Scarborough Folk Club

Subject: Scarborough Folk Club
From: mandotim
Date: 24 Oct 06 - 04:50 PM

Just back from a few days in East Yorkshire, and I wanted to say thanks to the regulars at Scarborough Folk Club, which meets on Mondays at the Merchants, an 'Irish' bar on Eastborough in the town. I turned up uninvited, with no idea of what sort of a club this was, and was made to feel completely at home in what turned out to be a cracking session in a tightly packed, rowdy bar. Not sure if there were any 'catters there, but I'd recommend a visit on this evidence.
If you were there, I was the one with the VERY LOUD mandolin!
Tim
P.s. Pete the fiddler; it was a privilege to play with someone that good!

Subject: RE: Scarborough Folk Club
From: Gedpipes
Date: 25 Oct 06 - 09:52 AM

Is this a club or a session? Your message does'nt make it clear.
Cheers
Ged

Subject: RE: Scarborough Folk Club
From: mandotim
Date: 25 Oct 06 - 11:31 AM

Ged: They call themselves a club, so I call it a club. I don't care about the semantics. If it really matters to you, go along and play there, and then call it what you want.
Tim

Subject: RE: Scarborough Folk Club
From: GUEST,Fee
Date: 25 Oct 06 - 11:35 AM

"Ged: They call themselves a club, so I call it a club. I don't care about the semantics. If it really matters to you, go along and play there, and then call it what you want.
Tim"

Very harsh.

Subject: RE: Scarborough Folk Club
From: ossonflags
Date: 25 Oct 06 - 01:51 PM

It could be a bit of both Ged.I understood that much from earlier posts and from other people I have talked to.

However, I have done a coupla paying gigs there with "Punch The Horse" and guested once with "Emerald Green" when it was not a
Folk Club, session, pluck, suck, blow, strum, dance, pose, mince, strut, fiddle, beat, pick, sqeeze, poet or monologuearound. I had a superb time there on all occasions

Hope this helps.

Subject: RE: Scarborough Folk Club
From: Gedpipes
Date: 25 Oct 06 - 02:07 PM

Now then Osson. Thanks for that polite response and it does help.
All the best
Ged

Subject: RE: Scarborough Folk Club
From: mandotim
Date: 25 Oct 06 - 06:51 PM

I'm not sure what the confusion was; my post described the evening as turning out to be 'a cracking session in a tightly packed, rowdy bar'. This may be difficult to fathom for those with a very narrow definition of what constitutes a Folk Club, but speaking personally I've played and sung in sessions that were more like clubs, clubs that were more like sessions, singarounds that weren't like either, acoustic nights where everyone is plugged in, singers nights where no-one sang but everyone played tunes...and so on. As I said (not at all harshly, though tone of voice is difficult in print) I really don't care about the semantics, as every setting for this kind of music seems to be unique, and often depends on who turns up on the night. Giving these events classifications is often a way of making them exclusive, ensuring that the 'right' kind of musicians turn up; nothing wrong with that, it's just that I prefer an evening where something surprises or interests me, usually when someone contributes a song or tune from a genre I'm not familiar with. A good example; Greg Stephens runs a predominantly English tunes session in Stoke; but I've heard Cajun, trad jazz, Irish and Kurdish music at that session. (Or is it a folk club?)
Apologies for sounding harsh Ged; it wasn't intended that way at all.
Tim

Subject: RE: Scarborough Folk Club
From: stallion
Date: 25 Oct 06 - 07:22 PM

Scarborough has had a "Folk Club" for many years, I first went around 1969 when it was in a pub called "The West Riding", times change, people change, and Scarborough has moved into being an open session. I think you will find the change was "market" lead and numerous "Folk clubs" have re-invented themselves as "sessions", hats off to the stalwarts who keep it going in whatever guise that may be.

Subject: RE: Scarborough Folk Club
From: GUEST,Fee
Date: 26 Oct 06 - 05:08 AM

Tim,

The more you speak, the more you sound like a know-it-all.

Subject: RE: Scarborough Folk Club
From: mandotim
Date: 26 Oct 06 - 06:19 AM

Guest Fee; Do I know you? You certainly don't know me!
Tim

Subject: RE: Scarborough Folk Club
From: Gedpipes
Date: 26 Oct 06 - 09:48 AM

Guest Fee I don't know you either but I think I like you :-))
All the best
Ged

Subject: RE: Scarborough Folk Club
From: muppett
Date: 26 Oct 06 - 10:05 AM

Hiya,
    I've been to the club at it's various venues around the town each year when I go on my family holiday t' Scarborough for at least 18 years, and what ever you want to define it who gives a F**K give it a go, it's LIVE MUSIC surely that reason enough to go.You'll also be made very welcome.

Subject: RE: Scarborough Folk Club
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Oct 06 - 10:42 AM

This is typical mudcat behaviour.

Take a look in the mirror.

Subject: RE: Scarborough Folk Club
From: stallion
Date: 26 Oct 06 - 11:14 AM

Scarborough is my home town and I still have a certain fondness for it, nostalga maybe, as for the music, keep it live!

Subject: RE: Scarborough Folk Club
From: GUEST,mandotim
Date: 26 Oct 06 - 11:58 AM

Hang on a minute; Guest Fee; I offered an explanation of my comments, and a sincere apology for inadvertently appearing harsh. The explanation necessarily means giving a couple of opinions and an example or two. At no point do I claim to 'know it all', all I did was express a preference. Is that not allowed on Mudcat now? I don't know what's got under your skin, but I suggest you re-read my first post, which was a polite 'thank you' to some good people for a great evening, and then have another look at my third post. Did you read it to the end?
Tim

Subject: RE: Scarborough Folk Club
From: ossonflags
Date: 26 Oct 06 - 01:26 PM

Well said Muppett and good for you mandotim.

Subject: RE: Scarborough Folk Club
From: synbyn
Date: 26 Oct 06 - 07:18 PM

So Pete the fiddler's still there- hi Pete! The folk club in Scarborough was 1990-2 fuulll of excellent musicians and good friends who were very supportive & kind when I hit hard times there- so my suggestion is to seek them out and ask them to sit in, because you'll have the best time you can in Scarborough..
All the best to any catters there,
Bob K

Subject: RE: Scarborough Folk Club
From: GUEST,theleveller
Date: 27 Oct 06 - 10:03 AM

Glad to hear it's still going. I used to go there in the mid-60s when I played banjo and also played with a band called The Illicit Still Djug Band. It was a great club and I saw some good people there.

Subject: RE: Scarborough Folk Club
From: stallion
Date: 27 Oct 06 - 07:10 PM

I heard Mac wasn't well, anyone know how he is

Subject: RE: Scarborough Folk Club
From: synbyn
Date: 29 Oct 06 - 10:18 AM

Unfortunately heard from Pete last year that Mac succumbed to cancer. Too young for a really good guy. Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings.