Conventions of my music genre

The two genres of music I am basing my magazine around are Indie and Folk. Here are the explanations for these genres from Wikipedia (in italics) with some adaptations and comments from me (in normal font):

Indie music is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing, but Indie music nowadays doesn't follow this explanation. Quirky, soft rock inspired music is now referred to as 'Indie', which isn't necessarily Independant music, but follows the typical conventions of Indie music in it's new sense.

Folk music is a term for 'musical folklore'. The term, which originated in the 19th century, has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by word of mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers. It has been contrasted with commercial and classical styles. Since the middle of the 20th century, the term has also been used to describe a kind of popular music that is based on traditional music. Fusion genres include folk rock, electric folk, folk metal, and progressive folk music. Folk music is becoming a well known and popular genre this year, thanks to folk inspired bands like Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling, and Bombay Bicylcye Club.

Typical Instruments

Indie/Folk bands use a number of typical instruments in most bands, these instruments include:

• acoustic guitars
• microphone
• keyboard
• drums/drum machine 

Some other bands use other instruments to create a unique sound, like

• harp
• harmonica
• synthesizer
• tambourine
• banjo
ukelele
double bass

The image below is a photograph of Florence And The Machine's set before the band come onstage. I'm featuring this image as it shows the use of intricate and unique instruments, as you can see there is a harp on the far left hand side of the stage. Florence And The Machine use the harp to create an individual and memorable sound, you know a certain song is being performed by this band within the first few bars, this is important for a band to make them recognisable to the public.

The image below is a photograph of Mumford & Sons. This band is well known for their intricate riffs and individual sound. I'm including this image to show the use of instruments such as a banjo, double bass, and ukelele. The use of these instruments are what make the unique sound that Mumford & Sons are famous for. They are now popular Folk icons and include a number of typical conventions from this genre.



Colours and Costumes

There are a number of typical colours used in this genre of music. Most colours are usually quite neutral like brown, green, beige, black, and white. These colours are all quite natural colours which convey an image of the artist being Folk or Indie, as bands of this genre are known for being quirky and unique. People also associate Folk music with the Irish, as it was a very popular music form in Ireland. Also, the image of Folk bands mainly consist of looking like 'farmers' some people would say, they don't wear costume, but their outfits usually consist of waistcoats, flatcaps, straw hats and white shirts. Female folk artists also continue this look of wearing quite neutral colours and plain outfits, like Laura Marling, she's usually seen wearing a oversized shirt and skinny jeans/pants normally rolled up at the ankles. Also, female folk artists aren't known for wearing a lot of makeup or taking on a 'daring' look, they give off the impression that they are natural, showing an image of purity, probably trying to show that they're music gives a natural feel, as though they don't try hard at all to create such magical music. These outfits give off the impression that the band is quite normal, they do not need to put on a costume and look ridiculous for people to like them, they want to be known for their musical talent, not for wearing something show-stoppingly stupid. These bands have raw talent that should be recognised and appreciated instead of being covered up by a costume, or some alter ego 'persona' they use to perform as, and I think that's what Indie/Folk bands try and portray in their outfits, either that or I'm reading far too much into it! 
I will use this information in my photo shoot, as I will try to continue this look on the models used in my pictures. I want them to look like a typical Indie Folk band and to achieve this they need to follow the typical colours, outfits and props used in other bands.