Last chance to hear...

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Rafflesbear
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 07:11 PM

Norcsalordie

If you weren't at Aylesford you missed it

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 03:25 PM

GONG are playing in Blackpool on Thursday night - after midnight! So not readily doable, alas. They're looking pretty good from the footage I've seen of the Summer tour... Gilly & Daevid in vintage form - with Hillage in there too!

Last chance? I bloody hope not...

Sun Ra had an interesting relationship to recordings as anyone with a passing acquaintance with his music will realise. 16 years after he left the planet & his recorded legacy still throws up surprises!

Thank Christ for YouTube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9w6DJpDBs8

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Mzee Simba
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 03:02 PM

I went to see Pete Seeger play last year. Figured it was a last chance. He's still going strong though, at 90, now. He didn't disappoint. His voice is somewhat weak and hoarse, but his banjo playing is still fine, and his ability to get the crowd singing (in harmony) is undiminished. Heck, he just has to wave his hand, and everyone joins in. He even taught the audience a new song that he had just written. Not a great classic, but catchy enough! I hope I'm still writing new songs at 89!

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Willie-O
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 02:52 PM

I agree with Pip's sentiment, in spades.

The only problem is that the fact that a performer is on a "farewell tour" seems a remarkably poor indicator of whether you'll get another chance to see them live.

Oliver Schroer(Canadian fiddler/composer/inspirer) was perhaps the exception; three weeks before he died, he gave what was openly billed as his "last concert on his tour of Planet Earth", and I wish I'd been there. Whereas I was just lucky that I saw Stan Rogers, Stan Hugill, Phil Ochs, Steve Goodman and Jerry Holland before they cashed their cheques.

The only thing you can be sure of is that everyone you ever see making music will die someday. And Who Knows Where The Time Goes.

Yes, I have a maudlin streak a mile wide!

W-O

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Ian Fyvie
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 02:32 PM

A veteran performer in the Brighton area told me a couple of years ago that he was one of the few of his generation still doing his bit at clubs. Virtually all of his peers had virtually ceased performing as they reached 70, and he reeled me off a list.

A variation on this could be that it will be harder to catch veteran performers as they now play only occasionaly or support one club; where in the old days they would probably have visited most folk gatherings from time to time.

Ian Fyvie

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Will Fly
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 06:15 AM

I'd certainly agree about the discomfort of seeing people live in some venues. As I get older and grouchier, I refuse to go to a live performance, purely as a member of the audience, where I can't sit in reasonable comfort and enjoy it. So I won't go to big festivals or stadium gigs or to places where I have to stand all night (sciatica knows best) and, if I get a seat in a theatre, it has - if possible - to be somewhere where all the rows in front of me can't stand up towards the end and spoil the view! Pubs and participatory sessions are different - I do what I can and live with any small inconviences - otherwise I'm very picky.

Apart from folk clubs and sessions, which are generally comfortable enough for me, some of the best venues I've sat in include the Jazz Cafe in Islington and the Dome in Brighton (upstairs though). I do enjoy live performances, but I'm choosier as I get older...

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Spleen Cringe
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 05:27 AM

"Oh Spleen, that is so sad. You are missing out on so much"

Not really. Just back from Womad, where I saw some fantastic artists, but I can't in all honesty say that what I heard was consistently an improvement on the albums - in many cases it wasn't. It was still a great do, though.

Don't get me wrong - I love live music under the right circumstances, and go to see plenty of it, but have never subscribed to this "live music good - recorded music not so good" thing (standing for an hour and a half in a sweaty, overcrowded room, getting jostled and stood on, having beer spilled on you, not being able to see properly because some arsehole with a comedy hat insists on standing in front of you, people next to you having a yelled conversation with each other, crappy sound, realising that the singer really wants to be a comedian/light entertainer rather than just getting on with the music and so on- and I'm exaggerating to make the point here!). I've never really understood this "buying the CD as a souvenir of the gig" thing either. If that's all a record is, I'm not bothered about getting it. Not generally that keen on live albums either, for the same reason.

Having said that, I'd have loved to have seen Mr Fox, though.

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 26 Jul 09 - 10:16 AM

I've just read Sheila Stewarts biography of her mother Belle [ Queen Amang The Heather ] I would have loved to have seen her sing live, I saw Sheila at Ripponden Folk Club some years ago and she is without doubt the finest singer I've ever heard, I would also loved to have seen Jeannie Robertson, Sheila Stewart rated her better than her mother Belle.

Dave H

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 25 Jul 09 - 05:00 PM

I had a friend and mentor who told me to play every gig as if it was your last one.

Ian....you are right. There are many good singers out there who will never know "stardom" whatever that might be......but they are wonderful performers none the less!

Go to a session or a folk club as soon as you can!

Best wishes,

Peter

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Ian Fyvie
Date: 23 Jul 09 - 10:18 PM

Why the fixation on 'Stars'? There are some pretty brilliant people around who generally don't do bookings or have no CD to immortalise them.

