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WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT!
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WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: alison Date: 06 May 98 - 07:00 AM Hi, Like may of the rest of you I was doing a search for lyrics and discovered the database first. Then I put in a request for an odd song about "being flagellated by an octopus.".... needless to say I got some sick replies and I've been hooked ever since. I have a confession to make....... it was me who introduced Alan of Oz to mudcat too. Poor guy's hooked too!! I'm off on holiday for a few weeks. See you all when I get back. Slainte Alison |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: Date: 05 May 98 - 10:44 PM Because there's a there here. To paraphrase that famous folkie, Gertrude Stein. |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: Pete M Date: 05 May 98 - 08:03 PM Wonderful knowledge base, stimulating conversation, shared interest and *friends* - what more could you want? Pete Matcham (Pete M) |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: Harald Date: 05 May 98 - 02:00 PM I really don´t know when and why I found mudcat. But I did. Never liked discussion forums with their answer threads spreaded up like branches on a tree. I never found what I looked for and sometimes even was disgusted by the style used there. So what a luck when I came across mudcat. From the first minute I liked it not only for getting new lyrics, but for the friendly and very amicable athmosphere here. That´s why I came back everyday I was at work :-) Alice, you´re absolutely right. I never thought, a computer could be helpful in playing music, but it really is ! The problem at my place is: Only few are making music, and even fewer like folk. So to whom talk about topics like bodhrán making or where Spancil Hill is. Most interesting are all the stories behind lyrics. All the stuff added by someone after lyrics were submitted and the thread seemed to be finished. Oh man, the evening I read the boolavogue-thread I really took out my Ireland maps and started making plans about the next trip to Ireland. All the best for you all, Harald from Berlin, Germany (Just because Art asked: I´m the man in the middle , who sings hey doo wa diddle (no Manfred, too un-folky, better: the one who plays the fiddle... |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: Jaxon Date: 05 May 98 - 01:29 PM The music and the people are what keep me coming back. This is the closest I'll probably ever come to a chat room. I can think of no other place that you can get the personal level of help that the Mudact provides. My real name is Jack Murray and I live in Franklin, Ma.. Because I'm close to Boston and Cambridge I'm not isolated musically but you never have too many friends in the music world. Jack |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: Barry Finn Date: 05 May 98 - 01:22 PM Alice, Erica, opera isn't as rare among folkies as I thought. Not me but one of the guys in our group loves to sing it (I don't have a clue), he's also wild aboutthe songs of the Alpenie (sp?, that's how it sounds), it's songs from the Alpenie Mountain soldiers that fought with the allies during WWII, after practice he tries to start us going on 50's & 60's Do Whop. A little over a year ago I broke both legs, I had just got my first dose of hi-teck, it was a delight to have the folk world over while I mended, Ive been just about daily since. I've been walking around for years looking to fill in the gaps of some of the stuff I do, waiting for someone from Oz to explain this or run into some else from Scotland to fill in that or I heard this thing at a festival but no one else can give a clue as to who, what or where, until Mudcat. I enjoy passing along my 2 cents as well the info. Some folks here I've known & sung with for 20 yrs, John Nolan over to my East & I get to see Ricky Rackin, my old roommate, once & a while, 3000 miles away. There are others I've sung & partyed with, who's names I see in the members list who I'm looking forward to seeing when they do get around to showing up in the forum, & it's nice to put a face on the names I see here, like meetig Dick & Susan at the Champlain Valley Folk Fest. & LaMarcia & her husband at the NEFFA fest. (they were wonderful, lots of talent there). And the likes of the personalities that hang about, opinions from the world over, more about folk than could be hoped for. I see where getting the likes of Frank Harte lately (welcome aboard), Louie Killen lurkes about from time to time, Art's been a steady (sorry you're hooked, but it's nice to have the company), Abbey Sale's been out there knocking but won't come in, yet, come in Abbey, you're as appreciated as much in here as you were on the newsgroup. So we have in here from the great to the green & all as pleasast as pie & drinking from the same trough, it's as good as a festival that just keeps going on without the slightest hint of fatigue. Thankfully, Barry |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: erica Date: 05 May 98 - 12:30 PM yay, alice!! another opera singin' mudcatter! (i don't think i've ever met anyone who did both before..nice to know i'm not alone with that!) as far as reasons for coming here, i keep returning for all the incredible stories and information that everyone so freely gives, and maybe to find something that i could give back on. i haven't yet gotten a chance to really reciprocate a favour, but i certainly will if i get a chance (with my rather limited music knowledge)! i must admit that i tend to just be a lurker in these pages, though, because generally any thoughts i have on a subject are already expressed by the time i get on a thread. but wow, you folks are just completely great--thanks for all the help, both directly and in-, because i've gotten so much out of threads that i didn't even have any connection to. erica