The long-running Antifolk Festival launched yesterday at Sidewalk Cafe. If last night’s performances were any indicator, things are probably going to get preeetty trippy over the next 9 days. Just check out the above video of Yossarian Feedback’s mash-up of Christmas jingles and sex sounds. There’s about 90 more acts where that came from!
The Antifolk Festival started in the mid ’80s as a response to the more mainstream New York Folk Festival. Antifolk combined the high energy of punk with the sounds of traditional acoustic folk music.
Last night at the Deep End Club’s opening, Adam Green remembered his days as one of the scene’s fixtures. “I haven’t played the Antifolk festival for probably ten years,” he said, “but I think the Sidewalk Cafe was really great for me before because if I wanted to play a new song, the open mic there was really important, cause it was the only place I could really get people to listen to it.”
“I think it’s a special place,” he continued, “because song-writing is a currency, so you can’t really get too far in that thing if you’re not writing interesting songs. There’s always something really good coming out of it.”