Alternative Folk Awards

Subject: RE: Alternative Folk Awards
From: Acorn4
Date: 05 Jan 12 - 07:02 PM

Voting is now starting on these - I've just voted in the categories where I feel able to make a judgement. I did it on my laptop which I don't do email from - is it not possible to multi-click on a site like this which makes it a bit open to abuse - I may be wrong - do these things check your mac address or something like this?

PS didn't see that one GSS - LOL!

Subject: RE: Alternative Folk Awards
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 05 Jan 12 - 07:55 PM

John P - there are no awards for agreeing with me. My argument is not with you. have you heard Will Fly's fabulous piece of work dissecting Bix beiderbeck's Singing the Blues and playing it on 4 string guitar. Of course- like Will, like myself, you have the perfect right to play whatever turns you on. Its a free country.

However - I really do feel that folk music is in the shit in a number of terrible ways and it is moving further and further away from the common voice of the English people. The more the middle classes annexe it and make the techniques more recondite, the tradition more coherent and deeper - the worse the situation gets.

That is what I honestly feel. My sincere belief. Who knows - perhaps you will be the artist that redeems this music and return us to the situation where people are queueing round the block to get into folk clubs?

I hope so.

On the other hand - perhaps I am wrong. certainly i am in a minority on this forum. i accept that. If I were you - Ishould continue doing what makes you happy - life is very short - enjoy it as best you can. You ,in your small corner; I, in mine.

Subject: RE: Alternative Folk Awards
From: srothman
Date: 05 Jan 12 - 08:27 PM

Message for BIG AL WHITTLE

Just been to your shambles of a website to see where you were playing next, just so I could report back here on your live show.

For a man of such experience you don't seem to have any gigs coming up, in "shitty" pubs or clubs or anywhere.

Could this be that, while you're a reasonable guitar picker you ain't got much of a singing voice? I reckon that if you turned up to play at my shitty local music pub the punters would be asking for the juke box to be turned on pretty smartish.

Subject: RE: Alternative Folk Awards
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 06 Jan 12 - 01:10 AM

could be

Subject: RE: Alternative Folk Awards
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 06 Jan 12 - 08:33 AM

ps srothman.... any relation to the king sized fag?

Subject: RE: Alternative Folk Awards
From: Howard Jones
Date: 06 Jan 12 - 08:56 AM

"it is moving further and further away from the common voice of the English people."

You're probably right, although I think it's more that the English people are moving away from folk song. I don't think it's fair to blame the middle classes for that, the vast majority of whom are even further away from folk. Even if most of those who are interested in folk music are middle class, you've produced no evidence to support your argument. It seems to me to be simple prejudice.

It seems to me the English people fall into one of two groups - those who get folk music and those who don't. Class has nothing to do with it. What may be true is that middle class people may have more opportunities to come into contact with it (for example, via university folk clubs, in my day).

Subject: RE: Alternative Folk Awards
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 06 Jan 12 - 10:32 AM

That's certainly one way of looking at it, Howard.

The thing that makes me doubt it though is the songwriting.

Ewan had this background in theatre and busking and God knows what else. Anyway he was used to seeing the proscenium arch. Its a sense that you develop as a song writer - you can imagine the theatre of expression - whether your song is coming out of a radio speaker, being sang from the stage of a theatre, sang in a night club, sang in a folk club, sang to your mates at work....whatever.

Any kind of songwriter has to develop that - not just folk. Such a lot of the 'in the tradition' songwriting just plays the sedulous ape to older styles.

Having a good idea for a song isn't enough. you have to be able to imagine that little gasp of delight, that light in the eyes that a good song has. i think I'm talking about inspiration, wanting not just to trigger that 'welcome you're a member of the club' sort of response.

Ewan had good ideas AND he could do the other thing. that's why so many other people do his stuff.

Subject: RE: Alternative Folk Awards
From: Howard Jones
Date: 06 Jan 12 - 11:32 AM

"Such a lot of the 'in the tradition' songwriting just plays the sedulous ape to older styles."

