happy meaderers

Subject: happy meaderers
From: Sheye
Date: 20 Dec 97 - 06:58 PM

Frank in the swamps said something on one of the threads that started with "when I first came across this thread..." and i got to wonderin' how we all came to find our now prized Mudcat.

I was using a search engine to find the words to The Ballad of the Frank Slide (which I still have not found) and ended up in the forum. (Now it's confession time: I don't see advertisements/hear commercials, and was paying no attention to the links on the forum page. I kept reading threads where folks were talking about THE DT and wondering what they knew that I didn't. I figured it out, thanks.)

Kept hanging out, like the rest of you. , I knew this was a different, unique, intriguing site and, over time, came to develop a sense of community. How did the rest of you find this place?

Alan: Thanks for your link to your web page. Enjoyed that. Bert: Love your humour! Before this sounds like an Oscar speech...love to you all and warmest wishes.

As always, Sheye

Subject: RE: happy meaderers
From: Sheye
Date: 20 Dec 97 - 08:29 PM

Where's that edit function!!! Pretend there's an N in there.

Subject: RE: happy meanderers
From: Dale Rose
Date: 20 Dec 97 - 08:50 PM

Well, I came in from the opposite direction. I used to subscribe to the Cape Breton mail list. (I quit it because of all the hassling going on there, but that's another story) Someone on the list asked for the words to Mary of the Wild Moor. I had not been responding to anything there, since Cape Breton music is not one of my strongest points, though I enjoy it. But when they asked for that, they jumped over into my territory. Rather than listen to a recording and transcribing the words, I reasoned that the words must be on the internet somewhere. A search turned up the DT, and, of course, Mary of the Wild Moor. I used it frequently in the months that followed. I don't suppose that I even bothered to investigate what the Forum was for at least four months, if not longer. Imagine my delight at discovering what had been there all along (Maybe flashing lights and arrows saying, "Looky here!" would have helped) without my knowing it. Now I have it listed as my home site, and it is almost always the first place I look when I turn on the machine.

One of the things I really enjoy about coming here is the accommodating attitude that most have toward others, especially ones like me, who, while not exactly a dummy when it comes to folk music, really have a greater interest in one of the related forms, which for me is the Old Time Country of the 20s and 30s.

Thanks to all of you, some of whom I even count as friends now. (Oh, yes, for those of you that I am supposed to be working on projects, I am sorry that I have taken so long. (I am a very good procrastinator) I am nearly done, and you should see the results after the Christmas and New Year rush. Promise!)

Note to Sheye: When I saw the thread name, I just figured that someone was looking for The Happy Wanderer, and didn't quite remember the title! If I had noticed your spelling, I guess I would just have figured that maybe you were quaffing mead, or something of the sort!

Happy Holidays and Meandering to all!

Subject: RE: happy meaderers
From: Bill D
Date: 21 Dec 97 - 07:00 PM

As it happens, I was around when it was born. Have you ever read this?. I was there at some of those discussions and was one of those who used a version passed around by disk before it got online. Since all this happened on the East Coast of the US...sort of between Washington DC and New York/New Jersey...I happened to be primed & ready when the online version began. It was always a treasure to have...and now that folk from all over the world are able to contribute, it has become indispensible...it has even been copied and metamorphosed by others

Imagine in 20 years what it might become!!

Subject: RE: happy meaderers
From: Joe Offer
Date: 22 Dec 97 - 02:02 AM

I did a forum search and found what I believe is the Very First Message from Max - a genuine historical document, fer sure. It's dated 10/1/96, so I imagine that's when the forum began. Now, I have some messages dated January, 1996, but I think the date mechanism wasn't working right. Was there a Forum Before Max?? I don't remember a forum at the old Xerox site, so I think the forum must be a Max innovation. Thanks, Max. We like it here.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: happy meaderers
From: Wolfgang
Date: 22 Dec 97 - 09:02 AM

Someone told me about the internet and that you could find information of all kinds there. I wanted to try out that. I had been collecting Irish/British folksongs for decades and since I hadn't been at the Cecil Sharp House (London) since years I had a wanted list of about 200 songs. So I started exploring internet by feeding the titles (or bits of the lyrics, if I knew them) into the Alta Vista search machine and, if I had success, I ended in 9 out of 10 cases at the Digital Tradition. When my wanted list was down to 150 and I had read or at least scanned all the titles I saw a three-liner saying: "Get almost any question answered and request fulfilled on The Mudcat Discussion Forum." Sounded to good to be true, but I dared to click...
Wolfgang

Subject: RE: happy meaderers
From: Bert
Date: 22 Dec 97 - 10:07 AM

I don't remember exactly when I found Mudcat. It was over a year ago, I know I was looking for something else and my search led me to the Blues Page.

I've been an addict ever since.

Love to all of you.
Bert.

Subject: RE: happy meaderers
From: Frank in the swamps
Date: 22 Dec 97 - 10:12 AM

I had just gotten my computer and my brand spanking new internet connection, so I went looking for music. I didn't know anything, everytime I found a URL I liked I wrote it down so I could find it again. If memory seves me correctly, I linked here from Richard Robinsons tunebook, but many sites make reference to D.T.

I do know a few folkies in my area, but with my schedule, and the fact that I play different styles of music with my Significant Bother and my jammin' buddies, most of my folk music experience has become literary. I don't play these tunes a lot anymore, which is a shame, but that's all the more reason why I appreciate this forum. It keeps the stuff alive. Sometimes, late at night, when the Swingin' cats have packed up their axes and slid on down the greyways to their cribs and somnambulatory leisure; My buddy Red and I might take up the mandolin and guitar and go on into the wee hours with the old songs. But if he splits with the rest, I go online....

Frank I.T.S.

Subject: RE: happy meaderers
From: Jon W.
Date: 22 Dec 97 - 11:18 AM

I came in on a link from Ceolas Irish music archive, a great place to start if your're into Celtic music. There was a note there saying if at first you don't succeed, try again, this site (Mudcat/DT) is periodically unavailable. Sure glad Max fixed that, right? Anyway, I wasn't interested in the forum until I needed song which wasn't in DT. Then I came in, posted a request, and started reading threads. Addiction!

Subject: RE: happy meaderers
From: Selene
Date: 22 Dec 97 - 03:37 PM

I came in through typing Music on my browser, and then I was looking for the words and notes for "Simple gifts" and I found it (somewhere) and it linked me on to a page where it said something about a Mudcat Forum, and since I now had the words, but not the music, I thought I'd post a message. I'd expected an answer, but what I got was more than that, I found an answer, several explanations, and some people I think I'm growing to like! (waah, I'm getting sentimental here) so, I'd better sign off

Selene

Subject: RE: happy meaderers
From: Will
Date: 22 Dec 97 - 09:30 PM

A year (two years?) ago, a friend told me about DT and how it had recently moved from HP because of HP's concern about copyright issues. So I went looking for DT with Yahoo and got a bonus. Along with DT, the greatest evolving songbook on earth, comes the Mudcat, the greatest evolving musical annotation in space.

Subject: RE: happy meaderers
From: Alice
Date: 22 Dec 97 - 09:42 PM

I don't really remember how I found the Mudcat Cafe and DT. It could have been the link from Ceolas, but it could just as well have been any search for lyrics and links from Irish music sites or other music links. I was burning up the Montana phone line looking for anything about Ireland and music, beginning last March. That is when I first had my system set up in my home office/studio. Before that, I was using Netscape at the University library and KINKOS. I don't remember if I had found it then, but I am GLAD I FOUND IT!! Definitely a high point of my day to check in and see what everyone is discussing. My memory is failing. Must be old age. alice in mt

Subject: RE: happy meaderers
From: Helen
Date: 22 Dec 97 - 09:46 PM

I found DT through a FAQ file on one of the folk music newsgroups. OK, true confessions, I'm one of those nerdy people who do actually look at and soemtimes read FAQ files :-) that was about a year ago, I posted a request for some lyrics, was amazed at the speedy and accurate, and most importantly, the friendly responses, and I've been here ever since. I check the forum every day I'm online, although sometimes I have to try a few times to get in - maybe availability from Oz is less reliable than elsewhere??

Helen

Subject: RE: happy meaderers
From: rastrelnikov
Date: 23 Dec 97 - 01:56 AM

I too found this place through a FAQ. I have no idea when I finally noticed the discussion forum. Possibly I was searching the DT one time and I noticed a topic like "song circle locations" and realized the discussions must have great merit after all. Since then I go through regular bouts of checking the forums every day or two, and periods of not checking in for a few months. Happy to see there are still things to talk about :)

Subject: RE: happy meaderers
From: dwditty
Date: 23 Dec 97 - 08:59 AM

I'm not sure how I got here (the story of my life). I got started looking for words and tab at Harmony-Central and bounced around from there. When I hit the Mudcat, I immediately listened to the Delta Blues broadcasts. I kept coming back and sort of stumbled into the discussion forum. During my first visit, someone asked for the lyrics to Spike Driver's Moan, so I responded. I have only missed a few days since then. My day does not seem complete without commentary from Joe Offer, Peter (in San Diego,I think - and very clever, too), Bert, Nonie, Max, Gene, Frank ITS, and all the rest of you. Please don't be offended if I did not mention your name. I love you all.

DW

Subject: RE: happy meaderers
From: Earl
Date: 23 Dec 97 - 09:22 AM

I think I came to Mudcat via Yahoo, looking for folk sites. I thought the database was great a I used if for about a year before checking out the forum. For some reason I didn't think the discussions would be as interesting as the database. I was way wrong.

Subject: RE: happy meaderers
From: Whippoorwill
Date: 23 Dec 97 - 10:32 AM

I got here through a link entered on the TARBOARD forum - a discussion site for aficianados of a series of children's adventure books written by a British author, the late Arthur Ransome. Someone mentioned Mudcat as a place to find the words to sea chanties the characters sang in the books. I had no idea I'd find such a congenial and knowledgable crew here.