The Welcome Mat: Do Come In, New Talkawhile Member

[Hans Valk]

A very warm welcome to you, new friend.  I understand from our Meeter and Greeter, the lovely Jude, that you are a person of good taste, impeccable manners and an interest in some or all things Talkawhilish.  Excellent news!  Hoorah, hoorah.

My name is Sir Robert Peel.  I am a Global Moderator of this fine debating chamber and talking shop.  I am also an elder statesman of some influence, commanding considerable respect in those who don’t know me very well.  

Put your favourite CD on the gramophone player, kick off your shoes and make yourself comfortable.  
(Not that comfortable!    Please cover yourself up by putting on the dressing gown and slippers provided.  )

Now - can I trouble you to answer a few questions, when you have the inclination, time and patience.  You can answer some, all or none of them, but we look forward to hearing from you soon.

1.   Who are you and where are you from?

Hello there, Sir John! I'm Hans Valk from Dordrecht in the Netherlands

2.   What made you join Talkawhile?

I like folk music and so do most people on Talkawhile. So I guess that figures..

3.   What do you know of Fairport Convention and/or Cropredy if anything?

I'm sad to say I've never been to Cropredy, but I've been a Fairport fan since the early seventies. I saw them play live only once, at a folkfestival in Vlaardingen in 1976

4.   What kind of music do you like?

All kinds. Roots music from all corners of the world, but with a special place for British and Irish music. Also classical music. Schubert's Lieder, for instance.

5.   What was the last gig/festival/recital/concert that you attended?  What was it like?

If I'm quite honest: I can't really remember. Must have been a local festival. We have a quite nice R&B-festival each year here in Dordrecht.

6.   What was the last CD that you bought?  Would you recommend it?

That actually was Sandy Denny's BBC-box. And yes: I can recommend it. Would you expect otherwise?

7.   Complete the following sentence:

          “Tonight, Sir Robert, I am going to be my all time favourite singers The Watersons and I will
            sing:  'Adieu, Adieu'  

Oh dear, my digital recorder has gone unserviceable...what a pity..

Thanks awfully.  

It's been a pleasure, Sir Robert.
By the way: did you know a farm on the island of Texel (in the north of the Netherlands and the first of the Friesian chain) has been named after you? I'm not joking!

greetings from Holland,
Hans Valk

[Nigel Spencer]

Hello. I didn't realise I was meant to introduce myself first and I just went straight into the 'announce' section to tell folks about my blog and record label. Apparently I'm committed a grave faux pas, so apologies to anyone out there I've offended.

This is me - if anyone wants to know. Skip this bit if you don't. I'm 47. I live in Manchester with my partner and eight year old son. I work as a mental health social worker. I have an allotment and a Mazda Bongo camper van and a small ginger and white cat called Camp Freddie. I like lots of different kinds of music but mainly trad folk, alt-folk, pysch-folk and folk rock (if it's not dreary plodding shite) and I spend far too much money on records. I go to gigs in Manchester but I don't get to many festivals because my partner can't stand folk music, though we normally manage to get to the Green Man. I've written an as yet unpublished novel called Slattery's Luck. As a hobby and an antidote to the joys of social work I run a small record label called Folk Police Recordings that puts out the sorts of records I want in my record collection and I write a blog about lost, forgotten and seldom heard folk music from the 70s and early 80s called Lost Folk Tapes which has lots of interviews and sound files for your pleasure, hopefully. I go to my local singaround at the Beech in Chorlton and groan my way through the odd song.

If you want to know about the label or blog, just Google them and join the mailing list or something. I won't add any more links or updates in the announce section seeing as that's what got me in the doghouse.

Now to Sir Robert's questions.

1.   Who are you and where are you from?

2.   What made you join Talkawhile?

3.   What do you know of Fairport Convention and/or Cropredy if anything?

4.   What kind of music do you like?

5.   What was the last gig/festival/recital/concert that you attended?  What was it like?

6.   What was the last CD that you bought?  Would you recommend it?

7.   Complete the following sentence:
          “Tonight, Sir Robert, I am going to be my all time favourite singer ……. (name of singer) and I will
            sing:  ' ................................'   (name of song)

1. See above...
2. I refuse to answer on the grounds I might incriminate myself
3. L&L is my third favourite folk rock album ever. Sandy Denny's The North Star Grassman and the Ravens is IMHO phenomenal. Never been to Cropedy because my partner can't stand folk music so festivals are a bit of a no-go area for now.
4. Trad folk, alt-folk, psych folk, folk rock, loads of other stuff from Sun Ra to Michael Chapman to Robert Wyatt to Spacemen 3 to Bonny Prince Billy. I can't begin to encompass it all in a sentence.
5. Matthew Halsall - fantastic Manchester based jazz trumpeter at Chorlton Arts Festival. Sublime stuff.
6. Harp and a Monkey. Buy it now. Banjo driven electronica. Great singer. Wonderful songs. What I hoped Tuung would be like.
7. “Tonight, Sir Robert, I am going to be Bob Pegg and I will sing 'The Gypsy'" PS This is subject to change on a daily basis.

