As promised, I checked out the folk club at their first 2004 session. It was everything I hoped it could be. If you are visiting the Stuttgart area, check out the monthly singaround in Winnenden.


The club is run as an adult education program: Volkshochschule (VHS-folk club) and meets the second Friday of every month at 8pm in the basement of the Spaghetti House, Winnenden, Ringstrasse 34 (an der B 14 ... on the road to Waiblingen and Backnang). The club was started about 12 years ago by three locals who had visited the UK and couldn't find a venue to perform folk music. They went back to the UK and collected tons of songs and set up their own vhs to make it happen in the Stuttgart area.


The club issues a song book with about 200 songs. The hosts start with an hour's music where everyone can join in. This Friday was a blues-heavy session. While this is going on, folks order meals, drinks etc but there is very little distraction. The second phase is an Open Mic -- only 5 folks got up to do anything ... I introduced them to "Fathom the Bowl" and "John Kanaka." The audience is very receptive and understands English ... Phase 3 is a quirky pot luck where audience members shout out a song number and the hosts dutifully render accompaniment as everyone sings.

The club holds about 100 folks in a stone cellar -- spare seats are on the stone steps to the rear (cushions available).

Highly recommend checking this local institution out. The following dates are deviations from the second Friday sessions: 2 April, none in August, 17 Sept, 3 December 2004.

Cheers,

Brian