Mario's report from FCB #158 on 06/06/25

Sunshine, light, and colours 

There may certainly be different manifestations of the effect of music, but I am firmly convinced that for all those who listen to and make music, the effect of brightening moods and feelings is connected. No matter how dark the music may be, it always speaks to our soul and supports us in our feelings. What could be more obvious than to choose a theme for the Folk Club that strengthens our motivation and well-being in both dark and light seasons: sunshine, light, and colours.

Well, even if not every song of the evening explicitly represented this motto, it did so implicitly, due to the effect described above. And so, as usual, our master of ceremonies John Harrison opened the evening of the 158th Folk Club Bonn with both the wake-up call “Ladies and gentlemen...” and the epitome of the musical emotional world – the Blues. John was accompanied by Christoph Thiebes on his harmonicas, which, as we have often had the pleasure of experiencing, he plays masterfully. “All by Myself,” a blues song by Big Bill Broonzy, describes the seemingly hopeless situation of someone who is all alone and has no one to talk to – in keeping with the spirit of the music, he sings and his mood improves (after all, in blues, the bad situation has to be sung out in order to cope with it in real life). He continued with a song he wrote himself about the Yugoslavian war, “Trouble and Strife.” Now, one might again ask what this has to do with lightening the mood – and I would venture to answer that even in very dark times, music, and even music that focuses on terrible events, helps to process the overall situation and see individual rays of sunshine again. With the song “Gypsum Sack,” John describes his experiences earning money during his studies by filling sacks with gypsum bags. Whether he saw rays of sunshine during this time, after he finally got to wash the dust off his skin in the evening, or when he got paid his weekly wage,  will probably remain his secret. Quick quiz question – when does the sun shine most often? In summer, exactly, so it makes sense to sing a song about summer – and, as a blues song, of course, the well-known “Summertime.”

After John, Kai Hofstetter, now well known at the Folk Club, took to the boards that mean the world (though at the Folk Club it's still flat ground). Kai had brought something special with him, namely a protest song from the 1960s which was allowed to convey something of a protest fig leaf to the bourgeois social class.  This song, “Welche Farbe hat die Welt” (What Colour is the World), was on the B-side of the pop single “Marmor, Stein und Eisen bricht” (Marble, Stone and Iron Breaks). But Kai wouldn't be Kai if he didn't fall back into the Franconian dialect with his songs. And this time he did so with a free translation of a poem by the Chinese poet Li Bai. “Der Mond, mei Schatte un ich” (The Moon, My Shadow and Me) describes – not unlike the blues – the solution to a hopeless situation. Who should I drink with when I'm alone? Well, it's simple, I stand in the moonlight, toast the moon and watch my shadow do the same – the party is saved.

Some time ago, Frauke Jessen mustered the courage to present her skills on the ukulele at the Folk Club.  The success (i.e., applause) convinced her to do it again,  and this time she came with her musical impressions from a ukulele meeting held in beautiful Italy. With German lyrics to well-known Italian “schnulzen” (sentimental songs), she not only put the audience in a good mood, but also encouraged them to sing along. “Manchmal, wenn ich im Traum zum Himmel aufschau” (Sometimes, when I look up at the sky in my dreams) is a successful German interpretation of the song Volare, and “Schon seit Jahren fahr' ich gerne nach Italien” (I've been fond of travelling to Italy for years) is not only a declaration of love to this country, but also an interpretation of L'Italiano.

After Frauke, your chronicler Mario Dompke had a go at the theme. I had wanted to arrange Phil Ochs' song (When I'm Gone) with the band Fomiander for a long time.  But since I don't think pure cover versions are that great, I translated the lyrics and wrote a German version, “Bin ich erst weg” (Once I'm Gone), which I tried out at the Folk Club, and now I think I'll suggest it to my band as a joint song. The Waldzither inspired me to incorporate the Irish lifestyle more strongly into my music, and now I think I'll suggest it to my band as a song we can play together. The Waldzither inspired me to incorporate the Irish lifestyle more strongly into my music. I tried it with the song “Im Osten” (In the East) and, coincidentally, it fit the theme of the evening quite well – after all, the song says “In the east, I look towards the sun...”

Even though it has been played frequently at the Folk Club, the song “Alt werden” (Growing Old) was a premiere, because until now, I had always excused myself for using the guitar instead of the Waldzither by saying that some band members were missing. This time, however, I tried to play the melody from the chords, so that I could perform without a backing band.  I always excused the use of the guitar instead of the Waldzither due to the absence of band members. This time, however, I tried to play the melody from the chords and thus manage without an accompanying band – there was applause, so it seems to have worked.

