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P
eople often ask how fRoots is different from other magazines, what makes us unique?
So as it’s that time of year when new readers are always stumbling across us at festi- vals – not literally, we hope, like badly sited tent pegs – I thought I’d have a go at explaining some of the back- ground and philosophy.
The key, I think, is in our
roots. We never set out to become a money-making enter- prise [that’s lucky… The Staff]. When we began as the quar- terly, regional Southern Rag in 1979, it was partly because other areas of the country had healthy magazines that seemed to act as a focus and catalyst for thriving local scenes – but the central south didn’t. Then two things hap- pened: the only national folk magazine went belly up, and what we now call world music began to be much more widely available, both on record and live. People decided for us that we were de facto the national folk magazine. They also generally liked – there were exceptions, of course! – that we wanted to share our enthusiasms for all these musics that were clearly related, even if played on different instruments and sung in a variety of languages. So the mag- azine gained a momentum of its own, going monthly and onto the news stands as Folk Roots in 1985 (we later abbre- viated to fRoots – pronounced eff-roots – in 1999).
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In that gestation lies one of our key strengths. We’ve always been activists and connected to the grass roots, part of the musical eco-system. We’ve always understood how different-but-connected musics have greater power when working together. We’ve always seen our main role as bringing new (even if sometimes very old) musics to wider attention rather than being a promotion wing of the famous. Indeed, having a well-known name like Billy Bragg on this issue’s cover is a rarity – but he deserves it! Our pre- vious two cover subjects don’t even have albums out yet, and two more from this year don’t have records released in the UK. Very often fRoots becomes a catalyst for wonderful new artists to get record deals or boosts live careers.
In these days of too much information from every direction except forward, it seems that our historic role as an open-eared filter and needle-in-haystack finder for our readers is, if anything, more important than ever. When you’re enjoying listening to our compilations like this issue’s fRoots 45, just think how many great discoveries you’re making who you’d never otherwise have encoun- tered. We’re not wilfully obscure, far from it, but fRoots constantly points its readers at great music that main- stream radio and print media, even other specialist maga- zines, simply haven’t heard about. Yet…
For we live in times when, in spite of major problems caused by the economy and the climate, some of the best music is being made. It’s an adventure keeping up with it which, it seems, our readers enjoy sharing. No two issues of fRoots are ever the same. It’s like an exhilarating twisty turny fairground ride. If you’re new, welcome aboard.
Ian Anderson
Photo: Judith Burrows
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