Starting a Folk Club

Subject: Starting a Folk Club
From: GUEST,Frazz
Date: 21 Apr 08 - 05:19 PM

I,m hoping to start a Folk Club later in the year. I have a venue and I,m preparing advertisements.   My dilema is what to call it. I am looking to attract local singers and musicians.
       I sing Traditional songs unnacompanied and love listening to Traditional Folk songs and Music. Do I call it a Folk Club, Traditional Folk Club, Folk Song Club, Singers Club etc. Can an assumption be made of the songs / Music you are likely to hear from the name of the Club. If I went to a Blues Club I would expect to hear Blues Music.
                   Some time ago whilst on Holiday,I went to a local "Folk Club" as advertised and spent the evening listening to a Jazz / Blues guitarist.
               
            Think I,ll go for Folk Club and see what happens.

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: Rasener
Date: 21 Apr 08 - 05:38 PM

A Capella Traditional Folk Club

Can't be any clearer than that. Can it ?

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: Melissa
Date: 21 Apr 08 - 05:40 PM

That sounds like a fun (and exhausting) project, Frazz..and I hope it goes well for you, whatever you call it!

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: Banjiman
Date: 21 Apr 08 - 05:42 PM

Let me know when you've got an answer.....Frazz is it?

Paul

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: Saro
Date: 21 Apr 08 - 05:51 PM

Good for you!! Traditional music club? Folk traditions? Hope it works, keep us all posted.
Saro

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: GUEST,Tom Bliss
Date: 21 Apr 08 - 06:03 PM

http://www.mudcat.org/blickifier2.cfm

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: Hovering Bob
Date: 21 Apr 08 - 06:11 PM

I have been presented with a venue and hope to get a 'club' of some sort started later in May. Haven't thought about a name. Will probably just start with advertising the event and then see who we can attract and what sort of club they go for.
    More details to follow

BobH

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: Bonecruncher
Date: 21 Apr 08 - 06:43 PM

Good luck to both of you.
Colyn.

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: skipy
Date: 21 Apr 08 - 06:51 PM

Well, goo luck with it Bob, don't forget to mention Eolkforms!
Skipy

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: Mr Red
Date: 22 Apr 08 - 02:44 AM

Call it a Folk club - or Folkish Club.

Whatever you call it - it will attract people who haven't been on the basis of "expectation". If it is your club you have to enjoy it yourself. Jazz/Blues is fine - one night it helps keep things fresh. All I would say is don't try to be critical publically. If you don't like an aspect, speak to people quietly about the problem. As an organiser you can turn people off by negativity because you represent the venture. It puts people on edge even if they are not involved but maybe agree with you. Atmosphere.

Most of all, have fun, and be prepared to delegate duties at times.

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: GUEST,Tom Bliss
Date: 22 Apr 08 - 03:00 AM

Sorry, cut and paste went wrong

THIS could prove useful

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 22 Apr 08 - 04:58 AM

The two most successful ventures in which I have been involved did not have the word "club" in the title although their names gave a pretty clear idea of what you could expect.
South Tyne Folk and Blues ran from 1966 to approx 1988 (it was still going stong when I moved to Nottingham in 1978) and Traditions at the Tiger -1991 -to date

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: Nick
Date: 22 Apr 08 - 06:48 AM

I think the first thing I'd do rather than worry about a name is to tell people where it is...

If you said "I'm starting a folk club in Worcester" then you'd probably start getting people contacting you and you could then explain your plans, have a good turn out when you start and the nucleus of people who come (and who will hopefully form the core of your club/gathering) will know what to expect

I have been a part of running something which has met weekly for the last 5 years which has yet to have a name so I don't think it's the most important thing in the world

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: Ernest
Date: 22 Apr 08 - 06:57 AM

I always thought that the word "folk-club" indicates that there are more people involved than just one person.

If you are on your own (making all the decisions with just somebody to help you out perhaps) you would be organizing a series of events.
If other people are involved with the decisions then you might want to have their input for the name as well.

However: good luck!

Best wishes
Ernest

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: GUEST,Frazz
Date: 22 Apr 08 - 01:46 PM

Thanks for all your sound advice. I feel it,s important to promote diversity in music and would not want to discourage anybody attending. All would be made welcome.
                                     With regards organising the "Club" myself, yes I would rely on others to help but will be wary in that a previous club I was involved in gave over the organising to a committee who disagreed on the format, what artist to book etc and the Club subsequently closed.
               
   I am looking to provide a venue where "Folk" of all ages and walks of life can enjoy an evening of Songs,Music and stories in a welcoming and Pro Social atmosphere.
                                     I,ll keep you all posted on progress. Thanks again.

