Mikael Åkerfeldts folk influences?

[99tollap]

Ok, searched but couldn't find anything relating to this.

I've heard MA talk about his metal influences and his prog influences, but never about his folk music influences. I personally love the folk aspects of Opeth, probably because my father is a huge folk fan and brought me up listening to it.

Opeth has such a large amount of folk in it I'm sure MA must be a fan. I'm sure I can hear some Fairport Convention/Richard Thompson influences at times, and some other classic folk like Fotheringay etc.

Just interested to know...

 

[rayden_ad]

Jan Johansson - Jazz på Svenska

 

[isolation_years]

i just recently got into some folk too, so i'd be really interested if anyone knows of any more influances

 

[Crepuscularia]

One band that Mike has mentioned a couple of times is These Trails, a folk band from Hawaii that released one self titled album back in the early seventies. It's great stuff, and it definitely has a few (somewhat) strange chord progressions here and there, as well as some psychedelic overtones. I could definitely see them being an influence, but only Mike knows for sure I guess....

 

[Mr Samsara]

Jan Johansson - Jazz på Svenska

Love that record. I listen to it at least once a week... although I didn't think of it as "folk" music but I guess that depends on your definition of "folk".

 

[99tollap]

i just recently got into some folk too, so i'd be really interested if anyone knows of any more influances

I you haven't checked them out yet then listen to Fairport Convention (only there older stuff though).

Try the track 'Fotheringay' and you'll hear a lot of Opeth-esque stuff.

Mikael, if you read this please cover Fotheringay or a classic Fairport song like Crazy Man Michael (lol). It would make me immensly happy!

 

[in_my_time_of_disease]

Yeah it's fantastic, but it's not folk it's classified as Jazz. lol the title kind of gives that away given it's "Jazz in Swedish".

 

[ufomagnet]

Love that record. I listen to it at least once a week... although I didn't think of it as "folk" music but I guess that depends on your definition of "folk".

Well, they are all jazzed up versions of old Swedish traditional folk songs, so while the arrangements might not be, the actual music is definitely hardcore folk I don't think there's ever been any album that quite captures the Swedish melancholy as this album. Too bad his sons never quite followed in his footsteps. I mean, "Jazz på svenska" vs power metal? Ught.

 

[ever dying]

Comus is folk right?

 

[Darkfloyd400]

According to wiki, acid folk and prog rock. I can hear a little folk influences in the songs, but the lyric content is usually too dark to be too "folky" ya know?

 

[duncang]

I think he said that he doesn't really listen to much folk music at all, more folk rock bands.

 

[mexicola]

Jethro Tull?

 

[Pantagruel]

hes probably heard Gryphon before too

 

[dwoakee]

Jethro Tull?

Not Folk. Tull is prog-rock, with Folk influences. They had a Folk Rock phase with the albums Songs from the Wood and Heavy Horses.

Also, I don't see much Tull influence in Opeth. Only on Watershed, there's two or three parts that sound a bit like Tull.

 

[isolation_years]

i just got Jazz på Svenska. its pretty great, i don't really hear the folk, like the title suggests it seems like jazz to me, fantastic album though, maybe i just think of folk like old music with strange instruments haha, like the parts in finntroll songs(perhaps its an ignorant comment but im no conneseur(spelling) of folk)

 

[Mr Samsara]

i just got Jazz på Svenska. its pretty great, i don't really hear the folk, like the title suggests it seems like jazz to me, fantastic album though, maybe i just think of folk like old music with strange instruments haha, like the parts in finntroll songs(perhaps its an ignorant comment but im no conneseur(spelling) of folk)

Well, they are all jazzed up versions of old Swedish traditional folk songs, so while the arrangements might not be, the actual music is definitely hardcore folk I don't think there's ever been any album that quite captures the Swedish melancholy as this album. Too bad his sons never quite followed in his footsteps. I mean, "Jazz på svenska" vs power metal? Ught.

So there you go.

 

[isolation_years]

hunh, i should have read that more carefully

 

[gumtree]

I approve of this thread! Looking up Jan Johansson and Fairport Convention now.
You wouldn't consider Vangelis or Camel folk now would you. Probably more prog than anything, right?

 

[fsgdjv]

Jazz på Svenska is amazing, just like everything else Jan Johansson did. I need to listen to that album or Kveldssanger (or just about any other good album, but those are the best for it) if I want to be able to fall asleep properly.

And while I don't listen to Vangelis, I definetly consider Camel as prog and not folk.

 

[LouMinotti]

I believe Nick Drake is prominent in his influences.