Great Performances and Performers in Folk

I was going to write a deep Biblical discussion on whether Jesus was liberal or conservative (because of recent claims by Democrats that the GOP deludes itself with God but denies the true beliefs of Christ in their policies), however, I think this subject is not something to take lightly and post to a blog, so I will not.

Instead, I want to share a few of what I consider the great performances in folk music.

Bon Iver~ Skinny Love

I love this performance because of the intensity with which Bon Iver (real name: Justin Vernon) sings the chorus. One of the commenters on Youtube said it was like he was singing it for what he believed would be the last time. I find that to be an apt description.

Gregory Alan Isakov ~ The Stable Song

Gregory Alan Isakov is a humble, quietly disarming man who performs in an honest, and equally disarming way. When people cheer for the song, he laughs and says, "You guys are weird." Many singers perform with  far too much pride. Gregory and the audience interact in an uncommon way. It's almost as if he is performing to some friends that he doesn't know like his songs. And then when he gets to the song, his delivery is fantastic. Very passionate as well, but in a sort of understated way.

Iron and Wine ~ Sodom, South Georgia

I like this performance because Sam Beam departs from the recorded version and finger-picks this version instead of playing it in chords like on the record. Many performers feel rooted to the recording, that they have no freedom to play it how they feel it at that particular moment. However, this is not the case this time. Doing it this way gives it a slightly different feel, that I find very appealing.