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: GUEST,Frazz
Date: 22 Apr 08 - 02:03 PM

(oh and by the way I do have a special low rate for new start up clubs... :-)

Tom

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: GUEST,Tom Bliss
Date: 22 Apr 08 - 02:04 PM

Hey - I never typed 'Frazz' how do that happen???

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: Banjiman
Date: 22 Apr 08 - 02:08 PM

Tom (or is it Frazz)....are you starting a club then?

Hee, hee, hee!

Paul

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: The Vulgar Boatman
Date: 22 Apr 08 - 06:14 PM

Having run several, I am sure only of one thing: the best way of running any artistic endeavour is a benign dictatorship. A committee is an animal with four back legs. The best example I can offer is that of a small festival I was involved in which discovered the secret of success when we lost the committee of twelve or more, and two muso's and a very bright and hard working young lady from the local council met in the pub and did the whole thing in three meetings.
Good luck.

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: Leadfingers
Date: 22 Apr 08 - 07:16 PM

A Comittee that acually works together is ideal , BUT can be a rare beast ! And al it neds is a couple of people to leave the area and the whole attitude of the committee can swing . IF you have the time and the energy the benevolent dictatorshp ( with a few helpers) seems the best way to go .

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: Harmonium Hero
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 09:58 AM

I wholehaeartedly agree on the subject of committee vs benign dictatorship. They say a camel is a horse designed by a committee. My experience as a singer looking for bookings is that as soon as the word 'committee' is mentioned, I know I'm almost certainly wasting my time. I've found myself on one or two committees, and know that there are always certain people who just love to be in there with their two-penn'orth, but who don't actually do anything useful. Make the decisions yourself, and you might make mistakes, but at least they'll be your mistakes, and at least things will get done.
As regards the name; I would advise calling it by a name that describes what it does. Is it a singaround? If so, call it a singaround. If it's a folk club in the traditional sense, then call it a folk club. Avoid the current tendency towards names like 'open mike night' or 'acoustic music club' (unless you're going to include brass bands, orchestras, male voice choirs...all acoustic!) or
'unplugged' - whatever that means.
Good luck with it - whatever you decide. John Kelly.

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: The Sandman
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 10:21 AM

make it a club.a place where people socialise.do not have a committee.
try and get a good nucleus of singers or musicians,so that you can sustain,and have enjoyable nights without having to rely upon a guest.
book guests when you have enough money to do so.
advertise your club on the internet.
perhaps, consider booking someone to run the occasional workshop.
try and organise the occassional social event within the club [canal boat holidays,etc]
dont book, Dick Mileshttp://www.dickmiles.com

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: BB
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 11:39 AM

"My experience as a singer looking for bookings is that as soon as the word 'committee' is mentioned, I know I'm almost certainly wasting my time."

I recognise that one, John! It's an easy way to say no to a potential guest artist rather than telling the truth!

"As regards the name; I would advise calling it by a name that describes what it does. Is it a singaround? If so, call it a singaround. If it's a folk club in the traditional sense, then call it a folk club. Avoid the current tendency towards names like 'open mike night' or 'acoustic music club' (unless you're going to include brass bands, orchestras, male voice choirs...all acoustic!) or
'unplugged' - whatever that means."

So one week we have a singaround-style evening when everything is welcome - songs and music of whatever genre, stories, poems... as long as they're all acoustic. Another week we have a concert with a paid guest artist and four pre-booked support slots. What do you suggest we call it?

Barbara

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: The Sandman
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 11:40 AM

BB ,a folk club.

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: GUEST,Banjiman
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 11:43 AM

...and there was me thinking that I should start a committee for KFFC , rather than continuing as dictator......the balance on here seems to be against that. Very interesting!

I had been feeling guilty that I wasn't sharing around the pleasure of organising a club.

Paul

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: GUEST,The Input
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 11:59 AM

Hey, whatever you decide to call it, I wish you luck. Just make sure it's not within 40 miles of another one and on the same night! (He he - Only joking)

Good luck

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: GUEST,Banjiman
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 12:10 PM

Our friend GTI has a very good point, KFFC will move at the end of the year from the 3rd to the 4th Saturday of the month to avoid a clash with The 3 Peaks Folk Club in Settle, which is about 40 miles away.

Though it is 40 miles away there are only abot 2 dozen people who live between here and there (well you know what I mean!).

You see GTI, some of us do see the value of co-operation with our neighbours, not just steamroller the "competion" (hee, hee, hee!!).

