FOLK SESSION – Howard Arms, Brampton

It was lovely to see the room so packed last night, 21^st July, with the highest turnout we have seen since Covid, with twenty singers and instrumentalists.

The theme was ‘weather’.  Many contributors used it as a symbol: Alan complained of Stormy Monday and the Stormy Weather occasioned by the absence of his love.  Richard, in more cheerful mood, sang in praise of his wife, whose maiden name was Rainbow. Ron’s song used the familiar metaphor, Too Close to the Wind, to describe the fate of the Northamptonshire highway robbers.

Several people picked up the challenge to find songs about nice weather! Charles praised the skies at Home on the Range, and Richard’s Irish blessing, May the Road Rise to Meet You, wished favourable wind, sun and rain on his friend. Katy welcomed the South Wind carrying messages to friends in Connaught, while Linda pleaded Blow the Wind Southerly. ‘Bright Phoebe’ and ‘bright noontide’ were praised, respectively, in Chris’s Thousands or More  and Charles’ The Ash Grove. Another Rain Has Fallen (Gary) pointed out that rain is a blessing for the ploughman and sower, though not for the reaper; and Kath welcomed the snow and mists of lonely places Where Ravens Feed. Adrian looked forward to the Morris dancer’s paradise When Your Bells Have Turned Green and ‘the sun always shines when you dance Shepherd’s Hey’.

We also had a category of mixed weather. Phil took us from ‘the morn was fair’ to ‘tempests’ as he ventured forth with The Rose of Allendale; Gerda experienced ‘sunny summer blink’, ‘caller air’, and ‘haar’ on Baltic Street; John G suffered fog and West Virginia Rain; and Sally took us through all the possibilities of the British climate with The January Man.  

Weather at sea arose several times: Phil covered the subject comprehensively and humorously in The Shipping Forecast. Paddy sang of The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald; Chris described how a schooner driven in a squall narrowly escaped being wrecked on The Rocks of Baccalieu; Gerda’s ship ‘never saw the coming storm’ (I Was an Oak Tree); whereas Ron and Linda (playing cahone) defiantly proclaimed themselves Ready for the Storm. John L’s ship left Boston Harbour in ‘the devil of a gale’; and Jane argued that Johnny’s Gone to Hilo implied that he had drowned in a storm.  Bold Riley (John L) sails away from his sweetheart in wind and rain, and Jane lamented leaving home for ‘the rain and the rolling sea’ on The Grey Funnel Line.

Grim weather on land included the tragicomic fate of The Frozen Logger (Geoff P); the ‘cruel weather’ in Hartlepool (Sea Coal – Geoff B); the snow, wind and rain that drives across Bewcastle Fell (Geoff P); the ‘bitter snow’ that hides the seed which becomes The Rose (Kath) and the ‘sleet and snow’ through which labourers trudge while Rolling Home (Geoff B). Sally grieved over unfaithful love as the rain softly fell in The Oggie Man, and Gary heard ‘the drizzle of the rain’ while missing home in Cathy’s Song, while Anne suggested that she and her love Steal Away from the rain and the cold of city streets. Adrian robustly condemned the clouds, rain and everything else on Bloody Orkney! Paddy reminded us that catastrophic weather does not need to be wet or cold: his Canadian song Fire told the horrific story of a lightning strike followed by wildfire in a hot, dry summer. John G on mouth organ played A Blast of Wind and invited us Will You Come Out of the Wind?

 

We next meet on 18^th August at 8pm in The Howard Arms, Brampton, The theme will be ‘Fish/Sea Creatures’. ALL WELCOME!