Hofjebräu – loud, cheeky, and snotty, but always full of atmosphere – ended the first half. But was it Hofjebräu at all? I think so, albeit in a slimmed-down form (only Michael Pfeil), supported by John Harrison and at the end, by Christoph Thiebes. The first song immediately comforted the audience (it brought sunshine into the room, so to speak sunshine into the room) with the statement “How good that we are here / Wie gut, dass wir hier sind.” I don't know if there was a fear that not everyone would see this positively (I don't think so), but musically, the statement “Better go / Besser mal geh'n” came right after that. The first half of the Folk Club ended with the song “Dumpfbacke", / "Dull Cheeks" about which little needs to be said, (except that it leaves a little to be desired with the literal translation: Ed.) as many know it very well – why else would many have sung along? Why am I not writing about the content of the songs? – Well, I am : loud, cheeky, and snotty :-) And because it was so beautiful, Hofjebräu came back in the featured version in the second half. With similar songs, after all Hofjebräu remains true to itself (that rhymes). “Schwafel nicht rum / "Don't ramble," “Mit Pfefferminz bin ich dein Prinz ( With peppermints I am your prince” and “Verliebt, verlobt, verheiratet, vertan / "In love, engaged, married, wasted.” are all songs that say goodbye to the bourgeois world, hello to joie de vivre, and don't take life too seriously. 

But back to the beginning of the second half. There was a (positive) feeling of a poetry slam, because first there was a little biology lesson in poem form with the verses by John Harrison about the "Mauersegler" / swifts “Swift.” And immediately afterwards, Wolfgang Schriefer, now known as the house poet, showed his skills in the poem “Poem about lying in the sunshine,” in which he described the dangers, but also the pleasures of being in the sunshine. With a Denglish text set to the sounds of ‘California Dreaming,’ Wolfgang described his relationship with the Folk Club. He then expressed his personal feelings about the political situation in our country in his poem “Ich und Du, Friedrich” (You and Me, Friedrich) – now I believe that Wolfgang would be the ideal candidate for German chancellor, but has our country fared better now? 

Now came, I'll just say it up front, the absolute highlight of the evening. Rick Fines, a Canadian musician who currently lives in Plittersdorf, transported us all to a magical world with his smoky voice and delicate fingerpicking. Rick used to make a living from music, but today he mainly takes care of his wife and daughter. As much as I would have liked to sample his culinary skills, I was very happy that he didn't cook at the Folk Club, but played music instead. With three pieces of his own composition, he proved his versatility, and I admit that afterwards I listened to various pieces on his website and realised that he is even more versatile overall. Pure jazz, blues with soul, but also ballads – Rick has it all.  I can only recommend that you listen to more of his music, because the songs “In The Arms Of What Will Be,” “Just Got Back,” and “Laundry On The Line” are really just a small sample of his talent – but they are so well performed that it is a must for me to continue exploring his music. 

Miguel Garcia Gonzalez and Thomas were also not at the Folk Club for the first time. Miguel remained true to his basic orientation of mystical and esoteric music. With the piece “Alma” (soul in English), he describes the different feelings that a soul experiences in humans. “Camino de tierra” is also a song connected to Spanish and Mexican culture about simple life. Miguel expresses in his music, his lyrics, but also in his special way of musical interpretation that life in the little things shows itself to be worth living. And what is it that makes life worth living? Love, dancing through life together and, of course, embracing each other in all situations (joy and sorrow) to experience feelings together. “Loving, Dancing, Hugging” expresses precisely this feeling. 

John Hay has often proven that he can make great music both in a group and as a solo artist. Today he was back on stage alone, singing about various everyday situations – such as the story of “Stella,” a waitress in a small café, which he heard from his brother. Often, we only realize how lucky we are in life when that luck is threatened. In his composition “In der Zielgeraden” (In the Home Stretch), John describes how he was fortunately able to pull the ripcord when he realised that his career and other activities, he was neglecting himself and those close to him. And in a similar vein, in his third piece, “A Tree That Is Mine,” he described a virtual retreat. A place you can go to when the world seems to be falling apart emotionally, a place you can visit in your mind without having to physically reach it. Finally, John treated us to his German-language version of the beautiful song“Caledonia,” which he now calls “Unendlich viel” (Infinitely Much). 

The second part of Hofjebräu has already been written about – all that remains to be said is that once again, FCB patron Jock Stewart was sung about by everyone present and, as always, after the Folk Club is before the Folk Club. So: 

Out of the Bedroom and into the next Folk Club on July 4, 2025, when Australian instrumental guitarist Darren Cross will be our “Featured Artist.” 