walz, scotia, ny, usa |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: Alice Date: 05 May 98 - 11:30 AM I, too, discovered the database first, then the Mudcat... and I am so happy that I did. There is no other place like it. I have checked into a few other forums on topics such as gardening, birdwatching, nature, but none of them have developed the community that the Mudcat has developed. I think because the lyrics and music can become such an intimate part of our personal (and family) history, there is no bond like the bond shared through music. I have been touched by the number of stories that are connected to the music... father's, grandmother's, etc. The story of how Spancilhill was written is a good example. Since we are dropping our vitual masks, I can tell you that my full name is Alice Colleen Flynn. I was born in Great Falls, Montana, raised in Helena, and have lived in Bozeman since 1970.(Photo at http://www.mcn.net/~acflynn/Alice.html ). Travelled from Montana to Central America and back in a 1949 Buick, and have a love of El Salvador, where I lived. I like most kinds of music. Irish and American folk music was my early family influence. When I worked at the college FM radio station as a student, I would spin alot of blues records and other styles of music. Since I have been studying voice for the last few years, I developed a taste for Opera, which I never understood until now. (Still don't know enough about it to discuss it.) I felt alone in a desert void of anyone who sang or played folk music ... it seemed to have died... until I found the Irish session going on every week here. The Mudcat discussions really have enriched my life with the ability to give and take information and stories about this type of music. Alice |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: Ireland O'Reilly Date: 05 May 98 - 10:21 AM I actually found MudCat by accident. :) I was doing a search on the 'net for folk music, and lo and behold, there was Mudcat. I checked it out mainly because i liked the name, and I keep coming back because I find the site fascinating & friendly. I like to get the honest opinions of "real" people. I also like the user-friendliness of the site. I'm only a sometime folksinger (i.e. in the summer months, when there are more outdoor concerts, benefits, etc.) but I'm a full-time lover of music. My real "first love" is not performing, but writing. My lyrical attempts are mostly in the genres of folk music and sacred music. My musical tastes are about the same as that. I like to listen to folk, jazz, classical and sacred. I guess my real area of knowledge is sacred music. My "nom de mudcat" (Great phrase, Murray!!!) is of my own invention, i confess. Ireland O'Reilly- she is the central character in my book-in-progress (a collecton of interrelated short stories, which i hope to have completed by early in 1999). My real name is Wendy, and I'm from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Live on, Mudcat! |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: barstow Date: 05 May 98 - 09:41 AM I found Mudcat thi first day I went online last November, and now that access is improved visit almost daily. I confess to lurking for the most part, waiting to see where the threads are going. The database is amazing. I have filled in gaps, missing verses, etc. in stuff I have been playing and singing for 30 years. And if you "stump the Database", all of you are out there... sort of a real time folk process. There is a sense of community. This discussion format with traceable threads is much easier (and less time consuming) than either of the discussion lists (FIDDLE-L and IRTrad)to which I subscribe. My "real" name is Chris Siegel. (the Barstow is my middle name) Main interests are Celtic fiddle tunes, but my song bag has folk, swing, chanteys, some good old R+B, R+R, and unaccompanied bawdy ditties. Bert sums it up. "I came for the database and stayed for the people." Chris |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: Bert Date: 05 May 98 - 08:51 AM I came for the database and stayed for the people. Also this is the easiest site to use. I have not seen many others where you can scroll through the thread. Bert. |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: murray@mpce.mq.edu.au Date: 05 May 98 - 02:53 AM My name is Murray Adelman, Art. To stick out my neck even more, you can see a picture of me at http://www-math.mpce.mq.edu.au/~ross/maths/photos/madelman.gif I choose my nome d'mudcat because (a) There was already a Murray posting at the time. (b) My old UNIX habits which lead me to choose a name without any spaces. I think we do have a community here. The thing we seem to have in common is our ACTIVE interest in music. That doesn't mean we are all players, but, for example, we tend to run to our books and other sites to find out information--some of it quite scholarly. You will see somebody who is interested in Blues make non-trivial contributions to a thread on Celtic music. Like Joe I have drifted away from rec.music.folk. I found most of the postings shallow--about this or that cassette or this or that artist. (There are some pretty sharp "lurkers" there, however.) I feel a lack of tolerance in the folk and the guitar players newsgroups that doesn't exist here. I won't try to analyse why it is the case--I will simply enjoy it. By the way, I discovered the forum when a friend of mine told me about the database. Being a natural "sticky beak" I had to see what was going on. Murray |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: Humdinger Folksinger Date: 05 May 98 - 01:33 AM I don't feel my day is complete unless I've checked Mudcat a few times. My cousin in Rocky Mount, NC turned me on to the site. Allow me to digress a bit ... In '79, I heeded the immortal words of Horace Greeley and "Went West Young Woman," feeling like my style of music had died and hoping to find it in Oregon. There is a great diversity of music in Portland, but I