Sale Folk Club

Newsletter No 62 - 29 December 2009

The post Christmas celebrations went well tonight although, as expected, the attendance was down from the usual level but there were some great performances, not least from Richard from the Prospect who came along with Frank. They performed together and had us all in rapt appreciation starting with a set of reels: The Banks Hornpipe; Coolie Reel/Father Kelly's Reel; and the Ashokan Farewell. Frank came out alone with Catch the Wind, Walking on Sunday by A J Clarke and The Crow on the Cradle by Sydney Carter. Well stewarded by Pepper Street with Winter Song by Lindisfarne, Across the Borderline and Black Muddy River they got the best out of a great audience with Banjo John & Connie Brown Keeping on The Sunny Side looking for Sweet Georgia Brown way Down by the Riverside. Merdy sang Sweet Songs of Yesterday by Bob Zentz before he reflected on losing several people close to him with Life of a Man, a poem set to music by Ian McAlmond and followed it with Freedom Road by Chris de Burgh. Stan & Kath went 900 Miles before being Waterbound and meeting the Banjo Picking Girl.

To everyone's delight Isobel then surprised us with I Live Not Where I Love, which she sang unaccompanied and very well too. She then went back to basics with Crossing the Minch, Jump At The Sun and Away In a Manger all done on the recorder. She played so well and quite Buggerlessly so she was asked to do an extra one, as we did with Richard. Carl came up with The Boys of Bellyrow by Jez Lowe, A Taste of Honey which is best known by the Beatles but was written by Bob Scott and The Galloways also by Jez Lowe. Derrick provided some light relief with Christmas Cake, a recipe for how to make it when inebriated, Church Notices, Thomas Cook Complaints and Message to Bankers from Beyond the Grave. Bob was his normal rumbustious self with The Black Velvet Band, St James' Infirmary and The Devil & The Farmer's Wife before Poet Dave recited Dead Dog Cider.

Last but not least Rob led us all in Come Write Ye Down, Martin Says To His Man and I wish I was Back in Liverpool, with the centipedes, before providing the grand climax of the evening withThousands or More. He also told us tales of his unfortunate encounters with animals having been bitten by a yappy dog today while having lunch at the Swan with 2 Nicks and having to go for a tetanus jab. It turns out in the past he had been bitten by a monkey in a pet shop in Sale and a rat!! Between ourselves we are not sure whether we should take this with a great big pinch of salt!!

So it is farewell the "Noughties" have a wonderful New Year and hello the "Teenies"!! See you next week in 2010.

Newsletter No 61 - 22 December 2009

Intimacy came to the club this week and all we needed was the dimming of the lighting because we certainly had the quality of music and entertainment. Several people commented on the enhancement of the craic and how some others really stepped up to the plate.
Carl started well by summoning the Soda Man, Rob's Process Man had a muckier job that you used to find in Albert's Dirty Old Town. Dave lightened things with his Tale Of The Christmas Tree but Don & Heather gave it a severe prod with The Roseville Fair where everybody danced all night. After the third revision Eric gave us his updated Metaphor Street which seemed like the finished article to us. Ed's Spaceman Came Travelling, another metaphor, but Derrick's Christmas Miscellany took us back to reality of bygone days and Colin's Winter Is Nigh with Albert's Harpoon providing a sweet interlude. In true alternating fashion Bob went back to the tradition with Among The Leaves So Green-o and Richard followed suit with Hear The Nightingale Sing before Isobel was in excellent form with Ali Bains Waltz. Then we had the biggest of surprises when our sponsor Jim Clark got up to lead us all in singing The Fields Of Athenry and at a stroke establish himself as a folk singer with instructions to extend his repertoire toot sweet.

A great raffle with the wine, Rosey Nosey, chocolates, free petrol vouchers all going the way of all flesh but Sue won Rob's lost marbles, not too deep an in joke.

Second time round Carl asked Mam, When's My Dad Coming Home? Rob rued them knocking down the Old Pubs before ex-seaman Albert said that's nowt with his own Winter In The North Atlantic, a tribute to young Tommy McCartney who died out there. Then it was back to Christmas with Dave's Innkeeper On Christmas Eve and Don & Heather's Black Clothes, a tribute to the little black dress that always comes out for parties. Eric went for Burberry And Prada before Ed went west for advice from The Gambler. Derrick then surprised by saying I'm Older Than Most People and Colin amazed us with his new song Libran Woman, definitely a hit. Bob took us back to the Windy Old Weather and Richard to Fakenham Fair. Gabriel's Message and Away In A Manger came from Isobel still in excellent form as was Jim with Farewell To Tarwaphi, an old Shirley Collins favourite.