Isn't it following older styles that makes it "in the tradition"?

I don't disagree with what your saying, although I think the whole point of folk music is that it's not about the proscenium arch, it should be a more intimate and direct involvement with the audience (although a good performer can get that from the concert stage).

There's probably a lot of crap songwriters out there. Perhaps a weakness of the folk scene is that it allows them a platform whereas other genres might be more demanding. It's about standards again. But there are good songwriters too.

Subject: RE: Alternative Folk Awards
From: Acorn4
Date: 06 Jan 12 - 12:15 PM

Hang about! This has become another Ewan MacColl thread - slight bit of drift here!

Subject: RE: Alternative Folk Awards
From: GUEST,steve th
Date: 04 Feb 12 - 12:22 PM

seems from this thread there are a lot of shite worryingly sober folk clubs out there wedded to mediocrity. must be a southern thing cos its not something i can relate to. last 3 folk club gigs ive been to have been acts equally at home playing in the local pubs as folk clubs. (same goes for number of the floor spots) . far as folk awards go , ok it all seems a bit competative with doesnt quite fit with folk music but its still a right buzz seeing acts ive followed, whove blown my socks off in whatever context, get a first nomination. spiral earth seems to get it right for me more often than bbc (maybe thats just me) . bbc doesnt always get it wrong though and im well chuffed to see lucy ward up for 2 awards.

Subject: RE: Alternative Folk Awards
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 10 Feb 12 - 06:09 AM

Yep! Lucy is the goods alright. A graduate of the The Vernon Arms folk club, Spondon, Derby - where I was proud to be a resident for many years.

For a long time, we didn't book guests - so we weren't considered a 'proper' folk club by the powers that be - not proper enough to be included in the whats on folk club guide. Plus the fact (it has to be added in the folk police's defence) - we did get some some exceedigly strange singers turning up. Lucy has actually written a song about it.

I won't go into details - but recently we saw Lucy do a gig in a village hall - down here in Dorchester. Denise and I nearly fell off our chairs - we KNEW the floor singer she was singing about. The reason i won't go into details - I would hate for the guy to widespread figure of fun and feel hurt by it.

Subject: RE: Alternative Folk Awards
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 10 Feb 12 - 07:06 AM

From the Vernon website:-

April 12th Lucy Ward Local girl was our Special Guest

The evening started with regulars performing one song each in front of the largest crowd ever at the Vernon in our 9 year history.

All came to see our local lass Lucy Ward who entered the stage with her bright blond hair and her bright pink Doc Martins

looking every bit a star. Lucy has come a long way since first appearing at out little Folk Club when she was just 14 years old.

Her set was full of Trad songs and a nice mix of her own well penned songs and that Lucy fun and charm mixed in between songs.

Every song told a story and she had the crowd in her hands from the moment she said her first words "Ah Up"

We had to bring stools in from the main bar to get everyone seated and everyone listened and admired a star of the future.

We didn't want the night to end.

Those of you who want to hear more of Lucy can pre order her new CD out on June 13th click on the limk below.

www.navigator-store.com/product.php?id=487&categoryid=30

We all wish Lucy every success for the future. May she grasp every opportunity with both hands and we wish her every success with her NEW CD.

Let her never forget her roots ( This is not an advert for the hairdressers) She is alway welcome at our club and one day soon we hope we can say

"Ah up me Duck you've made it"

Subject: RE: Alternative Folk Awards
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Mar 12 - 09:15 PM

The results...

Subject: RE: Alternative Folk Awards
From: YorkshireYankee
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 07:13 PM

Have been wondering about these... thanks for posting, Guest!

