A Solid Session

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

With Colin back in the MC's chair it was another excellent Dragon Folk Club session last week. There were six singers and two people made up our audience: Hazel and Jane. There was no theme, and that was reflected in the variety of songs.

With no theme again this Friday you are encouraged to come along and show us any type of performance as long as it's acoustic. If you want to bring your own theme then that's fine too.

Last Friday MC Colin started proceedings with a parody written by friend of the club, Richard Gillion, The last thing on your mind (#), as Richard puts it with "apologies to Tom Paxton".

Simon kept it parody, and referred to the singing of the source song the previous week, with Mary McCloud's House of the rising damp.

Paul M made us chuckle with Tommy Armstrong's apparent recollections of the first few days after his birth in The birth of the lad (* Tommy Armstrong) or more properly "Th' Borth E Th' Lad", and Denny kept it light with Les Barker's Sloop John A.

Paul W reprised his new song from three weeks before, I will always love you (Les Sullivan).

Heather brought the first rotation to a close with Save the last dance for me (* Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman).

There was a good number of other songs new to the Dragon database:

• Heather - Que sera sera (* Jay Livingston, Ray Evans)
• Paul M - The Batavia shanty (* John Warner)
• Paul M - Joli Rouge (* The Dreadnoughts) - about the Canadian cider of the same name
• Colin - The Dorset Juggernaut (* Bonny Sartin)
• Paul M - Lowlands low (* roud 8286) - yes, this appears to be a different song from Lowlands (roud 681) which shares a roud entry with Lowlands (roud 681).

This week it fell to Denny to finish off the session and she had us all chorusing along to Dave Dodds' I can hew boys.

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

(Number of people present - 8 of whom 6 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though not always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

Striding forth

Paul W striding forth at Clevedon
(Photo: Simon Meeds) 

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was another great one. Paul M returned for his second visit - let's hope there will be many more. Simon dropped the bombshell that it was VE Day. To the relief of others he wasn't suggesting a theme, but simply admitting that he had forgotten to set the theme. Nevertheless, a few appropriate songs were aired during the evening.

As far as I know there is no theme again this Friday, but don't let that stop you bringing your own theme if you have the urge. Otherwise who knows? Something may emerge.

Colin, MC as usual, started us off with The seven wonders (traditional, collected by Mick Tems of Pontardawe).

Simon followed his wartime non-theme with Plover Catcher (Elizabeth Padgett).

It was great to see Steve C for the second time in a fortnight, and his first song was The field behind the plow (sic) (Stan Rogers).

Paul M gave us the evening's first song new to the Dragon database, one that his father used to sing, The ghost thit' anted Bunty (roud V45218 - Tommy Armstrong) - which translates from Geordie as "The ghost that haunted Bunty".

Paul W and Denny both made their first songs ones that were not previously in the Dragon database, and Denny's was not to be found on YouTube. Paul's was I will always love you (* Les Sullivan) and Denny's was Moon names (*# Charlotte Oliver) - complete with a link to the official recording on bandcamp.

Thinking of Paul's song, I wonder whether there is a thing to be made of writing songs with the names of other, well-known songs. I used to know a great chap called Jim Carroll (not the well-known one, but the one seen at the beginning of this video acting the fool), sadly no longer with us. If we were having a song session in a public bar and someone said, as they often did, something like "Do you know Free bird?", Jim would pick up his guitar and improvise a blues of the same name. At other times his speciality was pseudo-flamenco.

After that digression, this brings us to the end of the first rotation.

There were just two further songs new to the database last week, both from Paul M:

• Grace Darling (* roud 1441)
• The rising of the moon (* roud 9634)

Paul modified the words of Grace Darling slightly in the hope of emphasising that she was a woman rather than that she was English. All nevertheless joined in with the chorus.

As the session came to an end it was Denny's turn to sing and she picked our oft-used finisher-offer, When all men sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford). Rather than simply the customary joining in of the chorus, this became a truly communal song as Denny handed over to Paul W, and he in turn to Simon to finish off the last verse. And so was ended a very enjoyable evening.

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

(Number of people present - 6 of whom 6 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though no always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).