FOLK SESSION – Howard Arms, Brampton

Many thanks to everyone who turned out to lift the darkness of winter with music and song on 21^st January in the Howard Arms, on the theme of ‘Scotland/all things Scottish’.  A particular welcome to Ruby on accordion, joining us for the first time, and Charlie on fiddle, back after a long absence.

We had a rich variety of instrumental music.  Ruby and Charlie kicked off with Loch Lomond; Comin’ Thro’ the Rye and Ye Banks and Braes, and continued later with the music hall delights, The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen and I Belong to Glasgow.  Adrian on melodeon found devious Scottish links for his tunes: Duncan McGillivray is a Canadian tune written for the Scottish pipes, and The Banks of the Dee is an English morris tune about a Scottish river!  Sally Hardaker on recorder played Flatwater Fran (Scottish composer) and Da Lounge Bar (a Shetland tune).  She and Richard on tin whistle joined together in the waltz, Alloa House.  Charlie gave us some fine solos (in which all the other instrumentalists in the room joined): Major Graham of Inchbrackie and Lady Baddinscough’s Reel.

 

Our pretext for the theme was the approach of Burns’ Night, so Les wrote Burns’ Night Blues for the occasion.  Gerda sang a revamped version of Go Fetch to Me a Pint o’ Wine.  In more traditional mode, Richard commemorated Burns’ brief visits to the Highlands with My Heart’s in the Highlands; Jane lamented that It Was a’ for our Rightful King and Katy celebrated the birth of Ranting, Roving Robin.

 

Nostalgia and homesickness are popular among Scots abroad, so Steve longed to return to Caledonia and, more specifically, to the Valley of Strathmore.  John’s Hearts of Olden Glory looked back to Scotland’s past, while Sally longed for her lost love on The Isle of Eigg.  On a lighter note, the Skyscraper Wean (Charles) regretted moving to a ‘20-storey flat’.

Seduction and romantic love are widespread subjects in any country!  Sometimes tragic:  Mary Hamilton (Sally) was hanged for infanticide; Bogie’s Bonny Belle (Chris) was separated from the father of her child; the heroine of Fear a Bhata (Gerda) waits with dwindling hope for her lover’s return.  Phil decided he preferred a drinking companion to his Star of the Bar.  A happier outcome awaited the young couple who spent the night at Rarie’s Hill (Gerda); Alan invited his sweetheart to pick Wild Mountain Thyme (and generated some brisk discussion about whether the song is Scottish or Irish!) and Jane’s hero wished he were a Baron’s Heir in order to lavish riches on his beloved.

Some connections were … tenuous.  John sang the hymn Only Remembered because its author was a Free Kirk minister; Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat (Charles) rides the night train to Dumfries; Oud Rimbant (Anne) alludes to the alleged parsimony of the Scottish people; Les’s Crystal Dragon of Eryri takes us right round the British Isles; Alan’s People Get Ready was squeezed in because it had been covered by Rod Stewart ‘who has a Scottish surname’. Phil’s Best of the Barley tells the story of a Falkirk man who hustled for survival in the USA during the Depression and Chris, quite frankly, cheated with his folktale Eilidh and the Banshees (were the banshees on holiday from Ireland, Chris?)

We next meet in the Howard Arms, Brampton, at 8pm on 18^th February with the theme ‘Stories/Storytellers’.  ALL WELCOME!