song for Gaza

Well, a very mixed evening for all sorts of reasons. Firstly, the venue.....was absolutely awful...a separate room in the Star at Havant, but in the adjacent room ...full blown karaoke!!!! Needless to say it made singing very challenging and difficult, but as Jenny pointed out "at least you can say that you single handedly defeated a karaoke band" and that "you can personally triumph over anything....singing in a war zone would be a doddle" Also another pleasing tribute from the press secretary, Eugene,"How did you find Anne? She has the most beautiful voice I've ever heard"
So widen the door posts I'm coming in!!!!!!
The idea of the evening and the running order would have made a great evening of entertainment for the audience, but some found the intrusions too much and didn't stay the course.
Jenny and Gerry started proceedings with a song about Gaza, followed by two poems read by Shelagh Salman, then Chris Bluemel with some songs and intricate guitar work. I was next and for the first set sang Isle of Hope,by Brendan Graham; the story of Annie Moore the first immigrant to the U.S.A. to enter via Ellis Island at the tender age of 15 back "on the first day of January 1892" a lovely moving song which went down well.I followed this with a Richard Farina song written back in 1964 called The Swallow Song depicting the freedom of the swallow....another lovely song.Then the very difficult song to sing...Fiddle and the Drum written by Joni Mitchell and featured on her "Clouds" album; a song she wrote to America depicting its warmongering government as a bitter friend....an interesting concept. To finish my first set I sang another Richard Farina song, which I had always assumed was a Sandy Denny number....shows how wrong you can be! Quiet Joys of Brotherhood, which I chose because it speaks for itself.
Brian Hooper was doing a wonderful job as m.c. and he introduced the final act of the half....Leon Rosselson who was absolutely fantastic. I had never seen him before even thought he's been around for over 40 years...that shows how much I missed during my life as a publican, but I'm really glad I had the opportunity to see and meet him....a very clever, witty songwriter and commentator.
A similar format was adopted for the second half with Chris Bluemel showing off his wonderful fiddle playing skills. I sang three more songs...difficult to choose which ones to sing from the list I had prepared. However, I plumped for There but for Fortune, a Phil Ochs song made popular by Joan Baez; The Last House on the Street, a Colum Sands song in which he hopes that in life and conflict people can be made to open their eyes and minds to what is going on around them and finished with Mick Ryan's Farewell...a lament for a lost partner. By then the noise from the other bar made it very difficult to do the song justice...but I got ther in the end.
So all in all a mixed evening, but certainly an experience.

song for Gaza

Well, tonight I'm off to the Star in Havant to sing in a charity concert for aid to Gaza, alongside Leon Rosselson and Chris Bluemel. We're looking forward to a great evening, so I'll let you know how it goes.
I haven't done much singing since I last wrote, because I've been away visiting friends, partying and seeing Newton Faulkner in concert. All great!
I was at the Regnum the Friday before last and we had a lovely evening. I sang When the Snows of Winter Fall, for the first time and Quiet Joys of Brotherhood, an old favourite.
I was at the Four Chesnuts last week where we had a singaround hosted by Malcolm and Sue. It was good to see everyone out enjoying themselves. I sang When the Snows of Winter Fall and an old favourite Bay of Biscay.
On Wednesday, my daughter, Claire and I went to the Willows to see Chris Sherburn and Denny Bartley, who used to be part of Last Night's Fun. We had a great evening and bought their new c.d. Lucy Wan. Fantastic music and singing. I sang Bay of Biscay and He was under my window, collected by George Gardiner in Axford back in 1907.... a lovely little song.
So all in all, life's good and I'm enjoying the music....catch up again soon

where does the time go!

