Editor’s note: Arachnophonia is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student worker Eve (class of 2020) and features a book entitled Folk Music and the New Left in the Sixties. Thanks, Eve!

Folk Music and the New Left in the Sixties by Michael Scott Cain

I am super excited about Michael Scott Cain’s Folk Music and the New Left in the Sixties book available through the Music Library Collection! As an environmental activist, I am intrigued by the connection between music and activism and have drawn strength from songs like “The Times They Are A – Changin’” (Bob Dylan), “Resilient” (Rising Appalachia) and “Pa’lante” (Hurray for The Riff Raff). Most recently, at the Climate Strike in D.C., performers like Caroline Rose sang “Money”, and my Environmental Law professor’s daughter performed an original song about climate change!

As a result, I am excited to explore this book and Cain’s insight about the revival of folk music in the 1960’s that addressed a political shift and new cultural ideologies in America. The book focuses on musicians like Joan Baez, Peter Paul & Mary, and Bob Dylan and is divided into three parts; first, The Background, focused on the emergence of the New Left, second, The Politics, examining the politics of the New Left, and third, The Music, or the soundtrack of the New Left movement. When paging through the book, I was interested in the connection between suburbanization and the emergence of the New Left, and was drawn to the idea of a “prefigurative model” that turns the status quo upside down, where the “last shall be first”. Michael Scott Cain integrates an analysis of American history, culture, icons, music and experiences in an accessible and interesting read. Check it out!