Yours, 

Mario

Marios Bericht von FCB #158 am 06.06.25

 Sonnenschein, Licht und Farben

Es mag sicherlich unterschiedliche Ausprägungen der Wirkung von Musik geben, aber ich bin fest davon überzeugt, dass bei allen Musikhörenden und -machenden die Wirkung der Aufhellung von Launen und Gefühlen verbunden ist. Mag die Musik auch noch so finster sein, so spricht sie immer unser Seelenleben an und unterstützt uns in unseren Gefühlen. Was liegt da näher als ein Thema für den Folk Club zu wählen, welches sowohl in dunklen wie auch in hellen Jahreszeiten unsere Lebensmotivation und unser Wohlgefühl verstärkt: Sonnenschein, Licht und Farben.

Nun, auch wenn nicht jedes Lied des Abends explizit dieses Motto vertreten hat, so doch, durch eben die oben geschilderte Wirkung, implizit. Und so eröffnete unser Zeremonienmeister John Harrison wie gewohnt sowohl mit dem Weckruf „Laaaadieeees and Gentlemen….“ wie auch mit dem Inbegriff der musikalischen Gefühlswelt – dem Blues – den Abend des 158. Folk Clubs Bonn. Begleitet wurde John von Christoph Thiebes auf dessen Mundharmonikas, die er, wie wir schon häufiger erleben durften, meisterhaft spielt. „All by myself“ ein Blues von Big Bill Broonzy schildert die gefühlt ausweglose Situation, dass jemand ganz allein ist und mit niemanden sprechen kann – ganz im Sinne der Musik singt er und schon verbessert sich seine Laune (schließlich muss im Blues die schlechte Situation herausgesungen werden, um mit eben dieser im wahren Leben fertig zu werden). Weiter ging es mit einem Lied aus Johns eigener Feder über den Jugoslawienkrieg „Trouble and Strife“. Nun kann man sich auch hier wieder die Frage stellen, was das mit Aufhellen der Stimmung zu tun hat – und ich würde die Antwort wagen, dass auch in sehr dunklen Zeiten Musik und auch Musik, die sich auf schlimme Begebenheiten konzentriert, hilft, die Gesamtsituation zu verarbeiten und wieder einzelne Sonnenstrahlen zu sehen. Mit dem Song „Gypsum Sack“ beschreibt John seine Erlebnisse, als er während des Studiums Geld mit dem Abfüllen von Gips in Säcken verdiente. Ob er die Sonnenstrahlen in dieser Zeit sah, nachdem er sich abends endlich wieder den Staub von der Haut waschen konnte, oder wenn er den Wochenlohn ausbezahlt bekam, wird wohl sein Geheimnis bleiben. Kleine Quizfrage – wann scheint die Sonne am häufigsten? Im Sommer, genau, und da liegt es nahe ein Lied über den Sommer zu singen – und als Blues natürlich das allseits bekannte „Summertime“.

Nach John erklomm der inzwischen im Folk Club wohl bekannte Kai Hofstetter die Bretter, die die Welt bedeuten (im Folk Club allerdings nach wie vor ebener Boden). Kai hatte etwas Besonderes mitgebracht, nämlich einen Protestsong aus den 1960er Jahren, der der bürgerlichen Gesellschaftsschicht so etwas wie ein Protest-Feigenblatt vermitteln durfte. War dieses Lied „Welche Farbe hat die Welt“ doch auf der Schlagersingle B-Seite von Marmor, Stein und Eisen bricht. Kai wäre aber nicht Kai, würde er nicht mit seinen Liedern wieder in die fränkische Mundart fallen. Und dies tat er diesmal mit einer freien Übersetzung eines Gedichtes des chinesischen Dichters Li Bai. „Der Mond, mei Schatte un ich“ beschreibt – dem Blues nicht unähnlich – die Lösung zu einer ausweglosen Situation. Mit wem soll ich den saufen, wenn ich allein bin? Na, ganz einfach, ich stelle mich ins Mondlicht, proste dem Mond zu und sehe, wie mein Schatten dasselbe tut – die Party ist gerettet.