The first ever Folk Club I went to had as a regular singer - a retired civil servant - called Jack Sully. Jack wrote witty songs on contemporary life - and put them over beautifully. Jack was retirered by 1973 and it would be nice to know he's still around - but he would probably have given up singing by now!

Fast forward to now - and we have a lot of fine singers who are over 60 and may never get round to making that CD - so it really is important to hear them while we can.

IIan Fyvie

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Howard Jones
Date: 23 Jul 09 - 05:20 AM

It's true that albums are not second best, and that they are a different way of hearing music. But to see a performer live is to get more than just the songs, you get to understand more about the performer and what the songs mean to them. There's also the sense of risk in a live performance, when no one, not even the performer themselves (no matter how professional and rehearsed) can know exactly what's going to happen - this can produce great and unexpected music, but this often gets eradicated in a studio. So while albums have their place, for me they can never be a substitute for a live performance.

I don't have too many regrets over lost opportunities. I would have liked to see Harry Cox or Sam Larner or Scan Tester. However I did get to see Walter Pardon, Bob Copper, Oscar Woods, Stan Hugill, Fred Jordan, Percy Ling and a number of others, so I count myself fortunate. I also got to see Nic Jones, Tony Rose, Peter Bellamy, Johnny Collins and many others who are no longer performing for various reasons. I'm also old enough to have a lot of albums on vinyl which are no longer available, and not always because of Mr Bulmer. I've been lucky.

Nevertheless, the OP is right, life is a fragile and uncertain thing and we should take the opportunities to see our favourite musicians while we can.

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Will Fly
Date: 23 Jul 09 - 03:50 AM

Albums every time for me.

Albums certainly have their place, and I certainly cherish the 10,000+ tracks on my iPod, but I've seen some magical live performances that matched or transcended the performers' albums. Swarb and Carthy in '66... John Kirkpatrick and Chris Parkinson this year... Dave Edmunds every time I've seen him... Ian Dury & the Blockheads (their live show knocked any of their albums into a cocked hat)...

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 22 Jul 09 - 08:02 PM

And what about the final tours?
Eric Bogle is currently on his, so try and see him Pip Radish.
Tom Paxton did 2 but then decided to carry on.
Ian McCalman retires next year, so if you haven't seem the McCalmans live, try to do so.
Judy Small no longer does world tours.
And there are others who are still alive but no longer gigging, as well as the sad tally of those great singer and musicians who have passed on.

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: TheSnail
Date: 22 Jul 09 - 07:49 PM

Oh Spleen, that is so sad. You are missing out on so much.

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Spleen Cringe
Date: 22 Jul 09 - 11:42 AM

Albums every time for me. Concerts are a special event that may be a fantastic experience and may be a colossal waste of time, depending on 1001 variables. Recorded music is a faithful friend and constant companion. I don't care that I never heard Tony Rose sing in the same room as me. I can listen to him sing any time I want to. I don't believe I am having a diminished experience because my enjoyment is mediated by technology. Albums are not second best, they're just a different way of hearing music.

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: GUEST,Elmore
Date: 22 Jul 09 - 10:22 AM

Missed Dave Van Ronk.Vowed it wouldn't happen again. Made sure I saw Utah Phillips' last appearance in Cambridge, Ma. Glad I made it.His performance was better than ever. A little over a year later he passed.

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Jul 09 - 07:17 AM

Peter was a bit like Marmite, but I really enjoy hearing his singing, particularly the interpretations of Kipling.

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 22 Jul 09 - 07:07 AM

I'm not sure if Peter Bellamy's appearance as part of the Durham Folk Party in 1991 was his last appearance, but it was only 7 weeks or so before he left the planet. On that occasion I recall a lot of the audience pointedly walking out as he took the stage; I recall running out around the pub singarounds to raise an audience. Anyway, my mate Clive recorded the first part of his show for me on his Walkman (the part I missed whilst running around the pubs) and it remains one of my favourite Bellamy recordings of all time, capturing the great man at the very top of his game.

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Will Fly
Date: 22 Jul 09 - 06:43 AM

Perhaps what's even worse than missing your heroes because they've died is seeing them at their worst, when all your expectations are shattered.

This has only happened two or three times to me, but it was very sad when it did.

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Mr Happy
Date: 22 Jul 09 - 06:43 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Briggs

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 22 Jul 09 - 06:40 AM

What other musical genre would inspire similar sentiments I wonder?

Pretty much every one I would imagine, CS - which is why we have such a tradition of tribute bands and recorded concerts by dead stars. Wonder if this will ever catch on in the Folk World? Still, a lot of singarounds are like Stars in their Eyes - tonight, Matthew, I'm going to be - Shirley Collins!

Otherwise, I know who my favourite folk singers are these days; I know them personally and I make the most of them whenever I can. In terms of Folk Celebrity there's only JIM ELDON who I haven't seen now for too long a while. Thank Christ for You Tube, eh?

