TATTERS
THE NEWSLETTER OF
TRADITIONS AT THE TIGER
Below is
the current edition of our monthly newsletter. If you would like
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Dave
Sutherland.
www.tigerfolk.com
TATTERS
THE NEWSLETTER OF TRADITIONS AT THE TIGER
www.tigerfolk.com
JULY/AUGUST 2009 EDITION
Arriving home after our last
club night and turning on the TV set to get the latest on the European Elections
I was to find that, for many of us, our worst fears had been realised. The BNP
had gained one seat in the Euro Parliament and in the small hours of the Monday
morning they were to gain another. A very small representation but the very fact
that there is any at all is a chilling factor.
Of course the next day all the
social networks, news forums etc on the internet were swamped with opinions on
this occurrence and no more so on the folk music networks. It had become common
knowledge some time back that in the same way as their predecessors targeted the
football fans “to get robust young men to join their cause” (the sort of person
that the beautiful game has worked long and hard over the ensuing years, with
some success, from whom to disassociate itself) that the BNP, in their efforts
to win over the middle class, middle England, had focussed on our music, our
customs and our traditions.
From the BNP's Activists and
Organisers Handbook:
"Community Activism means our activists
getting involved in the affairs of their neighbourhood at all levels...We have
had some major successes, for example, with local groups set up to encourage the
celebration of St George's Day. Fun activities for children and families which
are linked to our Christian heritage - such as Pace Egging in many northern
towns - are particularly suitable candidates for revival as popular awareness of
the growing power of Islam encourages support for and interest in our own
religious and cultural traditions."
More from the Activists and Organisers'
Handbook:
"Ideally our units will lead their
communities in organising, or at least supporting, cultural events such as St
George's Day celebrations (April 23rd). Most regions of the country have
cultural events which are unique to that area, or county. For example, Padstow
Hobby Horse (sic) in Cornwall, Arbor Tree Day in Shropshire, Garland King Day
and the Well Dressing in Derbyshire, the Marshfield Mummers in Wiltshire,
the Haxey Hood in
Humberside, and countless others.
Some such celebrations, now very popular, have only been revived in recent years
- the Hastings Jack in the Green and Whittlesea Straw Bear festivals show just
how big such things can get. Why not do some research to see if there's a lost
local tradition you can inspire a team of enthusiasts to revive?"
As readers of Tatters will be
aware that these customs have been getting along quite well on their own, thank
you, without any unwelcome interference and Well Dressing in Derbyshire? One of
the most recent annual celebrations at Tissington had the Bishop of Punjab as
its guest of honour!
Within a few hours of the
results being announced some very prominent members of the national folk scene
were making noises as to how to protect our music and traditions being taken
over for the wrong purposes and in no time at all Folk Against Fascism was born
and at the time of writing boasts in excess of three thousand members. Many of
the online social networks played their part and access to the group can be
gained via Facebook, My Space, Mudcat Café and it might well be on Twitter too
by now.
Among the urgency of the
founding of the organisation there was one lone voice of dissent who urged that
we do not mix politics and folk music as it becomes “tedious”.
In return various answers
suggested that his listening while on the folk scene must have been rather
limited and others suggesting that if he didn’t want politics in folk music then
he was in the wrong game. For myself I was moved to declare:-
Folksingers were among those
who marched with CND and sang the songs in the folk clubs.
Folksingers took part in the
Anti-Vietnam demonstrations and sang the songs in the folk clubs.
Folksingers supported the
Miners during their various strikes and sang the songs in the folk clubs.
Folksingers took part in the
demonstrations against the Poll Tax and sang Anti- Thatcher songs in the folk
clubs.
It looks like we could be
getting ready again.
As we used to say “The Views
Expressed Here Are Not Necessarily Those of T.A.T.T.” however if you have an
opinion on this please let us know at
dsutherland3@hotmail.com
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Sunday 7th June 2009
Tom Kitching and Gren Bartley
For a club generally recognised
as a singers club, we seemed to be awash with instruments in June. There was
also a bit of mutual back slapping and congratulations going on between the
residents, arrivals and couplings would describe.
