

<i>Take a Look Inside</i> (The Folk Implosion album) 1994 studio album by the Folk Implosion

Take a Look Inside is the debut studio album by the Folk Implosion. It was released on Communion in 1994. The album experienced an uptick in sales after the release of "Natural One", selling around 10,000 copies.

<i>The Folk Implosion</i> (EP) 1996 EP by the indie rock band The Folk Implosion

The Folk Implosion is a compilation EP by American indie rock band The Folk Implosion. It was released in 1996 on the Communion Label. The release consisted of songs from the band's 1994 EP Electric Idiot and 1995 single "Palm of My Hand".

<i>Songs from Loobiecore</i> 2002 studio album by Lou Barlow

Songs from Loobiecore is a solo album by Lou Barlow, released in 2002 as "Free Sentridoh" in the USA by himself and in the UK by Domino.

<i>Secret</i> (EP) 2012 EP by Sebadoh

Secret EP is an EP by the American indie rock band Sebadoh, released on July 23, 2012. The EP was not released on a label and was made available for digital download on the online music store Bandcamp. The EP was recorded from March to July 2012 at Indietopia in Glendale, California. Secret EP is Sebadoh's first new material in fourteen years since the band's previous album The Sebadoh (1999).

"Brand New Love" is a 1986 song written by Lou Barlow. It was first released independently by Barlow under the moniker Sentridoh but has since come to be associated with Sebadoh, the band Barlow formed with Eric Gaffney.

References

  1. ↑ "Ex-Implosion". 13 March 2003.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Colin Larkin, ed. (2000). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 159. ISBN   0-7535-0427-8.
  3. 1 2 3 Buckley, Peter (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. ISBN   978-1-84353-105-0.
  4. ↑ Moed, Andrea (June 1997). "Folk Implosion: Homespun, Widespread". CMJ New Music Monthly.
  5. ↑ "The Deluxx Folk Implosion Did More Than That One Track on the 'KIDS' Soundtrack". www.vice.com. 2 October 2016. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  6. ↑ "The Folk Implosion Songs • Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography • Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  7. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 207. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  8. ↑ "The Story of How Lou Barlow and 'KIDS' Soundtracked the Summer of 1995". www.vice.com. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  9. ↑ "Red Hot + Bothered: The Indie Rock Guide to Dating - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  10. ↑ Binelli, Mark (May 1997). "Dare to Be Surprised (Review)". SPIN Magazine.
  11. ↑ Rosen, Craig (March 22, 1997). "Folk Implosion Forgoes Major for Indie Label Communion". Billboard.
  12. ↑ Vineyard, Jennifer (October 1999). "Enjoy the Silence". CMJ New Music Monthly.
  13. ↑ "About JD". johnhdavis / inundation records. 2011-12-28. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  14. ↑ "John Davis". People's Alliance. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  15. ↑ "John Davis / Lou Barlow on Instagram: "We did a few songs at the Durham NC stop of Lou's solo tour…."".
  16. ↑ "Walk through this world w/ The folk Implosion, by the Folk Implosion".
  17. ↑ Berman, Stuart. "Folk Implosion Music for Kids". Pitchfork . Retrieved October 4, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.