Only slightly dodgy

We can just about cog along with three singers present and that's what we had last week. Really we need some more of you to come and swell our numbers. At least one of last week's singers won't be there this Friday so it's all the more important for you make an effort. Three just about works, five is OK, more is much better.

Colin kicked us off with Murray Lewis' Forgotten the words. Simon continued with Geordie (roud 90, child 209) and Geoff completed the first rotation with The little beggarman (roud 900).

I won't go through the whole of the evening, you can almost do that by using the "a selection" link below. There were just two songs, both sung by Simon, for which there isn't a video linkable there. The first deserves a bit of a preamble.

Geoff noted that the Doom Bar (beer from Cornwall) wasn't at its best this week. Simon recalled a recent occasion when it had been worse. Conversation continued for a while along the lines of how well beer is kept by different pubs, where you can get a cheap, well kept pint, and how some pubs don't have enough turnover of beer for particular ales which don't keep well. This conversation led Colin to sing A pub with no beer. Note that on this blog Colin's song has previously been credited to Slim Dusty who did indeed record it, but in fact it was Gordon Parsons who wrote it, adapted from a poem by Dan Sheahan (A pub without beer).

Simon immediately referred to a song written by our old friend Richard Gillion about him and the fact that he drinks Doom Bar at the club. Simon had never sung the song and didn't think he could. Later however he looked up the words which refer not only to Simon, but also to a number of songs he sings and the fact that he used to bring a bodhrán to sessions. The song in question is The dodgy Doombar and he managed to squeeze out a rendition. Don't worry, the beer is usually better than this at The Bridge Inn.

The other song with no easily link-able video, again sung by Simon, is The Lincolnshire song written by John Sykes and sung here by his daughter Miranda. The video is there on YouTube alright, but is part of a much longer performance. By the wonders of YouTube we can link an index into the video here, but not in the playlist.

It also fell to Simon to finish off the evening, which he did in his customary way with When all men sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford). It's always guaranteed to get people singing, even when there's only three, and even when, as this time, Simon's throat demands that he turn down the volume from 11 to maybe 7 or 8. Perhaps the plaster wasn't quite shaken from the wall this time - our hosts Helen and Mark might be grateful for that.

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

(Number of people present - 3 of whom 3 performed)

Song and chat

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was better populated than the previous one, but still just three singers turned up. It might have been more if it weren't for a COVID-19 infection... all sorted now.

Colin started the evening with the reply to Pat Cooksey's The Sick Note. I'm afraid I haven't managed to find the reply.

There weren't many songs sung through the evening, instead there was plenty of chat on various subjects including health problems, moving house and house surveys.

The singing continued with:

• Mike - Good English Ale (roud 1512)
• Geoff - Good Hearted Woman (Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson)
• Colin - Song of the leaders (Brian Pearson)
• Mike - Twanky-dillo (roud 2409)
• Geoff - The tinkerman's daughter (Michael MacConnell)
• Colin - Kick the cat (Pat McIntyre)

Geoff finished off the evening with The Comical Genious.

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

(Number of people present - 3 of whom 3 performed)

Solo

Busker in Oxford (Photo: Simon Meeds)

Colin was ploughing a lonely furrow at last week's Dragon Folk Club session. While we may ask "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" we should probably trust that Colin did indeed sing some songs and he says he may sing some of the same ones this Friday when he hopes there will be someone to hear them.

In fact he did pretty well to sing a total of eleven songs before calling it a night - and presumably draining his glass. I clearly wasn't there, so I may have incorrectly guessed some of the songs he sang, but here goes nothing:

• Caledonia (Dougie MacLean)
• Sinner Man (African traditional)
• Aragon mill (Si Kahn)
• Somebody's grandmother / The Kugelsburg bank (Charlie King, Lu Mitchell)
• The South Medomsley Strike (Tommy Armstrong)
• Preab San Ól (Riocard Bairéad)
• Bucketful of mountain dew (roud 938)
  
• The gaol song (roud 1077)
• The dancing / It's Saturday night at the Adam Smith hall (Andy Shanks, Jim Russell)
• Bruton town (roud 18, laws M32)
• Goldwatch blues (Mick Softley)

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

(Number of people present - 1 of whom 1 performed)

Apologies

Sorry but I won't be able to write a proper report of tonight's Dragon Folk Club session, but here's a very quick summary. It was good to see Steve C who had not visited us for a while. There was no official theme but Simon and Steve between them worked up a minor one on the Great Lakes with songs from the pens of Gordon Lightfoot and Stan Rogers.

During the evening we got through 27 songs, that's nine each, and we still had time for some chat.

Why not join us next Friday? See you there.

(Number of people present - 3 of whom 3 performed)