Is there really any life in the old dog?

Subject: Is there really any life in the old dog?
From: GUEST,Friends of Gnomes everywhere
Date: 13 Nov 00 - 08:08 PM

How many of you people (approaching the age where you should know better),still go out to folk clubs desperately hoping to hear something new that will blow you away. I can count these moments on one hand. An old drunk in Foleys in Dublin singing Raglan Road at 2am one saturday in 1974, his daughter who was looking after him said it was the first time in 16 years he had sung since the death of her mother. The time that kiwi p[ete danced in front of a full highland pipe band at the Caithness county show and became instantly an adopted Viking Celt. Or the first time I saw John Brindley after his travels bearing the oldest torch of all. These moments are different for all of us. But I hope in some way with this thread to bring people to realise that we really are all the same in our love of this honest pared down style. In the realm of the powercut the acoustic player is king/queen. Respond to this with joy and inspiration or not at all. Recognise those insights which folk music above all others can offer which have nothing whatsoever to do with technique but with integrity and commitment to the creative moment. Mostimportantly-dont forget to have a bloody good time. If youre at the White Lion Swinton Manchester this weekend -I am Friend of Gnome, loitering with intent to party. Take care one and all. FOG (FRIEND OF GNOME)

Subject: RE: Is there really any life in the old dog?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 13 Nov 00 - 08:21 PM

Well, FOG, if I were there I'd hang out witcha.

~S~

Subject: RE: Is there really any life in the old dog?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 13 Nov 00 - 09:01 PM

Hmmm...well, I've seen at least 10 or 15 performers hosted by the Orillia Folk Society or the Barrie Folk Society in the past year or two that I was blown away by. And I doubt that any of them will become a household name any time soon. There's loads of wonderful stuff happening out there which the media pay no attention whatsoever to.

Subject: RE: Is there really any life in the old dog?
From: FOG(Friend of Gnome)
Date: 13 Nov 00 - 09:09 PM

I get incredibly frustrated with the music media most of all when by some freak chance a superb old folk or blues ballad breaks into mainstream by being tortured by some warbling young blond thing or some testosterone-fuelled boy band. Suddenly every radio hack is saying what a fantastic song this is. The ones that spring to mind are boyzones version of catstevens father and son or old rod the mods attempt to claim wild mountain thyme as his own-nice one rod-too bad some of us sussed it! Anyway-Ive sounded off enough-enjoy your music one and all lottsa luv FOG (FRIEND OF GNOME)

Subject: RE: Is there really any life in the old dog?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 14 Nov 00 - 04:49 AM

I am always amazed in one way or another at most guests at the Lion - Each one puts in a part of their performance which has me in tears/stitches/filled with righteous indigestion.....

I often wonder why the likes of Messrs Brindley, Morton, Clarke and even Accrington don't get the accolades they richly deserve and then realise that to make it in the music business you need to have integrity by-pass. I don't think any of the mentioned artists would compromise themselves by appearing in a dance routine for a start!

I guess that FOG may be someone who can play the blues for someone else or feels at hame wi' freedom BTW - am I right, FOG???

Either way, see you Friday or Saturday and keep on folkin'

D the G

Subject: RE: Is there really any life in the old dog?
From: CarolC
Date: 14 Nov 00 - 06:05 AM

January, 2000. Shepherdstown, West Virginia, USA. The town is overrun with Secret Service, news media, and motorcades full of diplomats and high level government officials from Israel and Syria, plus President Clinton, Madelyn Albright and numerous high ranking U.S. government officials. All had converged here to try to talk peace.

O'Hurley's General Store. Site of the Thursday night jam sessions. Full to bursting with music and people. Half a dozen or more hammered dulcimers, including one being played by Sam Rizzetta, formerly of Trapezoid. Half a dozen or more guitars, including new Mudcat member Mary Dailey, and my friend Don who also played autoharp and a long-necked Seeger banjo. Two or three fiddlers including Sharon Hall of Morning Star Consort. One viola da gamba played by Jeff Esko of Morning Star Consort. Jeff also played flute. Ralph Gordon, also formerly of Trapezoid, on upright bass. I can't remember if Maddie MacNiell was there, but I hope she was.

The Martin Family on all of their various instruments including Lydia on her button box. Me on recorder, Becky on flute, a lap dulcimer or two, mandolins, some singers, one harmonica, a penny whistle, and a celtic harp. Various and assorted percussion instruments.

A room full of listeners that included a dozen or so Israeli diplomats, and some Shepherdstown residents.

The most dramatic moment...all of the string instruments playing "Music for a Found Harmonium", over and over, faster and faster, while everyone else clapped their hands and stamped their feet on the wood floor in rhythm with the music.

The most heartwarming moments...Israeli diplomats waltzing with the ladies of Shepherdstown in front of the huge open fireplace of the great hall.

The Syrians were invited, but they didn't come. We were dissapointed.

Carol

Subject: RE: Is there really any life in the old dog?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 14 Nov 00 - 07:06 AM

What a wonderful a picture, Carol. Pity the Syrians could not get there. I am sure we would have world peace by now if everyone could get together in such a session.

Although - seeing as some of us like minded folks still find time to fight in the Mudcat I guess it could be a pipe (Northumbrian? Irish? Highland?) dream!

