It’s no secret that the folk music scene has been largely on the decline since the 1960s. To my surprise though, I’ve seen a shift towards (at least the aesthetics of) folk music in the Los Angeles music scene. At the Hotel Cafe, which regularly hosts well known mainstream artists and celebrities, a new weekly Wednesday night showcase called “Open Folk LA” has begun. Steven Wagner, a mainstay at the Kulak’s Woodshed in North Hollywood, has begun a regular Saturday series called “The Yard,” largely featuring folk-centric music.

That’s not to say that folk music is simply back because there are new venues focused on it. After all, the aesthetic of something is different than the substance of it. As talented as Donovan was as he learned from Bob Dylan, there was something he could never catch from Dylan, something strong yet elusive as the wind. We’ve got lots of great folk artists now popping up, with beautiful voices and beautiful travis picking technique, but real substantive folk songs are still a dime-a-dozen. But as venues develop, the LA musical community will have more opportunities to run into these hidden gems. And for now, I do firmly believe the folk scene in LA is off the respirators.

Anyhow, Mike Berman and myself are joining the fray, as we introduce the Wild Peacock Preservation Society, based at Diana March’s Jeweled Universe in South Pasadena. Once a month, we will host a curated showcase of new acoustic artists, with an eye towards folk elements. My band and I will also be playing plenty “Doubletime Folk n’ Roll” tunes as a house band.

As happy as I am about the folk music scene breathing again, I know it doesn’t breathe on its own – folks have to go out and give it a bit of support to keep it alive.