Worst things seen in a Folk Club

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: Scoville
Date: 07 May 07 - 02:46 PM

I went out to a bar one night that was hosting a long evening--four performers. The first was local [Houston], the second from Austin, the third from Louisiana, and the last again from Austin. Performers 1, 2, and 4 were repeat acts; performers 3 were new to the place but were a good band (I'd seen them before somewhere else).

Act 3 had been left off of the posters and website advertisements, and the announcer that evening, whom I suspect was drunk in addition to being ignorant, introduced them as "some guys I never heard; I think they're like zydeco or something". They were Cajun, but in this part of the country it makes a difference. As it turned out, they were the best act of the night but were treated pretty crappily by the venue.

They did come back a few months later, though, to a better reception, so I guess the place redeemed itself.

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: GUEST,SonOfShlomo
Date: 07 May 07 - 09:57 PM

How about a group being asked to play for X number of hours and X pay, then being told (after they played for AN EXTRA HOUR at the crowd's request):

"Sorry we didn't make enough money to pay you all tonight; have a Coke on us from the cooler on the way out."

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: Tim theTwangler
Date: 07 May 07 - 10:50 PM

Actually I just got back from a Folk club.
I was really annoyed because some bloke spent the entire evening staring at a girl in the audience.
She looked embarrassed and he was practically drooling.
I dont know why in this day and age men think they have the right to treat females in this way.
I hope he reads this and gets a grip on himself!
Eeeeerr but maybe not while still in the folk club eh?

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 08 May 07 - 12:28 AM

One night in Chicago, at the folk club/bar then called the Quiet Knight, I saw a rather drunk film critic dancing on a table. That's not too bad in itself, but he dropped his pants. No underwear added to the whole gestalt.

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: Bugsy
Date: 08 May 07 - 02:10 AM

Is it a sign of the times that this thread continues merrily along it's way whilst the other thread "Best things seen in a Folk Club" seems to have died the death.

CHeers


Bugsy

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: GUEST,Tom Bliss
Date: 08 May 07 - 05:01 AM

err I don't know what happened to my post above...

I was recalling the time a large lady came in late, sat at a table at the side, then proceeded to arrange a row of cheese cubes, very neatly, right along the edge of the table, which was more than grubby. She then devoured them, in turn, very very very slowly.

(But I didn't let it affect my performance - much)!

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: sapper82
Date: 08 May 07 - 06:12 AM

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: Ref - PM
Date: 02 May 07 - 05:35 PM

"The cute little girl who shows up with a twelve string guitar she can't play to perform a song she can't sing, while her dad gets the whole thing on his video-cam."

You missed out "..... twelve string guitar she can't play, that is not in tune, she tries to tune and fails.........

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 08 May 07 - 06:44 AM

Someone I know brought a 12 string to a club and was told to only tune the 3 she played as it saved time....

Rude, crass, ignorant, yes.... but sadly, true.

LTS

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: Surreysinger
Date: 08 May 07 - 06:48 AM

Tom - that sounds absolutely mesmeric, "rabbit caught in headlights" sort of stuff. The type of thing which, once you've noticed it, you just can't stop looking...and I think what highlights the horror for me is the description of the table being more than grubby - flesh creepingly awful!! But at least cheese cubes don't make the sort of noise that crisps do!

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: GUEST,Tom Bliss
Date: 08 May 07 - 06:55 AM

Indeed - and if anyone can give me suitable 'advice' for crisp-eaters, that does the job without offence*, I'll buy em a pint! (The other one is when the raffle includes a box of chox - which are then passed round. You find yourself wondering if someone in the front row is about to offer you one mid-song)!

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 08 May 07 - 07:10 AM

If a song session counts as a club for this purpose, the oik who came into John Barden's session at Sweeps on Sunday, yelled at friends so loudly we could not hear ourselves sing, and when John stopped the session and said we'd listen to the oik until it was someone else's turn, proceeded to tell us loudly punctuated with expletives how boring it was he'd been to millions of sessions and people were always aloud to talk and how it was true what everyone was saying (which cast some light on the diiddly and humpty sessioneers in the pub garden were saying) what a boring bunch of fuckers we were with our sitting and listening and taking turns.

The landlady threw him out. Thanks Karen

John actually runs a very good mixed session.

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: Dug2
Date: 08 May 07 - 07:11 AM

What about when you're one of the headline acts and you're told you still have to pay on the door like everyone else?

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: Splott Man
Date: 08 May 07 - 07:35 AM

Tell the crisp eaters

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: Splott Man
Date: 08 May 07 - 07:37 AM

Oops, it's happened to me now!
What i meant was...

I once told a crisp eater to keep in time with the song, which only inspired others to join in. I ended up with a whole crispy rhythm section.

