Sunday 25th May 1008

Just a quick post to say that the last-Sunday-in-the-month Irish Session has moved from the Olde Beverlie where last time we had to compete with the Jukebox, to The Chequers at Challock - from 8:00. We all hope that this will prove a more satisfactory venue.

Tuesday 20th May

Well, after the hottest May since God was a boy, it has turned back into its usual English May state of rain and cold winds which we expect to continue until October, when after a brief and unseasonal Indian Summer, it will be winter again. So now is the season for Summer Fetes, Garden Parties and traditional English Activities including of course that annual celebration of European Love-thy-Neighbour to show just how integrated and European we really are - the Eurovision Song Contest. No, nobody understands how Ukraine or Israel or many of the other countries can be truly European, but maybe it's more conceptual than actual. Would that the contest were I hear some of you cry. (Good subjunctive there John!)

So what would happen if there were a Eurovision Folk Song Contest? (and another!) Would we all be terribly nice to each other and be embarrassed about winning? I'd like to think so. I can't imagine Finland dressing in their new national costume of Death-Metal-Mythology-Fantasy and then playing nice polskas but I can imagine the Irish Turkey playing the Bodhran. This could be a rich seam. Unlikely combinations of genres - the more bizarre the better.

The borders of Folk music are becoming very blurred which is probably a good thing and phrases like 'Thrash Ceilidh' or 'Acid Croft' are often used to describe a band these days. Is this new? Not at all. Go back to 1969 to a band called Spirogyra (started in Bolton but really got going in Canterbury and well known for their tribute to the patron saint of car parks - St Radigund) who were back then leading exponents of Progressive Acid Folk Rock. Add Tiger Moth (or Super Moth International) and you get all sorts of world rhythms underpinning harmless English tunes and a friend who is famous for breaking into 'Daddy was a Bank Robber' at barn dances and who perpetrated the Glorishers Tango.

So what of the sessions? Well the highlight of the session scene recently was the annual visit of an American Music School to England who always take in a session and apparently it is the highlight of their tour - over Canterbury Cathedral Choir and Kings College Choir and all the other stuff they see and hear. We hold it at Simple Simon's in Canterbury which has long been a music friendly pub. This year was a mixture of English, Irish and Songs so there were representatives from both the Wednesday Irish and the Thursday Mixed Lumpy sessions. Most of them know each other and rub along quite well. Some even play in both sessions. What a scandal.

The Americans sang us some songs in return for our songs and tunes. I wasn't sure how traditional it wasn't singing 'Sweet Baby James' to them and there was a dodgy moment when Ken sang 'Shallow Brown' about slavery and a slave been sold to 'some damn yankee' but I think we got away with it. I hope we got away with it. They're nice people.

The other thing that happened was the regular Ypres trip which takes place over a weekend and seems to be a bit like the 1960s. If you can remember it, you weren't really there. Basically a handful of musicians and the clientele of the Bear in Faversham hire a charabanc and head for Europe (Belgium), play in (or listen to) a massive session, do a few spots, drink too much, stay up late, go shopping and sightseeing and have a good time. And then take a week to recover. I admire them.

May Day

An important day for the Folk world. Of course everyone knows that it marks Beltane - the start of the Summer. It brings out the Morris teams and the school children dancing the maypole - unless 'elf 'n safety have stopped them which is quite likely. There should be Queens of the May elected and Garlands and Well Dressing and of course if you want an even more beautiful complexion you'd have washed in the May morning dew. So lots going on then.

But what, I hear you ask, is happening in the seedy underworld of the session? Well, last week good, this week different. Not a great turnout at the Irish session but enjoyable nonetheless. We did have the Last-Sunday-of-the-month session at the Old Bev where we had to compete with the canned music until they were kind enough to switch it off. As someone remarked - It makes you feel really welcome.

Favourite joke of the moment which I'll pass on:

A friend has started drinking brake fluid and he's become addicted. But he says it's Ok - he can stop whenever he likes.

I believe that it will be the Rochester Sweeps Festival this weekend and there will be sessions in the back bar of the Bull as usual plus all the normal attractions.

The whatever-it-is do in the Bear tonight (which has of late been a very nice little session - yes, a session) otherwise, for now, That's All Folks.