didn't find what I was looking for; maybe I didn't look in the right places, maybe I truly thought it had died. So, after 12 years, I headed north to the true last frontier, Alaska; specifically Fairbanks. There were some good acoustic musicians, but I still didn't find what I was seeking. After 6 of the most unique years of my life, I decided to head east, southeast, again, and wound up in Tallahassee. By this time, I've given up hope ... until I discovered all these first cousins who have "discovered" folk music! Then I started checking out the Mudcat site on a regular basis and found a whole world of traditionalists and old folkies, and I was literally blown away. I am so in awe of the depth of knowledge contained here and I wish I had known this type of influence when I was a struggling folksinger; perhaps I would never have fallen prey to the lures of capitalist society. By following the threads and tossing in my two cents occasionally, I feel as if I have gotten to know some of you pretty well, by the way you express your thoughts on different subjects, i.e., censorship, etc. Thanks to all and keep the wheels a'turnin' ... ttfn ... Humdinger (Jenny) Folksinger
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: Frank in the swamps Date: 05 May 98 - 12:49 AM When I first got my computer I went looking for music. I believe it was Richard Robinsons Tunebook (a great site, in the mudcat links) that lead me to the digital tradition. WOW! talk about striking the jackpot. I posted a request with only a half remembered scrap of verse, next day I had "Trannent Muir". I was hooked. Since then I've come to know a community of very fine people, conversations here, as anyone can see, range from the very serious to the downright hilarious. Help on musical questions is only a keystroke away. Art, my real name is Frank Edge. I realized that the personality we see on the screen is only a facet of the total person, so I chose the moniker 'In the Swamps'. I live in Florida, if I am having LOTS & LOTS of fun, I am either... 1) Playing guitar. 2) Doing something very private with my Lady Fair. 3) In a canoe, or up to my knees in muck chasing snakes and spiders. Frank. |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: Leprechaun Date: 05 May 98 - 12:41 AM Questions I have had for months or years about obscure lyrics or songs have been answered by folks at this site, usually within a day or two. Many questions have engendered interesting philosophical discussions among thoughtful, intelligent people from all over the world. Even the livelier discussions are done in a respectful tone. I wear my Mudcat T-shirt with pride! |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: Jon W. Date: 05 May 98 - 12:11 AM In a word, acceptance. I'm the only one I know who really likes the music I like. Oh, my wife likes Irish all right, but she tends towards the more modern and new-age-ish stuff (Enya et. al.) where I go for the traditional. Plenty of guys around like the blues--but mention Son House, Charlie Patton, and Tommy Johnson and they don't have a clue. And as for just plain old American folk, I don't know anyone who listens to it 'sides me. So it's good to be able to discuss it with others. And I get a kick out of answering those lyric requests and other tidbits of trivia that float around in my brain. Jon W. |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: Gene E Date: 04 May 98 - 10:56 PM I like the fact that I can find other blues fans. End of story. |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: DWDitty Date: 04 May 98 - 10:14 PM Great thread, Art. I have expressed many of these feelings in thank you threads to Max. The Cat is a community in every sense - but more so. While there are certainly strong expressions of emotion, no one is out-right rude to another Catter. (Please don't tell me we all have to be connected electronically to realize Rodney King's request to just get along!) For whatever reason, I come back every day to see what's up - - and will continue to do so. BTW, has anyone heard from Peter (San Diego, I think). I always found his contibutions to be both thoughtful and very funny. DWDitty (Rich Gallagher) |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: Art Thieme Date: 04 May 98 - 09:37 PM Sure do agree with all of you!! I'd never ever used a computer before January when I went out and got one. Almost first thing I found was Mudcat. In many ways it's been a lifesaver for me. Friends made when touring now come right home with me via this cyber-thing. The SONGS are now part of me and part of my life. That happens when one has been singing to make ends meet for almost 40 years. But the community, that we truly are a part of, was lost when I had to leave off traveling and gigging. Now, through E-mail and Mudcat, I stay in touch more than I ever could before. Glad you ALL are here. Wish I knew more by real names though. When coming in to this "club" I was too new to know there might be valid reasons to stay anonymous--so I didn't. I've mixed feelings now about that, but I'm generally glad to be up front there. Hell, if I wasn't in the phone book a decade ago I wouldn't have gotten any gigs! Yes, it does seem we came here for similar reasons!! Nice to know!------Art
