Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig 15 Nov 08

Subject: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig
From: Bria
Date: 16 Oct 08 - 03:55 PM

Edinburgh University Folk (Song) Society – 50th Anniversary Concert!

Saturday November 15th, 2008
St Brides Centre, Orwell Terrace, Edinburgh
Doors (and bar) Open 7:30pm for 8pm start
Tickets £10/£8
For enquiries and tickets email [e-mail] or phone [phone]

It's 50 years since the first meeting of the Edinburgh University Folk Song Society (subsequently known as the Crown Folk Club and now EUFolkSoc). Co-founded by Hamish Henderson and Stuart MacGregor the society was one of Britain's first folk clubs, played a key role in the revival and continues to provide a platform and meeting place for young singers and musicians from across the world.

To celebrate, EUFolksoc (as part of the Carrying Stream Festival) are holding a 50th Anniversary Concert on Saturday November 15th, 2008. Venue is St Brides Centre, Orwell Terrace, Dalry, Edinburgh.

After an on-the-road summer spent tracking down former members with an aging VW Golf and a seldom opened bottle of whisky, the organisers have brought together an array of people who have been mainstays of FolkSoc over the years. Their aim was to find the folk who contributed week in week out, who had the great stories about the club, and would make the event a fitting 50th celebration.

Those taking the stage for a song, story or tune include:
Ally Bell                                                                                                               
Jim Closs
Scott Gardiner & Johnny Kemp                                                
Donald Gorman
David Hamilton                                                                                 
Ian & Gilly Hewitt
Kat Jary                                                                                                               
Maria Johansen
Ella Leith                                                                                             
Bria Mason
Dolina MacLennan                                                                           
Mark Neal
Off Centre Ceilidh Band                                                                              
Kit Patterson
Zarya Rathe                                                                                       
David Stevenson
Phil Taylor                                                                                          
Kay Thomson

After the concert (but at the same venue) there will be a dancey ceilidh (with the FolkSoc houseband Off Centre leading the playing) singaround and instrumental session.

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig
From: Irene M
Date: 16 Oct 08 - 04:10 PM

Blimey. There's a blast from the past. The Crown. I have a photo or two from a Cilla & Artie gig there in 1978. I was 19 at the time.

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 16 Oct 08 - 04:47 PM

tremendous acoustics in the Crown as I recollect.

a spellbinding performance by the Watersons sticks out in my memory, along with Alastair Anderson making his (unamplified) concertina sound like a church organ, that's how good the acoustics were.

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig
From: GUEST,Dave MacKenzie
Date: 16 Oct 08 - 07:41 PM

Is it that long?

Sorry I won't be able to make it, but pass on my best wishes to anyone who remembers me (and still wakes up screaming)

David R (Superstar)
former Vice-President and Secretary

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig
From: Irene M
Date: 18 Oct 08 - 11:31 AM

Partly to refresh the thread and partly out of curiosity; what can anyone tell me about Stuart MacGregor?
I have been singing his Southside Blues forever, and have added The Presence and Coshieville in recent years.
I have heard Archie Fisher talk about him, the reputation he had with the women, how The Presence came about etc, and have the idea that he was another who was taken by a car accident at an indecently early age.
Anyone?

Irene

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 18 Oct 08 - 07:26 PM

He was a doctor, I suppose you knew that anyway.

If you wish, I will contact a friend of mine who knew him quite well, and if she is agreeable I will PM you her phone no.

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig
From: sheila
Date: 18 Oct 08 - 10:24 PM

He wrote a book, too - Myrtle and Ivy, I think it was called. I could see bits and pieces of people I knew in its pages. I used to talk with him in Bell's, in the mid-late 60s.

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig 15 Nov
From: Irene M
Date: 19 Oct 08 - 11:01 AM

Thank you both.
Should I start a new thread, do you think?

Irene

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig 15 Nov 08
From: GUEST,David R MacKenzie
Date: 19 Oct 08 - 06:09 PM

I'm sure Stuart MacGregor wrote more than one novel but I can't remember what the other one that I read was. Was "The Myrtle and the Ivy" the one where the hero ends up being run over by a 45 bus?

And of course I still sing "The Sandy Bell's Man".

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig 15 Nov 08
From: sheila
Date: 19 Oct 08 - 07:52 PM

I do seem to remember something about another novel - and yes, that's how the hero dies.