Frauke Jessen hat vor einiger Zeit (vor genau zwei Jahren) den Mut aufgebracht im Folk Club ihre Künste auf der Ukulele zu präsentieren. Der Erfolg (sprich Applaus) hat sie davon überzeugt, es wiederzu tun und diesmal kam sie mit ihren musikalisch umgesetzten Eindrücken aus einem im schönen Italien durchgeführten Ukulelentreffen. Mit deutschen Texten zu bekannten italienischen „Schnulzen“ mischte sie nicht nur gute Laune unter das Publikum, sondern regte auch zum Mitsingen an. „Manchmal, wenn ich im Traum zum Himmel aufschau“ ist eine gelungene deutsche Interpretation des Liedes Volare und „Schon seit Jahren fahr‘ ich gerne nach Italien“ ist nicht nur eine Liebeserklärung an eben dieses Land, sondern eine Interpretation von L’Italiano.

Nach Frauke durfte euer Chronist Mario Dompke sich an dem Thema versuchen. Schon lange wollte ich mit der Band Fomiander das Lied von Phil Ochs (When I’m Gone) arrangieren. Da ich aber reine Coverversionen für mich selbst nicht sooo toll finde, habe ich den Text übersetzt und eine deutschsprachige Version geschrieben „Bin ich erst weg“ durfte ich im Folk Club ausprobieren, und nun glaube ich, dass ich es meiner Band als gemeinsames Lied vorschlagen werden. Die Waldzither hat mich angeregt, auch den irischen Lebensstyle stärker in meine Musik einzubringen. Mit dem Lied „Im Osten“ habe ich es versucht und zufällig auch das Motto des Abends ganz gut getroffen – heißt es doch in diesem Lied „Im Osten da schau ich der Sonne entgegen……“. Auch wenn schonhäufiger im Folk Club gespielt, war das Lied „Alt werden“ eine Premiere, denn bisher entschuldigte ich die Nutzung der Gitarre anstelle der Waldzither immer mit den fehlenden Bandmitgliedern. Diesmal jedoch versuchte ich, die Melodie aus den Akkorden heraus zu spielen und somit auch ohne Begleitband klarzukommen – es gab Applaus, also scheint es gelungen zu sein.

Hofjebräu – laut, frech und rotzig, aber immer voller Stimmung, beendete die erste Hälfte. Aber war es überhaupt Hofjebräu – ich denke ja, wenn auch in abgespeckter Form (nur Michael Pfeil), dafür unterstützt durch John Harrison und am Ende Christoph Thiebes. Mit dem ersten Lied wurde das Publikum direkt getröstet (es wurde sozusagen wieder Sonnenschein in die Bude gebracht) in dem ausgesagt wurde „Wie gut, dass wir hier sind“. Ob die Befürchtung bestand, dass nicht jeder dies positiv sieht, weiß ich nicht (glaub ich aber nicht), jedoch kam musikalisch direkt danach die Aussage „Besser mal geh’n”. Den Abschluss der ersten Folk Club Hälfte machte der Song „Dumpfbacke”, zu dem kaum etwas gesagt werden muss, da doch viele ihn sehr gut kennen – warum wohl sonst haben viele mitgesungen? Warum schreibe ich nicht zu den Inhalten der Lieder? – nun, hab ich doch: laut, frech und rotzig :-) Und weil‘s so schön war, kam Hofjebräu in der featured Version auch in der zweiten Hälfte noch einmal wieder. Mit ähnlichen Liedern, schließlich bleibt sich Hofjebräu treu (das reimt sich). „Schwafel nicht rum“, „Mit Pfefferminz bin ich dein Prinz“ und „Verliebt, verlobt, verheiratet, vertan“ sind alles Lieder, die der bürgerlichen Welt ade sagen, der Lebensfreude hingegen guten Tag und das Leben nicht zu ernst nehmen.

Aber zurück zum Beginn der zweiten Hälfte. Es kam ein (positives) Gefühl eines Poetry Slams auf, denn zuerst gab es ein wenig Biologieunterricht in Gedichtform mit den Versen von John Harrison über den Mauersegler „Swift“. Und direkt im Anschluss zeigte der inzwischen als Hauspoet bezeichnete Wolfgang Schriefer sein Können in der Lyrik „Gedicht über das Liegen im Sonnenschein“, worin die  Gefahren, aber auch die Wohlgefühle des Aufenthalts im Sonnenschein beschrieben werden. Mit einem denglischen Text zu den Klängen des „California Dreamings“ beschrieb Wolfgang sein Verhältnis zu dem Folk Club. Seine persönlichen Gefühle zur politischen Lage unseres Landes drückte Wolfgang dann in seinem Gedicht „Ich und Du, Friedrich“ aus – nun glaube ich zwar, dass Wolfgang der ideale Kandidat für einen deutschen Kanzler wäre, aber hat unser Land es jetzt besser getroffen? 

