Freak folk or
Naturalismo is a genre of contemporary
folk music and
Indie folk associated with artists like
Devendra Banhart,
Joanna Newsom,
The Shivers and
Animal Collective.
The first reference to ''freak folk'' was by way of
The Shivers who after a song about the
asexual lifestyle, the audience started chanting "Folk Freak", in which the lead singer
Keith Zarriello proclaimed, "Yeah!! This is Freak Folk! Get with it". Yet, it wasn't until recently the genre was actually being claimed with pride by other bands.
[http://massculture.wordpress.com/2007/01/22/the-shivers-haunting-clever-freak-folk/]
It is related to but distinct from the historical genre
psych folk.
"If you were to ask me how I feel about the term freak-folk," said Banhart to the
New York Timeshttp://www.younggodrecords.com/pressdetail.asp?pt_id=71&articleid=967, "it's cool - you have to call it something - but we didn't name it. We've been thinking about what to call it, and we just call it the Family."
After further connotations were connected to the term "freak folk,"
Devendra Banhart had the following to say in 2006:
Banhart would eventually become fed-up with the term, saying in a 2007
Rolling Stone interview "the term is fucking lame! I just play rock 'n' roll."
Many people, including those who have been labeled freak folk, have criticized the label. Greg Vandy, of
KEXP, wrote on its blog, "The press have labeled it Freak Folk. Which pisses off all the artists described as such." Ed Droste, of Grizzly Bear, has said, "Freak-folk comes with an image attached: You have to have a beard and be Jesusy, if you know what I mean.... You have to have a really extreme voice, and be really divisive."
[''LA Weekly'' interview ]