Burns' Night 2019

Broadside ballad entitled
'A Huy and Cry After Sir John Barlycorn'
by Alexander Pennecuik, 1725

Last week's Burns' Night session led to the singing of many Scottish or Scottish-related songs, and some Burns could even, however debatably, hang his name on. This Friday there doesn't seem to be an official theme though the start of the rugby internationals may give inspiration to some.

Also last week, we enjoyed the company of first time visitors Stuart and Pete, regulars I believe at FAF (Folk Around Fishponds) who mostly performed together, some well-knows songs, and some self-penned.

Colin, our regular MC, started the evening off with Captain Beaky's take on Scottish Tradition, The Haggis Season (Jeremy Lloyd, Jim Parker).

Stuart and Pete were reasonably unprepared for our theme and started off their contribution with the surprisingly old The Cat Came Back written by Harry S Miller, which was published in 1893. Colin persuaded them, as is the tradition with duos, to sing two songs per round, at least in the first part of the evening. Their second was Ukelele Man, telling, in the form of Jerry Reed's Guitar Man, of Pete's challenge of finding places to play his instrument.

North East and North West

F. Parker Glass Plate
King George V Bridge, Newcastle-on-Tyne

Last week's session had no theme but as often some emerged as the evening went on. In fact at the beginning we thought we weren't going to be quorate and were resigned to singing a couple of songs each and calling it a night when who should turn up but Mike and his canine companion and occasional singer (OK, howler and winer) Indy.

Colin kicked off the evening with I Wish They'd Do It Now (Roud 1401). Derek picked up on the first line of the song, "I was born of Geordie parents" and decided to make Geordies his chosen theme, for a while at least. He warmed up with Jowl Jowl And Listen (Roud 3191).

Simon wasn't yet ready to join in that theme, so he gave us Sally Gardens (Roud V28639) which as has been noted here before, WB Yeats wrote based on half-remembered snatches of The Rambling Boys Of Pleasure (Roud 386).

Nowt so queer as folk

Benny Havens

Though it was good to see Geoff back in the fold last week, the flock was somewhat depleted from recent weeks. We hope we can build up a few more attendees, even if they aren't able to be there every week.

There was no official theme and Colin started us off with Benny Havens Oh! (Roud 15581). Benny Havens served as a first lieutenant in the British-American War of 1812. By 1832 he was living in a cottage at West Point, the United States Military Academy. Initially he sold ale, cider, and buckwheat cakes, later diversifying into stronger drinks which saw him expelled from the military reservation in 1832.

Shortly after his expulsion, Benny Havens opened a tavern about a mile and a half from cadet barracks. Cadets would illicitly visit the establishment. Havens died in 1877 and his tavern still exists but has been moved.

During the American Civil War the song was widely sung in the army, and many army verses were improvised. During the summer of 1865 when boatloads of returning soldiers passed Benny's daily, the bands would strike up 'Benny Havens, Oh!' while hundreds of voices joined in the song.

New Year 2019

Whittenham Clumps, Oxfordshire, New Year's Day 2000
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Happy New Year to everyone, and indeed that was our theme for last Friday's Dragon Folk Club session. This week there will be no pre-planned theme, nor next week, but that will then bring us to 25 January and Burns' Night!

Last week Colin was MC and started the evening off with Rothesay-o (Roud 2142) which starts "One Hogmanay at Glesca Fair".

Steve C made on of his semi-regular appearances and started his contribution with the seasonal The Snow It Melts The Soonest (Roud 3154). Simon was nervous about pulling the rug from under Mike by singing The January Man (Dave Goulder) but Mike encouraged him to sing it.

Christmas II 2018

We have missed a week at Dragon Folk Club and I've had a rest, so this report is looking back to our second, less official Christmas session of 2018 on 21 December and forward to our first session of 2019 on 4 January. All will welcome as usual and the New Year theme is definitely optional.

Back to Christmas II 2018 and the session was started off by MC, Colin with John Prine's Christmas In Prison.

It was very nice to see a return visit by our friends from Yorkshire, Janet and Malcolm. Malcolm read a poem in the first part of the evening about cooking the Christmas goose but he wasn't able to perform the second piece he had prepared because it was something along the lines of pass-the-parcel and needed more people than we had by the time his second spot came round.