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: Bo Date: 04 May 98 - 05:49 PM I really like the chatty format of the message list. I think part of reason the chat room wasn't widely used is that the list has so much room for responce, in a more considerred directed (on topic) format. When I first joined the mudcat I was really blown away by the Data base ( I still am !) but I think the sense of shared purpose in expanding it and creating something is more prevalent than awe, for what has been created. I do think this is the best 'songbook' in the world because you can contribute to it both by request and addition. I really have to thank all the reqular contributors as well, Bruce, Art, Joe, Allison ..... I like seeing a header and having a notion of other opinions\posts from that person. It's really the regular contributors that determine what is "folk" here. There is no way to thank the creators of Mudcat for their sense of hospitality. Max and everyone, you really have created a 'space' in cyberspace that gathers good people and the best folk songbook in the world. Bo |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: BAZ Date: 04 May 98 - 05:34 PM I haven't got a wordy reason but what happens when the Pub shuts or the gig finishes? The singers keep singing the musicians keep playing and we all keep talking about music and swapping songs. Sounds like Mudcat to me! A great place to be after hours. Baz |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: Roger Himler Date: 04 May 98 - 05:09 PM I'm new to the Mudcat, but I am already addicted. I guess I first logged on in February after doing a search for information about Lead Belly. I was led to this area. I didn't get the information I wanted right away, but I got a nice friendly response. So I kept coming back. As I read threads, I found I had some information to offer as well. So here's a group of people who share a common interest in music. I feel like I learn information, especially little twigs of information that I wouldn't learn anywhere else. If a question comes to mind, very few go unanswered for long. Sometimes you don't get an answer, just an opinion or a related question, but you do get a response. It feels very casual. I also came on at a time when the Mudcat was having problems. But the problems got taken care of and the feeling is that Max and his friends truly care about the forum and the people on it. What amazes me, is that there must be a large number of *lurkers* on this forum if it gets so overloaded. *Lurkers* are people who scan the threads, but never respond and never ask questions. I am just beginning to get a sense of personalities like Art, but that is an attraction to. May Mudcat keep on keepin' on. Roger in Baltimore |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: steve t Date: 04 May 98 - 05:00 PM I just saw Alice's post. Good points, Alice. I know it's not terribly logical, but I do tend to feel I know people simply because of the songs they choose to sing and how they sing them. And though it's not as strong, I kind of expect certain qualities in fans of folk music -- empathy for others is the strongest one (not in the sense of being terribly understanding, but in the sense of not wanting to knowingly hurt others). And if you feel empathy for others, it can be painful when they feel indifferent to, or loudly dislike your music. Mudcat feels like a very safe place. I was in my early twenties before I found out that there were lots of other people who also liked folk music. I remember my bogglement over the fact that most musicians I met were FAMILIAR with, often liked, Wild Mountain Thyme, for example. And women -- I don't think it had ever occured to me that there were lots of women who liked folk music. Wow. I feel accepted here. People are helpful and friendly. The wiser people (quite wisely) never come down hard on anyone, even me. I hope the Objectionable Material and Cop Killer threads don't wound anyone. I've been fascinated by the opinions though. Sadly though, I expect mudcatting is usually a binge thing for me. |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: Alice Date: 04 May 98 - 04:57 PM I agree with you Art and Joe. I also feel that having the database search right here at our fingertips keeps us discussing and sharing the lyrics and songs. The way this forum is set up makes it easy to give a quick response (while the emotions are still hot) without having to jump through too many hoops. I credit Max for designing a very friendly layout for the forum. All the little extras like being able to trace a thread easily and to search the forum quickly make the barriers come down. It is just as if we were all sitting around together, talking, with a library of information at our fingertips to add to the discussion. I enjoy how people can relate their personal stories, start a thread like our 'fantasy' song circles, what kind of instruments we own, etc. I was just thinking about this yesterday... that there are people in other parts of the world that I would never have met except for the Mudcat, and they are people with whom I feel a bond through the music interests we share here. Alice in Montana |
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Subject: RE: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: Joe Offer Date: 04 May 98 - 02:51 PM I suppose another vein to explore is what's the difference between this forum and rec.music.folk. I used to follow rec.music.folk, but lately I've neclected RMF and spent all my time here. I think it's mostly because this is a more friendly atmosphere, and people here let their personalities shine through. RMF has always been a good place to exchange folk music INFORMATION. Here, you get to know real PEOPLE. Darn nice people, too. -Joe Offer- |
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Subject: WHY WE GRAVITATE TO MUDCAT! From: Art Thieme Date: 04 May 98 - 02:39 PM For me it's got to be to encounter kindred spirits who approach this music somewhat like I do. I've been with a few music lists, some with academic "purposes" (supposedly) and some not. It's here I keep on returning just to see what's come up and I want or need to get involved in. But it all comes down to feeling comfortable here, finding what I want generally and not being alienated by what goes down. That sounds like the old pleasure principle in action. And I hope some o' what I have to add might be helpful too. (Sounds a bit like sex too, don't it?) I'm wondering why others have come here ?? (Just realized I've not used the word FOLK anywhere in this message. Strange, but maybe not!) Art
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