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Subject: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Desert Dancer Date: 08 Jun 10 - 11:56 AM Jon Boden's got a new site on the web: A Folk Song A Day. From the initial post: "Welcome to A Folk Song A Day, the new project from Jon Boden. From the 24th June 2010 (midsummers day), Jon will be releasing a new version of a traditional folk song each and every day for a year. "On this site we'll be bringing you the chance to listen to each new track for a short time after its initial release." He's got a long post of explanation, which starts with this: The main idea behind afolksongaday.com is to try and do my bit for raising the profile of unaccompanied social singing. Most of the songs on the site are songs that I have sung for years but rarely on stage and never on albums – songs that I have learnt because I wanted to be able to sing them in the pub. -- I learned of it from EFDSS via Facebook. I'll be checking in... ~ Becky in Tucson http://www.afolksongaday.com/Reinhard Zierke's index to the Boden project.Also see: Australian Folk Song a Day |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Tootler Date: 08 Jun 10 - 02:42 PM An interesting project. Will have to try and remember to check it nearer the time. |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: PercyBysshe Date: 08 Jun 10 - 02:43 PM Really excited about this, and have already bookmarked the site. |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: JohnH Date: 08 Jun 10 - 05:03 PM EFDSS on facebook says it's a podcast as well! |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: MC Fat Date: 08 Jun 10 - 06:49 PM A few years ago the manificantly talented singers from East Yorkshire (tho sadly no longer with us) Richard Wastling said that a challenge was put to the White Horse Folk Club, Beverley that singers not sing the same song for a year. he rose to that challenge, said it was hard, but in the end learned a load of new stuff. Basically your repetoire should evolve, keep the favs but add new favs |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Desert Dancer Date: 08 Jun 10 - 10:47 PM Yes, that's the other point of it, he says: "Lastly I have noticed that, since becoming a parent, the rate of my song 'acquisition' has slowed significantly – basically because I find it much harder to get out to pub-sings these days. My current repertoire is something like 240 songs, so to complete the whole year I will have to learn half as many again. This is a tall order but there are so many songs that I've been meaning to learn for so long – I'm hoping this project will spur me out of song learning stasis and back into being in the habit of learning." |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Rain Dog Date: 24 Jun 10 - 03:23 AM The first song "The Larks They Sang Melodious" is up on the site now |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Leadfingers Date: 24 Jun 10 - 08:30 AM Be fun to find a GOOD parody of each song as they appear - I had the pleasure of joing Johnny Collins and a couple of others about thirty years ago doing The Sharks they played Melodions - A different last line all through ! Please note , I DID say a good parody ! |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: WalkaboutsVerse Date: 24 Jun 10 - 08:48 AM That's quite a repertoire; also heard about a folk-clubs regular who'd go a year, I think, without repeating a song. |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Leadfingers Date: 24 Jun 10 - 10:10 AM When I was performing Solo a LOT I had all my 'Ready for Use' song titles in a book - 18 pages , 24 to a page , and used to do the Pick a numer game in Folk Clubs ! 1 to 18 ? thats that page - 1 to 24 ? Thats THAT song , then sing it !Four hundred and thirty songs ! Couldnt do half of them cold now ! Perhaps I ought to rehearse more ! |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: WalkaboutsVerse Date: 24 Jun 10 - 10:25 AM For me, about sixty by-heart - in theory! P.S: never heard him live but, via myspace, I think Johnny Collins was a great folk-singer. |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Lizzie Cornish 1 Date: 25 Jun 10 - 04:31 AM He should 'go electric'....Jon's great when he plugs in...if you'll pardon the expression.. |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: SteveMansfield Date: 25 Jun 10 - 05:10 AM He should 'go electric'....Jon's great when he plugs in...if you'll pardon the expression.. But the first sentence of his explanatory post, http://www.afolksongaday.com/2010/05/21/a-folk-song-a-day-why/,, explicitly states that "The main idea behind afolksongaday.com is to try and do my bit for raising the profile of unaccompanied social singing." So, judging by that, the big electric band arrangements are probably going to be conspicuous by their absence ... meanwhile there's two good songs done and posted on the blog, a mere 363 to go! |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: GUEST,DA Date: 25 Jun 10 - 05:48 AM I am a big fan of Jon's, but I fail to understand how making more recordings is helping social singing. There would have been far better ways to support this aim, and the whole project seems a bit... personality driven, which is - I'm sure - the opposite to what Jon is intending. |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: matt milton Date: 25 Jun 10 - 06:25 AM He's not aiming to help "social singing". As he says "The main idea behind afolksongaday.com is to try and do my bit for raising the profile of unaccompanied social singing." I enjoy singing round the house, on my bicycle, when nobody else is around. Not social, but what's wrong with that? I'm looking forward to hearing all Jon's songs. With 365 of them, there's bound to be loads I've never ever heard before. Come to think of it, there's bound to be loads that might inspire others to go out and do some "social singing". |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: GUEST,DA Date: 25 Jun 10 - 07:23 AM He's not aiming to help "social singing". As he says "The main idea behind afolksongaday.com is to try and do my bit for raising the profile of unaccompanied social singing." eh? My point still stands. How is releasing recordings of yourself alone in a room over the internet to be listened to by other people sitting in their rooms raising the profile of social singing? Publicising a network of places where social singing takes place, or making this a songbook instead might have been better ways to achieve the aim. I wholeheartedly support the sentiment behind what he's trying to do, but bringing the equivalent of a 30-disc set of rough and ready recordings into the world is a funny way to do this. You can't get away from the fact that most people will just treat this as the new set of Jon Boden recordings. Its main effect will be raising the profile of Jon Boden. |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Leadfingers Date: 25 Jun 10 - 07:40 AM Getting a wide variety of unaccompanied songs in a place where people can hear them AND learn them will encourage people to sing the songs at sessions and in clubs ! Having to buy a CD to learn just one song is a bit daunting for a lot of people who dont have vast amounts of spare cash ! |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Geoff the Duck Date: 25 Jun 10 - 07:58 AM Just listening to today's contribution as I type. Had a look at the site and noticed that he is linking songs directly to lyrics and discussions here on Mudcat. What a sensible idea Jon. Quack! GtD. |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: matt milton Date: 25 Jun 10 - 08:21 AM ah, hadn't noticed the "social" part of that quote - I just read it as "unnacompanied singing". yes, I agree with you that there's not much that's "sociable" about posting up solo recorded performances on the internet. but ultimately I don't think the degree of "sociability" is all that important. what's important is: 1. whether the songs and singing are any good. 2. whether among the eventual 365 songs, there are any new discoveries for them that they might like to sing themselves. "You can't get away from the fact that most people will just treat this as the new set of Jon Boden recordings. Its main effect will be raising the profile of Jon Boden" Yeah, he's shameless that Boden man :) Actually, the first thing I thought when I heard about the whole venture was "what a great way of getting some publicity for yourself!" (while also doing something fun) I don't even especially like Jon Boden's voice/singing, but I'll be listening whenever I can. They're certainly not rough and ready recordings. They sound like JB knows his home set-up well enough to have established some very good default settings (either that or he's doing a quick mix on each song every day) I already use youtube frequently when I've come across an interesting song in a book that I've not heard before and I'm interested to see how other singers tackle it. |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies) Date: 25 Jun 10 - 08:32 AM "I already use youtube frequently when I've come across an interesting song in a book that I've not heard before and I'm interested to see how other singers tackle it." Aye, I use YouTube loads. And there's a nice wee community of Tubers doing an internet version of 'social singing', more of them all the time it seems too. Blogging songs sounds like another way to go about it. And who knows - whether or night it inspires 3D social singing - it might inspire peeps to do same as Boden. Song Blogs could catch on and add to the informal virtual communities of people currently making use of sites like YouTube and Music MySpace as a virtual singaround/session. I like the idea and I'll be bookmarking Boden's blog anyhoo. |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies) Date: 25 Jun 10 - 08:40 AM "whether or night" ..that's gotta one of the oddest misspellings I've ever achieved. |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Wyrd Sister Date: 25 Jun 10 - 03:40 PM @ Guest 5.48: Jon does lots of social singing which is not in the least bit personality driven near his home. Perhaps he is using his public profile to introduce 'songs in common' to those who otherwise might not learn them. As he says, 'My hope is that afolksongaday.com will be a useful resource for anyone interested in getting in to social singing. As I have learnt these songs because they are fun to sing in the pub, not because I think they will work on a big stage or on CD...' |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Ruth Archer Date: 25 Jun 10 - 06:32 PM One of the first Spiers & Boden albums (maybe Songs?) included a note which said something like, "These songs sound best sung in pubs. Fill yer boots" - an indication that Jon has been interested in social singing for some time. As someone has said earlier, Jon is very