Subject: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull Date: 05 Aug 03 - 12:16 PM I'm opening a Folk/Accoustic Club soon, any tips or advice are welcome.cheers.john |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: greg stephens Date: 05 Aug 03 - 01:14 PM Book the Boat Band. |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: greg stephens Date: 05 Aug 03 - 01:17 PM Followed by Eliza Carthy |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: greg stephens Date: 05 Aug 03 - 01:17 PM Or preferably both together |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: Leadfingers Date: 05 Aug 03 - 01:24 PM John,I was asked just this question when I was heavily involved in Uxbridge Folk Club by some one who wanted to start a club in Chiswick.At the time I didnt know how to advise them best but with hind sight here are a few pointers. A Good Venue. A pub that serves a decent pint of beer and is pleasant to visit,with a room with good acoustics and a clear view ofthe performing area/stage. Good parking is also an advantage. IF you have a committee,someone who will 'worry'about the audience while some one else 'worries' about the performers,wether booked or local floor singers. GOOD local singers/musicians who are prepared to support the club even on singers nights when the weather is as good as today. A reputation for being a 'Good' club is something that can only be built up over a period of time,and you only know you have got there when Name singers phone up and say another name told them about your club. And the very best of luck mate. |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: greg stephens Date: 05 Aug 03 - 01:33 PM Second the above, especially the car-parking and quality of beer. For a club to work, people need to come from away. And they wont come back if it's too difficult finding parking. And the beer question can be a problem: expensive beer isnt too much of a prob, but a significant percentage of folkies are real beer freaks, and wont go into a pub that doesnt serve it. Not even if Leadbelly, Bob Dylan, the Watersons and Woody Guthrie are doing a special night. And make sure the posters are spelt correctly, some folkies are bigoted pedants(but possibly you have noticed this yourself, Jhon?) |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: John Routledge Date: 05 Aug 03 - 01:33 PM All the best clubs I have been to over the years have one thing in common - A GOOD ROOM Increasingly audience and indeed performers are getting more discerning in this regard. Hope all goes well for you. |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: Amos Date: 05 Aug 03 - 01:41 PM ...and that means a room that still looks good the next morning, John! A |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: Mr Red Date: 05 Aug 03 - 01:43 PM some organisers have charisma some recognise it in others and allow them their moment of glory. You do need a focus - better that focussees are liked. I can think of one club where the organiser is not liked - he is tolerated and the club survivies in spite of him, out of spite maybe. He has closed clubs with his misanthropy. If you have locals nights make sure no-one ge5ts their nose out of joint - better to have a bad singer than a bad reputation. A communal endeavour helps - like plays or amorphous singers group made-up from club members that can entertain other folk clubs or festivals. Community and all that - it takes time but it pays dividends. |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: GUEST,pdq Date: 05 Aug 03 - 01:59 PM Book Cajuns. They know what beer-drinking music is all about! |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: greg stephens Date: 05 Aug 03 - 02:24 PM I would suggest(having read your announcement of the club on the other thread) that you might be better advised to make a small charge on your singers nights, and not just rely on raffles. It's a funny thing, but lots of people value something a bit mre if they pay for it. God knows why, but it's a fact. Even at ten bob a time, you get a few little help with advertising or future guests fees or whatever. |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: GUEST,Sooz(on holiday) Date: 05 Aug 03 - 02:59 PM Come and visit us in Gainsborough, it isn`t far. If you like it, copy it and if you don`t look around at some others. What works for you is best. |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: GUEST,cittern Date: 05 Aug 03 - 03:45 PM A couple of thoughts: 1) Consider running a couple of workshops each season. Guitar, singing and song writing workshops are great if you want to encourage the active members of the club. Our experience is that workshops often attract a few watchers as well as participants. Great idea to run something like this for (say) an hour before a guest slot - Julie is doing this at the Rhyl Folk Club in November - or even before a singers session. 2) The Topic FC in Bradford often theme their singers nights - "Drinking Songs" - "New Songs" - even "Songs about death" etc. Imagine that, folk songs with people dying in them - must have been a long night that one ... Best regards John Robinson http://www.JulieEllison.co.uk |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: songs2play Date: 06 Aug 03 - 02:59 AM Trouble at' Mill have some good advice and ideas on this link |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: Hamish Date: 06 Aug 03 - 03:09 AM Loads of good stuff here, including Starting a folk club? Or still running one after yonks? Involved? Just popping along? Lots of views on what to do... which is an edited consolidation of an earlier similar thread on uk.music.folk ...oh, and good luck! |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: Mudlark Date: 06 Aug 03 - 03:18 AM I'm a long way away, in a different time zone entirely, but I wish you luck. the more successful folk clubs the better, I say. |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: Roger the Skiffler Date: 06 Aug 03 - 03:31 AM ...If I saw Woody Guthrie & Leadbelly at the club then I'd KNOW the beer had been good! As a walking (staggering)drinker and a driving abstainer, I'd add, if the beer is good, be near a rail or bus stop so the drinkers don't need to drive. If you are relying on drivers make sure the pub doesn't rip them off with exorbitant prices for non-alcoholic drinks. RtS (who only goes to jazz & blues clubs) |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: Mr Happy Date: 06 Aug 03 - 06:43 AM depends what type of folk get together you're after doing. if its a FOLK CLUB, then you'll need a 'resident' singer/mc or group to lead the proceedings & probably some committed chums to act as 'committee' for planning guests, taking monies,publicity, liaising with venue management etc. sinarounds & sessions in my experience don't require as much palaver & formalities as Folk Clubs & so are easier to arrange & manage, chiefly