Sale Folk Club

Newsletter No 57 - 24 November 2009

You have heard of hundreds and thousands, well, they came to the club last night. Zoe Mulford was back from her American tour complete with voice strain, Lorelei Loveridge was also back in the country from Denmark and debutants Claire Cavender from Cornwall and local boy Tony Ward, who we used to know from the Railway, all provided that extra dimension of class and quality which set us up for an excellent evening. Not only that Colin Rudd very kindly started Christmas early by giving away a box of his CD Ragged In The Rain by his band ROAM who we also seem to remember from the Railway.

Taking advantage of such a great start, Ed & Sue invited Colin to open the proceedings with The Tailor by Jack Hardy. Google him! Then up stepped Isobel with a brilliant Hundred Pipers to be followed by The Deportees by Merdy who has just returned to folk music after a while and already he is catching our eye. Don & Heather further encouraged the chorus singers with Farewell To The Gold as did Dave & Amy with If I Were A Carpenter before we were then treated to a world premier by Albert. The ink was hardly dry on his Long Forgotten Hero lamenting the poor treatment of soldiers when the wars are over. Something started many years ago by Rudyard Kipling with Tommy. Dick's Sally Free and Easy had us singing again as did Ruth, Kath & Stan with Dirty Old Town and Rob with Muldoon The Solid Man. This paved the way for Tony to raise he roof with Dylan's The Times They Are a-Changing and some virtuoso guitar. Pete came in the virtues of A Pint Of John Willie Lees a theme taken up by Ed with Willy The Wandering Gypsy before Derrick had us in stitches, not literally, with Reminiscences From The Ward. Ged got Jesus On The Mainline and Ann warned Come All Ye Fair And Tender Girls before Banjo John told what can happen with Folsom Prison Blues. By request Carl next sang I Saw Hands, Jez Lowe's song contrasting the ones in the pavement of Hollywood Boulevard and those held out begging. Claire sang the lovely She Moved Through The Fair, Eric related the story of a man lamenting the death of his friend, remembering the life they had and telling him that he would be joining him fairly soon before John & Mick had Boats To Build. Finally, Zoe then Was A Terrible Waiter, a song she brought back from her friend Brad Yoder, Google him too, and Lorelei gave us a track, Nepal, off her latest album before the rehydration and raffle break.

Merdy won the flowers and, in a very nice gesture, gave them to Heather as a thank you for all her work in the club, two listeners the Rose wine, Kate the Christmas Pudding, Colin the Father Christmas and John the Folk North West before we hurtled into the second half with Jackson by Dave & Amy. Albert saddened us with his own House Of Empty Dreams, Claire had written Guinevere's Lament for a folk festival and Colin had written When You Were Younger to emphasise the massive talent in the room. Isobel then delighted us with Harvest Home and amazed us with Irish Washerwoman, no need for a machine at the speed she played that. Tony's own Ethereal Engagement warned us what can happen when couples play mind games especially if she is always right! Ann then did Johnny Todd, remembering Z-Cars we all expected the Blues and Twos, Merdy was Leaving London with Tom Paxton before Pete pulled us back with The Rawtenstall Annual Fair and Ed told us what can happen On My Way To Work. On cue Dick had to leave early with his Parting Glass, Ged was at The Last Minstrel Show, Rob said Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy and to Carl Time Is A Tempest. There was No Telling What A Love Song Can Do said Ruth, Kath & Stan but Lorelei asked Is It Deep Enough? In this weather Don & Heather went for The Little Pot Stove, John & Mick shot off to The City Of New Orleans before Eric, aided by John, sang it's just Like A Woman by Dylan to round off a fantastic night.

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Newsletter No 56 - 17 November 2009

Another new trend was established last night by cyclist Eric who ran the evening brilliantly in his carpet slippers with Carl somewhat more conventionally shod in his trainers because one of them had to be on his toes with more than two dozen performers coming from as far as Barnsley. Carl started off as the Night Owl (Rafferty) quickly followed by Robin who was a Chevalier de la Table Ronde being complimented on his French by Eric no less. Banjo John then introduced us to Alexander's Ragtime Band with Adam pleading Take Me Back and supergroup Ruth, Kath & Stan singing Annalee. Jan & Mark then duo-ed with a great Song Of The Plough before Ged cheered us all up with Bricks In My Pillow. Merdy then related the true story of The Ballerina Of The Bay a wonderfully restored boat from 1909 which sadly sank to be fought over by its two owners but Rob refrained from a song of the sea with Let The Bulgine Run before the poet Bill related the true and very funny tale of the Watering Can Incident. Enough of this said Ed with Anathea, the classic story of the Judge promising to pardon the girl's brother in exchange for her favours and then welching on the deal proving things are not always what they seem as in Eric's Metaphor Street. Thirsting for a good chorus Don & Heather's Lesson Too Late (Paxton) did the trick but Bob's Drunkard's Child soon chastened us all. Dave Hudson jnr then did a brilliant version of Mary Asquith's Closing Time which was very poignant because sadly she died just recently. Then we were on to another first timer at the club when Terence Carey unsheathed his fiddle to delight us with Samovar and Hava Nagila. He was quickly followed by Gus Glynn with his own Micky McCreadie and Richard Gray with his own Song For John Lennon never sung in public before. Pepper Street then closed the first half with Killing The Blues staking a fresh claim on the song that Don & Heather had done on Saturday night.

