Sale Folk Club

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.