Round three had Carl Looking For The Sun and Rob with No Balls At All before Albert latest composition Hero Of A Long Forgotten War sobered us all. Dave was Giving The Cat A Pill, Don & Heather had that Peaceful Easy Feeling as Eric went all Spanish with Fotografia. Ed wanted us to Treat My Daughter Decent but Not When I Were A Lad said Derrick. Colin was festive again with Christmas In Prison, if that can be festive before Bob had us all Putting On The Style and Richard sang the rousing and tongue twisting Good Luck With The Barley Mow. Finally Don & Heather said that at the end of the year All The Good Times are past and gone so here's to a New Year of many more good times.

Newsletter No 60 - 15 December 2009

With hardly a free seat our 2nd Christmas Party was a great success with visits from old friends like Julie & John, Bernice and Lorraine. Don & Heather set the tone exhorting the throng to Let Your Banjo Ring and it did just that with Pepper Street's Rebel Jesus and Merdy's Fathom The Bowl. Ruth, Kath & Stan were all for Flying Away and Richard Sails told the real version of The Twelve Days Of Christmas. The tradition was returned to with Lish Young Buy A Broom from Mike a resident at the Fleetwood Folk Club and Claire's We Stay Together At Heart before Derrick Bah Humbugged again with Christmas Countdown, yet another version of the 12 days of Christmas. Robin also took up the theme with A Spaceman Came Travelling but poet Mark, who was a child under the "Bombing Corridor" to London, returned us to sanity with 1944 about his experiences. John & Connie coninued this roller coaster night with Winter Wonderland then Rob told us the daft story of Cubarb only for Lorraine to lead us all in Silent Night before Mark & Jan came in dressed as Teletubby-like Father Christmas and The Sugar Plum Fairy singing Rubber Ball. Then it was to a bit of class when Ged sang Flip, Flop and Fly followed by Colin's I Will Watch You When You Go. Unimpressed, Ed then related The Disaster At Christmas where everyone dies but fortunately Sue brought the house down with a Clog Dance to The Sailor's Hornpipe and Carl took us to refreshments and mulled wine with The Father's Song by Ewen McColl.

A mega raffle, a mega buffet and mulled wine set us up for the second run started by Richard Gray's Lincolnshire Rover which he wrote when he left there to come to Manchester. Ann's parody of The Lovely Joan returned the levity but Frank said Black Is The Colour before Pauline told us Fortune Turns The Wheel and Isobel played a couple of Christmas Hornpipes. Back to tradition with Bob's Greenland Whalers before Pepper Street exhorted Tell Me The Truth making a Good Noise. John & Connie must have spotted someone when they called out Hey Good Looking and Ruth, Kath & Stan wanted them to Follow Me Home. Mike's Mama was going to walk and talk with Leadbelly in New York before it was back to the classic Rag Fair with Richard Sails and Mark's own See Ireland From The Fork. Ged was himself inspired in his own Leadbelly I Got Stripes before Christmas engulfed us again with Derrick's All He Wants and Jan & Mark's Little Town Of Altrincham. Sue again gave us a good clogging, this time in waltz time with Isobel. Ed wanted to Flog 'em, Flay 'em and Hang 'em before Claire rejoiced in Her Bright Smile and Colin celebrated Mr Bojangles. Carl was Stuck In The Middle, Frank was at The Hiring Fair and Richard told us what Sylvia's Mother Said before Ann's Three Ships sailed. Finally Robin sang the Scottish Auld Lang Syne before Don & Heather sent us Rolling Home.

Newsletter No 59 - 8 December 2009

It was a slow start but soon warmed up as people continued through the door to hear Mick & John, Pepper Street, doing a great job on Lorelei by the Pogues. Later Pepper Street kicked the second half into life with After The Deluge by Jackson Browne. Some sweet banjo playing came from Ruth, Kath & Stan who also threw in a nice arrangement of Hedger and Ditcher and not to be out done Banjo John & Connie tapped our feet to the Darktown Strutters Ball and then serenaded us with In The Sweet Bye And Bye. Robin did a great job on The Braes Of Killikranky with Belfast Mill also going down well with Don & Heather. Recovering from her cold, Zoe Mulford sang of Hot Buttered Rum, maybe that's the cure, before The Coffee Song showed her true colours.

The spoken word made an entry when David gave us his observations on Golf and The Lighthearted Maiden and poet David exhausted his credibility with the fairer sex with The Ladies Football Match and The Menopause Blues. Hopefully that has been covered once and forever!! Derrick was at his irrepressible best by asking why we can have for my Scotland, Ireland etc but not For My England anymore followed by other Questions like, "Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?"

