Courtesy photo - Justin Trapp
On Saturday night, Houston’s Folk Family Revival will be releasing their new album Unfolding. I recently caught up with FFR lead singer Mason Lankford via e-mail to discuss the band’s connection to Christian hip hop, how their sound has evolved, and why they weave Biblical themes into their lyrics.
Sketch: Where did the Folk Family Revival name come from?
Mason Lankford: When my brothers and I first started playing music together I was around 10 years old. And like most young musicians, we tried our hand in plenty of different styles.
When I turned 13 or 14, I started writing these kind of folky songs, and by the time I was 15 I started performing as a sort of side project.
When someone asked me what I was writing, I told them it was kind of a "folk family revival" sound or something like that. I didn't even think of using it for a band name until my brothers later decided to jump on the folk wagon. It fits very well even still.
Bushwick Bill with FFR drummer Lincoln Lankford at the 2008 All Eyes On Me Achievement Awards in Houston - Photo by Sketch the Journalist
So tell me, how do you go from recording screamo backgrounds on (former Geto Boy) Bushwick Bill’s gospel rap album to the Texas country / Americana vibe of Unfolding?
Mason Lankford: One of our former groups was a band that involved a lot of large amps and loud yelling. We were branded as a Christian heavy-rock band.
At the time, Bushwick Bill had just gone through a life-changing experience that resulted in his salvation, and he started writing Christian rap. He wanted to do a "rapcore" number, so he called me to do a screaming track. That was pretty cool. I wrote a rap too but they scratched it, which, in retrospect, was a good call.
So, on to how we switched. At this point, we had changed styles to southern rock and found Red Tree Recording Studio in Magnolia where we went in to record a single. I played some of my folk stuff for Jeffery Armstreet (our producer), and he had me come back up the next day and play him everything I had. He urged us to start playing that style. I was very happy I had someone saying that, and my brothers felt is was the better choice, so we did it… and the Folk Family was born.
Sketch: I know you’re a big fan of Bob Dylan – an enormously respected artist who had a well-publicized “Jesus Muzik” phase of his career. What about his poetry inspires or speaks to you?
Mason Lankford: That’s just it. He is a poet, and even as one of the world’s most well-rounded songwriters, he is still a poet. He is known as a poet. That’s not what I'm going for, but that’s one of the things I respect about him. His reputation is who he is, as well as how many different styles he covers. I believe "Subterranean Homesick Blues" was one of the first written rap songs.
Courtesy photo - Jonathan Barrick
Mason Lankford: I’m just not branded as a Christian. Mostly because I don't like the word itself. I like to sing what I believe.
Sketch: You guys are still building the “sweat equity” part of your career - hustling to get in front of as many different audiences as possible all while doing the grunt work of road travel and equipment setup and such. What’s the appeal of this as a full-time gig?
Mason Lankford: I’m sure at some point we will need some extra people to help with our stuff so we can make it to the next gig on time, but for now, it’s all good. We like to do the work, and I really have no intentions of having someone carry my stuff for me. Honestly, it was a hobby that turned into a career.
Folk Family Revival plays its CD release show this Saturday night, 7.9.11 at Dosey Doe Coffeeshop & Restaurant in The Woodlands. The band also performed Friday, 7.8.11 on FOX 26‘s morning program. The album will be available on 7.12.11.
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