So it's over a week ago since I've blogged....what have I been up to?
Last night my friends from Essex, Bid and Skill and I went to the Four Chesnuts for a fantastic evening in the company of Jim Bainbridge. He's from the North east and supports Sunderland so that's two pluses!! He is a great melodeon player and singer with a warm personality and we came away with his c.d aswell.
The Oxjam concert on Saturday was an interesting evening which we all enjoyed. I sang Abroad as I was walking, Silver Dagger, He was under my window, Swallow Song and Farewell. I hope it helped the fundraising.
The singaround at the City Folk club on Friday evening was a low key affair as far as numbers were concerned, but the quality of the evening was great. Everyone seemed to be on song and we had some great renditions. I sang He was under my window, The Grey Cockerel and then was invited to join George in She Moves Thru' the Fair. I really enjoyed his sympathetic guitar playing....thank you George!
On Thursday Jeff Wesley was singing at the Royal Oak in Lewes and although there wasn't a full house, those of us who went enjoyed the evening. Jeff is a great entertainer and had some wonderful stories to tell and sing.
The Trio Threlfall were guests at The Famous Willows on Wednesday and I enjoyed their singing and playing. There are some lovely songs on their c.d which will certainly be added to my repertoire in the future.
The previous evening we had a themed singaround at the Chesnuts where we all found songs about or including the word "Gold"......my contribution was The Grey Cockerel and Diego's Bold Shore....both fantastic songs with the merest link to the word Gold......but a good fun evening.
So that's where the time has gone...and tonight was the night in for the hair wash and the footy...England v Belarus.....

folk clubs

Since moving to Chichester a year ago, I have been able to go to many more clubs in the vicinity.
My favourite for lots of reasons is The Four Chesnuts in Chichester where there is a really good club every Tuesday evening. Marilyn Campbell has been running the club for many years. We have different m.c.s, theme evenings, singaround evenings and guests usually once a month. If I'm at home that's where I'll be on a Tuesday! This Saturday 10th October we are also hosting an Oxjam charity event at the Chesnuts where Dave and Sue Garrard, Alan Glock, Chalky Corkery, Marker, myself and the Portsmouth Shantymen are all performing. If you're not doing anything why not come along and join us.. we'll have a great evening!
I often go to the Famous Willows club in Arundel on a Wednesday, particularly on a guest night and am looking forward to seeing Martyn Wyndham Read and Chris Sherburn and Denny Bartley there in the next couple of months. I'm usually lucky enough to do a floor spot when I'm there and it's a great club. There is also a monthly club (2nd Wed.) that runs in Hambledon and I've had some great nights there too, singing and being entertained.
Lewes, the Royal Oak is the place to be on a Thursday evening. There are guests nearly every week and I don't think I've ever come away from there not having enjoyed the evening.....so that must say something for the club and the organisers Vic and Tina Smith. Once again, I'm usually invited to do a floor spot, if time allows.
On 29th October I have been invited to sing in another charity event being held in the Star at havant, alongside Chris Bluemel and Leon Rosselson. So, if you would like an evening of entertainment, why not join us,
Friday nights present a quandry (Carl Smith!) too many venues from which to choose. I usually take the easy option and visit the City Folk Club in Chichester where it's purely singaround with loads of different styles. A great opportunity to try out new stuff. The other alternatives mean travelling...to Southampton for the F'c'sle a really well run traditional club with fantastic guests. I have sung there and hope to do so again soon. Trevor and Jane run a very good club. Once a month there is a club in Bognor (last Friday), one in Forest Gate (last Friday) and one in Brighton at the Open House (used to be the Springfield in college days!) So never a dull moment on a Friday!
Saturdays are different...I occasionally go to the Limes in Catisfield, but it only runs on the first Saturday in the month so I'm not always about.
Last Sunday I had a terrific evening at Bursledon and Woolston club near Southampton. Colum Sands was the guest and he had us in stitches with his entertaining sets. I also sang a couple of favourite songs of mine "Abroad As I was Walking", a traditional song collected by George Gardiner from the singing of Mrs Goodyear in Axford, Hampshire in 1907 and "Farewell", the Mick Ryan song from his latest folk opera the Navvy's Wife, which is a "MUST SEE".
The first and third Mondays in the month are worth the trip out to North Boarhunt, where Charles and Janet run a superb club with some fantastic guests. I have sung there and always really enjoy the evening. Also, on the first Monday of the month Stuart Reed runs a good club at the Nelson in Brighton....always worth a visit.
Information about most of these clubs can be found on the SCoFF website.... a great starting point to find out all sorts of information.
The odd evening I stay in to wash my hair!!!!!! or maybe footy...if there's a decent match on.

