Folk-Club-Bonn: First Impressions of FCB # 154 the 15th Anniversary

Well, the fifteenth anniversary of the Bonn folk club, we never really saw that coming, and, in fact Detlef only reminded me in January that the February meet was actually the 15^th year anniversary of FCB, and added that it is probably too late to organise anything for it?

Well, the folk club would not be the folk club if it did not rise to such occasions.

Getting the folk club initially off the ground depended on the collaboration and determination of many like-minded people who were both willing and able to work completely altruistically for the benefit of the common weal. This fact continues to this present day. Viewing the matter abstractly it seems an almost impossible, insurmountable task, especially when one considers that one important factor which oils the wheels and cogs of almost any modern human interaction is sorely missing, namely money. The Folk Club Bonn charges no admission and does not receive any financial subsidy from anywhere but our landlord in Dotty’s Bar in the BTHV kindly pays the obligatory GEMA charge each month. All we have to offer our performers is a stunningly wonderful attentive listening audience and the chance for the featured artists to sell CDs in order for them to put some petrol in their cars or pay for their next rail tickets. A few performers have indeed tried to pay at both petrol stations and railway stations with recordings of the applause they received at the previous night’s performance at Folk Club Bonn, but unfortunately to no avail. So when I explain how many shopping days are left until Christmas at folk club meets, it does have an important ulterior motive. Most professional performers nowadays have a list in which you can write your name and your Email address in, in order that they can keep you informed of future gigs and new recordings so please do support them by signing up if you liked their performance and also relieving them of CDs and other merchandise that they have brought with them also helps them and lightens their burdens on their travels before they are finally homeward bound. A modern troubadour’s lot is not quite a happy lot as it might at first appear to the uninitiated.

So starting off the 15^th anniversary I was reminded of reading about St. Francis of Assisi around the time of 2010. St Francis was really quite remarkable. Born on Italy at the end of the 12^th century to a wealthy merchant, this itinerant preacher, who was also a mystic and a poet, preached to the poor and underprivileged, cared for nature and animals and referred to all creatures, and even the elements, as his brothers and sisters and founded the order of Franciscan friars, whose creed was poverty, chastity and obedience, which were symbolised by the three knots tied in the rope around their tunics. The Franciscan friars are the largest religious order in the Roman Catholic Church, and there are about 650,000 Franciscans in more than 110 countries. Quite an achievement 800 years later.

St. Francis is attributed with many famous quotes, but the one which inspired me most was, “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”

So my “two minute’s worth” opening on the evening was a poem by the British, born in 1881, poet Edgar Albert Guest, who spent most of his life in the USA until 1959 and was revered as the “Peoples’ Poet” after writing some 11,000 verses in the 77 years of his life.

QUOTE

It Couldn’t Be Done

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But, he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldn’t," but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one has done it";
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle it in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That "couldn’t be done," and you’ll do it.

UNQUOTE

This poem was written towards the end of World War I and encourages determination and tenacity and resilience in the face of scepticism. In reflecting on the powers of perseverance and positive thinking it went hand in glove with the USA's feeling of “Yes we can” mentality which made the USA such an ever-dominant force in the 20th century. This mentality gave us Levi jeans and Coca-Cola, but it also gave us nearly a three-quarters of a century of freedom from fascist domination.

Woodie Guthrie, the amazing folk singer, and the father of Arlo Guthrie used to have a sticker on his guitar which proclaimed, “This Machine Kills Fascists!” I am thinking of following this trend again.

This is certainly “food for thought” if you are a German and have a right to vote in the upcoming German national elections.

You will very soon have the elective choice!

Back to FCB # 154 and our 15 year anniverary edition;

In order to celebrate in style, we have often used such celebrations on special occaisions to allow as many people as possible to enjoy the "non-existant" FCB "stage". It is a most wonderful "stage", exactly because the "stage" is not raised in any way above the audience, and just as Konrad Adenauer's head stands alone on the pavement in front of the former Bundeskanzleramt in Bonn, to greet any visitors cpming from the south entering Bonn, the performers in the folk club meet the audience, eye-to-eye, and very much on the very same same level. So, there are no preconceptions, and, as in "old-fashioned " politics of yore, "respect" has to be earned, and is not simply granted.

We do not do "politics" in Bonn Folk Club, but we do pay attention to "history", as often as humanly possible. In many cultures, "story telling" was one of the most important conduits for historical facts to be passed doen from one generation to the next, when they were considered by the current elders to be worthy of preservation for future generations.

