Sessions for Fiddler in San Francisco ?

Subject: Sessions for Fiddler in San Francisco ?
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 14 Mar 04 - 11:10 PM

G'day 'Catters on the east side of the Pacific,

Penny, a rather sprightly fiddler who gets along to my Monday Night Music Sessions in Sydney is flitting off over the Pacific for two months (~ April and May). She was wondering if the good folk of Mudcat could advise her of suitable sessions of which she might avail herself while over there.

Penny is a pretty deft hand on the fiddle (makes the rest of us all work quite hard, when she hits one of her favourites!). Her main style here has been Scottish ... but she is fairly eclectic - happily playing the Australian-collected tunes I favour, the general run of Irish / British folk "session" music and even the Australian-Germanic tunes, of which I can be rather fond.

Thanks, in advance, for any suggestions.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Sessions for Fiddler in San Francisco ?
From: michaelr
Date: 14 Mar 04 - 11:21 PM

Bob -- Australian-Germanic tunes? I'm intrigued! Tell me more!

I live about 50 miles north of San Francisco, and if Penny would like to make her way up here, I can hook her up with a couple of good sessions. Feel free to PM me.

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: Sessions for Fiddler in San Francisco ?
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 14 Mar 04 - 11:52 PM

G'day michaelr,

-- Australian-Germanic tunes?

Well, a lot of the good musicians out here, particularly in the dance music area of the 19th century, were of what we loosely describe as "Germanic" origin. They were mostly religous or economic refugees from the upheavals of Europe, particularly Bismarck's conquest of the independent German city-states, Duchies and Principalities (AKA: "The Unification of Germany").

Most of these "Germans" were from fringe minority groups - Moravians, Silesians, &c and, apart from the Gold Rush period, they came in an 1830s wave to South Australia - an 1860s influx that trekked up the Murray River (because there earlier relatives had already grabbed the good land in South Australia) and an 1880s lot who settled up north in sunny Queensland.

Even though they had been refugees from the sort of Germans who started the 1st & 2nd World Wars, they were usually interned during the Wars ... and have long suppressed their own traditions, but now they are starting to reclaim them. Folklorists, such as Mark Schuster and Maria Schuster-Zann from Toowoomba, Queensland, have started collecting in the older communities - and other players have been prepared to show their Germanic sides to folklorists - so there is a growing body of identifiable, distinctive "Germanic" music and dance ... much of it forgotten or suppressed back in post-war Germany.

(Separately, there is another body of dance and music that arrived with the post-war migrant workers, particularly those that came to build the Snowy Mts Hydro-Scheme from 1949-1960s. This is being pursued by other folklorists ... and also contains elements lost back in modern Germany! I'm more interested in the 19th century traditions, as they mesh with my interest areas in Australian history.)

BTW: I'm about to organise a sort of revived "German Band" of the style common in Australia in the later part of the 19th century - Accordions and/or Concertinas / Cornets / Tenor Horn / Flute / wooden Clarinet. We'll be doing a gig for a fundraiser to build a 'fire shed' for a western Sydney Rural Fire Service (volunteer bush fire fighters) in June.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Sessions for Fiddler in San Francisco ?
From: michaelr
Date: 15 Mar 04 - 02:24 PM

Hi Bob --

thanks for that information! You and the Schusters are onto something... sadly, traditional German folk music (I'm not talking about oompah bands here) has become all but extinct in Deutschland, in part due to its unfortunate hijacking by Der Fuhrer's cultural minions. I'd love to know if there are recordings available.

And again, tell Penny she's welcome to my neck of the California coast -- there's more to it than just San Fran!

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: Sessions for Fiddler in San Francisco ?
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 15 Mar 04 - 06:30 PM

G'day again, michaelr,

I can see we are on the same wavelength about the loss of the diversity of German folk music. About the second setence in my usual 'rant' will point out that the "oompah" bands are not what I'm on about.

Particularly to this point, down in the Barossa Valley area of South Australia we have the wonderful BarossaDeutsch - religious refugees settled in the then-new colony bybthe agancy of Scottish Prebyterian Settlement groups ... who sent dour Scots to New Zealand - and gave us wine-making Germans! Unfortunately, the big wine companies now promote a sort of distorted Oktoberfest image, with ledrhosen-clad Bavarian bands ... and the real oldtimers resent the imposition of the music of those their ancestors fled.

