Folkpunk

Does the media in your life ever start to meld into weird little personal sub-genres? Mine does. I'm not even sure what I want to call this one, but maybe if you read this entry and look into/already know some of these stories, you'll see what I mean.

I encountered most of the following books, musical artists, and other things before, but watching the first few seasons of the CW's Supernatural is what really kicked me off thinking about this new (entirely made up) sub-genre of mine. The show is soooo atmospheric and pretty much everything that makes me think of these as linked can be found on Supernatural. Small, run-down towns, the (lonely) open road, deserted buildings, half-forgotten folklore, demons (personal or otherwise), vintage.... stuff, the blues, America, and, it almost goes without saying, the supernatural. There are other things I could tack on- urban fantasy, folklore/-music, sometimes rustic (or even rust-belt) settings with a strong and authentic sense of place... Does anyone already have a name for this? Dark Americana? Folkpunk? Oo I kind of like that..... dibs on the name if it ever becomes a Thing, like Steampunk!

Anyway, here are the media odds and ends that have been floating around in my head:

Supernatural

 Two brothers travel the country, hunting the demon that killed their mother. Along the way they encounter ghosts, spirits, helhounds and other things which bump in they night. They bump back, trading barbs and pop-culture references along the way. Lots of fantastic standalone episodes, excellent atmosphere, and plenty of genuinely scary scenes. This series is so good, it made me like Kansas. o.o


Neko Case