Dear John Hay was initially one of ur mosz vociferous opponents of the two minute "straight jacket",but time is a wonderful healer! His lusty interpretation of "Dotty's Hallelujah probably had Leonard Cohen spinning in his grave.

With only two minutes, there is not much time to explain.

Such a wonderful surprise on the evening were Mustafa Osh and Saico a wonderful product of Bonn's multi-nationalism and musical diversity. For anyone who traverses the centre of Bonn, one of the few things that you may have noticed is the lack of live music in the city centre. I was most pleased to recently encounter Moustafa near the Minster and cheeky as I sometimes am, I tossed a coin into his receptacle alomg with a folk club Bonn card. Some seeding is fruitful and he called me soon afterwards and he was cordially invited to FCB, and he brought along his musical colleague Saico, originally from from Guinea-Bissau. We are indeed most fortunate in Bonn to be such a cultural melting-pot.

These two unusual compatriats were a most welcome addition to the evening and I sincerely hope that they will very soon appear again in the folk club. Sometimes, there is a little risk factor with inviting "street musicians" into the folk club, but in this particular case this was not so.

Bonn severely suuffered from actual canons in the year 1689, which destroyed the city, but in this particular case Jutta only wished to inspire everyone to communaly sing. It is sad that Bad Honnef is no longer the folk music "Hochberg" on the eastern bank of the river Rhine, that it used to be when "FiF" (Folk im Feuerschlosschen") was still active. I personally have a very fond memory of many wonderful live concerts there at the end of the tram line from Bonn known as Route 66!

John Hurd, our stealth photographer extraordinaire, and brilliant writer of tales which most people would never have the chance to possibly hear, was not only present, but omnipresent again. John Hurd is the guding force behind 3SongsBonn which comments on musical events in Germany and in particular in the vicinity of Bonn, in the English language and a finer font of knowledge in his particular musical niche you would be extremely hard pressed to find. John Hurd has been a particular fellow traveller of mine as, in the early days of Folk Club Bonn, he was the only other person in the room who had actually attended a British folk club and had at least an inkling of what the, at

the time, the future possibilities were for Folk Club Bonn in Germany.

An outstretched arm from John! Punching the air with a rare vengance! I have long known him as a great fan of Rory Gallagher, one of my own guitar heroes from the 1970s. His version of Big Bill Broonzy's song Banker's Blues was a joy to behold.

Kai Hofstetter after some initial chuntering, finished his short Frankonian set with time to spare!

Steohan Weidt jumped in with an instrumental version of "Die Freiheit" by Georg Danzer

and managed the two minute barrier with fine precision.

"Dat Du mien Leevsten büst" a traditional song performed by John Hay came in well honed to the clock. By the end of the evening it was clear to see that those who had iniially protested about the time constraint were the ones getting the most satisfaction from it.THis little Email says it all,

QUOTE "Dear John, You are a tough taskmaster. But I‘ve tried shortening a couple of songs and you

are right - it does work, with the appropriate ones.So you will go down in history as the great champion

of the unplugged, and the short and sweet unplugged.See you all this evening, John" UNQUOTE

The only performer who managed to serial offend and overshoot the two minute spot was Peter Bachman,

here with "Fodre niemand mein Schicksaal zu hören."

Look at the fear on Hans Ihnen's face as he reviews Peter's song speeding into the red area! Peter probably has more points in Flensburg than the rest of us put together an if he ever finds a parking ticket on his car windscreen marked "PARKING FINE" he probaly reads, "Parking, fine" and smiles and goes off thinking he's done a good job parking the car and enjoys a good day!

"Soeurs du Coeur" or sisters of the heart aka Antje ten Hovel en Luise Blum regaled us on the harp and violin with their own composition "Haddock", an important fish siilar to cod, but normally smaller.

Saico stole the show somewhat by spreading empathy with every thing he did.

Saico and Mustafo Osh entertained us with "Djambo,Bjambo"

Mario went up to Mount Sinai, luckily he wasn't aways for 40 days, but he did come

down with a tablet and sang " Lustig lustig, ihr lieben Bruder"

With a blick across the pond Hans Ihnen finished the first half with "Wenn Millionäre sclafen gehen.

Thanks very much Hans for monitiring the time so precisely and fastidiously!

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After the break Zwei von Zwei came with a song from Schandmaul entitled "Euch zum Geleit" which was dedicated to the passed over old folkies and poets palpably in the room.