LOL Anyway and thanks for the insight into the secret lives of Israeli diplomats in West Virginia

D the G

Subject: RE: Is there really any life in the old dog?
From: Whistle Stop
Date: 14 Nov 00 - 08:55 AM

That's a fantastic story, Carol. I'm no expert on the Middle East, but I do know that in many cases the diplomatic efforts only start to work once a more fundamental human connection has been made (the 1979 Camp David Accords are one well-known example of this). You made a fundamental human connection with some of the dimplomats, which could only help. Maybe next time they'll all join the party.

Subject: RE: Is there really any life in the old dog?
From: Ringer
Date: 14 Nov 00 - 09:00 AM

Not me, FoG: I go to folk clubs hoping to hear something old that'll blow me away. And am not always disappointed.

Subject: RE: Is there really any life in the old dog?
From: Naemanson
Date: 14 Nov 00 - 09:19 AM

I would need to borrow lots of hands to count up the number of times I've been blown away by something like that. It seems that some of my greatest moments (outside of family) have been connected to this music.

Example: It was late in the first half of the evening and the open mike segment of the show was drawing to a close. We had been through all those who had signed up and had a few minutes open. We had noticed one guy in the back with a guitar case so we invited him up for one song. He was tall, skinny, thin, wore a goatee and carried a tiny guitar. It looked like a toy! He tuned it without saying a word, pulled a slide out of his pocket and blew us away with a blues song that just seemed to hang in the air.

Example: Little 10 year old Felicia climbed up on stage to play Amazing Grace on her recorder. We had a packed house. The audience was dead silent. You could have heard a pin drop. When she finished they exploded with cheers and applause. What a great night. Oh and someone called Gordon Bok was on that night too.

Example:...

Ah, you get the picture.

Subject: RE: Is there really any life in the old dog?
From: FOG(Friend of Gnome)
Date: 14 Nov 00 - 10:04 AM

You are a very astute man Gnome-you know my identity is tied up with my name-as in the Foggy Dew or the Foggy lift at the Lancy Hall lottsa luv FOG By the way -I hear that famous unrecognised Bluegrass outfit are on the road again this time at Bar Centro in Manchesters Northern Quarter-reports reach my ears that they a really tight lively old bunch of musical fossils. Must go see. Bye for now.

Subject: RE: Is there really any life in the old dog?
From: CarolC
Date: 14 Nov 00 - 05:48 PM

Thanks, Dave the gnome and Whistle Stop.

We had high hopes that the music would be a softening influence on both the Israelis and the Syrians. Everyone, including the media, said they enjoyed being stuck here for a week.

Music really is amazing in it's ability to bring people together, isn't it?

Carol

Subject: RE: Is there really any life in the old dog?
From: GUEST,FOG (FRIEND OF GNOME)
Date: 14 Nov 00 - 10:00 PM

Music may be the food of love and all that jazz but can it find a new president for the good ol US of A? Surely with slick willy on sax al on bass and george(blame my brother) on guitar we have the makings of a shit kickin bluegrass band to rival even Class 49. I look forward as a loyal royal soil toil foil to helping you as a nation to decide on a president Remember there is no precident. For what is happening is the triumphant intervention of blind fate. Nobody told fate it was democrat or republican. We call british politics not fit to burn -but you lot take the biscuit I hope its down to one vote -then there will be a million screaming TV shows on the networks claiming that they have found the one person who swung it anyway-thats enough ranting for now PETER SNOW JNR (SON OF SWING)

Subject: RE: Is there really any life in the old dog?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 14 Nov 00 - 10:26 PM

Stanley Accrington in a dance routine... Yes I can imagine that. It's a pleasant vision.

The pity isn't that the panoply of fame and fortune doesn't descend on the great people that noone in the big world has ever heard of. It's that, as it works out at present, it's so desperately hard for them to make the modest living that enables them and their families to get by, and we lose them. Very few people are improved by hitting the big tiem and getting rich. But you can have too much lf nothing, as the man said.

The times when the hair stands up on the back of your neck is mostly when you hear someone you've never heard before, and will likely never hear again singing a song you thought you knew, and suddenly hear for the first time. And the other magic is when you look round a room full, of people you've been singing or playing with all evening, and know that you've brought something out in each other that you hadn't realised was there.

In both cases, part of the magic lies in the realisation that it's a secret, and one that the world around doesn't even know is there. But it's an open secret, not exclusive.

Subject: RE: Is there really any life in the old dog?
From: CarolC
Date: 14 Nov 00 - 11:06 PM

Hi, GUEST FOG.

Here's an old saying that I recently invented:

"Perfection hides where we least expect it."

Best wishes,

Carol

Subject: RE: Is there really any life in the old dog?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 15 Nov 00 - 09:35 PM

"Guest fog" - sounds like a variation on thread drift. Thanks anyway for starting this thread, which is drifting in some interesting ways. (Whisper - I don't think anyone's drifted it in the direction of What Is Folk yet, and that's a nice change.)

Subject: RE: Is there really any life in the old dog?
From: GUEST,(Edgar A.)--a.k.a. Art Thieme
Date: 16 Nov 00 - 12:06 AM

No, and I won't do that even though you're waiting for me to do just that !!! **HUMOR**

Art