involved in social singing where he lives, from taking part in Sheffield Carols to setting up Royal Traditions, the club he runs at the Royal Hotel in Dungworth with his wife Fay. It specifically showcases and supports traditional singing. I think traditional song is a real passion for him, and that this project is very well-intentioned. |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Tattie Bogle Date: 25 Jun 10 - 06:51 PM Certainly the first two lend themselves to social singing, being huge chorus songs, and he does say in the blog about the great experience of large numbers of people singing together and raising the rafters with their singing. If his choice of songs gets more people singing, then good for him! I'll be singing along at home or with the free podcasts. In any good singers' session, it will usually be a mix of all types of songs anyway. |
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Subject: Jon Boden Folk song per day From: mikesamwild Date: 27 Jun 10 - 07:36 AM I like Jon's project , it should be a great resource and it is obviously going to exercise his voice, which i think is getting better all the time. could it lead to a 'standardistion' process? |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden Folk song per day From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies) Date: 27 Jun 10 - 11:49 AM "could it lead to a 'standardistion' process?" Perhps you could say more? I'm not exactly sure what it is you're suggesting.. Standardisation of what? Standards on other internet spaces where you have 'virtual singarounds/sessions' so to speak? For me, I think it's great that a pro. folk performer is putting himself 'out there' in a naked fashion. Especially as (IMO) there's nothing more musically exposing, than the unadorned voice. |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden Folk song per day From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies) Date: 27 Jun 10 - 11:52 AM Oh and I meant to quote this bit from his blog which I rather liked: "afolksongaday.com is an opportunity for me to record my whole repertoire of songs without worrying about making any of them commercial, stylistically original, or fitting them in to a particular album concept." |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Lizzie Cornish 1 Date: 27 Jun 10 - 02:10 PM Electric Jon's Myspace Ya know, Jon REALLY needs to break right away from all The Luvvies wot surround him...and do what he's best at, and that' Electric Folk and Rock music, with none of the stranglededly strange sheep bleatingly awful sounds that come with his Traddie music... Electric Jon's Myspace Jon, do what comes *naturally*! It sounds soooooo much better.. |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies) Date: 27 Jun 10 - 02:36 PM "Jon REALLY needs to break right away from all The Luvvies wot surround him" I sorta thought singing on his own without anything or anyone else supporting him, pretty much covered that one! "none of the stranglededly strange sheep bleatingly awful sounds that come with his Traddie music..." I don't think his singing is basically any different to that when he's being supported by instruments. Are you saying that Jon can't sing Lizzie, and that he only sounds good when he's drowned out by other stuff? |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Lizzie Cornish 1 Date: 27 Jun 10 - 04:35 PM Nope, I'm not saying that at all, person who I can't refer to 'cos man whom I also can't refer to won't let me, on pain of possible death from being tied to a WMD and fired to the moon and back...LOL What I'm saying is that when he's Electric Jon he sounds normal. When he turns into Traddie Jon he comes over all Woefully Warbly Rustic. Peter Bellamy did exactly the same thing..wobblewobblewarblewarblebleatwobble..I'm not having a go at the songs they sing, just the silly voices they use to sing 'em in. Electric Jon should sing this one..bet he'd do it brilliantly..good social message in it too. |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies) Date: 27 Jun 10 - 04:51 PM Hehe! Thanks for the blast LC! Love to hear Jon doing *that* unaccompanied Traddie stylee, bleats and all. Heh, come to think of it 'beats and bleats' sounds like a possible fusion... |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Dave the Gnome Date: 27 Jun 10 - 04:57 PM Sigh. I wish there were things we were still allowed to say. :D (eG) |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden Folk song per day From: GUEST Date: 28 Jun 10 - 11:51 AM And on top of his repertoire of around 240 songs he has another 120+ to find and record!! |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: GUEST,Stephen W Date: 28 Jun 10 - 01:07 PM I'm enjoying listening to these unaccompanied pieces. Jon's diction is so clear that I can hear every word. Listen to "Earl Richard", it's a lovely, spooky, mysterious song. Some people don't recognise a Good Thing when they see it! |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: GUEST Date: 28 Jun 10 - 01:24 PM Elsewhere, Electric Jon seems to be bleating up a storm singing about My Analogue Desk's Better Than Your Digital One |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Tootler Date: 28 Jun 10 - 07:05 PM You do spout some rubbish, Lizzie. Listen again to Earl Richard. That's quality if ever there was and just the simple, unadorned human voice. |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Phil Edwards