The Amazing Memory of The Library of Congress
The coolest cats in the indie folk scene pretend to know just about every artist out there but I would bet few know The Four Brothers. So for all the music Snoots I submit the largest library on the planet, The Library of Congress. The Library of Congress has 32 million books on its shelves, but it also has 2.7 million sound recordings, many of which are actually available for you to listen to.
One of those digitizing-so-you-can-view programs is the American Memory program whose aim is to “provide free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience.” It has been doing so since 1994 with a budget of 15 million dollars. There you’ll find plenty of original old-timey folk music to download, and although the recordings aren’t always steller, you’ll be surprised by the ability of some of these local players.
While you are there though don’t just listen to music, view some videos of New York at the turn of last century, photos of the womens sufferage movement, or a german anti-dance manuel which proclaims the waltz as, “a malicious preparation to enjoy the mad rush to a close embrace.”