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 08 May 07 - 07:40 AM

Dug 2 - walk!
Splott Man - you asked for that! Lucky you did not get a lineup impersonating the Vernons Girls with crisp-bags! Grin!

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 08 May 07 - 10:41 AM

"From: GUEST,SonOfShlomo - PM
Date: 07 May 07 - 09:57 PM
How about a group being asked to play for X number of hours and X pay, then being told (after they played for AN EXTRA HOUR at the crowd's request):
"Sorry we didn't make enough money to pay you all tonight; have a Coke on us from the cooler on the way out."

Utterly indefensible, but ultimately impossible to deal with, except perhaps by advertising their activities as widely as possible.

This should prevent other performers being caught out, and, with luck starve the venue of entertainment and put it out of business, a well deserved outcome.

Don T.

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: Sooz
Date: 08 May 07 - 12:36 PM

Been there with the chocolates in the raffle thing, Tom! I can assure you that its worse if they are Quality Street with crinkly wrappings.

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: Tim theTwangler
Date: 08 May 07 - 02:13 PM

Quality street?
Only have Thorntons at Faldinworth live
where have you been slumming Sooz?
How about its your first proper slot at a folk club and You notice after you start that the people ion the middle of the front row have a bag marked squishy tomatoes and another marked chocolate with which they threaten to pelt you?
Thanks guys

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 08 May 07 - 02:31 PM

Many years ago, I was sitting at a front table in a local NYC club. The artist, a VERY well known folk singer, was introduced by one of the locals. This emcee was obviously drunk and staggered to the stage to make the introduction. Someone in the audience shouted something out, and the drunk emcee glared at ME and started cursing me out. The people around me realized that I did not shout out and began laughing at the emcee - which pissed him off even further. The owner of the club motioned for the emcee to get off the stage - which he did, after mumbling a quick introduction about the singer. As you can imagine, the singer was rather uncomfortable and did not seem to know what to do. A memorable evening.

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 08 May 07 - 07:05 PM

Several of us were in Washington, DC, for a conference a few years back, celebrating St. Patrick's Day in a local O'Something or Other saloon near our hotel. The fellow performing on stage, who had a terrible Irish accent on some Clancy Brothers material, had a big cell phone on his belt, which he kept picking up and examining between songs. Finally, someone asked why he was so preoccupied with the damned phone. "My wife's expecting and I have to be ready to go to the hospital when she calls." This was at 11:30 at night and it was very drunk in the joint by this time. Not more than 15 minutes later, he got the call. He was stowing his guitar when someone yelled out, "Who's the lucky guy?"

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: Rasener
Date: 09 May 07 - 12:45 AM

OOPs better stop the choccies in the raffle Sooz & Tom.

or maybe, I could tell the winner not to pass the choccies around as the performer is slobbering whilst trying to sing :-)

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: breezy
Date: 09 May 07 - 04:42 PM

a. Confiscate the chocs and dip the crisps in beer, never fails,

b. eat the chocs and crisps

c. do the passing around yourself, keep your favourites for later on when you need a choc fix,

d. throw them in a scattering motion at the audience.


Its the same as when someone wants to collect glasses

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: Tim theTwangler
Date: 10 May 07 - 04:28 AM

Dunno if it is the chocs or the wine that leads to the performers slobbering.
Next time we come over will fetch jumbo crisp selection to put in the raffle.
Not enough for everyone in the audience obviously there are far too many bums on seats for that.
Its a good job there isnt a bar when you think about it,
Buying a house round in there would be very costly.

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: guitar
Date: 10 May 07 - 05:25 AM

people with their mobile phones switched on and it goes off during a perfomance and people talking, they do it at the Irvine folk club.

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: guitar
Date: 10 May 07 - 05:26 AM

PS.

and some of the acts that they get are shit but that's my opinion.

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: GUEST,SonOfShlomo
Date: 10 May 07 - 10:39 AM

Don T.,

The place eventually did go under; the story of our being ripped off by the owners has remained a concert favorite.

To comment further:

I think the WORST thing to have happen is people in the crowd who have come to eat or drink and then realize it's music night or what-have-you, ONLY TO CONTINUE talking, eating, drinking and whatnot as though there is nothing else going on.

Makes me want to ask them if I can have a photo with them; that way I can show my friends the pic from the time I visited the known center of the whole F-ing universe!

Subject: RE: Worst things seen in a Folk Club
From: HouseCat
Date: 10 May 07 - 06:05 PM

A show that featured a friend who was meant to be playing solo when a guitar player who was a friend of a friend asked if she'd like a side man and she was too nice to say no. She'll never be that nice again. Not only did he not know any of her material, he played horribly and very loudly, and when his cell phone rang in the middle of a very passionate and moving song...HE ANSWERED IT, onstage, and proceeded to carry on a conversation.