Stuttgart Folk Club

Subject: RE: Stuttgart Folk Club
From: GUEST,Wotcha
Date: 11 Jan 04 - 05:01 PM

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

Subject: RE: Stuttgart Folk Club
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 20 Nov 03 - 07:50 PM

Brian, try Laboratorium
The 'Lab' used to be a venue which was quite well known and liked among British folk musicians touring Germany. Seems it's still going strong, with Mike Silver on the bill for 30 Nov!

Subject: RE: Stuttgart Folk Club
From: GUEST,Wotcha
Date: 19 Nov 03 - 04:43 PM

Skw:

What is the "Laboratorium" ? It is possible I am missing out on something, since every district of this town has something new to discover.

I know that the owner of my local was part of a group called "Bachelor's Walk" but he went his way and the rest of the group went the other way and probably run a rival session but nothing on the scale of the folk club ... things tend to evaporate round here.

Cheers,

Brian

Subject: RE: Stuttgart Folk Club
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 18 Nov 03 - 06:12 PM

What's happened to the Stuttgart 'Laboratorium'?

Subject: Stuttgart Folk Club
From: GUEST,Wotcha
Date: 18 Nov 03 - 02:39 PM

I attended the usual fine Irish session on Monday night at O'Reilly's and got a lead on a folk club in the area.

Apparently I'm not the only one disappointed with the lack of Stuttgart folk venues ... a couple of local musicians toured the British Isles and collected plenty of songs which they now promote at a monthly folk gathering that they host.

The second Friday of every month head to the "Spaghetti House" in Winnenden (North east of Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg by Waiblingen on the S-Bahn/S3) about 8pm. December's session is the first Friday of the month however. The format apparently begins with a musician's showcase, then a singaround that progresses to an Open Mic later in the evening. If any Catters make it before I do, please send a report!

More to follow in the New Year.

Cheers,

Brian