Transport of delight

Sometimes the trials and tribulations of our singers are almost as newsworthy as the songs we sing and that was the case at last week's Dragon Folk Club session. I had just started my journey to the club when I received a message to say that Denny's car had suffered a puncture on the motorway, and that Paul and Denny were waiting for the AA.

When I arrived at The Bridge I found five others already there and informed them of the predicament.

Colin as MC started the session with David Diamond's Folksinger's lament.

At this stage I received another message from Paul to say that they had been sorted by the AA and were on their way home. We were pleased for them, but also slightly sad that they wouldn't be joining us.

Steve continued with the Galway Shawl (roud 2737) and John was next with Leon Payne's Lost highway.

Simon sang of the Lambton worm (roud 2337) and Bob gave us Junior Parker's Mystery train, made famous by Elvis Presley.

Sue rounded off the first rotation with Messing about on the river written by Tony Hatch and most famously recorded by Josh McRae. Hatch wrote the song under the pseudonym Mark Anthony.

Soon after the start of the third rotation Paul and Denny made their entrance, having taken Denny's car home and set out again in Paul's. We were very pleased to see them and they took up their place at the end of the line with Denny's first song being Down in your mine by Colin Wilkie, and Paul's was Bold Riley (roud 18160).

There were a few songs new to the Dragon database, though not necessarily all new to the club:

• Colin - Joy to the world (Hoyt Axton)
• John - Belfast Child (Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Mick MacNeil)
• Bob and Sue - I love to boogie (Marc Bolan)
• Colin - The gnome (Miles Wootton)
• John - Blind Willie McTell (Bob Dylan)
• Sue - Smile (Charlie Chaplin)

John's singing of Simple Minds' Belfast Child was prompted by Sinéad O'Connor's recent death. The song's tune is based on that of She moves through the fair and in the linked recording O'Connor provided a break with that traditional song. She also sang the song for itself and therefore Simon followed up by singing She moves through the fair (roud 861).

This week's heading photo is chosen for Steve's singing of Cyril Tawney's Ballad of Sammy's Bar. Sammy's Bar was in Valletta, Malta and was apparently a favourite of British sailors. The second refrain "Call away the dgħajsa" refers to a local water taxi (pronounced "di-so" by British sailors). Dgħajsa is in fact simply "boat" in Maltese, and the full name of the taxi is "dgħajsa tal-pass". The photograph, which shows several dgħajjes tal-pass in Grand Harbour Valletta with naval ships in the background comes from my father's photo album created while he was in the Royal Navy. He may have had a drink at Sammy's Bar or he may have moved other sailors on from there in his occasional role as a Naval Provost.

Paul fittingly finished the session with Dave Webber's Parting song.

Now listen to a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 8 of whom 8 performed)

Keepy-uppy

Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix play keepy-uppy
(Photo posted to Flickr by Diego Sideburns)

Last Friday's session was a bit quiet once again. We hope everyone is OK and it's just a glitch. Please get over here to The Bridge Inn, Shortwood, Bristol, BS16 9NG this Friday at 8:15pm, we need your company... and your singing if you feel capable.

Heading straight in with not a theme in sight, our MC, Colin, started the evening with The Folksinger's Lament (David Diamond) and Simon followed with Strike the Bell (roud 4190).

Well that's it. That was the first round. I'm not going to go through the songs in detail. You can listen to the "a selection" link below which includes seventeen of the eighteen songs we sang. The odd one out is Colin's singing of The Labourers' Union (roud V48257). It was sung by Walter Pardon whose repertoire included this and other anthems of the nineteenth century National Agricultural Labourers' Union.

The last round of the evening saw Colin sing Shelley Posen's No more fish, no fisherman and Simon The Galway Shawl (roud 1737).

Now listen to a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 2, of whom 2 performed)

Starting as we mean to go on

Arnold Skolnick's poster for Woodstock

Last Friday's session was the start of our "season" of five sessions marking the fiftieth birthday of the club. Throughout June we really want to push to get some more people coming along to perform and listen: certainly new people but also some who have been past regulars and visitors at the club, maybe even to sing songs and play tunes they played earlier in the clubs history.

We knew one week would be short notice, so we didn't have great hopes for a full house but were pleased to be joined by Tom, a member since about 1981. Let's hope for more people joining us in the remaining weeks. If you intend to come along, please consider leaving a message below so that your intention may inspire others who know you or even those that don't.

MC Colin kicked us off with The Folksinger's Lament, written by David Diamond. Colin wasn't sure which tune to use but it turned out to be the Limerick Rake.

Tom started off his contribution in his usual fine style with John Martyn's May You Never for which he claimed a tenuous connection to the last day of May (more of that later).

May at last

Stan Kelly, who wrote Liverpool Lullabye

After last week's bumper gathering this week wasn't as much of a disappointment as it could have been with a good showing of regulars. Being the nearest session to 1 May, May festivals and traditions were in evidence, though, as Derek pointed out, it was surprisingly left to him to be "roving out on a May morning".

Pre-session chat was wide ranging and frank. I won't trouble you, reader with most of it; suffice to say, one strand went from liberty bodices to "going commando" in a few short steps. It was also remarked that the unwanted interloper "the fresian" hasn't made an appearance recently. Anyone who doesn't know the story please understand that I'm not talking about some unwanted folky but a pub regular who has been known to interrupt proceedings sometimes.