Hello Tom (wearing a big smile after reading your last posting)

After breezy's posting and not dissimilar comment from new mudcatter Keith (Welcome Keith) to me in person tonight, let me elucidate!

Brighton Cellarlolk was my spur-of-the-moment spin off from the Brighton SIngers Folk Club which, two years ago was experiencing several problems. Keith by the way, came up with the Cellarfolk name.

It was an experiment in trying to put right the problems referred to above, and to try to create something like my ideal folk club where people share music, and have a bit of fun at the same time (how many clubs are full of good musicians- but like Death?).

An unintended experiment was to book an occasional guest. These bookings arose NOT by scanning the folk adverts, seeing whose hot on the circuit, promising them a fee at the going rate - and hoping to cover costs. Plenty of clubs do that - and I heard organizers of a more recently started club, have already made losses like £70 on booking guests - but that's only hearsay - I don't know the organizer (I'm told I probably saw him around the club scene in the 1970's).

(Back to Cellarfolk....) We simply offered bookings to people who came along to Cellarfolk, and went down well. They were booked because our regular supporters thought they'd like to hear more from them - NOT because they were a Hot Name. Our guests were booked through an organic process (this is going to solicit comments!!) not a commercial one.

So to start with, we are giving a platform to genuinely talented people (not hyped* ones) who in the vast majority of cases have had little 'exposure' in the formal Guest Club scene. Secondly, the economic relationship is between club supporters and guest direct. They receive in the hat collection a reflection of what club supporters think of them and what supporters can afford (this should please Free Market fans). Therefore I am not a promoter.

We could argue that we're simply rewarding particularly good floor singers rather than booking guests artists, if you follow through breezy's recent comment (I was tempted breezy, perhaps in another thread).

And artists at our recent full guest nights** have been quite happy with their collections I gather.

So here's the counter to those who might just have thought I was being hypocritical - folk who appear as guests with us do so through a base-up process ie. people who our supporters have seen and liked. The normal/conventional guest comes from a top-down process. ie. who's available? What price?

Our process is the one that will nurture much (probably the best) of the talent of the future. Sadly more will continue to come from the: Record company +£££ route, I suspect.

The footnotes

*hyped ones - as in you've probably seen the leaflet - the folk mag advert etc; had a canvassing call. Our guests have all done a bit in our singaround circle first.
**some of our featured artists simply do an extended spot - and don't have a collection. Our last full guests were Rattlebag from Hastings - and were superb. - worth the Big Boys and Girls booking if they're looking for fresh, energetic yet traditional entertainers IMHO (am I allowed to offer you such suggestions Twickfolk?).

The foot footnote: Guest nights don't go down well with some of our supporters. Our club is basically and always will be Singers' Club, but with special nights balanced to serve our key supporters. So we haven't "Sold Out".

I trust I've answered all your points Tom.


Ian Fyvie