Hi, Barry, I'm happy to report that the gatherings of the San Francisco Folk Music Club (SFFMC) are still just as you described them. They're held every other Friday at the home of Faith Petric, 885 Clayton Street. It appears the usual time is 9 PM until 1 AM. Details are at the club's Web site (click here).
My friend Claudia is one of the founders of the Sacramento Song Circle, and (as you might imagine) I'm one of the more vocal members. Claudia suggested that we go to the SFFMC "Solstanukkahmas Party" last Friday, so we did. The house is a three-story Victorian that appears to be totally devoted to folk music. I drooled over the library of songbooks in the parlor. I had been a little apprehensive about this gathering, since the gathering we attended in Berkeley a few months ago was a bit beyond our capabilities. I didn't get that feeling at Faith's - everybody fits in at Faith's. It's a very unpretentious group, not what I expected in a municipality so snooty it refers to itself as "The City," with a capital "T."
In the front parlor, the "younger" people were gathered, mostly people between the ages of 40 and 50. That room was dominated by people who come armed with musical instruments, so I didn't spend a lot of time there. Claudia plays every instrument known to mankind, so she stayed there. She reports that the music covered a wide spectrum, from rock 'n roll to traditional to Rodgers & Hart. Wish I had known about the Rodgers & Hart earlier.
I stayed in the back parlor with the septuagenarians (and a few of us others). Mostly, we sang Christmas carols, but it was a wide selection. There were a few copies of Rise Up Singing around and nobody criticized people who used the books, but most of the songs were sung from memory. Some people performed songs they had written themselves - the man next to me brought a tape recorder with a piano accompaniment for the songs he had written. We sang ALL the verses of every carol, and sometimes in various languages. I was pleased to see that people who weren't necessarily Christian still sang the carols with gusto. Many people in our Sacramento circle make horrible faces or start talking when others sing religious songs. We sang Christmas, songs, Hanukkah songs, and Solstice songs - together. The singing in my room was mostly a cappella, but there were a few guitars on some songs, and one man did a wonderful solo on a tin whistle.
And yes, Barry, there was a jam session in the cellar.
Claudia saw a history of the club on a flyer in the vestibule. I think she said the club was founded in 1948, and that Faith Petric has been hosting its gatherings since 1962. I am very pleased to announce that the San Francisco Folk Music Club is alive and well. Maybe Barbara can tell us more - she's been a member for a long time, even though she doesn't live there any more.
-Joe Offer-