I saw Nic Jones around the time of Penguin Eggs and was bored shitless; never saw Hatfield and the North but I did see The National Health on 2 occasions. There are two amazing CDs from the Hatfield archives currently riding high on my personal playlists - check 'em HERE. Once again, thank Christ for YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGjRhhggSFo

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Vic Smith
Date: 22 Jul 09 - 06:22 AM

Perhaps not as widely publicised as they should be, but Shirley is presenting three of her shows at this summer's Festivals:-

* A Most Sunshiny Day Sidmouth Festival, The Manor Pavilion, Sidmouth - Saturday 1st August 2.30pm (Event number 220)

* I'm A Romany Rai Sidmouth Festival, The Arts Centre, Sidmouth - Monday 3rd August 9.30 am (Event number 406)

* America Over The Water Broadstairs Festival, The Hilderstone, Broadstairs - Sunday 9th August 8.00pm (Event number 145)

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 22 Jul 09 - 05:23 AM

Could I just mention that although Shirley Collins is no longer singing, she's doing a couple of all-day masterclasses on English traditional song for the Lewes Saturday Folk Club on Satuday 17th. and Sunday 18th. April next year? There is a maximum of eight places per day.

In the evenings, Shirley will present her illustrated talks on 'Im a Romany Rai'(Saturday) and 'Peter Kennedy's Collections in Southern England'Sunday). The rest of the evenings will be given over to floor singers; if past experience is anything to go by, some distinguished specimens will be there.

It's far too early to take firm bookings, but if you'd like to go on the Interested list PM me your email address.

Tootle pip,

Valmai

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 21 Jul 09 - 06:55 PM

they really remain stepping stones for me to learn the songs

Me too, mostly. Still, there's nothing like seeing it done live. It's not so much star-worship as technique: really good time-keepers are my thing, and Nic Jones and both Tonys were among the best (although NJ & TC also stretched time horribly when they felt like it).

*far* less than I do over artists that composed their own music in other genres

You've got me thinking about dream concert clashes. If I had to choose between Tony Rose and Arctic Monkeys/the Earlies/the Beta Band/Robyn Hitchcock/Hatfield and the North/Peter Blegvad/Soft Machine/GYBE!... Actually I think any of the last three would edge it, but the late Mr Rose wins over all the others.

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: katlaughing
Date: 21 Jul 09 - 06:23 PM

I no longer want to buy a recording if I haven't seen the performer. Mere fossilized vibrations aren't the same.


Living in the wild, wild West, where places are few and far between, sorta, I am grateful to have had the chance to *meet* a lot of talented Mudcatters without ever seeing them live and in colour.:-) Off the top of my head, I'd highly recommend several including Art Theime, Rick Fielding, Jed Marum, all of the Mudcatters on the Mudcat CDs, and there are many more.

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies)
Date: 21 Jul 09 - 06:02 PM

This is an interesting thread. What other musical genre would inspire similar sentiments I wonder?

I must admit Pip, that while I can and do enjoy the singers you mention, they really remain stepping stones for me to learn the songs. I've recently garnered some other earlier sources too now, so they may fulfill a similar function.

But frankly I harbour little or no sentiment over revival singers. Certainly *far* less than I do over artists that composed their own music in other genres. So perhaps that's a prejudice on my part.

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: johnadams
Date: 21 Jul 09 - 06:02 PM

GUEST,leeneia wrote:

I no longer want to buy a recording if I haven't seen the performer. Mere fossilized vibrations aren't the same.

I understand what you mean but at the same time, I would never ever have had the chance to meet Joseph Taylor who died in the early 1900s but Percy Grainger's (and others) recordings of him send shivers down my spine.

I agree with Pip Radish though, listen to as many people as you can while you can. Even the younger ones can walk under a bus!

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 21 Jul 09 - 05:51 PM

Well, Pip, there is definitely something special about going to a live performance and seeing (and perhaps talking to) an actual performer. Somehow, knowing the real person makes the recordings more meaningful. At least, that's how I feel.

I no longer want to buy a recording if I haven't seen the performer. Mere fossilized vibrations aren't the same.

Good luck with your goal of locating and experiencing live folk musicians.

Subject: RE: Last chance to hear...
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 21 Jul 09 - 05:12 PM

(This is unusually maudlin for me. I guess I'm just feeling unusually maudlin.)

Subject: Last chance to hear...
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 21 Jul 09 - 05:09 PM

I started getting back into folk music a couple of years ago, after a long time listening to other stuff. One of the first albums I bought, this time round, was Anne Briggs: a collection; I vividly remember the sinking feeling I got when it struck me that all the recordings were around 30 years old and all the sleeve notes were in the past tense. I was relieved to realise that Anne Briggs isn't dead, but she hasn't done much gigging for a while; I've probably missed my chance to hear her.

The next singer I got into was Shirley Collins. Then Nic Jones. Great music, sad stories - and for me personally a great sense of chances missed (why did I have to get into punk?)

Then, thanks to an unknown benefactor of the local Oxfam shop, I discovered the great Tony Capstick. Unlike the first three, Capstick is dead; so is Tony Rose, who I only discovered very recently. And now we've lost Johnny Collins too.

What this makes me think is that the next time I get a chance to hear... well, whoever*... I'm definitely going to take it. With any luck it won't be the last chance, but every chance is precious.

*After a lead-in like that I don't think anyone would thank me for naming them!