Subject: RE: Alternative Folk Awards
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 17 Mar 12 - 07:08 AM

Lovely to see special mention made on Spiral Earth there of Spleen Cringe's own baby The Folk Police:

"We also announce our 'Special Award' today, it is one from the editorial team at Spiral Earth that we present to recognise something extra special that has happened in the past year. This year the Spiral Earth Special Award goes to Folk Police Recordings.
Folk Police have put out some staggeringly good music over the past year, their magical ability to form collaborations between some of the best mainstream folk artists, and to discover edgy artists that challenge the norm is amazing.
We will have an in-depth feature with them in the coming weeks"

"The 'Special Award'
This is a special award that comes from the editorial team at Spiral Earth to recognise an outstanding achievement in the previous year. This year we have decided to award it to Folk Police Recordings.
We said a while back "Folk Police Recordings have really been delivering the goods this year with an eclectic and imaginative cast of acts. You've just got to click over to their site to see what cutting edge folk is all about. Label of the year? Could be." Well we were true to our word.
They have proven that you can be fresh, original and challenging."

***Yay for Spleen and chums!***

Subject: RE: Alternative Folk Awards
From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray
Date: 17 Mar 12 - 07:44 AM

Yup - Hooray for Folk Police, though I was frankly baffled by our nomination - last time I looked we had something like 7% of the vote which amazed me that it was that much to be honest. I think other FP 'artistes' fared rather better than we did, but I'm not a great one for numbers, especially when my idea of having a Public Profile is to be snuggled in the corner of the backroom of The Moorbrook of a Friday neet with the great & the good of the North West (which last night featured Mudcat's own LesB) lobbing in the occasional ballad or else twanging my Doromb along to a few tunes.

That said - I'm delighted by the critical reception of our album Songs from the Barley Temple, which really is our attempt at a Very Normal Straightforward Traditional Folk Album; it baffles me why people think it's anything different really. Weird? Hell - an an former member of Metgumberbone and Mastishaddhu I can assure assure you Weird doesn't come into it. All we're really bothered about is doing a few old songs and ballads for the hell of it really - no different from anyone else. See the new R2 (formerly Rock & Reel) for Rapunzel & Sedayne interview and track on the cover CD to hear & read our homespun homely DIY philosophy of Folk Music.

You can also buy the all-new WEREWOLF SONGS, a Swedish complilation of more conventional wyrd-psych folk on which we feature a self penned Idiomatic Trad Song we made called Winter / Werewolf (aka Fevered Prayer) which we occasionally do in singarounds & sessions without causing too much of a stir despite its Eastern European vibe. I've been doing this sort of thing forever really - any amount of strange little CD projects & ventures & projects that the media show little to no interest in but which contain the best music ever - like the Sonic Arts Newtwork CD I was on a few years back with such names as Brian Eno and Karlheinz Stockhausen (as Brian Peters once said - if you're going to drop names make sure they're good 'uns!); and Rapunzel & I (as Venereum Arvum) did our first back in 2000 when we were featured on the 4-CD Infernal Proteus Musical Herbal on Ajna in the USA with an 11-minute May Carol. Next up on Folk Police - The Weirdlore Compilation to tie in with the Weirdlore event in Bristol in the summer as well as two limited run 12" vinyl albums in America and another (possibly) in Japan. Times I might feel enough with the weird, but what the hell, eh?

As for awards? Hell, the music is award, and reward, enough.

Subject: RE: Alternative Folk Awards
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 22 Jun 14 - 06:01 AM

I was checking through my old threads looking at what Catspaw had said to me over the years. he's not on this thread.

still there was a sonovabitch called Rothman who called my website a mess, so not long after I ditched it, there was ten years work on it. I figured if people could hear my songs and stories - it was a bit pathetic putting them on cd. so I used to put them on the site.

the website had become big and unwieldly, and fasthosts had agreed to make it as big as I wanted but they hadn't reckoned on me keeping adding to it - so bits of it went missing - and anyway they were a weird lot. sometimes you waited half an hour for them to answer you on the phone - ican still hear that music when my mind is going into suicidal mode.

wonder who rothman was. probably stomping on puppies somewhere hoping it will endear him to his folk music heroes.