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Title: Have to get out more Post by S J Birkill on Today at 21:38 Looks like my adopted home city is getting its folk club act together this autumn. The Highcliffe Hotel, only a mile from MV Ground Zero, is following up its recent Leon Rosselson gig with a relaunch of "Highcliffe Roots and Acoustic". Names booked include Andy Irvine, Steve Tilson, John Renbourn & Jacqui McShee, and on November 21st MV chum and mailing list member the great Wizz Jones (haven't you sussed the forum yet, Wizz?). Meanwhile "Folk on the Edge" at Nether Edge has booked Martin Carthy (among others) and guests at "The Lost Chord" in Sharrowvale Road include Michael Chapman. All on the right side of Sheffield and an easy walk from here. Have to look at getting them to book Pete! Steve |
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Title: Re: Have to get out more Post by Fardel on 29.08.04 at 22:33 It continues to surprise me how Midnight Voices can trigger memories. I have a single Michael Chapman vinyl, Window. http://www.kneeling.co.uk/pages/mikechapman/window.asp A google for 'Life on the Edge' turns up only an old folk group, not which public house in Nether Edge is at. Similarly, "the lost chord" "Sharrowvale Road" does not find any response from Google - not a clue to where Michael is due to appear. I notice that one of his 30-odd recordings (Twisted Road) features a track called 'A Girl on a Train'. I wonder . . . Steve, can you give more details of these venues, and when, for us non-locals. I really should get out more. -- Fardel |
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Title: Re: Have to get out more Post by S J Birkill on 29.08.04 at 23:10 Well, I pulled those dates off the local paper, not intending to announce full details, merely to give a flavour of what seems to be happening locally. Yet all seems rumour and confusion on the Web -- Sheffielders don't seem awfully good at keeping their Websites up to date. The Stamping Ground (http://members5.boardhost.com/rodclements/msg/9290.html) forum gives the Nether Edge address -- it's not the old Brincliffe Oaks venue -- and the South Riding Network (http://www.folk-network.com/welcome.html) claims that the Highfield Hotel, Greystones Road nights are moving there with effect from September 10th (Martin Carthy). The third venue I mentioned (Michael Chapman at The Lost Chord) is given as The Lescar (http://www.sharrowvale.co.uk/lescar/index.htm) in Sharrowvale Road. Comparing notes between the Web and the Sheffield Telegraph, it appears that the new Highcliffe folk organisers, Bob Hazelwood and Suzie O'Connell, have displaced the other lot to the Moncrieffe Road address. Info (for some of these?) : 0114 234 9636. |
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Title: Re: Have to get out more Post by Ian Chippett on 30.08.04 at 10:57 Fardel wrote (of Michael Chapman): <<I notice that one of his 30-odd recordings (Twisted Road) features a track called 'A Girl on a Train'. I wonder . . . >> According to the album description I saw on the Web, it says "all songs written and produced by Michael Chapman". Ian C |
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Title: Re: Have to get out more Post by Kevin Cryan on 14.12.07 at 16:28 on 08/27/04 at 21:38:36, S J Birkill wrote :
Will Hodgkinson (http://www.willhodgkinson.turnpiece.net/) pays what I think is a rather nice tribute to Wizz (http://www.wizzjones.com/) & Bridget St John (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridget_St_John) in the film & music section of today's edition of The Guardian, How to have a musical career in an age of low album sales (http://music.guardian.co.uk/folk/story/0,,2227012,00.html) Will Hodgkinson Friday December 14, 2007 The Guardian A recent London concert by two hugely talented, if relatively unknown, musicians has reaffirmed my faith that it is possible to make music on your own terms over a lifetime and retain your dignity.Wizz Jones (http://www.wizzjones.com/), now in his 70s, was at the forefront of the British folk boom of the early 60s - busking across Europe, reworking old blues tunes on his guitar and becoming an influence on better-known names such as Bert Jansch and Eric Clapton. Jones has never stopped performing, and though he has never made much money from what he does, he still appears to enjoy it as much as ever. What was in evidence at the concert was a man making music not to be rich and famous (he isn't), but because it is in his soul. The other star of the night was Bridget St John (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridget_St_John). She was a shy teenager from the London suburb of East Sheen when she was discovered by John Peel, who made her the first signing on his hippy-era label, Dandelion. She recorded three albums for Dandelion that critics loved and the public ignored. She signed to the major label Chrysalis for her 1974 album Jumblequeen, but when that, too, failed to set the charts alight, she moved to New York to raise her daughter and work with the elderly. St John never stopped writing songs, and when a new generation discovered her old albums a few years ago, she was ready to do the occasional gig once more. These are people who have had normal lives in music, rather than ones distorted by fame's hall of mirrors. My suspicion is that Wizz Jones and Bridget St John will set the career model for the majority of future musicians. The British hard-rock band Gallows have been one of the phenomena of 2007. Their lead singer was at the top of the NME's annual cool list, and his feral, ginger-crowned face has graced the covers of many other magazines. A rabid following ensures concerts are sell-outs. And the sales of their major-label debut? Just 20,000 copies. Subtract the costs of recording, production, touring and marketing, and the band will be lucky if they take home enough to buy a new set of tyres for the tour bus. As the future goes digital, artists will be left with a choice. Either they take a businesslike approach to what they do and concentrate on making money from merchandise and licensing, or they do what they love anyway and accept they're never going to get rich from it. There are worse ways to spend your time, after all -------- Kevin Cryan. PS. While searching out links, I came across this San Francisco Bay Guardian article (http://sfbayguardian.com/entry.php?catid=160&entry_id=1796) - a reminder (to me,at least) that Hodgkinson is not the first to notice how woefully neglected Wizz is. |
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Title: Re: Have to get out more Post by Richard Bleksley on 15.12.07 at 10:35 Nice post, Kevin. In a world where the commercial end of music has become a megabucks industry where "product" is conceived, manipulated and marketed by businessmen and musical talent is virtually irrelevant, these sort of musicians are about the only ones who interest me any more. That's what I like about the folk scene (what's left of it). It's always been like this. Ralph McTell (another one-time associate of Wizz Jones) took it about as far as you can get, when, after Streets of London became a huge hit, he put his head down and kept a low profile for a year or two in a deliberate attempt to avoid becoming a star. Now that's the sort of dedication I can empathise with... |
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Title: Re: Have to get out more Post by Ian Chippett on 16.12.07 at 11:40 Richard wrote: Ralph McTell (another one-time associate of Wizz Jones) took it about as far as you can get, when, after Streets of London became a huge hit, he put his head down and kept a low profile for a year or two in a deliberate attempt to avoid becoming a star. Now that's the sort of dedication I can empathise with... You can certainly empathise with my dedication, Richard. I've managed to avoid becoming a star without having the huge hit first or indeed any success whatsoever. Ian C Dodging the stalkers in Pantin, France |
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Title: Re: Have to get out more Post by Ian Ashleigh on 20.12.07 at 22:13 The battle for the Christmas number one is between the crass manufacured 'stars' who have won such highbrow talent contests as X-factor (two) Britain's Got Talent and other such manufactured tripe. However, due to Radio 1's attempt to be PC about Fairytale of New York 20 years late, Kirsty McColl may finally get the Number 1 she deserves. Sorry about the rant!! Season's Greetings to all Ian |
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