Nun kam, ich nehme einfach vorweg, der absolute Hammer des Abends. Rick Fines, ein kanadischer Musiker, der zurzeit in Plittersdorf lebt, schickte uns alle in eine Zauberwelt aus rauchiger Stimme und filigranem Fingerpicking. Hat Rick früher von der Musik gelebt, so sorgt er heute hauptsächlich für das leibliche Wohl seiner Frau und seine Tochter. So gerne ich auch seine Kochkünste probieren würde, so sehr habe ich mich gefreut, dass er im Folk Club nicht gekocht, sondern musiziert hat. Mit drei Stücken aus eigener Feder bewies er seine Vielseitigkeit und ich gebe es zu, ich habe im Nachgang mir verschiedene Stücke von seiner Webseite angehört und gemerkt, dass er insgesamt noch viel vielseitiger ist. Jazz in Reinform, Blues mit Seele aber auch Balladen – Rick hat alles drauf. Ich kann euch nur empfehlen, hört mehr von ihm denn die Stücke „In The Arms Of What Will Be”, „Just Got Back“ und „Laundry On The Line“ sind wirklich nur ein kleiner Ausschnitt seines Könnens – aber so gut dargebracht, dass es für mich ein Muss ist, mich weiter mit seiner Musik zu beschäftigen.

Miguel Garcia Gonzalez und Thomas waren auch nicht zum ersten Mal im Folk Club. Miguel blieb auch diesmal seiner Grundausrichtung der mystisch und esoterisch angehauchten Musik treu. Mit dem Stück „Alma” (auf Deutsch Seele) beschreibt er die unterschiedlichen Gefühle, die eine Seele im Menschen lebt. „Camino de tierra” ist ebenfalls ein der spanischen, mexikanischen Kultur verbundenes Lied über das einfache Leben. Miguel drückt sowohl in seiner Musik, seinen Texten, aber auch in seiner besonderen Art der musikalischen Interpretation aus, dass das Leben in den kleinen Dingen sich als lebenswert zeigt. Und was macht das Leben auch immer aus? Die Liebe, gemeinsam durch das Leben tanzen und natürlich sich in allen Situationen (Freude und Leid) in den Arm nehmen, um gemeinsam Gefühle zu leben. „Loving, Dancing, Hugging” drückt eben dieses Gefühl aus.

John Hay hat schon oft bewiesen, dass er tolle Musik sowohl in der Gruppe als auch als Solokünstler machen kann. Heute stand er wieder allein auf der Bühne und besang verschiedene Alltagssituationen – so z. B. die Geschichte über „Stella”, einer Bedienung in einem kleinen Café, die er von seinem Bruder erzählt bekommen hat. Oft begreifen wir Menschen erst, was wir für ein Glück im Leben haben, wenn dieses Glück gefährdet ist. So beschreibt John in seiner Komposition „In der Zielgeraden”, wie er glücklicherweise noch die Reißleine ziehen konnte, als er merkte, dass er durch Beruf und andere Beschäftigungen mit sich selbst andere ihm nahestehende Personen vernachlässigte. Und in ähnlichem Sinne beschrieb er in seinem dritten Stück „A Tree That Is Mine” einen virtuellen Rückzugsort. Einen Ort, an den man sich begeben kann, wenn die Welt gefühlsmäßig über einem zusammenbricht, ein Ort, der in Gedanken aufgesucht wird, ohne dass er physisch erreicht werden muss. Zum Abschluss schenkte uns John noch seine mit einem deutschen Text versehene Version des wunderschönen Liedes „Caledonia”, welches er nun „Unendlich viel” nennt. 

Zu dem zweiten Teil von Hofjebräu wurde schon geschrieben – bliebe nur noch zu sagen, dass auch diesmal der Patron des FCB Jock Stewart von allen Anwesenden besungen wurde und wie immer nach dem Folk Club auch vor dem Folk Club ist. Also: Out of the Bedroom und rein in den nächsten Folk Club am 04. Juli 2025 wenn der australische  Instrumentalgitarrist Darren Cross unser "Featured Artist" sein wird.

Euer

Mario

Dear Folk Club friends,

This coming Friday, 6 June 2025, marks the 158th edition of the Folk Club.

The upcoming evening will be a Singers' Night featuring various artists from the surrounding area. The theme is “Sun(shine), Light and Colours”. This should provide plenty of scope for suitable contributions from the artists.

As always, let yourself be surprised and enjoy the evening!

