Sale Folk Club

Newsletter No 14 - 27 January 2009

A great walk round Malham including Gordale Scar and the Limestone Pavement at Malham Cove has delayed the newsletter but we are back in time to tell you that another good night brought in some new faces both as performers and listeners. Pepper Street led off the usual eclectic mix of music and verse with Killing The Blues and gave us a very enjoyable evening.

In the tradition Richard sang The Brisk Young Ploughboy and related The Battle of Sowerby Bridge. In the absence of Ann Cojeen he even dared to address the issue of maidenheads being lost. Jan did The Jute Mill Song and the English translation of Burn's For A' That. At last we understood it. Then Jan's husband Mark sang about the tragedy of The Mardy Mine before telling her You Ain't Going Nowhere. Rob reflected that they are knocking down The Old Pubs (he should worry), re-ran The Grey Funnel Line and swore his Sorrows Away (makes a change). Pepper Street came back with Peggy Gordon, Don & Heather reminded us what happens when Poverty Knock(s) and Ed sang Johnny Dearest Johnny made famous by Tommy Makem.

Carl opened up with Sinatra And I by James Keleahan then Eric Bogle's As If He Knows before signing off with Penny Lane by the Beatles. Don & Heather rode the Freight Train before Pepper Street claimed that Love Can Build A Bridge.

Derrick continued to rise to the challenge and explored the problems one can have if perceived as different with Spot The Zebra. He then highlighted the problems of learning the American Language with Get Your Butt Over Here. Finally the family problems following the loss of a child were made clear in He Was Only A Little Mosquito, before he got flattened by a human. Next in his own unique style, Eric also continued the psychosocial investigation when he examined what happens when a woman falls in love with a horse in his Le Cheval. He didn't stop there and Goldfish Blues spoke for itself. Finally he reprised Addicted To Anusol. Ed sang about the joys of living in Salford and then how You're Only As Old As The Woman You Feel lamenting the passing of the years since it was Heather's birthday before Don & Heather joined in with, hot off the presses, There's No-one As Irish As Barack O'Bama about the inevitable Presidential claim to be descended from the auld sod.

Eventually we arrived at the point where the creative talents of the singer/songwriters amongst us came to the fore. Richard, a Chorlton Folk Club regular, started off with Strike A Light, then a love story In Our Room and finally Only The Lager (I'm Not A Bitter Man) a song that came out of a divorce. Ultimately American Zoe Mulford, who currently lives in Manchester but tours both in England and the USA, took the floor and we quickly realised why she is in demand. Her Gone Is Gone, Just Before I Go and Road Songs were a delight and we certainly hope that she will become one of our regulars.

When the mid-session interval came up the bar staff came in with three large trays of sandwiches provided by Don & Heather to help celebrate Heather's birthday. Next week it is Alan's 60th birthday and he is also retiring. There is talk of a hot pot!?!?!

Newsletter No 13 - 20 January 2009

"If there was this many in my folk club we wouldn't get in" said our friend George, famous for his appearance on Deal or No Deal. His arrival coincided with that of old friends and supreme artists Ruth Fuga and Ken Powell. Not only that we were delighted to see Charlotte Peters Rock cross our threshold for the first time in years. Our cup did runneth over and Carl & Eric took full advantage of it with a lively eclectic evening of song and verse.

Carl kicked off the more modern song with Blowin' in the Wind and John got Wasted On The Way with Crosby, Stills and Nash after telling us he was a Rambling Man by the Almann Brothers. Rob was true to his word and came up with new songs The Grey Funnel Line by Cyril Tawney and Johnny's Gone to Hilo and another first was Sue duetting with Ann with their own version of Two Drunken Maidens written with the Folk Club in mind. We shall have to hear more of Sue's lovely singing voice in future. George reminisced how she can do just what she likes When She Wears Black Clothes by Robin Laing and Ed became dewy eyed singin Home Is Where The Heart Is.

The tradition was of course well addressed by Richard who was in fine form with The Bold Princess Royal and Bold Dragoon. Was it something to do with the inauguration? Of Eric & Carl running the night? Ann swore that Wherever He Goes she would follow. Maybe she meant Jan's The January Man. Don treated Ian the Door to his favourite Johnny Miner before reflecting on The Rare Old Times when Dublin was just a town. Paul unsheathed the guitar for Long Black Veil and when it later shrunk into a ukelele he told us his favourite song of all time was This Little Light Of Mine. Mark was a Worried Man extolled the virtues of the Glasgow Cat.

Having saved them for the right moment and remembered them of old, Carl was pleased to finish a fine first half with Ruth & Ken. They were part of the well known Risky Business but with a new repertoire and able to unleash Ken's brilliant guitar playing they started with Menderino by Kate McGarrigal before taking us back to the style of the 1930's with Mose Scarlett's Just Friends which left everyone buzzing.

Jez Lowe contuinued to get cover when Carl opened the second half with his Wannie Wind and George told us you won't find me back in Durham Jail. And life wouldn't be worth living without an Eric special. This time he and Mrs Eric, Patricia, delighted us with first her French version and then with Eric's English version of a young maiden's path being blocked by four young men who haven't much idea what to do next. Of course he again blew us away with his a translation of a serious Jacques Brel song. Kath & Stan again brought that lovely mellow banjo, yes there is such a thing, and told us The Birds Were Singing For You before rattling us off to Horncastle Fair.

Again the songwriting talent in the club was in evidence with Mick's Time Is An Arrow and Ruth's Friendship. She will have to record her first album soon. Charlotte also didn't disappoint when she sang two of her own songs Grandfather Ernest and Jack's Story.

