Themed nights at the Folk Club

Subject: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 18 Nov 05 - 02:08 PM

People might have noticed my recent thread about the Dylan night we held at Chorlton Folk Club.

Every Thursday around 9. 30
£1 on singers nights, of which we have many.
Southwest Manchester Cricket Club
Ellesmere Road
Off Wlibraham Road
Chorlton
Manchester

I know themed nights are a very old idea:
Shanty sessions, rural songs, industrial songs, Burns Nights .......

The Dylan night must have brought in around 5 times as many people as we generaly get and many, especialy young people, that we have never seen before. It was advertised through Chorlton Literary Festival so that realy did help.

Does anyone else have experience of really succesful themed nights?

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: Leadfingers
Date: 18 Nov 05 - 07:51 PM

Maidenhead Folk Club at The Seven Stars , Knowl Hill , on the A4 twixt M'Head and Reading - has regular Theme Nights , which tend to be better attended than 'Straight' Singer/Musician nights and the work some people put in , to either learn a song , or , more usually , work out a complicated intro to explain why the song DOES fit the Theme tends to amaze me .

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: rich-joy
Date: 19 Nov 05 - 02:11 AM

Our monthly folk night "A Bit of FOLK on the Side" (ABOFOTS) in Maleny, SE Queensland, always has a theme - but it's completely up to the individual floorsingers, whether or not they go with it.
Makes for some very interesting inclusions - AND some ingenious explanations!!!


Cheers! R-J

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: Mr Sooz
Date: 19 Nov 05 - 03:32 AM

We've had some good ones.
Doom and Gloom was one of the best laughs we've had! On William and Nancy night you scored a point for every mention of the names in the songs and someone kept a tally. (Sooz and I won but with a little bit of cheating). Likewise with the Body Count (the tally not the cheating)

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: GUEST,Jacqued
Date: 19 Nov 05 - 05:14 AM

The members of Brid Folk Club appear to enjoy themed nights - but our leader! doesn't!   So we don't get them! And requests for one bring the reply "if you want to run the club--------!"   And as none of us do-----!

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: breezy
Date: 19 Nov 05 - 02:45 PM

Tomorrow the theme at the spotlight is

'songs by george papavgeris'

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: yrlancslad
Date: 19 Nov 05 - 07:31 PM

San Francisco Folk Clubs fortnightly meetings always have a theme although you don't have to stick with it if you can't.Some recent examples: Sept. 2nd Work/labour, 16th Celebrations,30th Names and dates, Oct. 14th Nice and easy, 28th Life and Death. I think it's a great idea and certainly gives the opportunity to trot out songs you haven't sung for a while.

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 20 Nov 05 - 07:33 PM

Of course you could have a nudist night....or a transvestite night, or a bondage evening.

What about a bunker party, where you all dress up as Hitler, or you could do a serial killer evening........

I know a song that would fit in with that.

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: JennieG
Date: 20 Nov 05 - 07:57 PM

We have found them to be great fun, and it certainly gets people to try something different occasionally. And as been said above, the explanations and justification makes for even more fun that the theme itself! This coming Friday night's theme is "Clothing (or the lack thereof)" but unfortunately I can't be there.

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 05:14 AM

How about a themed Jimi Hendrix-on- mandolin night?

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 05:31 AM

I had a Politics & Parodies night a few years ago, with several parody-writing floor spots to go with the 2 booked acts famous for their politics & parodies.

We had a singing session with a different theme every time. As others have said, it guaranteed new songs from those who followed the theme, & a good time was had by all.

sandra

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 03:03 PM

Which club do you go to then drummer?

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: DonMeixner
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 03:08 PM

The Jordan NY open mic has a theme night for every evening. January our theme might be Cabin Fever- Songs about the winter or snow. October was ghost songs for Hallow'een. June has been Erie Canal Songs- Jordan is a canal/lock town so we have the history.

These are fun but not hard fast rules. Very often we have performers who skip the themes entirely.

Our friend MMario has even ventured our way for a few unaccompanied ballads.