Cheers,

Nigel

[Barry]

“Tonight, Sir Robert, I am going to be Bob Pegg and I will sing 'The Gypsy'"

Good man! Last time I heard him sing it was in a back room at the Old Vic.  Surreal night.

Welcome.

[Anne Dunn]

Hi Nigel nice to be 'introduced' to you.

He didn't mention he does rather nice badges too  

[David (terrrrrrrr)]

Nice intro Captain Spencer... Hello from me.

[Rodger]

Now - can I trouble you to answer a few questions, when you have the inclination, time and patience.  You can answer some, all or none of them, but we look forward to hearing from you soon.

1.   Who are you and where are you from?

2.   What made you join Talkawhile?

3.   What do you know of Fairport Convention and/or Cropredy if anything?

4.   What kind of music do you like?

5.   What was the last gig/festival/recital/concert that you attended?  What was it like?

6.   What was the last CD that you bought?  Would you recommend it?

7.   Complete the following sentence:
          “Tonight, Sir Robert, I am going to be my all time favourite singer ……. (name of singer) and I will
            sing:  ' ................................'   (name of song)

1. My name is Rodger and I live in Brighton.
2. Um - honestly can't remember
3. Fairport Convention is/was/are a bunch of musos who used to convene at a house called "Fairport" in Muswell Hill.  Not to be confused with the house on the cover of Unhalfbricking, which is in Wimbledon.  Cropredy is where a bunch of fat blokes with beards convene once a year to bellow "Meet on the Ledge".
4. Folk, jazz, contemporary classical, Indian classical, early music, Tamla Motown, West Coast acid rock, early Floyd/Soft Machine/King Crimson, Berlin cabaret songs, Cretan lyra, basically anything you can whistle
5. Crawley Folk Festival on Sat 25th June.  Nice to see Touchstone again but otherwise it was a huge disappointment.
6. Merlin's Isle of Gramarye by Peter Bellamy, just out on CD from Talking Elephant.  Haven't played it yet but I'm sure I'll like it.
7. Tonight, Sir Robert, I am going to be my all time favourite singer Robert Wyatt and I will
            sing 'At Last I Am Free'. [these preferences subject to change on a daily, or hourly basis]

[jude]

Hallo Rodger and welcome, you'll find a lot of likeminded people here and will probably meet some at Cropredy should you get there.  

Luckily we're not all fat blokes with beards though. At least I'm not

[Bob Barrows]

Hallo Rodger and welcome, you'll find a lot of likeminded people here and will probably meet some at Cropredy should you get there.  

Luckily we're not all fat blokes with beards though. At least I'm not

He nailed me tho'  

[giottoscircle (Robert)]

Cropredy is where a bunch of fat blokes with beards convene once a year to bellow "Meet on the Ledge".

Remind s me of a year when a friend rang me at Cropredy and said someone she worked with was there. I asked what he looked like and she said "Guy in his 50s with a beard". I looked around and it was like a 3D version of "Wheres Wally"!



Edit: Quote fixed. Paul

[Metro96 (Keith)]

Hallo Rodger and welcome, you'll find a lot of likeminded people here and will probably meet some at Cropredy should you get there.  

Luckily we're not all fat blokes with beards though. At least I'm not

He nailed me tho'  

Yup me too!

[Henry Tompkins (Pete)]

Remind s me of a year when a friend rang me at Cropredy and said someone she worked with was there. I asked what he looked like and she said "Guy in his 50s with a beard". I looked around and it was like a 3D version of "Wheres Wally"!

Ha ha !

[Andy]

Luckily we're not all fat blokes with beards though. At least I'm not

I am! {{Waves}}

[Jim]

i'm halfway there, fat no beard

[Alan2]

I'm very thin with a beard, but I don't have a photo that wouldn't induce shock and awe. I've never been to Cropredy. I like Robert Wyatt too.

[Alan Morley]

Hi all
I'm Alan Morley from Ilkeston, Derbyshire - well that's a good start innit !!  

Way back when I was a lad, my grandfather gave me an accordion which he couldn't play, and I was so grateful and excited to have this old Hohner because I was interested in music. Anyway after messing around with it and trying to learn tunes - I realised that I couldn't play it either and swapped it for a guitar a Hofner President - Blonde, and started having guitar lessons for five shillings an hour.

When I had learnt to play G - C - D7 and had an instant repertoire of hundreds of rock 'n' roll and folk songs - I got asked to join a local beat group playing rhythm guitar. We needed a singer - auditioned Robert Lindsay Stevenson and we turned him down - he went on to do some acting I think.

So there I was on the local pub / club circuit in a beat group at the age of fourteen - playing five nights a week and failing all my school exams because I kept falling asleep in class.

My earliest influence for folk music was Rambling Sid Rumpo - well Kenneth Williams on The Kenneth Horn Show on the old gas radio, followed closely by Donovan ( he wasn't on the Kenneth Horn Show though...)

