fRoots magazine and folk clubs

Subject: RE: fRoots magazine and folk clubs
From: Frozen Gin (inactive)
Date: 12 May 09 - 11:16 AM

"Unless they don't count as 'folk enough'."

That's exactly it, Smedley, you've hit the nail right on the head. Some of the individuals and bands featured in fRoots have attained a certain level of commercial success, therefore, and to use a tried but trueism, in some people's eyes have `sold out` to `the establishment` I wonder if one of the testimonials for fRoots, by the esteemed individual, Robert Plant, is one of the roots, so to speak, of the discontent among the Cry Sell Out crowd? (indeed, in my opinion Mr. Plant is more folk than many so called folkies I've met).

I'll continue reading fRoots as long as Ian Anderson (no not that one!!)continues to edit and publish it.

Subject: RE: fRoots magazine and folk clubs
From: greg stephens
Date: 12 May 09 - 11:15 AM

Well, I certainly manage to find reviews of up-and-coming folk artists in fRoots. Obviously not all of them, there wouldn't be room, but a good variety. Plus a lot of stuff about artists from other countries, a very well-rounded mag I would have thought. It obviously isn't exactly to my taste in every last detail, but it wouldn't be, would it? I think it's an excellent publication, and consistently so over many many years. Fair play to Ian A and his colleagues.
It obviously doesn't cover folk clubs in depth, but there's no reason why it should as far as I can see.

Subject: RE: fRoots magazine and folk clubs
From: Leadfingers
Date: 12 May 09 - 11:05 AM

Ian A Anderson has run Folk Clubs himself in the past , and froots WAS originally Folk Roots whch grew out of Southern Rag , a local magazinea covering mostly Hants , Surrey and Berks , so if the magazine has NOT met your wishes , as a magazine , is that their fault ?

Subject: RE: fRoots magazine and folk clubs
From: Smedley
Date: 12 May 09 - 10:53 AM

The cover story in a recent issue of fRoots was about a number of 'up and coming' British folk performers.

Unless they don't count as 'folk enough'.

Subject: RE: fRoots magazine and folk clubs
From: GUEST,folkandroots
Date: 12 May 09 - 10:52 AM

"Sorry, no time to log in just now so I have to be quick...

The Magpie's is not a folk club as I would define it. I've been there twice and left halfway through both times. The organisers obviously have a knack for attracting an audience, but I prefer to listen to folk music without the accompaniment of people having shouted conversations across the bar or jabbering down their mobiles.

If that's your thing, fine, though I think it's a pity that what could have been a good club has become nothing more a drinking venue with live music. If that's the future of folk clubs then I'll give them a miss thank you.

The Living Tradition is a good magazine, but it's not nationally distributed is it? I've only ever seen it for sale in a few folk clubs."

I've no idea what its other arrangements are but LT is certainly available in many Borders stores although I suspect they could get a bigger distribution but these things cost money, resources etc.

Re - the Magpies Nest it was a genuine question, and I accept that it can be annoying there at times with the noise you mention but on the other hand I think you exaggerate a little, and its certainly the case that the majority of the (mostly youngish) audience are there to listen to the performers. I just wondered if there was something about the format of their events you had an issue with.

Subject: RE: fRoots magazine and folk clubs
From: GUEST,Faye Roche
Date: 12 May 09 - 10:52 AM

"instead of knocking fRoots for not being the magazine you'd like it to be, why don't you start your own?"

I knew that was coming!!!

I don't like most of the output of all the TV channels either. What should I do about that???

Actually, I have thought about starting an online magazine- just don't have time. And I believe that a magazine that claims to be devoted to roots music should cover just that- a cross-section of roots music from everywhere, not just the editor's preference.

Aargh- can't stay any longer, much as I'd like to.

Subject: RE: fRoots magazine and folk clubs
From: GUEST,Faye Roche
Date: 12 May 09 - 10:48 AM

Really must go now...

Matt, I don't remember ever seeing any reference to any UK performer outside the Carthy/Lakeman/Hardy/Rusby/Bellowhead/etc. circle. (Not knocking these artists btw- I like some of them.) I've never seen any reviews of folk club gigs.

I'd love to be proved wrong though! leave some examples here and I'll be back.

BTW, re the Magpie's, if you disagree with me that's your perogative. See my earlier reply.

Duty calls- back to work.

Subject: RE: fRoots magazine and folk clubs
From: matt milton
Date: 12 May 09 - 10:44 AM

Ultimately, I think the original post here is essentially way off the mark.

I agree in the sense that it would be very nice to have a magazine geared to live reviews; I used to really enjoy reading the live reviews in Melody Maker and NME when I was a teen and I'm disappointed at the focus of most music mag – relegating live reviews to a page or a spread.

But, instead of knocking fRoots for not being the magazine you'd like it to be, why don't you start your own? You don't like its coverage? Well, a blog won't cost you anything but your time.