other things

Apart from friends and music, which are the most important things to me, I really enjoy travelling and have been to some fantastic places over the last few years.
My earliest BIG travel was backpacking round the world (we didn't actually go everywhere!) with my daughters back in 2004/2005. It was a marvellous evperience which unsettled me no end with a view to travelling. I'm always looking for the next place!!! We spent 8 months travelling: Malaysia; Thailand; Australia; New Zealand; Fiji; The Cook Islands and finally into the States for only a few days on the way home. Anybody with the time, the money, the lust for travel and some good companions could do worse than follow this trail!
Since then, apart from the odd week here and there in the Canaries, I've travelled with friends to Mexico where we saw the solstice at Chichen Itza; Florida, where we gave Disney and Universal a going over; Cuba a must-go destination before the Americans spoil it.......we travelled round in a small group, staying in people's homes all over the island and really enjoyed every minute of it and in particular the music. You've never lived till you've seen the little children dancing with such rhythm in the streets. Brazil; three of us shared a cabin on a cruise ship and headed to Rio...wow! we stopped off at the Cape Verde Islands, surely a place that will be an "IN" destination soon. My highlights were singing to about 800 in the theatre on-board ship and seeing the Christ the Redeemer Statue which appeared out of the mists as if to save me>>>>>he'd have a job!!!!!!
Shorter breaks to Norway, where we have friends living and where we met and made more friends and sang and swam in the fijords, diving for mussels which we cooked back on land. Riga, a wonderful city with lots to recommend including the lovely people (except the police!!!) and the quantity of alcohol that has to be consumed to keep warm!....or is that just an excuse for the "Riga lurch!" Marrakesh; another really interesting city where you never knew whose hands were on your backside!!!....a great atmosphere. Paris...a city for lovers....well it was at the time; Cork....the place to go for the music and Innsbruck for a magical Christmas where it even snowed to order on Christmas Day. I had a lovely time in Borneo visiting an Orang Utan reserve and am now planning a trip to Costa Rica next month.

even more festivals

I had a great week in Bideford in August,taking in lots more music. There was a strange, to me, feel about this festival, because there was so much going on, but not that many people around to enjoy it. There was a second opportunity to see the Navvy's Wife and individual performances from the participants, along with Nicola Clark, Pete Coe and Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer.
My final festival of the season was Whitby. What more can you say. It is certainly THE festival and until I visit some of the other big festivals which I missed this year, will remain my favourite. I'm definitely going back next year!
Whitby and surrounding countryside are spectacular and I felt immediately "at home" in the area. Perhaps, a little of this can be attributed to my origins....a Sunderland girl! but that apart a very friendly bunch of people. This year saw the festival sharing the first weekend with the regatta...so sometimes places were very packed...but it didn't matter.
I stayed with friends from the Chichester folk club and we all had a fantastic time, doing stuff together and apart. I signed up for the harmony workshops run by Craig, Morgan, Robson, so that meant an early start each morning, culminating in a performance at the end of the week. The rest of the days were spent wandering the town, Robin Hood's Bay and joining in and listening to great music. What better way to spend time!!!! By having a season ticket every option was available and sometimes too many choices to make!!
Some of my favourites included The Wilsons, Martyn Wyndham-Read with Iris Bishop, Sara Grey with Kieron Means and Jeff Warner, Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, Pete Morton, Jez Lowe, Jim Causley, Colum Sands, Jamie Roberts and Katriona Gilmore, Dave Fletcher and Bill Whaley, Dave Burland, Chris Sherburn and Denny Bartley and the Axford Five. Apart fom all these wonderful musicians there was time to take in workshops about songwriting, go to singaround sessions and I even had a spot at the folk club hosted by Mike Tickell when two of the guests didn't make it!!! Late night drinking back at our cottage helped cement friendships and I'm looking forward to next year!!!