There used  to be a TV Program called 'Hold Down a Chord' which was all about guitar lessons introduced by John Pearse. One week Steeleye Span were on there as guests - and I had the 'Eureka Moment'. Electric folk music.....In the 70's I used to get to a lot of interesting parties in Nottingham and heard a wide mix of music - Incredible String Band, Fairport, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull and got drawn in to jigs, reels, polka and thought Dave Swarbrick was God - not Eric Clapton....

Anyway, started buying folk LP's and got a couple of acoustic guitars by Eko the Italian company - got a Ranger 6 and a Ranger 12. I have since lost count and memory of all the guitars and amps I have had slip through my fingers over the years.

The next 'Eureka Moment' was when I heard John Kirkpatrick and the gang on the 'Morris On' LP's. On the strength of that I wanted a melodeon and to be able to play the Morris Tunes - I should have kept the accordion all those years before....Later I found out that JK didn't play melodeon on the Morris On LP....he was on concertina and button accordion.

Still - I had a melodeon and I wasn't afraid to use it....I took it along to a local folk club, played Speed Up The Plough and got recruited by a local Border Morris side. Around the same time me and the missus started to run a folk club in Ilkeston on a Thursday night - we seemed to be learning around four/ five songs a a week - because no-one at the club understood 'sing-arounds' and used to go to listen us perform...

Gawd - I'm rambling on....

I recall doing a floor spot playing melodeon at a club in Derby and when I'd finished a guy said to me ' You remind me of that bloke in Fairport....'
So then I'm thinking who in Fairport plays melodeon - the guy eventually remembered who he meant 'Dave Swarbrick' he says.....I must have transferred what I'd heard Swarb doing on fiddle to my melodeon style - so that was a great compliment.

The folk bug has stayed with me and expanded my musical ideas because of people like Chris Woods and Andy Cutting, John Kirkpatrick, Ashley Hutchins, Martin Carthy, Ralph McTell, the lovely Roy Harris- Shantyman, Tiger Moth. In effect my style is a mix of folk, sixties music, soul, rock 'n roll, prog rock, Irish etc....

Currently I'm messing with a folk duo, recording things for YouTube and just recently launched a new folk music web site, so loads to keep me occupied. Have a look at my YouTube things - you might find it a bit 'different'.... http://www.youtube.com/user/Almo2504?feature=mhee#p/u/1/Ou0x38ivxiM

thanks all - hope you didn't get too bored

Alan

[Andy Tuck]

Like the tunes and the website looks very useful as well. Welcome on board.

[Alan Morley]

Like the tunes and the website looks very useful as well. Welcome on board.

Thanks Andy, this looks like a nice place to be....

[Albie]

Welcome Alan. Some nice toons there, especially Soldiers Joy.

[Alan Morley]

Welcome Alan. Some nice toons there, especially Soldiers Joy.

Thanks very much.

I only did Soldier's Joy for a giggle as I don't really like the tune when played in sessions - but it turned out ok, and I had fun recording all the parts.

I recently resumed writing things - The Last Voyage of The Barque Endeavour was interesting to play on melodeon - it's in Am and Em
played on a D / G box.

cheers

Alan

[Finknottle (Kath)]

1.   Who are you and where are you from?

Hello, hello! My name is Kath and I live on the Kentish coast.

2.   What made you join Talkawhile?

I was googling what year the Leningrad Cowboys played Cropredy and came upon a very old discussion thread from here debating the best and worst Cropredy performances of all time (opinions seemed to be split on the Leningrad Cowboys but oh dear, The Incredible String Band didn't come off well ). It looked like a fun place to hang round so I decided to stay for a bit.

3.   What do you know of Fairport Convention and/or Cropredy if anything?

I've known about Fairport since a small child because my parents brought me up all wrong! I first saw Fairport play in the late 80s, definitely Red and Gold era and we first went to Croprey in either '88 or '89, I can't remember and googling the line up hasn't helped, I guess as a 15yr old I wasn't paying that much attention!! I've been attending on and off ever since but things have now entered a new ear as I am now dragging my own kids there (including my very own inattentive teen daughter!)

4.   What kind of music do you like?

urm, I guess the bet way to describe my music taste is eclectic but folk is my deepest abiding passion.

5.   What was the last gig/festival/recital/concert that you attended?  What was it like?

I took above mentioned teen daughter to Lounge on the Farm last weekend. It was not nice, very akin to being stuck in the outake scenes of Animal House. There was however a folk tent which was pretty much its saving grace, I saw local band Cocos Lovers and enjoyed them muchly.

6.   What was the last CD that you bought?  Would you recommend it?

being a twenty first century kinda girl the last album I downloaded was 'Freedom and Rain' June Tabor and the Oyster Band and yes I would recommend it.

7.   Complete the following sentence:
          “Tonight, Sir Robert, I am going to be my all time favourite singer ……. (name of singer) and I will
            sing:  ' ................................'   (name of song)

too, too, too hard.