Vegan Folkies??

[OJ]

Hello,

Just wondering if there are any fellow folk music lovers on the forum?? In my (relatively brief) experience of going to festivals and sessions there are a good number of veggies and the very occasional vegan. Who else plays folk music or listens and is anyone coming to the Shrewsbury Folk Festival at the end of August 07?

OJ

[philfox]

i can't play folk (i only play the recorder and that is badly and not for 18 years or so O.o) but i do enjoy listening to it. i wont be going to shrewsbury folk festival, although i did go for one day at the beverley folk festival. there i discovered the joys of bellowhead, and a good vegan curry here in pocklington we've had a few folk artists play, such as fionn regan and has ben quite fun.
i've never seen circulus play live but that would make my day, if you haven't heard them they are excellent i recommend them highly, quite a folkie, medieval type sound
of course i like anything by shane mcgowan and the pogues, and i recommend michael chapman to anyone, folk fan or not, i saw him quite some time ago at the processed pea club, blew me away.

a friend plays in a folk band, i think he only has one or two songs on his myspace but:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm...e-86205a8ec08d

he'll be proud of the shameless plug

[OJ]

Never come across Circulus so I will have to check them out. My current top band are Salsa Celtica.........awesome!! Defy anyone to sit still for more than two seconds when listening to them.

[Corum]

Hello fellow folkie...

Yep, me and Hemlock - you'll meet her on her no doubt soon! (mad biker chick!) - we're definitely folkies.

Our newest folk acquisition is some stuff by Kris Drever Salsa Celtica are pretty cool. Heard them a couple of times on Mike Harding's (BBC) Radio 2 Wednesday night show (you can listen to it anytime via the http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/r2music/folk/ page). We're off to the Rock and Blues Bike show/festival next weekend where the Levellers are headlining on Friday night (3 1/2 hour dash from work!).

We're also huuuuuuuuuuuge Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull fans, as well as the Albion Band, Steeleye Span and all that kind of stuff - plus, we're also big fans of this French Canadian folk band called Le Vent du Nord. Oh yeah... and Bellowhead!

I play the mandolin - my profile pic was taken (I must update this soon as it's a bit out of date) at the Chippenham Folk Festival last year where I was playing with a local morris side (don't anymore - no time!) and Hemlock plays the flute.

[twinkle]

Does Seth Lakeman count?

I like a bit of lots of different music and I'm rubbish at what genre things are. I would guess you can count me in, cos there're very few catagories I don't like

[Hemlock]

Erm... does Seth Lakeman count? Dearie me!! of course he counts!

He's playing the Lewes Guitar Festival next month (corum works in Lewes!)

[derwenna]

Me, me! *jumps up and down and waves* I've found that there's a higher proportion of veg*ns in the folk world than the general population, and the ones who aren't veg*n are often slightly alternative anyway so don't think the vegans are too weird . I'm not going to Shrewsbury, instead I'm playing at Towersey festival which is the same weekend.

[veganlinda]

I am pretty eclectic in my tastes but love Fairport Convention, Seth Lakeman, Cara Dillon. I tend to like kind of rock/folk crossover stuff rather than traditional stuff so more Levellers than Albion Band.

Started a band (I sing) last year after being bowled over by a fab Fairport Convention gig but we are a long way from having the kind of musical confidence and skill that just carries you into another place!

[derwenna]

Anybody else going to any folk festivals this year? I'm going to Saltburn (smallish festival near Whitby) and Towersey, and I was at Warwick festival last weekend. Music-wise I tend to go for tunes rather than songs (but not always) - now, who would I definitely go and see if they were playing at a festival... Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, Steve Tilston, Mise, Flook, La Bottine Souriante, Crucible, Altan...

[eco]

I love music of all kinds including folk - traditional, contempory and folk rock. I was thinking of going to Fairport's Cropredy festival this year as it's their 40th anniversary, but it sold out before I got around to getting tickets. I've been listening to a lot of Sandy Denny lately, she had such a fantastic voice.

[pavotrouge]

I'm one into folk rock... though I shouldn't be. things like that don't exist in Germany.

I get a feeling that folk needs the English language...

[sprite1986]

When I was in Germany, I met a German folk singer who went around singing with his violin - he was really cool!


I like folk music, although I really do not know a great deal about it, and I love ceilidhs!

[neil]

I have a wide taste in music including a lot of folk or folk rock. I got into Richard Thompson, Sandy Denny,and later on the Oyster band who are great live. I can't stand Martin Carthy finger in the ear stuff though.

[veganlinda]

I have a wide taste in music including a lot of folk or folk rock. I got into Richard Thompson, Sandy Denny,and later on the Oyster band who are great live. I can't stand Martin Carthy finger in the ear stuff though.