more festivals

Another friendly festival is at Leigh on Sea in Essex and I enjoy going there just for the day to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the morris dancing, singing and playing. It was a great day this year, only marred by the lack of power! Only the pub/ businesses were without electricity, but it spoiled the sound systems and one of the larger stages hooked themselves into a local's power supply....wouldn't like to have to pay that bill!!!!!!!
My next festival was Priddy....never been before, but wonderful location....weather permitting....which it didn't for much of the weekend...never mind had to get wet within aswell as out!!!!Only problem was I had the pleasure of staying at a friend's close by, but the other side of Cheddar Gorge...bit hairy getting back late at night in the stormy weather!
However, the music was great and I will certainly go again.
The Askews were there, so caught up with the whole family this time....great company.Sara Grey was another first for me and I felt very moved by her set....I'll look out for her again. Swarb's Lazarus...well what can you say..just marvellous! Pete Coe was up to his usual high standard, Martha Tilston was a revelation...I had heard some of her recordings and found them a bit "airy fairy" so wasn't going to bother...but she gave a tremendous performance and I'll take back all my previous thoughts! Her dad also did an entertaining spot the following day. Jez Lowe and the Bad Pennies had the misfortune of finishing the evening off when there was a force whatever gale blowing and many were battening down their tents or risk losing them....they were great, just a shame not more people braved the elements.
Jackie Oates and James Dumbelton were wonderful and Jackie was also fantastic in Mick Ryan's folk opera The Navvy's Wife. This was the first time I'd seen the production and I thought it was really great as did the whole audience who responded with a well-deserved standing ovation. If you haven't seen the production yet .....it is a must and you certainly won't be disappointed.
The grand finale for the weekend was a first class performance by Lau...they just get better and bettr...a real pleasure.....

more festivals

But before talk of the next festival...I must remark on the Fantastic May Day celebrations at the Spur Redoubt in Portsmouth....the first time I'd ever managed to celebrate singing and dancing in the May.....and it won't be the last..... what a wonderful spectacle of the ferries bringing over the visitors and watching the expressions on their faces as they were greeted by the Morris Dancers in full swing....wondering if it was in fact England that they were visiting!!!!
Following that I went with friends to the Sweeps Fair in Rochester, a real treat to see the town taken over with dance sides and music sessions in the pubs and marquee......lovely atmosphere and a great time was had by all!
One of the more disappointing festivals was the Winchester Mayfest, which was very under advertised and attended. Hopefully, with a new management team in the offing, 2010 will see a return to former glory. I was singing in St. Lawrence Church...... a fantastic venue with wonderful accoustics and although I felt nervous in the surroundings...imagine!!!!.....really enjoyed the experience. I sang: Sheepcrook and Blackdog;Bay of Biscay; Silver Dagger and Swallow Song......and it was fine.
Before May was out, I spent the weekend with friends at the Chester Folk festival...... a really top class festival in wonderful surroundings with lots of great people.
Friday evening saw us at the folk club, where Dave Fletcher and Bill Whaley were main guests. I had a spot and sang two old favourites: Bay of Biscay and Sheepcrook and Blackdog which went down well.
On Saturday we saw Chris Sherburn and Denny Bartley (great...... despite the fact Denny had virtually lost his voice...but we had the cure for him!!!), Tom Napper and Tom Bliss....who were very good and Pete Coe...always a fantastic performance.
Another full day of music on Sunday saw us enjoying Bob Fox and Stu Luckley and Lau who are an all time favourite of mine. I was so pleased to see Kris Drever back to his best and in the company of friends who bring out the best in each other........Martin Green and Aidan O'Rourke...wonderful.
By Monday, we were fairly "musicked out" so just had a little dabble in what was on offer.
A must for 2010

festivals

It's been a long time since I blogged, but there are absolutely no reasons to continue in this way, so I'm back!
Over the summer I've been lucky enough to have spents lots of time at various folk festivals. Fareham for Easter is a great festival and I bought a season ticket, although had to miss the early events owing to prior engagements! Sounds rather grand, but just a party...vey good nevertheless. My particular finds of the weekend were Maggie Adamson and Brian Nicholson and the David Munnelly Band. that's not to say there weren't many grat performers, but these were new to me, so worth a mention. Maggie is a 16year old champion fiddle player and what flair and the David Munnelly Band were just so full of life, they were a joy.
I was pleased to be involved in a George Gardiner presentation with Bob Askew and the Askew Sisters...always a pleasure.
Big names appearing included Show of Hands, Mawkin Causley, Martin Carthy, Roy Bailey..all of whom I enjoyed. Then Eliza Carthy and Heidi Talbot with Kris Drever who I thought were very disappointing...oh well can't enjoy all the people all of the time!!!!
Others worth a mention were Craig, Morgan and Robson, The LarkRise Band and Michael McGoldrick....all very good.
So, apart from all of this it was really good to feel "I'm back".....having missed mixing with friends spontaneously for the last couple of years....no more.....