Party pieces and calling cards

Subject: RE: Party pieces and calling cards
From: Mr Red
Date: 20 Jul 09 - 06:19 AM

It depends - if there are kids they get "Sombody's Moggy" or a similar rabbit song of mine. If there are erudite folkies I might sing a song wot I collected - in hopes of leaning more about it - it worked once (marginally). Some of those songs

Subject: RE: Party pieces and calling cards
From: GUEST,Russ
Date: 20 Jul 09 - 06:17 AM

Rough and Rocky

Russ (Permanent GUEST)

Subject: RE: Party pieces and calling cards
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 20 Jul 09 - 05:48 AM

Our party piece is/was Derwentwater's Farewell

Nice. I sing Lord Allenwater sometimes, but I hadn't come across that one - sort of an answer song.

Paul - sounds like a good strategy. The B. B. of R. is long and fiddly, and when I'm about to launch into it I always wonder why I couldn't have picked something easier! Never choked yet, touch wood.

Subject: RE: Party pieces and calling cards
From: Paul Burke
Date: 19 Jul 09 - 04:34 PM

I think I do the Centenary March and Hynd's March in new places, but that's because I'm usually terrified and I can almost always do them reliably. They come out in regular venues when I'm drop taken, too.

Subject: RE: Party pieces and calling cards
From: Little Robyn
Date: 19 Jul 09 - 03:37 PM

Our party piece is/was Derwentwater's Farewell - me on Northumbrian pipes and Mitch singing.
We haven't done it for a couple of years now but we first performed it at the Wellington Folk Festival in 1973 and we've brought it out on odd occasions, most recently during the Piper's tour in 2005 when we had 15 other pipers backing us. I did the harmony!
Robyn

Subject: RE: Party pieces and calling cards
From: Terry McDonald
Date: 19 Jul 09 - 02:17 PM

Yes, of course. With me it's currently 'Somewhere in America', followed by 'When First I came to Caledonia.' In the 1970s it was 'Rout of the Blues' and two or three years ago it was 'Mary and the Soldier.'

Subject: Party pieces and calling cards
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 19 Jul 09 - 01:19 PM

This is one for the amateurs (like myself).

Have you got one particular song/tune that you always bring out when it's your first time at a strange club/singaround/etc? And do you ever sing it any other time?

Me, I sang the Bonny Bunch of Roses at the big singaround on Saturday in Saddleworth. I realised afterwards that I've sung that song in more places than any other - and that I've hardly ever sung it for a second time anywhere (by choice, I hasten to add!) Have other people got a "calling card" number like this?