We of course always see the funny side and after an afternoon's research Derrick came up with Les Barker's story about a dog called Stay that was soon joined by one called Go and finally one called Fetch with the owner having problems with their control. He then bemoaned the passing of the old days when you could have a night out and change for a farthing. Ed then had many nodding as he summed up the medical problems of this winter with Bronchial Dilated Blues.

The evening built to a fitting cliax first with Mick's version of Them's Here Comes The Night and then Ruth & Ken singing us out with Chris While's A Hundred Miles, Lennon & McCartney's I Will and because nobody wanted leave before a final encore which was The Winding Stair.

Newsletter No 12 - 13 January 2009

How so they find out about us? Where do they all come from? Another full house and a first class evening from 19 performers well presented by Ed & Sue to a large appreciative audience.

Don & Heather got the ball rolling with Farewell To The Gold which tells of New Zealand's goldrush days and thereon the choruses came thick and fast. After that the giants of the folk world came out to play from Pepper Street's Hard Ain't It Hard by Woody Guthrie to Robin's It Ain't You Babe by Bob Dylan. Stella did Clive Gregson's Comfort and Joy Ruth sang an excellent version of The Rose made famous by Bette Midler who wrote the lyrics. Old friend Dave Pugh pitched up at the club for the first time of hopefully many and delighted us with Ewen Carruthers' Rubenstein Remembers and Martin Carthy's arrangement of America which no one will forget. Even The Beatles got in there with Till There Was You actually written for Music Man by Meredith Willson and sung by Pepper Street who also did a great job on John Prine's Speed of the Sound of Loneliness.

The tradition was well represented as usual with Carl's Ballad of Johnny Collier and his arrangement of Scarborough Fair. Richard was with Moses in the Bulrushes and Pepper Street in the Prickle Eye Bush while Brian took us across the sea to Galway Bay. Rob eschewed all this sentimental stuff with South Australia although Stella's Darkling Thrush song made us sad again before brightening us up at the end. After all you are not supposed to be happy in a folk club!?!?!? Luckily Geordie still hanged in the last verse of Paul's nice rendition. Robin told the story of Bonny Dundee, otherwise known as Bloody Clavers, who fought the Jacobite cause and rebelled against the installation of William lll at Edinburgh in 1688. He led the Jacobite rebellion and won a famous victory at Killiecrankie in 1689 but later died of his wounds. Ann's Press Gang was followed by Come All Ye Fair and Tender Girls while Dave Pugh's Dance ti yi Daddy was a tour de force.

Finally, who said romance was dead? Michael confessed to always fancying a Girl from the North Country and Eric sang of his love for Mina allegedly a pseudonym. Rob altered Pretty Betty to mischievously become Pretty Lorraine before Derrick lamented the fate of the lonely Glow-worm who fell for a Benson & Hedges in the gutter. How low can you fall?

Humour struck back with Ed's version of The Manch by Keith Marsden and Derrick's Deja Vu only to be equalled by Eric's latest composition A Sad Sad Song of Dr Sydney Simpson and Miss Mary Morgan, the Doc gave her his kidney and then she left him so he sued her for it back or $1.5million.

Finally Sue unveiled her clogs, that's how she keeps Ed in order, and clogged the hornpipe to humming accompaniment and a rapturous reception before Ed joined Heather on the Kazoo solo in San Francisco Bay Blues.


Newsletter No 11 - 5 January 2009

A good turnout on a very cold night and with many sick notes in operation many old and yet more new faces made it a memorable start to the New Year. Sue, Ed, Terry, Heather and Don had returned from The Land, The Light and The Locals Festival in the Borders and already we have two more people interested in making the trip next year. Maybe next year we will have a coach party. Don & Heather celebrated with The Rolling Hills of The Borders. Visit the site http://www.thelandthelightthelocals.com/ for more details. Hopefully during the year we shall have some smaller social events. Ideas are welcome.

Newcomer Richard Sails added his not inconsiderable talent to our existing group of a cappella singers and treated us to the classics Night William, Fakenham Fair and The Mower. The last one kept up the tradition of humorous and slightly risque ballads that we have come to expect and delight in. Still unaccompanied Pauline delved into her song book for Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore and Bonny Wood Hall and than again joined with Ann for a very tuneful Hush-a-ba. Ann then sprang into action with The Boar' Head, Once Upon a Time and Waves On The Sea before Rob told of The Good Ship Calibar and praised Sweet Lovely Nancy and The Old Pubs which sadly are being knocked down too often. Last but not least Eric blew our minds with Werewolf and Addicted to Anusol.

With instrumental backing Michael apologised for taking us to the land of American Vaudville with Peggy O'Neill, My Night Out, Jealous of You and Eileen. The funny thing was that everyone was singing away to them all. Stan again brought the dulcet tones of his banjo in support of Kath's Sleepy Desert, Ring, Ring the Banjo and The Circle which had everyone singing. Carl was Singing Down the Ages, a favourite at this time of year, before his own All At Sea and From The Armoury to The Crown about the enforced transfer of a folk club from pub to pub. Finally Pepper Street started with Micks' own composition When the Ferry Boat Arrives before the well known Haul Away Boys, Dusty's I Only Want to be With You and Roll On Colombia Roll On.

To leave us on a happy note Derrick celebrated the wonder of Woolworths on the very week that the last of its stores closed but then left us still chuckling with Les Barker's Disaster at Sea about the unexplained disappearance of a wooden sailing boat in a completely calm sea its passengers and crew of woodpeckers never to be seen again.

The evening ended with Sonny (don't go away) followed by a rousing joinerinner Dylan's Quinn the Eskimo both requested from Don & Heather.