Here is a summary of the most important details:

Date: 6 June 2025

Start: 7 p.m. until approximately 10 p.m. The hall will be open from 5 p.m., offering the opportunity to enjoy a leisurely meal and drinks before the concert. Those who arrive early will also be able to sit in the front row.

Location: Dotty's Sports Bar and Restaurant (public clubhouse of the Bonn Tennis and Hockey Club – BTHV), Christian-Miesen-Straße, 53129 Bonn (Dottendorf)

And last but not least: as always, admission is free.

Preview: - 4 July 2025; theme of the evening: ‘Travel’; the featured artist is Darren Cross an instrumental guitarist from Australia.

And one more thing: John Harrison and Christoph Thiebes will be playing Blues on two upcoming dates:

- Sunday, 15 June at 3 p.m. in Unkel at the Ars Fontana Music Festival

and

- Saturday, 21 June at 2:00 p.m. in Bonn's old town (Alt Stadt) at the street music festival ‘Sound der Altstadt’. Other musicians who have already performed at the Folk Club, including Stephan Weidt, 2Sunny, Trööt & Flitsch, Cayu, Hofjebräu, and Shay McVeigh, will also be performing at this event.

If required, further information is available from

Your Folk Club Team

Elena, John and Detlef

 

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  

Liebe Folk-Club-Freunde,

am kommenden Freitag, den 06. Juni 2025 steht die 158. Ausgabe des Folk Clubs bevor.

Der kommende Abend wird eine Singers‘ Night mit diversen Künstlern aus der Umgebung sein. Das Thema lautet „Sonne(nschein), Licht und Farben“. Das sollte viel Spielraum für passende Beiträge der Künstler liefern.

Lasst euch wie immer überraschen und genießt den Abend!

Hier zusammengefasst die wichtigsten Daten:

Datum: 06. Juni 2025

Beginn: 19.00 Uhr bis voraussichtlich 22.00 Uhr. Der Saal ist ab 17.00 Uhr geöffnet und bietet die Möglichkeit, vor dem Konzert gemütlich zu speisen und zu trinken. Wer früh kommt, kann zudem in der ersten Reihe sitzen.

Ort: Dotty’s Sports Bar und Restaurant (Öffentliches Vereinshaus des Bonner Tennis- und Hockey-Vereins – BTHV), Christian-Miesen-Straße, 53129 Bonn (Dottendorf)

Ferner das „Allerwichtigste“: wie immer Eintritt frei

Vorausschau: -    04. Juli 2025; Thema des Abends: „Reisen“; der Featured Artist ist Darren Cross aus Australien

Und noch etwas: John Harrison und Christoph Thiebes spielen Blues an zwei kommenden Terminen:

-    Sonntag, den 15. Juni um 15:00 Uhr in Unkel beim Ars Fontana Musik Festival

und

-    am Samstag, den 21. Juni um 14:00 Uhr in der Bonner Altstadt beim Straßenmusikfestival „Sound der Altstadt“. Bei dieser Veranstaltung treten auch weitere Musiker auf, die bereits im Folk Club zu Gast waren, darunter Stephan Weidt.

 

Bei Bedarf erhaltet Ihr weitere Informationen bei

Eurem Folk-Club-Team

Elena, John und Detlef

Detlef's report from Folk Club No. 157 in May 2025

Folk Club # 157 in May 2025 – Hail, Hail The First Of May! 

“Imagination” was the motto of Folk Club No. 157 on May 2, 2025. What a theme! Every contribution fits in with this, because the authors of the songs and poems need a lot of this ability to conceive their works. In addition, many of the texts require the listeners to use their imagination to understand what is meant. Quite obviously (we should also take a closer look at this word), imagination is the greatest asset that humans can have. No wonder that this beautiful German word is at the top of our chief John Harrison's popularity scale. Compared to their English equivalents, the German terms for sensory perception come from our traditional, immediately comprehensible vocabulary, while the English language relies almost exclusively on words of Latin or French origin in this area. Unfortunately, writers are increasingly tending to replace the mostly pictorial German words with Anglicisms, which may sound fashionable but tend to obscure the nature of what is being described to German-speaking readers.

But enough of these old-fashioned linguistic observations, let's get on with life. John Harrison's introduction to the evening did not require too much imagination. As he does almost every year at the May Folk Club, he started with an a cappella song praising the merry month of May: “Hail, Hail, The First Of May” is the title of the song, which sounds like an old-fashioned folk song but is actually a composition by contemporary English folk musician Dave Webber. The musician is said to have been very surprised when, during the May singing in Padstow, he was accused of singing the traditional Padstow song with the May song. Dave first had to enlighten the assembled troupe about the true origin of the song. However, this incident was actually a great honour for Dave.