Don

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: yrlancslad
Date: 22 Nov 05 - 01:39 AM

Hey littledrummer, San Francisco Folk Club is in the Haight-Hashbury so if we want nudists,trannies, S&M, bondage freaks and even people dressed as hitler(of all sexes,gay lesbian, transvestite and transgender), probably the odd serial killer too,(Charlie Manson lived here ) we just step outside. Far too boring just to sing about it, step outside and have the experience!As a friend of mine says other people just have prostitutes or crackheads or maybe trannies in their neighbourhood, his neighbourhood has crackhead transvestite prostitutes! Makes for an interesting life and as they say here -creates diversity!

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 22 Nov 05 - 01:47 AM

ah yes but a rich fantasy life sometimes sustains the love interest in a long term relationship with folk music.

I think someone dressed up as Abraham Lincoln said that.....

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: Splott Man
Date: 22 Nov 05 - 03:58 AM

At a week's notice, Llantrisant Club had an Ice Cream theme last week (I've no idea why!).

Apart from the obvious like Hokey Pokey and Sweets of May, we had a feast of tenuous links and suggestions... Hundreds & Thousands or More, 99 Red Balloons, Whip Jamboree...

It can certainly liven up a night, and is a good way of avoiding complacency in singers.

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: GUEST, Hamish
Date: 22 Nov 05 - 05:27 AM

Yeah - Dylan nights are good. Also in rather guitar-dominated clubs, a "guitar-free" night gets people out of their ruts. Try "bad-taste" too. (I did Clive Dunn's "Grandad" and "Kitty in a Basket", whereas most went for pseudo-punk or gratuitous violence (which includes most of the folk catalogue).

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: breezy
Date: 22 Nov 05 - 05:29 AM

Did the Good Ship Lollipop pull into the docks too?

Hope you ave a good evening with Jeremy T on Weds, we 'av 'im on Sunday and seat sales are going well.

Luvlee club Llantrisant

On Friday we have a Greeek theme , George Papavgeris!!

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: yrlancslad
Date: 22 Nov 05 - 11:46 PM

Don't knock it till you tried it little drummer!And theres a lot to try!
A guy dressed as Carmen Miranda said that to me last folk night.

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 23 Nov 05 - 05:10 PM

you could all be characters from folk songs

Jesse james, Jacobites(by name), miner laddies, miner ladies, vicars, frogs, choirboys, bold grenadiers, timid grenadiers, cuckoos nests, Sam Hall, Bugger Hall,.....

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 24 Nov 05 - 11:30 AM

Drummer,

A theme of dressing up seems to run through your posts. Do you want to share something with us?

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 24 Nov 05 - 01:49 PM

I just have this problem with conformity.

Try to get hold of this months maverick magazine. The poor chap who has written this review of my album spends three long paragraphs agonising over why I use an American accent for some songs, and an english accent for others.

Why is this a problem? Do these people imagine that Martin Carthy talks the same strangulated way that he sings. Do they think they think the home life of the Carthy's is such that Norma cups a finger to her ear, and chants to Martin, do ee want a cup of tea me dearie-oh, me darling oh?

I reserve the right to dress up differently for every song. and deep down I suppose I think that a group of people getting together and agreeing to sing all evening about the same subject is pretty crap idea.

Mind you, the leather gear might be a bit of light relief from the music.

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: GUEST,Robin Madge
Date: 25 Nov 05 - 07:49 AM

We've had a few spur of the moment themed nights when the first few items of the evening have had an obvious link and we've tried to continue in the theme.
Placenames was the first, then there were bird, river and "Willie" themes.
We did try songs with "kettle" in on one occasion when someone came in having had a kettle disaster in the kitchen, but we could only think of five. I can only think of "Aunty Kettle", "Little piecer", "Polly put he Kettle on" and "The Galway Shawl" now.

How about a challenge from someone who can think of 20 or more connected songs/tunes on some esoteric subject?

Robin Madge

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: Splott Man
Date: 28 Nov 05 - 04:15 AM

Copper Kettle

Subject: RE: Themed nights at the Folk Club
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 28 Nov 05 - 04:41 AM

blowin in the kettle, where have all the kettles gone, the wild kettle, the black velvet kettle.......