Bellowhead/Folk Music in Indy

Subject: RE: Bellowhead/Folk Music in Indy
From: breezy
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 12:39 PM

and I thought Johnny Collins was

Subject: RE: Bellowhead/Folk Music in Indy
From: Folkiedave
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 12:24 PM

11 piece band - count 'em int the picture.....

The "last shanty singer" seems to be thinking of Stanley Slade, died 1950. Stan Hugill died in 1992.

And it's Aran by the way, not Arran.

Constable Folkiedave

Subject: RE: Bellowhead/Folk Music in Indy
From: Brian Peters
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 11:01 AM

Not the worst example of its kind, though I have a lot of sympathy with what Greg and Malcolm have said. @newness' is the only story so far as the press is concerned.

But: "the last professional shanty singer only died in 1950" ?? What about Stan Hugill?

Subject: RE: Bellowhead/Folk Music in Indy
From: greg stephens
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 10:43 AM

"There are two kinds of fool. Those who say this is old and therefore good, and those who say this is new and therefore better" (Duke Ellington, who I never tire of quoting).

Subject: RE: Bellowhead/Folk Music in Indy
From: Banjiman
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 10:00 AM

.....looks like a pretty standard promotional article to me. Nothing wrong with that though.

Subject: RE: Bellowhead/Folk Music in Indy
From: GUEST,LDT
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 09:57 AM

I'm a pesky young person. I love Bellowhead :) Burlesque was the first 'folk' album I bought after seeing them on tv. And it started me on a learning rollercoaster...I even started to learn a instrument I'd never even heard of before after being inspired by their music. As well as exploring other bands and music.
And I will be seeing them for the 3rd time this year at the end of this week.

Subject: RE: Bellowhead/Folk Music in Indy
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 09:50 AM

me and the mrs like Bellowhead..

we got tickets to see 'em in Bristol

..in a lot of ways they remind us how much fun
we used to have way back in the early 80's at Pigbag gigs !!!

Subject: RE: Bellowhead/Folk Music in Indy
From: GUEST,Golightly
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 09:46 AM

Hear Hear Malcolm and Greg.
The article is better than many, but it still can't resist saying "there are dozens of young artists revitalising the tradition"
as if there's been nothing but stagnation for 30 years.
When new ways of playing/presenting traditional music emerge, it simply means another influence is added to the folk process. That's what folk music does. It's not a shock to the tradition; it's what we actually expect to happen.

Subject: RE: Bellowhead/Folk Music in Indy
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 09:31 AM

I'd go with most of that but I sometimes felt that for a long time in the clubs individuals and groups played to themselves and sometimes te quality was not great. Lots of newish, youngish performers are good and sound pro enough for the non-folk audience.

I will go away and think about this

Chis

L in C

Subject: RE: Bellowhead/Folk Music in Indy
From: greg stephens
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 09:11 AM

I always find these articles faintly depressing, as they all have one story. It goes"there was this boring thing, and along came young ------------ and made it exciting/relevant /annoyed the purists".
I have a very diferent world-view, this story has no interest to me, and bears no relevance to my own feeling about music. I used to love the Watersona in the 60's. They were young(a lot younger than Bellowhead now, at a gues). But I have ne memory of thinking "My, how young and relevant and anti-beardy they are". I used to go and seek out olde performers in pubs as they seemed to be remembering stuiff that was worth hearing.They were great too.I used to buy 1920's records of blues singers and the Louis Armstrong Hot Five(very young and trendy when they recorded).I also listened to lots of young noisy drug-crazed long-haired electric guitarists.They were great.
    Bellowhead are musicians. I listen to them as that, and judge them as that. Not whether they are young, relevant, push boundaries, shock people with Arran sweaters and beards, etc etc.

Subject: RE: Bellowhead/Folk Music in Indy
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 08:59 AM

Journalistic cliché, probably, though I've been to some fairly ghastly singaround clubs in my time; perhaps he was thinking of that sort of thing. A pretty good writeup on the whole, with only one reference to those largely fictional killjoy 'purists' (I only recall ever meeting one in person) that always have to be invoked so that the writer, or their subject(s), can be seen fashionably to be rebelling against something.

I like Bellowhead, but I wouldn't call them 'the group which made English folk music fashionable again'; that's a rather large claim for one set of people among many, some of whom have been around quite a bit longer. They're certainly helping, though.

Subject: RE: Bellowhead/Folk Music in Indy
From: GUEST,LDT
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 08:24 AM

Ignore second part that was mean to go in a different thread.

Subject: RE: Bellowhead/Folk Music in Indy
From: GUEST,LDT
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 08:23 AM

I'd love an arran sweater...but don't think the beard would be possible.
;P

I caught the documentary by accident when flikking through the channels for something to watch...read 'folk legends' and thought I'd have a look might learn something. (being new to the genre I haven't heard of a lot of artists). So it was informative for me. There always seems to be more I don't know than know.

Subject: RE: Bellowhead/Folk Music in Indy
From: Leadfingers
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 08:22 AM

Next time I go to Sheffield , I will make a point of taking an Arran Sweater - I've had the beard nearly forty years !

Subject: RE: Bellowhead/Folk Music in Indy
From: Folkiedave
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 08:16 AM

Excellent article.

I think it was the folk police. And if I ever catch one I shall be very severe on him/her.

Never seen anyone in Arran sweater and beard except the Clancy Brothers.

Subject: RE: Bellowhead/Folk Music in Indy
From: greg stephens
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 07:30 AM

So, who was it that took the fun out in the first place? Those people in Arran sweaters and beards? Or was it(shhhhh!) the Folk Police?

Subject: RE: Bellowhead/Folk Music in Indy
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 06:12 AM

Diane,

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/bellowhead-bringing-the-fun-back-to-folk-music-967568.html

you beat me to it!

L in C

Subject: RE: Bellowhead/Folk Music in Indy
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 06:10 AM

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/bellowhead-bringing-the-fun-back-to-folk-music-967568.html

Subject: Bellowhead/Folk Music in Indy
From: GUEST,MC Fat
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 05:59 AM

Good article on Bellowhead and Folk music in the Independent supplement today (Tuesday 21st)