Another retail and chat opportunity then came up in the form of a raffle with a multiplicity of valuable prizes and much glass re-filling the spell only to be broken by Banjo John's Dallas Blues followed by Dave Hudson snr with a great rendition of Down The River. Rob went back to sea with Roll Alabama Roll, and Ruth, Kath & Stan said their Last Goodbye before Merdy introduced us to The Prettiest Girl In Truro. Bill then performed Alchemy, if that is the correct verb, which he dedicated to his friend Mary Asquith who always told him that all people can create art but at a certain point it becomes alchemy. Then it was theatre time when Ed performed The Chastity Belt Sueperbly aided by his wardrobe mistress with all his costume changes. Richard Gray's The Dearest, The Sweetest and The Best was a request from Sue and we were glad of that before Jan & Mark lobbed off in their 30 Foot Trailer. Terence Carey then returned with a set of jigs before providing harmonica accompaniment for Carl on that well known Beeching victim, The 1710. Eric then again assembled his pickup band, Uncle Tom Cobley & All Stars (anyone still sober), for The Ancient Mariner Blues but Adam was off in his Brand New Cadillac (Clash) and Robin on The Road To Dundee. Ged gave us a rousing version of Jambalaya with Don & Heather taking up the chorusing theme with Streets of London before Dave Hudson jnr complained You Never Wanted Me (Denny). Oh yes we do!!! Next Pepper Street sang Mick's only love song And She Belongs To Me before Gus Glynn and Terence Carey sent us all home with Gus' Never Never. A great sentiment as in Never Never spend Tuesday Night anywhere other than Sale Folk Club.

Newsletter No 55 - 10 November 2009

Calling Doon The Line by Don & Heather paid their respects to the survivors of and the fallen in the wars before giving John Muskett the nod to razz things up a bit with Merle Travis' Dark As A Dungeon before Pepper Street also paid their respects with Mick's I Don't Blame The Bullet that distinctly blames the politicians. Then we went all eclectic when, having tested the water for a few weeks, Merdy turned up at last with his guitar and took us all back to 1965 with Reason To Believe, Carl celebrated seeing his cousin again on a visit from Australia with The Old England In You, Isobel tooted Horse's Branle and Johnny untangled John Prine's Donald And Lydia, no mean feat. Ed wandered Ireland's Green Shore with Tim O'Brien and Robin cashed in with I Still Miss Someone before David stunned us all with his poem The Box which warned us not to start something we cannot finish ie war! Ged then rode his Vincent Black Lightening before giving it to Red Molly but Rob went for the much slower form of transport with Grey Funnel Line. Another unpalatable aspect of war was explored by Derrick's Red Tape addressing the gross under provision of our fighting men and Ann's General Wolfe illustrated how quickly it can go pear shaped if you lose your General. Light relief and a good sing was then provided by Bob's Windy Old Weather, Eric and John's Like A Rolling Stone and, starting round two, John Muskett's Black Velvet Band set in London Town teeing up Karen, just back from choir practise, for Normandy Orchards to return us to thought of Armistice Day.