Our MC for the night, grand-daddy Dave Sutherland,
the arrival, got us under way and then called on yours truly, Corinne Male and
newly wed Jack Crawford, the coupling. A story from Sheila Bentham set us up for
the taster spot of our guests Tom Kitching and Gren Bartley and this where we
get into some of the instruments. These two talented gentlemen gave us sample
of Gren’s singing and guitar playing with Toms fiddle playing. For those who
know the lads it was great to hear them perform in such a fine room and for
those were seeing and hearing them for the first time, it was an eye-opener. At
the interval, the reaction to Tom and Gren was one of expectation for more.
From the floor we had songs
from Pete Holland, Hazel Myszka, Phil Hines, Lynne Cooper, Frank Marmion, Bill
Wilkes, John Chambers, Sam Stephens and Gren Morris. Special mention to John
Chambers for remembering Reg Cooper in song and variety from Frank Marmion and
Sam Stephens with their guitar playing.
But it was the guitar playing
of Gren Bartley that helped so much in the performances of him and Tom Kitching.
As has been said before, for two performers who have only been playing together
for a relatively short time, their understanding of each others playing is
demonstrates a maturity beyond their years. We were treated to more instruments
with Gren developing a mean banjo style and Tom laying down his bow for the
mandolin. Versatility ran through this very fine evening not only with the
variety of instruments but also the content. Playford and country dance tunes
rubbed shoulders with a self-penned Bourree and rag-time as did traditional
songs with blues and songs written by Gren. It was interesting to hear their
interpretation of Fred Jordan’s version of the Jolly Waggoner. For me, the best
song was Davy Lowston and the best tune the Levi Jackson Rag. The latter really
did show Toms dexterity on fiddle and Gren complimentary support on guitar.
This was a most enjoyable
evening, introducing a lot of us to a night of contrasting styles. It also
demonstrated what talent there is about and what can be achieved with a fresh
outlook, new ideas and no sacred cows.
John Bentham
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Just a reminder that we will
not be meeting in August but we will be back on 6th September and
possibly not with the Singer’s Night that we had originally advertised but with
some truly exotic sounds from some local performers and friends.
Watch out for your September
edition of “Tatters”.
We will of course be proudly
introducing Shepherd, Spiers and Watson on 20th September.
But now to July’s guests:-
Sunday 5th July 2009
Sarah
Matthews and Doug Eunson
Local and exceedingly good -
we gave Sarah and Doug a booking back in 2005, when the present team was just
taking over & they were just starting up. Now, several CDs, regular bookings at
Whitby and elsewhere later (not to mention their Ceilidh and Rapper Dance
activities) we are very happy to welcome them back. Sarah and Doug play and sing
songs from all around England and Scotland, but they have a particular in-depth
knowledge of the music and traditions of their native Derbyshire - taking on the
mantle of Mukram Wakes, perhaps, for those who remember such things, and working
with just about every other decent musician in this county. We're rather proud
of our perspicuity in recognising their budding talents back in '05, and very
pleased at this chance to find out how they're getting on!
Corinne Male
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Bendle’s Bit
It happens all over the place,
the lampooning and derogatory comments of cities, towns and villages that are
rivals to our place of habitation.
Around these parts I guess the
wise men of Gotham are perhaps amongst the best known. When I was living in
Darlington and went to watch the town football team play Hartlepool, the cry of
“Who hung the monkey” rang round the ground. Later in the year I went up to see
a rugby match in Hartlepool and on the side of the clubhouse picked out in tiles
was, yes you’ve guessed it, a monkey well and truly noosed. If you don’t know,
the guy who made Angus the Monkey famous is now very well respected indeed and
is Mayor of Hartlepool. A business trip in the West Riding took me a few miles
out of Huddersfield to Slaithwaite, famous for “The Moonrakers”, not dissimilar
to those wise men of Gotham. During the meeting the subject of moonraking came
up and I was proudly told of their reputation, not like the Golcar Lilies from
down the road. Unfortunately the opportunity to learn about Golcar and its
lilies never arose. It transpires that one of the legends is that the air in
the village of Golcar perched up the hillside above the pollution of the
industrial revolution in the valley below gave the local girls a beautiful
complexion in comparison to the valley bottom girls. Hence they were called
lilies.
What brought all this back was
a comment in a pub.....................
The Vale of Belvoir is lovely
part of Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. It has been our wont for a good
many years to have a pilgrimage down the vale on a summers evening. Of recent
times this has lapsed due to other commitments but in conversation with the son
in law the other week it transpires he had never been to that part of the world.
