The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #108475   Message #2257163
Posted By: Gene Burton
08-Feb-08 - 04:27 PM
Thread Name: Folk clubs - what is being sung
Subject: RE: Folk clubs - what is being sung
At my last paid gig (at the Red Lion FC, Birmingham a couple of weeks ago, supporting Ashley Hutchings and co), I played 13 songs in all. 9 of my own, all with guitar. One Trad with guitar (Dink's Song). Two Trad unaccompanied (Black Waterside and Queen of Hearts) and, er, Rock of Ages (with silly fast bluegrass-ish guitar accompaniment). I have been described by some (mostly by my younger listeners, interestingly) as a folksinger.

Last night I went to a young person's open mic night in Brum town centre, did 4 songs...2 of my own, a Dylan (Tangled Up in Blue), and Sally Free and Easy (unaccompanied). Unaccompanied English folk songs generally go down really well at these kind of nights...people really seem to respond to the power of the unadorned human voice, and by the melodic strengths of the songs (though it does peeve me a little that so many people unfamiliar with the tradition tend to assume they're all Irish...but that's probably a whole new thread topic!)