Folklore

Music:

Member Since: 12/5/2005
Band Website: fairmountfair.com/folklore
Band Members: Jimmy Hughes, Jon Croxton, Aaron Jollay, Ian Rickert, Raoul De La Cruz, Che-Na Stephens, David Specht

with:
Derek Almstead, Philip Brown, Nick Canada, Pete Erchick, John Fernandes, Bren Mead, Andrew Rieger, Amy Dykes, Scott Spillane, Heather McIntosh, Margaret Child, Adam Spiegler, Linnea Weiss, Chris Bracco, Will Quinnell, Cousin Steve
Influences: Velvet Underground, The Mama's and The Papa's, Pavement, The Byrds, Bob Dylan, New Order, Neil Young, Buddy Holly, Masters Of The Hemisphere, Os Mutantes, Leonard Cohen, John Cale, David Bowie, Talking Heads, Simon & Garfunkle, The Who, The Stone Roses, Flaming Lips, Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth, Electric Light Orchestra, The Kinks, Minutemen, Dinosaur Jr, etc.
Sounds Like:
Lake Bonaparte

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Folklore Live:

"Lake Bonapart" Live at the 40 Watt 7/14/06

there is a NEW review of
both Folklore albums posted at:

Review from PopMatters (2008)

“The Ghost of H.W. Beaverman is a tale told from several perspectives broadly in the tradition of Kurusawa’s Rashomon, Sudden Sway’s To You With Regard and Iain Pears’ An Instance of the Fingerpost. This device conveys mystery and posits the notion that we all make our own reality within the grand illusion of life… The Ghost of H.W. Beaverman reminds me of perhaps the greatest concept album you have never heard: The Alchemist by 1970s British group Home. Their record had beautifully illustrated panels in a gatefold sleeve to reveal much of the narrative detail, leaving the music free to wander up gloriously muddy paths… There are some great tunes here, pitched somewhere between Appliance, Sun Kil Moon, and a stark, yet hummable, North European folk tradition… The Ghost of H.W. Beaverman is a totally satisfying blend of imagination, truth, myth, personal history, bullshit, nostalgia, experiment and philosophy. Regardless of whether Beaverman is a malevolent presence with inhuman powers, a convenient enigma, a misunderstood accident, or something else entirely, this is a delightful record.”
-D.M. Edwards

Review from Viva Indie (2008)

“(The album) focuses on the stories of how one man, HW Beaverman, basically upset the lives of almost everyone he came in contact with in a small town in upstate New York . Hughes spent years collecting these stories for a novel that never came to pass. Luckily for us, he used his considerable song writing skills to capture the stories in verse and share them with the world. Guest vocalists abound on this record all singing as various characters from the town telling their individual stories....The songs are poignant and provocative, heartbreaking and haunting. Truly a great effort by Hughes and absolutely everyone involved. “

Review from Americana UK (2008)

“Not the simplest thing to achieve in the context of indie-pop and if you factor in nine different vocalists it is amazing that it sounds as coherent as it does… The band and guests are all from Athens, Georgia area and all mesh their own sound into the vision of Hughes; he takes lead vocal on ‘The Pharmacist’ a warm organ and brass decorated song full of simmering pop… A strange medievalist ‘The Ghost’ voiced by Heather McIntosh (The Instruments) evaporates out of the speakers like dust from a box in the attic, a remnant of a former age. The overlapping vocals of ‘H.W. Beaverman’ sound like voices leaking into the same space from different dimensions to create some kind of ghostly static, which is I suppose the point of all of this. Those of you excited by the Neutral Milk Hotel re-issues will find something to like here.”

Review from Whisperin & Hollerin (2008)

“The story is told through nine songs (and two instrumental tracks) narrating what Hughes calls a backwards rumor tree. So,at the outset, Beaverman is a menacing spectre while by the end he is a relatively benign figure in a diner and not a ghost at all…. The perspective on this urban myth varies to the extent that he is perceived as a dangerous psychopath or harmless prankster…. The tracks showcase standard indie instrumentation which is augmented by brass and string accompaniment. This gives an overall feel of a half hour Baroque psych-pop opera very much in keeping with the offbeat lo-fi style of Elephant 6 collective from which many of the contributors are drawn…. Hughes' concept is nevertheless an intriguing and original one. The album features accomplished ensemble playing and I wouldn't rule out the possibility of the songs working effectively with a strong visual presentation, say in a multi-media stage show or as a soundtrack to an animated film.”

