New faces

Sheep shearing at the North Somerset Show
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

We're doing really well for new faces at the Dragon Folk Club recently and last week was no exception. I don't believe either Kevin or Sarah had been to a folk club before. Sarah decided not to sing, but after observing the first rotation Kevin offered us a song on the second and on each subsequent one. Well done Kevin! Your efforts were appreciated.

Colin, our regular MC, started off with a song previously sung at the club by our friend Terry Cock, but not previously recorded in the Dragon database: John Willie's ferret (* Larry Kearns, Gerry Kearns). Larry conceived the idea for the song after John, a deer-stalker friend of the Oldham Tinkers, told how he used to take his ferrets to parties and of the havoc they caused. It is a fun song, a bit of aural slapstick. Larry wrote the words and Gerry wrote half the tune but adapted the chorus from Sur le Pont d’ Avignon (the linked version is an interesting mix of French and German).

Paul gave us Thousands or more (roud 1220) and Denny contributed Byker Hill (roud 3488).

Simon followed Colin's example by singing My grandfather's ferret (Derek Jolly) about another mischievous mustelid.

Bob's first of the evening came from his blues repertoire and was Brownie McGhee's So much trouble. Sue thought she would cheer us up with Swinging on a star (Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke), and so finished the first rotation.

Denny sang a version of the Sheep shearing song (roud 812) collected quite locally, in the Mendips which I assume to be the version collected by Cecil Sharp from William ‘Farmer’ King.

As usual I will mention all the songs of a newcomer to the Dragon, and Kevin's debut was Drill ye tarriers drill (roud 4401 - Thomas Casey, Charles Connolly).

Sue sang Low bridge, everybody down (roud 6598 - Thomas S Allen) "I've got an old mule and her name is Sal, Fifteen miles on the Eerie canal". Colin assures us that he had already planned his next song, which was therefore coincidentally The Ee-rye-ee Canal (roud 6599).

Kevin's second song transported us to Botany Bay (roud 3267).

Denny, like Colin earlier, sang a song from the repertoire of Terry Cock without knowing it; I believe she has come across Terry only once. The song was Ted Edwards' Weepin' and wailin' (*).

Kevin's third song introduced us to Henry Russell's last words (* Diana Jones), a mining disaster song made famous by Joan Baez. His final song of the evening was Carrickfergus (roud 17556 - Dominic Behan).

The final song of the session, coming from Denny, was Good English ale (roud 1512).

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

(Number of people present - 8 of whom 7 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 (#).

New lease of life

The Jacobite Steam Train approaching Glenfinnan Viaduct
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Your usual scribe wasn't at the Dragon Folk Club for last week's session and yet there was a decent turn-out including one very welcome newcomer, Joe, a very good guitarist and singer. Because I wasn't present please forgive any inaccuracies in this report. While I was provided with some good notes, there's nothing like being there to avoid having to make certain assumptions.

Paul Kicked off the 

Paul Kicked off the evening with Louis/Louisa Killen's The last Leviathan (*): a version of Andy Barnes' The Last of the Great Whales. This was not only the first song of the evening, but also the first new entry of the evening into the Dragon database and like all of them is marked with an asterisk (*). Denny followed Paul with The good old way (* roud 23864)

Next came Colin with Leonard Cohen's Suzanne, followed by the first pair of songs from Stuart an Carrie performing as a duo: Dink's song (* roud 10057) and On broadway (* Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller).

Bob's first song was John Prine's New train and Sue's was Swinging on a star (Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke).

Steve gave us The Blarney roses (roud 6329) before newcomer, Joe performed a set of three tunes: Hector the hero (* James Scott Skinner), Merrily kissed the quaker (*), and a third the name of which he had forgotten. This brought the first rotation to a close.

It was Joe who had the next "new" song: Radiohead's No surprises (* Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Colin Greenwood, Philip Selway).

Stuart sang what I assume was Daniel Babin's Bryson city (*) and Carrie followed that with Gordon Lightfoot's Daylight Katy (*).

Joe's third performance was of The Lakes of Ponchartrain (roud 1836, laws H9).

Stuart brought us another "new" song in the traditional American Willie Moore (* roud 4816). Carrie also kept us on our toes with Ventura highway (* Dewey Bunnell).

Sue's own Recycled teenager is the only performance (apart from Joe's unnamed tune) that doesn't appear in the playlist linked from "a selection" below.

Joe's last song of the evening was also a self-penned song, but one that can be found on YouTube: Over and over (Joe Boon).

It fell to Paul to finish off the session with Dave Webber's The parting song.

We hope that Joe joins us again very soon, and that you, dear reader, also come and sing to us, with us, or simply listen.

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

(Number of people present - 9 of whom 9 performed)