Subject: RE: fRoots magazine and folk clubs
From: matt milton
Date: 12 May 09 - 10:42 AM

"Apart from the Magpie's Nest, which isn't really a folk club!"

Disagree with you there. I'd almost go so far as to say you were wrong.

"reading this magazine, you could very easily get the impression that the UK folk scene either does not exist, or that the editor hates it with such a passion that he deliberately ignores it."

Disagree with you there. I'd almost go so far as to say you were wrong.

"Wouldn't it be nice if the magazine visited the folk roots of its home country as well?"

I would say it does.

"fRoots is about commercially recorded music, not grassroots performers (from anywhere) who aren't going to buy advertising"

Its focus might be on recorded music - in that way it's no different from the vast majority of other music magazines on earth – but I think the implication behind the reference to advertising is a little snide. Particularly as the issues of fRoots I've read contain many of the names – big or small – I see cropping up regularly on the programmes of British folk clubs.

Subject: RE: fRoots magazine and folk clubs
From: GUEST,Faye Roche
Date: 12 May 09 - 10:42 AM

Sorry, no time to log in just now so I have to be quick...

The Magpie's is not a folk club as I would define it. I've been there twice and left halfway through both times. The organisers obviously have a knack for attracting an audience, but I prefer to listen to folk music without the accompaniment of people having shouted conversations across the bar or jabbering down their mobiles.

If that's your thing, fine, though I think it's a pity that what could have been a good club has become nothing more a drinking venue with live music. If that's the future of folk clubs then I'll give them a miss thank you.

The Living Tradition is a good magazine, but it's not nationally distributed is it? I've only ever seen it for sale in a few folk clubs.

Subject: RE: fRoots magazine and folk clubs
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 12 May 09 - 10:23 AM

I once got the phrase finger-fuck foreplay published in the letters page of of the Jan/Feb 1991 double issue Nos. 91/92 in a lette which also name-checked Sun Ra & Jim Eldon in the same sentence.

Respect.

Suibhne O'Piobaireachd

Hmmm - now there's an idea...

Subject: RE: fRoots magazine and folk clubs
From: Jack Campin
Date: 12 May 09 - 10:19 AM

Ian Anderson detests folk clubs and British ones in particular. Also, fRoots is about commercially recorded music, not grassroots performers (from anywhere) who aren't going to buy advertising.

Subject: RE: fRoots magazine and folk clubs
From: SteveMansfield
Date: 12 May 09 - 10:15 AM

Faye, if you don't know it already, have a look at Living Tradition magazine.

Subject: RE: fRoots magazine and folk clubs
From: GUEST
Date: 12 May 09 - 10:09 AM

the one national magazine in the UK

What about The Living Tradition?

Subject: RE: fRoots magazine and folk clubs
From: GUEST,Guest: folkandroots
Date: 12 May 09 - 10:05 AM

I possibly shouldnt ask but I just wondered why you described the Magpies Nest as not really a folk club (not a criticism or disagreement with your description necessarily but just curious), as in my experience it follows the same structure as a number of other clubs/nights?

Subject: RE: fRoots magazine and folk clubs
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 12 May 09 - 10:01 AM

Yes, I gave up on Froots long ago for similar reasons.

Subject: fRoots magazine and folk clubs
From: Faye Roche
Date: 12 May 09 - 09:58 AM

I stopped buying fRoots magazine some time ago, but I glanced through a copy that I found in my newsagents's last week and was surprised to see the subject of the editor's comment. Unless I dreamed the whole experience, he was extolling the virtues of small venues, which would seem, by definition, to include folk clubs.

Why I was surprised is that, reading this magazine, you could very easily get the impression that the UK folk scene either does not exist, or that the editor hates it with such a passion that he deliberately ignores it. (Apart from the Magpie's Nest, which isn't really a folk club!)

The magazine's focus seems to be split between African music (nothing wrong with that- it's good that it gets this kind of exposure, though there is also some great indigenous music from other countries, such as my homeland, Australia, for example) and the latest cute young Radio 2 Folk Award winners. Nothing wrong with that either, though some of them are vastly overrated in my humble opinion.

But... there is a lot of exciting music happening in folk clubs, with some unknown young bands who can knock spots off many of the award winners. fRoots must have a good circulation, as it is a lavishly- presented magazine that is available nationwide (and internationally for all I know.) To finance it, there must be a fair number of people who have enough enthusiasm for this music. Wouldn't it be nice if the magazine visited the folk roots of its home country as well?

I can't help thinking that if we had a good national folk magazine the club scene would be a lot healthier and less fragmented. If, for example, performances by new artists were sometimes reviewed, so that the said artists could benefit from wider exposure, wouldn't that be a good thing? There are quite a few young performers trying to break into the scene at the moment- how nice it would be if they could be more publicised; it might even draw a new generation of listeners into the scene.

BTW, I'm not grinding my own axe- I've retired from the circuit for now owing to pressures of work. But there are some astoundingly good new performers around, and it's a pity that the one national magazine in the UK chooses to ignore them.