I can't bring to mind any specific recordings that concentrate on the Germanic content. My aim has been to push these tunes back into the 'mainstream' (such as it is) of Australian folklore ... where they were before August 1914. I'll do a bit of a search on the Schusters and see what they have up on the web.

I didn't see Penny last night - she is involved with a lot of groups - so I did not get a chance to determine the limits of her mobility in San Francisco. I'll have to be on my home machine to to find her e-mail addie - and I had best follow up some suggestions I had back from a PM to Naemanson, who just passed through the SF area on his spell back in US, before heading back to Guam.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Sessions for Fiddler in San Francisco ?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 15 Mar 04 - 08:44 PM

Bob-

San Diego is where Brett was hanging out, and that's some 12 hours south of the San Francisco Bay area. There's another thread running now about someone planning to visit SF with the usual links to what's happening. I'm sure there are a wide variety of formal and informal fiddle sessions going on. Radriano or Chantyranger may be able to provide the links.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Sessions for Fiddler in San Francisco ?
From: Amos
Date: 15 Mar 04 - 08:56 PM

The thread Edain started, with some tips, is over here.. I know Chantyranger sings with the local Mairitme Museum up there, and the Swan enjoy a session at the Starry Plough from time to time and are both spectacular. there's lots of fiddling going on there as well.

A

Subject: RE: Sessions for Fiddler in San Francisco ?
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 15 Mar 04 - 10:04 PM

G'day Charley & Amos,

Charley Noble: Yes - I knew he was studying at San Diego ... and, even from this distance, we can't escape a fair bit of US geography ... but I thought I had read of some San Francisco shanty doings, en passant, so I thought he might be a worthwhile starting point. I'll follow up with the 'Catters you suggest.

Amos: Thanks. I'll pass on a saved file of the thread that you have linked ... and Chantyranger seems to have a popular vote as a good contact!

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Sessions for Fiddler in San Francisco ?
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Mar 04 - 01:42 PM

Bob -

Here are some sessions in the immediate SF bay area for Penny to consider. (MichaelR is more up on what's happening in the North bay scene than me, so I'll that info to him, but I hear there's good stuff going on up his way).

Every Sunday night: Irish session at the Starry plough Irish Pub, in Berkeley, corner of Shattuck and Prince streets, 8pm to usually around 12:30, though there's no official ending time. This session is led by Irish singer and guitar player Shay Black. Tunes and singing. You'll find local 'Catters such as the Swans and myself, on rare occasion BSeed, others. Food and a good assortment of beers are sold, and free beer for the session players.

Sunday and Tuesday nights: The Plough and Stars Irish Pub, San Francisco, at Clement street near 2nd Avenue. Tunes.This pub is the hub of Irish music in the area, as there's live Irish music gigs on the other nights.

Wednesday night Irish session, San Francisco. PM Radriano for details.

Third Saturday of every month: Scottish fiddle session, hosted by the San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers (founded by Alasdair Fraser). in members homes, 2pm til whenever. Other instruments very welcome.
potluck dinner. PM me for contact info.

....and if she likes to sing, there's lots going on, including the chantey sing at Hyde Street Pier, aboard the 1886 square-rigger Balclutha (which I host). First Saturday of every month, 8pm to midnight. Free, but reservations taken. Info at [phone].

Chanteyranger

Subject: RE: Sessions for Fiddler in San Francisco ?
From: GUEST,Chanteyranger
Date: 16 Mar 04 - 01:57 PM

The above post was from me. Forgot to fill in the Guest blank.

Chanteyranger

Subject: RE: Sessions for Fiddler in San Francisco ?
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 16 Mar 04 - 06:48 PM

G'day Chanteyranger,

Thanks for that ... rumour seems to be that you're the one to check out for sessions! I'll pop off a copy of this thread ... and a link ... to Penny - before she flits off the foreign parts. That way she can check for any more kind suggestions (and might even sign into the Mudcat ... ?).

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Sessions for Fiddler in San Francisco ?
From: GUEST,Chanteyranger
Date: 17 Mar 04 - 05:57 PM

Bob, if she signs up, she's welcome to send me a PM for details.

Chanteyranger