Well, that was as good a reason as any to head off down the old Salt Road and
visit a few old haunts. The Castle at Eaton is a pub destined not to be
discovered by the casual motorist unless they get lost and end up there by
mistake. Fortunately it is a path well trod by yours truly and it was a pleasure
to sit out in the garden overlooking a small valley that is “Shires” county
through and through. From there the road to Stathern takes you down a dramatic
drop into the vale and seeing this relatively little known area spread out
before you is a sheer joy. We avoided Stathern as it was festival weekend and
the world and his wife and his brother in law were there. Onward then to Harby
and as we were getting served a bloke sitting at the bar pipes up “Did you enjoy
the Castle, I was just leaving as you came in”, friendly or perhaps nosey they
are in these parts. I was explaining the reason for a jaunt and bemoaned the
fact that we couldn’t take Steve to the Chequers. Now sadly, as with many pubs,
it has closed down. For many years it was run by a lady almost single handed and
was a real throwback and any Morris tour or jolly down the vale would not have
been complete without a stop at the Chequers.
“Yes, it’s a shame.” said the
toper at the bar and turning as he left the pub for who knows where he commented
“At least it means you won’t be bumping into The Ferret Swingers of Barkestone-le-Vale”
So, is there anyone out there
can enlighten me or, and I know it is an onerous task, but do I have to go on
yet another “Research Trip”?
John Bentham
Ah, Slaithwaite (Slawit) was
the first place that I spent Easter away from home when in 1961we went to visit
an old RAF pal of my father’s and his family. Not only did Uncle Harold have a
car but he was also a regular Huddersfield Town supporter and he would take us
to the match on the Saturday afternoon against high flying Ipswich. It had
rained continuously from us leaving Newcastle and it still hadn’t stopped as we
trooped from the ground having seen the home team go down 3-1. Once in the car
we sat in a queue of traffic making its way up the hill that John mentions from
Huddersfield to Slaithwaite where one lone, drenched policeman had the task of
directing the traffic. As we approached the copper it was remarked by us in the
warmth and safety of the vehicle that he looked more than a little fed up which
caused us some amusement until he caught sight of our car and made his way
towards it, signalling for us to stop. Winding down the window he asked “Have
you lads come from Leeds Road?” to which we admitted that we had; “What was the
score?” he asked hopefully.
Unfortunately our answer
didn’t make his day any better.
Reviews of various festivals
including Chippenham have not arrived in time for publications but there will be
a bumper festival round up in September which might even run into October if all
promises are kept
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C.D.Review
Bakhoor
Lorelei Loveridge
Orderly
Bazaar OBAZ 0101-2
Lorelei Loveridge was the lady
who got the Sunday afternoon proceedings underway at this year’s Spring Off The
Tracks and who, at the time, I thought was being unfairly compared to Joni
Mitchell in the festival programme. However after numerous listens to her latest
album “Bakhoor” I have to re-asses that opinion slightly; both women are
from Canada, both are widely travelled and both have a portfolio of self written
songs ranging from the deep and profound to the light as air variety.
In Lorelei’s case a lot of her
thought provoking songs come from first hand experience in the various part of
the world at which she happened to be at that time. Through her songs we are
transported through Asia, The Far East, South America, The Holy Land and back to
wherever she is currently domiciled (the North West of England at present). Her
subjects range from the horrors and futility of war in “Home Is Where The
Heart Is” and “Not Like Us” a stark warning regarding our failure to
safeguard the planet is expressed in the eco-anthem “We Party On” while
the urge to be on one’s travels arises in compositions like “Oh, India”,
“Liberty Is A Bus” and the self explanatory “I Need To Go”.
Before anyone gains the
impression that it is an album full of forwarnings and harrowing experiences
there is plenty of light and shade and the highs and lows of human relationships
can be found in songs like “You’re The One” and “Funky, Funky
Fingertips”.
On this very well produced
album all of Lorelei’s compositions are accompanied by her own guitar and by a
full range of appropriately esoteric instruments to compliment the various
locations from which the songs emanate.
A true musical passport.
Dave Sutherland
And
finally………as mentioned above the weekend
of the 29th & 30th May 2009 was quite a life changing time
for two of the residents and since it is unlikely that two such momentous
occasions should occur in as close proximity for some time we present a
photographic tribute.
SEE YOU AT THE TIGER
Traditions
at the Tiger