Much socialising and a mega raffle then greeted the arrival of Adam Palmer who treated us to a set with Ragtime For Everyone, Inspector ?, Love And Marriage and That's Alright, Mama and his friend Mike who sang Neil Young's Harvest Moon and I'm Going Home. Chasing his bus home Johnny then jumped in with Dylan's Walls Of Red Wing and then was himself treated to Eric's superb preview of the First Half Of The Newsletter which he composed actually as it happened. How does he do it? Bob's risque Ra Ra Ra was next before we swung back into gear with Merdy's drinking song When These Shoes Were New, Isobel's Sandy Beck and Rope Waltz, Rob's Martin Said To His Man and Robin's Jock o' Hazeldean by Sir Walter Scott, the first superstar author who when he was short of cash could write and sell an instant hit and carry on his life in high style. He lived near a particularly beautiful view of the Tweed and regularly stopped his carriage there such that when the horse was taking his coffin for burial it automatically stopped at this spot for the allotted time. Karen then sang Follow The Heron Home by Karine Polwart, who she had just seen in concert, before Carl reminded us with Military Road that on Saturday we have Judy Dinning in concert and Ed said he didn't care because he had The Bronchial Dilated Blues. Derrick said Bloody Hell and John Muskett said have you seen The Dewy Ones? John Condy in Pepper Street said that's nothing I've got The Stony River Blues and Ann said well, Once I had A True Love And Now I Have None before Mick nostalgically missed Orson Street in Leicester which was a mystery to all of us. Don & Heather finally rounded it all off with The Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness before sending everyone home with their own particular brand of depression only to return for special therapy on Saturday and for their weekly session next Tuesday.


Newsletter No 54 - 3 November 2009

Plenty crossed The Borderline as John & Mick started off with the Ry Cooder song and they were still filling up the seats as Ged took us the East Virginia and Isobel, playing even more immaculate recorder, whistled the New Rigged Sailing Ship and Lady In The Boat, something that rarely happens to Rob, but he still hoped for true love with Come Write Me Down. Stella picked great songs tonight starting with The Water Is Wide, which we all joined in with, and Dave also gave us a good singalong with his own We're Attracted To One Another backed by his friend Marg making her fist appearance. Then Ed being all serious told us that Eric Bogle's Leaving Nancy was about his mother and not a girl friend and that's when the fight started! Derrick saying it was his aunty!! Brian cheered us up with Lord of The Harvest before Jan reminded us of the times with Mothers, Daughters, Wives by Judy Small. In the lull Mark played two lovely tunes Munster Buttermilk and Egan's on his sore throat, sorry, on his guitar since he had a sore throat. Don & Heather threw in The Galway Shawl for only the second time this year as Derrick cried "Not again!" and poor Kath & Stan were Waterbound. No matter how he finds us Adam always raises the roof and Hey Joe by Jimi Hendrix did the job as did Both Sides Now by Colin Rudd. The Next Love by the ever optimistic Jacques Brel masquerading as Eric and Donna Donna by Karen followed suit but Carl was more wistful with James Keelaghan's Sinatra And I. Crossing the nine o'clock watershed Derrick then let rip with a five-star performance of Les Barker's Sparky's Magic Contraceptive, but was unfortunately not taking orders, Bob having already broken the ice with The Well Endowed Song.

A great raffle followed with amongst others Heather & Derrick winning a dozen red roses and John Condy picking his own ticket to win the Christmas Pudding. Fortunately he refused to claim his second prize and re-drew it.

The second half started well with Mick & John Another Old Do-Gooders Tale, by Mick, followed by Richard Gray singing his own The Journeyman. Ann, who also chose well tonight, then sang beautifully with I Must Love Him Still and Sailor True Blue. Isobel again starred with Elizabeth Clare, she must have been practising but she denied it and said they were easy ones tonight, and Adam kept the tempo up with Ace Of Spades by Motorhead. Jim then moved us all with Harvey Andrews' Soldier a true story about the squaddy who saved many lives by smothering a bomb with his own body. Needless to say he did not survive. Ed tickled us with Burntblack And Son, a poem about the Lancashire Undertakers, and Derrick was more subdued with Albert's Party Manners before Ged provide the second highlight of the night with another five-star performance with his I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly in the style of Bob Dylan. Brilliant!! Kath & Stan were Babes In The Wood, Dave & Marg said Follow Me and Carl was Safe In The Harbour with Eric Bogle before Eric did the Coughing Song with the coughing chorus, not too difficult at this time of year with nearly everyone down with the lurgy, and Karen swore she would not have a Drunken Husband with the clapping chorus. Bob went down to St James' Infirmary just in case but Colin said I am going to sing Mr Tambourine Man instead. Jan & Mark then uplifted us with Bread & Fishes as did Stella with Morning Has Broken, although it wasn't that late and Rob said there is still time for The Mill Outing by Trevor Morton. Brian was On My Way Again with The Fairport Convention before Don & Heather formed the fastest pickup band with John Condy's harp and the guitars of Ed, Mark, Dave and uncle Tom Cobley for Corrina, Corrina in answer to Derrick's request for new stuff. Mick & John then sent us packing with a great version of The Broad Majestic Shannon.