"A capella" again turned and Richard's choice was Pleasant And Delightful as he told us of his wife's escapades with The Musicianer with Pianos To Mend. Claire sang of Sally Free And Easy and then urged us to Hush Hush. Ann on the one hand had My Faithful Johnny and on the other was explaining how the young girl who married an old man told her young beau that the coast wasn't clear with Go From My Window. Rob surprised us with the new Cheerly Man and then led us all to South Australia which we all sang lustily. Finally, Cockney Eric took us to The Port Of Amsterdam before beseeching Gaia to forgive us for destroying the Earth. The progressive nature of entropy is inevitable it is just a case of how fast!

Carl gave us a weather warning with The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald before giving us the bird's eye view of city life of The Paper Lads. Dom Collins was more down to earth with Viagra and Granddads Don't Do Nappies but Bob had us travelling to Sammy's Bar before telling us about The Organist. Jonathan, returning for a second week, took on Merle Travis' Cannonball Rag and won impressively before singing the soulful Creole Belle. Fortunate for us not only did Frank come to sing The Wind and Wild World, beauty and the beast, he also brought Adele who sang the lovely A Stor Mo Chroi before warning Don't Get Marred Girls. Not surprising after some of tonight's material.

Toward the end, Ged was in fine form leading us to Take This Hammer and Joshua Gone Barbados before Colin Rudd had Conversations with Joni Mitchell, I don't blame him, but in the end said I Guess I'd Rather Be A Cowboy as his wife finally left him. Earlier Don & Heather needed each other at the Dimming Of The Day before leading the way home with the Sale Folk Club Anthem, "Up Sale!" otherwise known as Child Of Merseyside by Rosie Hardman.

Newsletter No 58 - 1 December 2009

People must have heard that Folk North West would be on sale with a review of Colin Rudd's latest CD - The Things That Remain - an album of his own compositions on a CD worth acquiring. As if stimulated by this, a fair percentage of the considerable turnout followed suit by bearing their souls and performing their own life experiences starting with Richard, of The Idle Young, who gave a great performance of his Bad Penny, Richard Knott his own Mister Sensitive and Ton Of Blues, Richard Gray his own What's In A Name Go Change The World and I Don't Know Anything, Karen her Bird Song, John Condy his Stony River Blues, Cockney Eric with Be Your Love And Your Friend and finally Mark a poet showed us that words are musical in themselves with Penguin In The Desert and The Three Lizzies .

In between came many whose skill and expertise lay in their own ability to uniquely interpret the traditional repertoire and the work of others and for this we come back to Colin who demonstrated his range of talent with a great version of Arthur McBride. Don & Heather's All Along The Rossendale kick started the evening and Pepper Street kept the ball rolling with Mick's Midnight Rodeo as did Ruth, Kath & Stan with Horncastle Fair and Banks Of The Ohio, Brian & Stella with Fire And Rain and Song For Ireland and Adam was Heading Down To Chicago. Ged said he was going to Get Religion and then told us what happens when the Moon Is Going Down. Making his debut, Jonathan took a quick snapshot of life with No Place To Fall by Townes van Zandt and then said just Lay Me A Palette On Your Floor. Jan & Mark settled for a Parting Glass and then said we are only just part of the great scheme of things with Jez Lowe's Darwin Song about the banned teaching of evolution in American.

Fortunately, we were also blessed with a whole group of special people who get up every week and perform "a capella" without the safety net of a guitar, banjo, harpoon or tambourine although some do need something to lean on like Rob who finally satisfied our need for a damned good chorus song with I Wish I Was Back In Liverpool, a thought we didn't share, and Roll Alabama Roll. Bob roused us with Blow The Man Down followed by the sombre Orphan Child by Ralph Stanley while Ann delighted us with the lovely Feeing Day and Waves Of The Sea which had us chorusing strongly. Eric had a serious moment with A Slumbering Town before Ed again returned to the lusty, and not just the singing, with The Funeral Song by Keith Marsden. Richard Sails gave us the life of The Jolly Ploughman and The Bell Ringing Song and Stella sang the carol Glory Alleluia.

David gave us a serious moment with Londonderry as did Carl with Cursed Be The Caller and Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street, with everyone murmuring the sax solo. It was good to have Frank back with Maid Of Culmore and Mad World and Isobel giving us another master class with the Rights of Man and another which sounded like Dad's Socket Light. Was she having us on? And was Ed having us on with Put Another Log On The Fire and come and tell me why you're leaving me, otherwise known as The Ungrateful Woman, which had us laughing in a non-PC kind of way?

A great finale arrived courtesy of Colin with Ain't That Rain and old favorite Catch The Wind with Don & Heather singing Robin Laing's Black Clothes for Heather and Derrick before banding everyone up for Going Up The Country by Canned Heat which brought great support from Richard Knott, Mark Taylor and John Condy on the old harpoon.