Am the same. Just don't understand why people rave over Martin Carthy!

[vegcurry]

Damn good guitarist though.

[alisont]

I am a big Levellers fan - use to go to most of the gigs in my student days, been into them about 18 years and got tickets for Wolverhampton gig next year Dads into them now too now they are more folkie!

I also love the Oyster band, a lot of Fairport, Seth Lakeman, Bellowhead, Kate Rusby, lots of others, my dads a huge folkie - Fairport, S. Span and lots of others ive grown up with folk music and have never gone off it even during all the music phases of my youth.

Dads left it too late to get a Cropredy ticket and is very miffed now, he doesnt camp out just wanted to go for one of the days, I had offered to get a ticket ages ago but he kept putting it off

[eco]

I like Martin Carthy, I've see him loads of times. He still travels all over the country supporting local folk clubs even though he could easily earn his living playing the big festivals and he's done a lot to keep traditional folk alive. The only criticism I have of him is he spends far too much time tuning his guitar. His daughter isn't bad either!

[derwenna]

I've heard that the guitar-tuning thing is to help him get over nerves on stage. You'd think that someone who'd been a performer for that long wouldn't get nerves any more, but maybe it doesn't entirely go away for some people.

[eco]

I've often wondered if it's a nerve thing and have got the impression that he's actually quite shy. The excuse used is usually that it's too hot and humid so the guitar has gone out of tune but that doesn't seem to happen to other guitarists with the regularity that it does to Martin. Sometimes it seems half his performance time is taken up tuning his guitar. It's worth putting up with it to hear the other half though

[twinkle]

I've been listening to Karine Polwart on her website and Myspace pages today. I really like the way her accent comes through so strongly in some bits of songs

[bugaboo]

Loving the indie folk!

[beanstew]

Another folkie here! I went to Cambridge Folk Festival and Cropredy this year and they were both ace. I love Richard Thompson, Fairport, Steeleye Span (especially the Maddy Prior era), Show Of Hands, Seth Lakeman, Kate Rusby and so on.

I have a guitar but only know 3 chords and if I try to find them my right hand stops working. I should probably practice more and surf, read and listen to proper musicians less!

[coordinated]

After having had an even more lovely time than I did last year, I can highly recommend The Green Man Festival for a fantastic blend of the old and the new. It's set in a magical location (at the base of the Sugar Loaf mountain in Wales, which frames your view of the main stage), and is filled almost entirely with charmingly lovely people (I made new friends there I'm still in touch with). Oh, and there's plenty of lovely vegan food

Wish I'd been posting to VF before I went, as I feel a little guilty saying how cool the line-up was after the event

Highlights included:

• James Yorkston and King Creosote - neither of whom ever fail to disappoint. Keeping with the wonderful and unconscious prog-rock theme which seemed to emerge, the ever charming Mr Yorkston managed a 15 minute acoustic guitar wig-out
• Rachel Unthank & The Winterset who should win an award for the best use of the high heel as a percussion instrument
• My Brightest Diamond - if you like PJ Harvey...
• The Fridge collective (prog) rocked far harder than their separate (Four Tet, Adem) component selves
• Joanna Newsom had her twee appropriately set to 11

There's a much more eloquent review here.

Part of me still wishes I'd joined friends at Climate Camp instead (I booked GM as soon as tickets came out in October last year so didn't really get to consider whether to go to CC instead), but I don't regret going to GM for a second.

Highly recommended; tickets for next year should be available in about six weeks' time...

[Willowherb]

I'm a folkie too. Fairport Convention, Martin Carthy and the Albion Band are all favourites and I also like the more political artists such as Robb Johnson, Roy Bailey and Leon Rosselson.

[beanstew]

After having had an even more lovely time than I did last year, I can highly recommend The Green Man Festival for a fantastic blend of the old and the new.

I've heard good things about that one from other folk.

Oh, and there's plenty of lovely vegan food

Always a plus point! At festivals I tend to cook, well reheat from frozen, a couple of meals myself and buy the rest. It saves a bit of money and I think it's fun to cook with a little gas stove in a field. Big fried breakfasts and lots of coffee are a must too before I can even think of moving too far from my tent.

• Rachel Unthank & The Winterset who should win an award for the best use of the high heel as a percussion instrument

I saw them at Cambridge and thought they were excellent and have since bought a couple of CDs.

There's a much more eloquent review here.

That makes it sound like an excellent weekend with a vibe similar to Cropredy.

Highly recommended; tickets for next year should be available in about six weeks' time...

I may just do that.

Thanks for the recommendation.

[alisont]

Im just listening to Dads folk on 2 programme whilst on the computer and have just heard a song from the 'big session a copy of Joy Divisions love will tear us apart by Oysterband and June tabor - wow