John's slightly altered song “Albert McTavish's Brand New Frigidaire” was a good fit for the theme. In it, John tells the story of a man who lives alone with his wife on a deserted island in northern Scotland. One day, he is supposed to get a refrigerator because his wife likes to eat jellied eels in aspic even in summer, which requires refrigeration. When he finally manages to bring the appliance from Edinburgh, it turns out that he has bought a gas-powered one instead of an electric one. His wife, who is very strong and skilled with her hands, has built a wind turbine in the meantime. The story then takes a tragic turn. Albert and the refrigerator have been resting at the bottom of the sea ever since. The musical variation of the piece that follows is purely instrumental, allowing the listener to let the story pass before their mind's eye once again.

 The song “Hard Times Come Again No More” by Stephen Collins Foster actually dates back to the mid-19th century. Known as the father of American music (composer of “Oh! Susanna,” “Swanee River,” and others), Foster reminds the wealthy to take care of the less fortunate. The beautiful song about the berry pickers in Blairgowrie, Scotland, “The Berry Fields Of Blair,” appeals to the imagination of the listener. The song by Belle Stewart from 1947 describes summer berry picking in the aforementioned area in times gone by. Workers from industrial areas earned some extra money there during the unpaid company holidays of the time and had some fun besides work.

John then had some musical fun with Holger Riedel. Holger, who is always good for some quirky performances, had slightly modified Jimi Hendrix's song “Hey Joe” to “Hey John” (“what are you doing with your thing in your hand”). To Holger's somewhat adventurous piano music and woodcut-like singing, John skillfully improvised Hendrix-style guitar riffs, so that the overall work made a thoroughly respectable impression and was definitely a nice joke – the applause showed that the audience had enjoyed it.

Hans Ihnen then took the evening's theme very seriously with Ozzy Osbourne's “Dreamer” and Karat's immortal “Über sieben Brücken musst Du gehen” (You Have to Cross Seven Bridges) – both beautifully played on the piano and sung, and rewarded with hearty applause.

Wolfgang Schriefer, who has since become the Folk Club's resident poet, made up for a piece that was actually intended for the Folk Club in April. Wolfgang was unable to attend last month. We remember: it was about women's names. Wolfgang had written a hymn to his wife Brigitte and composed various melodies for it.  The title was “Many Women, Many Names,” and I quickly recognised melodies from songs such as “Nights in White Satin” by the Moody Blues and “Kathrin” by Bläck Fööss. Ultimately, the most important message was: “Women have many names, but there's only one you really want!” Wonderful, dear Wolfgang, your wife loves you even more now.

John Harrison, who is also a resident poet at the Folk Club, presented one of his odes to dandelions in keeping with the season: “Dandelion II” is the title. The II indicates that it is not the only praise he has penned. As beautiful as the poem is, your court reporter has a slightly different view on the subject of dandelions – that of a gardener plagued by stubborn weeds. It's like in real life: beauty is important, but it's not everything.

Shay McVeigh, the featured artist of the evening, comes from Northern Ireland and has been living in Endenich for years. In addition to music, he also devotes himself to the visual arts. He brought along some beautiful examples of his work and exhibited them. His selection of music takes us again and again into the wide world of seemingly inexhaustible compositions beyond the familiar. “Boston” by Irish singer-songwriter Mick Flannery is probably only known to specialists. One wonders why something like this isn't played on the radio. Or maybe I'm listening to the wrong stations. Perhaps I'm too old-fashioned anyway: who still gets their music knowledge from the radio these days? Shay beautifully adapted the song, which Mick Flannery originally accompanied on the piano, for guitar accompaniment. The song “Agony” by the English group Ezio also belongs in the category “should be played more often.” Even when this group was mentioned, there was no sign of recognition from the audience. After all, the group has already performed at the Harmonie in Bonn in 2011. Yes, dear Shay, even if you seem surprised by this, the world is too diverse for anyone to know and understand everything. But we have you to discover songs. “Walk Away” by Tom Waits, on the other hand, is likely to be better known. Shay may not have Tom Waits' hoarse voice, but his interpretation is no less convincing. His fingerpicking is also top-notch. “Picasso” by Citizen Cope is another contribution from the world of discovery, a touching story about a homeless man who falls in love with the beautiful lady on the poster near him: ‘The woman that I love, is forty feet tall’ is one line. In the end, the homeless man successfully fights to prevent the poster beauty from being removed. Your chronicler remembered this song because Shay had played it several times at the Folk Club.