Review from Southeast Performer (2008)

"Concept albums are a tricky thing; they work either because the music is fantastic or the story the record tells is engaging, but rarely do both things work out simultaneously. The first full-length CD from Athens band Folklore is one of these rarities. The Ghost of H.W. Beaverman tells the story of this much rumored and elusive man through the characters on the CD that recount their experiences of Beaverman, from sighting his specter to seeing the man himself in the flesh. Each character on the CD has his/her own song and each track is voiced by a different vocalist. Anyone familiar with the roster of Athens musicians will be delighted to see guest appearances from the likes of Amy Dykes (I Am the World Trade Center), Scott Spillane (Neutral Milk Hotel), Heather McIntosh (Circulatory System), Andrew Rieger (Elf Power) and many more veterans of the Athens music scene. The CD shifts between lo-fi acoustic tracks and highly stylized studio tracks resulting in 11 tracks of melodically charming and sometimes humorous pysch-pop songs. The airy sounding CD adds layer upon layer of harmony by utilizing an array of instruments from melodica, bells, harmonica and euphonium, to a variety of horns and strings. Another nice gem about the CD is the fact that each song can stand alone as its own entity outside of the storyline, and when taken out of context, the songs take on an even deeper meaning."
-Charley Lee

Review from Optical Atlas (2008)

"Essentially the first two Folklore albums are flip sides of the whole, telling the same story, although stylistically they’re drastically different. Together, they present a band that’s quickly emerging as one of the top bands to emerge from Athens in recent years... Miraculously, (The Ghost Of H.W. Beaverman) doesn’t sound like a compilation album, although each singer manages to flavor his or her track with a unique style; neither does it feel weighed down with concept album aspirations. The Ghost of H.W. Beaverman is united by Hughes’ surprising strength as both a songwriter and as a storyteller.... The follow-up, Carpenter’s Falls... acts like the dark underbelly of the first album. It is a much, much darker album in fact, moodier, overtly psychedelic. Then it’s back to the Beaverman story, with more interpretations of the legend, more revelations to be undermined elsewhere... The world of Folklore is like Kurosawa’s Rashomon... it’s not padding or an afterthought, but a worthy second record."
-Jeff Kuykendall

Review from Creative Loafing (2008)

"a fine collection of jaunty, mood-infused, psychedelia-tinged pop music."

Review from The Onion: AV Club (2008)

"On last year's The Ghost Of H.W. Beaverman and the new 'companion' LP, Carpenter's Falls, he tells his tales through multiple perspectives and with an otherworldly catchiness. Innocent and melodic as they sound, Hughes' vocals seem to circle up from woozy recollections, as does and instrumental blend that takes in everything from guitar to slide whistle to clarinet to trumpet. For such an esoteric concept, it's got a child-like sense of play."

Review from Pitchfork (2007)

“Folklore, a new project from Elf Power guitarist Jimmy Hughes with quite an intriguing premise. On its concept LP The Ghost of H.W. Beaverman-- which features guest appearances from pretty much half the population of Athens, Georgia-- the combo "takes ghost stories based in the mountains of upstate New York and dissects them into the myths and rumors from which they are based”… Sample tune "H.W. Beaverman" ain't too shabby, packing enough melody into its layers and vocal cataracts to make it worth a download.”
- Matthew Solarski

Best of 2007 List on www.mp3hugger.com (2007)

“With so many of the big hitters failing to produce the quality albums we expect of them it quickly became apparent that 2007 could be showing the first signs that the shuffle generation are getting their just rewards. The evidence is mounting that the album may indeed be in its death throes… For what it's worth my favourite album of 2007 was Folklore's deeply imaginative The Ghost Of H.W. Beaverman which proved to be a stunning tale that weaved and bobbed like Cassius Clay in his prime.”

Live Review from Madison Wisconsin’s The Isthmus (2007)

“Folklore… provided the best set of a tepid night. By breaking out the clarinet, trombone, trumpet, keys and your standard bass-guitar-drums, these guys were both tuneful and humorous. At their giddiest, they echoed the happiness of Cornershop and The Tragically Hip, and at their quirkiest, the mishmash of The Coral and The Waking Eyes. Theatrically spoken, ode-like lyrics paired well with the sideshow antics from guys who looked like your local bait and tackle shop workers. During one song, two members played the instruments the other was wearing, employing a silly, musical buddy system. These small touches added humor and appeal.”
- Emily Denaro

Review from Cable & Tweed (2007)

“Although relatively lo-fi in production, The Ghost of H.W. Beaverman is an interesting and ambitious record. It is a concept album, crafting songs around a mythology centered on events and personalities from upstate New York… It's not purely driven by the premise like Tommy, for example, but incorporates various story elements into the songs. This effort is broadly rooted in a sort of psych-folk aesthetic, with songs ranging from accessible folk ("The Vet" and "The Pharmacist") to jangle-pop ("The Father") and psychedelia ("The Drowning of Lake Bonaparte"). A number of tracks incorporate brass, woodwinds and strings as well.”

Review from Captain Is Dead (2007)

“The Ghost Of H.W. Beaverman is great piece of psychedelic pop that reminds me of uncle Bob Pollard on his best days… its a concept record, but doesn’t feel like one at all as each track could stand alone and you wouldn’t feel like you were missing some piece of the puzzle.”

Record Label: bumbleBEAR records
Type of Label: Indie