re Rochester

Richard - the session in the Vic & Bull was Irish (billed as such), we had played there all afternoon, and still had a few different tunes to get out of our systems!
John's session was well attended and you got the chance to play one tune every hour and a half!
And we played inside as well afterwards.

Yes Karen defused a very difficult situation, and very discreetly, but it was a dispute between friends and nothing to do with the music except that one spoilt person expected total silence in a pub (or so I understand it as I was outside). Perhaps that one should try playing in a pub session where a darts team is playing and football is on the TV)

But yes, John runs a "tight" session and all respect to him.

Sorry your daughter was upset, but if she's over 18 she will know that in pubs disagreements and inappropriate behaviour fuelled by alchohol, will occur. Its up to you as a parent to help her deal with it, rather than being condemnatory of others.


dave folkie
Rochester is basically a dance (morris) rather than "folk" music festival. Us (we) musos are pretty well just camp followers.


In olden times there were no motor cars, and people travelled long distances by boat.
If you look at the map you will see the ferry routes between Scandinavia, Scotland and N Ireland (Yes I know Dublin is a Viking town as well), and between Spain and Southern Ireland, and between Cornwall and Britanny. These have been links for trade and culture for several thousand years, and partly explain cultural similarities.

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Yes perhaps we should avoid the term "folkies". In modern parlance we are "community musicians, singers, dancers and actors". The traditional music that we are rightly associated with was once new, the "pop" music of its time, and so there is no reason why
we should avoid new non-commercial compositions. Indeed, until recently a musician was expected to compose and improvise.

Yes there is a great difference between a folk club where the "great" are paid to entertain the "punters", and a sing-around or session where we go to enjoy doing what we love (and hope that the rest of the pub's customers will enjoy it mas well!).
But if the "Punters" don't hear the music performed well, how will they be moved to learn to play or sing, and eventually join in a session where mistakes (and even bodhran players), while not approved of, are never condemned, and finally become musicians themselves?

Incidently the fiddle can be played in the "french" style, held low against the chest and bowed almost vertically, in a crowded pub. As long as you're not in a chair with arms.

As many of you have said, the main thing for us is to KEEP MUSIC ALIVE no matter where it is played.