because the regular participants run stuff between them. the session i 'run' is like this. if for some reason i can't attend every time, then the others'll run the night by themselves. you don't neccessarily need a leader either. my 'duties' mainly consist of liaison with the landlady & publicity, fliers etc. in chester, there's only one Folk Club, but loads of all-in session/sinaround type events, some having guests but not all. |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull Date: 07 Aug 03 - 11:48 PM Thanks everybody. Greg-I think you are probably right about charging a small entry fee, or at least asking for a voluntary donation, [I have managed to get a good room for free, but as you say, it wil help pay for guest artists] Cittern-I like the workshop idea, there is loads of good musicians in Hull, playing loads of instruments including guitar, harp, bodhran, whistle, fiddle etc,.Also there are loads of students in Hull, [2 universitys and a teaching hospital, plus loads of colleges], this could be a way of getting them involved. a couple of questions= 1. Are folk clubs entitled to any grants from Lottery fund, Arts Councils etc? If so how do I go about claiming them? who applies, me or the owner of the venue? 2.How much would you be happy to pay to see a decent artist? |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: Mr Happy Date: 08 Aug 03 - 02:57 AM i've a couple of fiends who do gigs all over the place. they usually get enhanced expenses rather than an actual fee. my fiend wiggy recently negotiated on behalf of 'Poms from Oz' at some recent festivals, that in lieu of a performance fee, they got 'paid' in the form of free w/end festival tickets. |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: Steve Parkes Date: 08 Aug 03 - 03:48 AM Start on time! If it says 8.30 on the posters, start at 8.30, not 8.35 -- even if there's nobody there, at least some of the latecomers will tray and getthere earlier. If you start late, tey'll come late. Steve |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: John Robinson (aka Cittern) Date: 08 Aug 03 - 04:05 AM Entrance fees: Between £3 and £5 seems fair to me - depending on the act. Workshops: When Julie does a gig she will often do a 1 hour workshop prior to the gig, which often makes the whole package much more attractive than either of the two elements on their own. Artists: Make sure they have some decent promotion behind them (their own mailing lists, website etc). We consider every gig to be a "joint promotion" and work hard at helping the club/promoter with promoting the gig (e.g. trying to get local radio appearances in the run up to the gig). A willingness to have accept a fee which is based on a percentage of the door charge is a good sign! Hope this helps. Best regards John Robinson http://www.JulieEllison.co.uk |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: greg stephens Date: 08 Aug 03 - 05:25 AM John, grants are possible. trouble is, the people who tend to dish them out dont give a twopenny thing about music. What they like to know is have you got a constitution, how long have you had a bank account, does your project address the needs of disadvantaged members of soociety and a load of stuff like that. Which does tend mean that the particular class of people who dish out grants happen to be the same class of people who get them. People who can talk the talk. But by all means try, you're as entitled to arts funding as the next guy, in theory. Whether you can jump the hurdles is another thing, though. It would probably not work, for example were you to write to the Music Officer of your Regional Arts Board "deer sir i think that opra you support is a lod of shite,pleeze send me some munny for bear love jhon". Now I might send you some money if you wrote to me like that, but these people who are in charge are sort of different. |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: Harry Basnett Date: 08 Aug 03 - 06:35 AM Hi. John... Of definite importance :- the room, car-parking, the beer and the location! Where we were before with the Open Door we were struggling regarding three of the above - - the beer was OK!!! Things were looking pretty bleak for the club but since our recent move things are suddenly one hell of a lot rosier as I'm sure John Routledge will confirm. The best of luck...as somebody already said, the more clubs the better.. All the best.........Harry. |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull Date: 13 Dec 03 - 10:24 PM Thanks everybody, its going well, we ben going 3 months now, and loads of differnt music there, like flamenco, old singing, and different music, like guitars, fiddles, mandoln, bozooki, and whistles, etc, and fishing songs, and funny songs, and things like that, everybody is welcome.john |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: breezy Date: 14 Dec 03 - 01:18 PM are you ready to book George aka El Greko? |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: vectis Date: 14 Dec 03 - 08:20 PM BOOK BRIMMO |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 14 Dec 03 - 10:07 PM John - you poor pathetic straight-man for the rube-comics of the net.
Aside from conglomerate commercial corporations with a vested-interest in sheared-shareholders No One should
For a good vision of how the British version of "running" a world empire.....see the current film Master and Commander it will make you weep as you realize the futility of "running anything" other than a race or a lopsided ponzi-scheme. |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull Date: 23 Jan 05 - 06:36 AM Eh? wahts he on about? |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: breezy Date: 23 Jan 05 - 09:38 AM Running does not mean racing. A race can be walked, swum, crawled, sailed ,flown Running equates with organising. I dont know. do I race a folk club ? nah but I sure do run one or do I mean organise? what the hell |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: treewind Date: 23 Jan 05 - 06:57 PM The only thing you need to know about running a folk club is that it's hard work and nobody thanks you for it. As to the details, it depends a bit on what type of club it is. Publicity is probably the one than can really eat up your spare time. Anahata |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: breezy Date: 23 Jan 05 - 07:08 PM not true Treewind, I've had many encouraging compliments, yours included. And they all say 'thank you' and tell me what an enjoyable time they have at my clubs. And tonight was the same. Devil's Elbow presented 2 sets containing variety and original arrangements of traditional tunes and songs. Ali sqeezed ,fiddled, blew and sang and an enchanting voice it is she has. |
Subject: RE: Help: Running a Folk Club. From: GUEST,Flintlock Date: 24 Jan 05 - 07:42 AM Book Bill Jones - she's lovely! |
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