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig 15 Nov 08
From: GUEST,OnTheFiddle
Date: 03 Nov 08 - 05:13 PM

Awh, as a folksoccer in the here and now, it's great to hear we're just following in classic footsteps ;-)
Any more tales to tell us young uns?!

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig 15 Nov 08
From: GUEST,Fuzzyhaggis
Date: 06 Nov 08 - 03:30 AM

Irine - can you dig out the photos from the Crown days and scan them?

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig 15 Nov
From: Irene M
Date: 06 Nov 08 - 03:05 PM

Fuzzyhaggis,
No I can't scan them.This laptop only has a hot drinks holder!!!!!! (Go figure)
I can loan them if you send me a postal address, or get Boots to copy them and send copies.

e mail me (de-code this.... irene dot marshall 1 at tiscali dot co dot uk) or sign up to Mudcat and PM me.

Do you just want to see them out of curiosity, or do you want them for the reunion do next weekend?

Irene

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig 15 Nov 08
From: Fuzzyhaggis
Date: 12 Nov 08 - 05:19 AM

It'd be good to get them for the weekend. Cheers Irene!

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig 15 Nov 08
From: Fuzzyhaggis
Date: 14 Nov 08 - 03:28 AM

Bumpity bump bump bump. This is tomorrow!

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig 15 Nov
From: Irene M
Date: 14 Nov 08 - 09:11 AM

And you haven't answered my PM, Fuzzyhaggis.

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig 15 Nov 08
From: GUEST,Ian Hewitt
Date: 17 Nov 08 - 05:47 PM

Dave Mck!
glad to hear you are still alive. Fondly? remembered

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig 15 Nov 08
From: GUEST,Dave MacKenzie
Date: 17 Nov 08 - 07:11 PM

Ian Hewitt! I remember you well (and have the scar tissue to prove it)

I've been in Edinburgh recently a couple of times - my aunt was 100 and then died, but she chose the wrong weekend for the funeral. I remeber thinking when I was up that all the old Folksoc venues have beeen flattened - Potterrow, the old Society's Centre and the original Crown, before we moved to Lady Glenorchy's Parish Church.

Edgar used to talk about a song, "Oh carry me back to Old Bell's Bar where all the rakes and the drunkards are". Anybody know anything about it?

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig 15 Nov 08
From: GUEST,ian hewitt
Date: 18 Nov 08 - 07:12 AM

Certainly do dave . its called sandy bells blues and i have it in a lyric book currently on loan to folk soc. As soon as i get it back i will post a copy of the words. I think the next 2 lines are " the finest life i've ever known , lay my head down low.
Pity you couldnt make the night, the concert , despite my participation, was brilliant and there were many faces you would have known, like Alex, the hunts, ,brian o'Donnell. unfortunately no tash Mcleod

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig 15 Nov
From: Abby Sale
Date: 18 Nov 08 - 09:45 AM

Well, we didn't make it to this one - maybe the next.

OTOH, we did hear from one of our oldest/best FolkSoc friends last night. Pretty good talking to someone you haven't talked to in 40 years. We both still sing.

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig 15 Nov
From: Irene M
Date: 18 Nov 08 - 01:13 PM

Well, come on then...
How did it go?

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig 15 Nov 08
From: GUEST,Ian Hewitt
Date: 18 Nov 08 - 01:53 PM

It was a superb night, with great contributions from all the "eras"represented. The audience seemed to particularly enjoy the 50s and 60s segment with reminisences of the very early days .
Very well organised and ran (almost) to time ! A full house too, in fact i believe some people had to be turned away . Also a great time for those of us of a certain age to meet up again with long lost friends and swap stories. One lass from the 90s section had come from Iceland to be there and my old friend John Murphy , whom I had not seen in 20 odd years flew in from Milan just for the night.

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig 15 Nov
From: Irene M
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 01:41 PM

Thanks Ian.

Subject: RE: Edinburgh Uni Folk 50th Anniversary Gig 15 Nov 08
From: GUEST,george wilson
Date: 25 Nov 08 - 04:50 AM

Ian , In hope you and Gillian and family are well. Are you still fit enough to play in goal?I keep in touch with the folk scene through the Grimsby Folk Club where of course we have many guests from Scotland. I was the Belfast man at the Edinburgh folk club---- ex methody but I still spoke to an Instonian like you. Are you both still singing regularly.
George Wilson.