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: GUEST,The Input
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 12:21 PM

:-)

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: Leadfingers
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 12:32 PM

Clashing with another club on the same night does rather depend on the catchment area - In London , Fifteen miles is a BLOODY long way !

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: GUEST,The Input
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 12:35 PM

It's okay Leadfingers, it's a bit of an in-joke!

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: BB
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 02:40 PM

But Dick, it's not a folk club "in the traditional sense", which is what John said. We're quite happy with what we call it - Shammick Acoustic Sessions - but John was suggesting that calling something an 'acoustic music club' should be avoided. I would just like to know what he would suggest as an alternative, particularly as he advises "calling it by a name that describes what it does". (We started out purely as a singaround-style evening, which accounts for the 'Sessions' part of our name.) I can quite see that there are a number of people who would feel that they were being misled if we called it a "folk club" - and I might well agree with them!

Barbara

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: the lemonade lady
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 03:53 PM

Have I missed where this folk club is to held? Where about's in the world are you?

You'll have to have some good ale of course.

Sal

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: Harmonium Hero
Date: 27 Apr 08 - 12:52 PM

Barbara: I would still call it a folk club. On a singers' night - whether it's a singaround, or floor spots - you're going to get all sorts of songs/tunes/poems. I would argue that this is folk music, regardless of its origins or intentions. If a song has been recorded by a rock or pop artist with the hope (obviosly) of it becoming popular, then that popularity is likely to extend beyond the current pop chart, and sooner or later, somebody is going to get up in their local folk club and sing it. My argument about this is that folk music is what people sing. So if people - folk singers or not - are singing something, then it is in the proces of becoming a folk song. This is my opinion, of course, and is open to interminable argument -see various other threads here! It seems that people are afraid to use the word 'folk' in case it frightens people off. But using other terms doesn't necessarily help; some of them are misleading -'acoustic' or 'unplugged' nights where everything is miked up, or 'open mike' nights where there isn't a mike; and having several different definitions for the same thing confuses things and might equally frighten people off. I also think that some of these terms smack of us trying to be trendy, and in a few years we'll be looking for other terms, as these will be unfashinable. I must admit to having some misgivings about the term 'folk music' - it being a made-up term, but it's probably the best one we've got to describe truly acoustic music, which anybody can sing or play.
Leadfingers' point about catchment areas is a good one; check out whether there are ohter clubs, and look at the size of the population. Maybe somebody can work out a formula for clubs per thousand head per square mile....
John Kelly.

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: Ebbie
Date: 27 Apr 08 - 04:03 PM

We have just completed our third year as a folk(ish) club. We too didn't know what to call it so we named it for the street we were on calling it 'Gold Street Music', subtitled 'Music of and for the Community'. It's been popular and is well attended. We draw from 45 to 120 paid audience at $5.00 per person.

The second year out our venue burnt down and in the meantime we moved a few blocks away to another church. We haven't changed the name, as an indicator that we'll be back.

I know what is meant by 'committee'. We are four co-founders with two of us doing most of the work. But even then we don't agree on everything,

For instance, I would like to present new and upcoming performers to the community, which inevitably means that there will be the occasional sub-par act (one out of five acts). That doesn't bother me. They've got to start somewhere znd Juneau audiences are notoriously supportive.

The other three founders are more geared to the mini-folk festival concept which is a quite different critter from my view. Luckily I don't feel strongly about it- and I enjoy the 'better' music as much as they do.

We stop during the summer months but I'm thinking of using those months as new performer break-ins with the occasional really good one. I can get plenty of enthusiastic help from other people and the co-founders have already given the idea their blessing. The church hall costs $100 for the night so if I averaged 20 people in attendance I'd be doing OK.

We'll see.

Good luck to you, Frazz. It's a lot of fun and satisfaction.

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: The Sandman
Date: 27 Apr 08 - 04:07 PM

BB,knowing both you and Tom ,I bet its a cracking good night.
if its working well dont change it.

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: Nick
Date: 27 Apr 08 - 08:06 PM

You do seem remarkably coy about telling what part of the world you are going to be starting this entity, especially as everyone seems keen to find out more and presumably come and support you if it is within reach. Perhaps you could call it the "None of Your Business Where It Is Folk Club" and then rename it the "Where the Folk is Everyone Club"?

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: Ythanside
Date: 27 Apr 08 - 09:16 PM

Well put, Nick, but I'm beginning to suspect that 'Frazz' is just having a laugh.

Subject: RE: Starting a Folk Club
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 03:24 AM

Perhaps you are thinking of making it a Secret Folk Club? I have toyed with this idea. By making it secret and mysterious perhaps people will try harder to find it and enjoy the thrill of obscurity that folk clubs once had?