Date: 29 Jun 10 - 04:13 AM It's fantastic stuff - good singing, well-recorded, plenty of it and free! Much kudos to Jon for doing it. I'm looking forward to the back end of the year - he's already introduced me to a couple of songs. (But I do think he overdoes the Lloyd/Bellamy vibrato a bit.) |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Artful Codger Date: 02 Jul 10 - 05:39 PM It's disappointing to see how quickly Jon has abandoned his stated "unaccompanied" focus--within the first week! Is it too challenging just to sing, without artificial support? Does he need to add something because his approach to these songs is too homogenous? If so, I'd rather have him introduce variety by spotlighting other unaccompanied singers. Stick to the program: no instruments! These songs survived decades, even centuries, without them. |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Phil Edwards Date: 03 Jul 10 - 04:57 AM Yes - he did say the best social singing is, in my experience, unaccompanied and because of that the bulk of the songs on this site are songs that I sing unaccompanied. In the 60's and 70's the status of unaccompanied singing was much higher within the folk scene, and most of my favourite albums from the revival are albums where the majority of the material is unaccompanied. This approach has fallen out of fashion and the commercial pressure is for modern day 'folk artists' to have, at most, one or two unaccompanied tracks on their albums, if at all. I have always thought of myself as first and foremost an unaccompanied singer so it was quite a shock to me to realise that, although I have now made 10 albums, I have never included a solo unaccompanied track on any of them. To be fair, the first seven (of ten) were all unaccompanied - maybe the current run of three will be a blip. |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: mikesamwild Date: 03 Jul 10 - 05:59 AM Crow Sister, all I meant was that if a high profile person like Jon sings songs they can become the versions other people who don't bother to do any seeking out of source singers or versions local to them, adopt. I think Jon has developed well beyond his early Bellamnite style and has found his own unique voice, and has taken risks doing it. I go to sessions where he sings and plays and rate what he and Fay and friends are doing for communal singing . They are putting in a lot of hard work locally. |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies) Date: 06 Jul 10 - 03:30 PM 'fresh |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies) Date: 06 Jul 10 - 03:35 PM Glad to hear JB is still doing unaccompanied songs here :) |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: GUEST,mattkeen Date: 07 Jul 10 - 10:26 AM Great - JB is a real gem He obviously has no trouble expressing all the muscial facets of his personality in differing styles. Long may he continue Thanks John |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Desert Dancer Date: 08 Jul 10 - 11:56 AM In support of Jon's project, EFDSS is providing some notes on the songs (starting with yesterday's) at this page. ~ Becky in Long Beach |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies) Date: 12 Jul 10 - 06:46 PM 'fresh |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: GUEST,Two of a Hind Date: 16 Jul 10 - 07:52 AM Question, how long will this collection remain on the web in the public domain and is there a way of dowloading the odd song onto your own PC, if there's a song you want to learn. These recordings will I believe become an incredibly valuable archive for all of us interested in this particular subject. Providing it remains accessible. Thank you Jon for the time and efford you are putting into this project, we certainly appreciate it down here in South Wales. Terry |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: The Borchester Echo Date: 16 Jul 10 - 08:01 AM how long will this collection remain on the web For a month, I think. But you can download them into iTunes. Then, if you can't be arsed to burn the tracks yourself, Navigator will be flogging CDs of each month's output once completed. |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: JohnB Date: 16 Jul 10 - 03:12 PM Just echoing Mr Echo, that is exactly what I read on the site too. I appear to have 23 songs right now. JohnB |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies) Date: 16 Jul 10 - 03:43 PM Regards "Mr Echo" you need to swap an 's' for the 'r' there. But anyhoo, I wasn't aware that the songs could be downloaded, I'll keep that in mind for any songs I might fancy learning. |
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Subject: RE: Jon Boden: 'A Folk Song A Day' blog From: Geoff the Duck Date: 16 Jul 10 - 05:32 PM Info about getting the podcasts HERE. If you want to download the podcasts they are at http://www.afolksongaday.com/podcast/podcast_feed.xml. To automatically download the MP3 files you need a PodCatcher programme. iTunes is one, but there are others such as Juice which is easy to install and use. What you do is copy the address then paste it into your "Catcher" in the bit that adds new podcast feeds. You will probably find it is set to start downloading from the next day, so may have to click some selection boxes to get older podcasts, but once clicked, you should be able to collect all that haven't reached their expiry date. Quack! GtD. |
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