After the break, Andreas Kulik, now an old acquaintance at the Folk Club, started the round. He loves the works of the Polish group Stare Dobre Małżeństwo, which means “Good Old Marriage” in English – what a bold name for a group! “Zawieja w Michigan” (Storm in Michigan) is the title of the first song. The group is apparently a big deal in Poland, but here it is only known among Polish immigrants. The song ‘Idz delej’ (Keep Walking) is also by them, a touching ballad. ‘Autumn Leaves’ does not come from Andreas' Polish homeland.  The melody, which is now considered a jazz standard, was originally created by the French – “Les feuilles mortes” was the title of the composition by Joseph Cosma based on a poem by Jacques Prévert. Johnny Mercer's English translation made the song world-famous and immortal, and it was sung and played very sensitively by Andreas Kulik at the Folk Club. Andreas concluded with an original composition in German entitled “Menschheitsfamilie” (Human Family) – a thoughtful work in a time full of inhumane and ruthless conflicts – much applause for Andreas and his pieces, which are well worth listening to.

Is there a new star in the Folk Club sky? It could be, and it would even be a triumvirate. Iris Brück, Carsten Exner, and Steffi Sawatzki are the three who know each other from their work in their association “Motiviva” for children, youth, and family assistance.

Somewhat shyly, they started their performance with the well-known song by Hal David and Burt Bacharach, “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head.” It quickly became apparent that shyness was completely misplaced. Carsten played a confident accompaniment on his guitar with beautiful fingerpicking, and the women's voices were strong in volume, confident in intonation, and complemented each other wonderfully in two-part harmony. And then the three had to announce a song that had already been played by Andreas Kulik.

 “Autumn Leaves” was now performed by a trio. Surprises are the spice of life at the Folk Club – there are usually no agreements, so occasionally there are duplicates. The audience was allowed to decide for themselves which version they liked better. For their third piece, the trio chose “Venus” by the Dutch group Shocking Blue. Your chronicler still vividly remembers his school days. Back then, we also had pop music in music class, which was super modern. Our progressive music teacher had studied as a clarinetist in the US and had a keen sense for newer sounds. The class was allowed to choose a piece, and the choice fell on “Venus.” I remember that the teacher praised the intro highly, but dismissed the lyrics – which were very modern for the time – as rather misogynistic: the woman who only gains importance because of her physical charms. In addition, the singer Mariska Veres made a glaring mistake in the lyrics at the time, and that in the official record version: she sang “Godness” instead of the correct “Goddess.” Our music teacher also taught English, so he couldn't resist making a comment. However, the criticism did not detract from the song's popularity, then or now. Carsten, Iris, and Steffi were wonderful in all three songs, and we hope they will grace the Folk Club with their presence again soon.

Peter Bachmann, who can draw on his huge repertoire, has become almost part of the Folk Club's inventory. This includes many songs in German. “Einfach sein” by Willy Astor is a really good song that gets under your skin and should inspire our imagination. Peter wrote his own lyrics in his native Rhineland dialect for Steve Harley's song “A Friend for Life” – “Vür et Levve en Fründ” – a beautiful variation and true folk! Bravo Peter and much applause.

After so many highlights, our featured artist Shay McVeigh returned to the stage in the second half of the evening and introduced us to the world of lesser-known songs:

Country lovers, however, will be familiar with the wonderful country ballad “I Dream Of Highways” by Hoyt Axton. Shay's version was considerably less schmaltzy, making it a really good interpretation of the road ballad. Damien Rice, an Irish musician, wrote the song “Lonely Soldier,” which is not schmaltzy at all. Years ago, the song's author himself failed to provide an answer as to its meaning. Interpretations range from a call to end the war to a longing for death. Either way, the lyrics are rather disturbing. In a film series about a dubious motorcycle club in California (Sons Of Anarchy), the song “Wish It Was True” by a musician named “The White Buffalo,” alias Jacob Aaron Smith, was used. The song is a desperate cry for sincerity, which the singer sorely misses in the world around him—very impressively interpreted by Shay. Another problematic world is described in the song “Carmelita” by Fred Eaglesmith. It is about migrant workers and their hardships. Shay followed up his impressive performance with the song “Dust” by the Dead Tongues. It is a love song and quite melancholic because the love remains unfulfilled. But it is precisely the melancholic songs that appeal to us most, isn't it? Lots of applause for Shay for his song selection and captivating interpretations. 

Of course, the evening couldn't end without the community paying tribute to Jock Stewart, the patron of the Folk Club. 

See you on June 6 for the 158th edition of the Folk Club. The motto is “Sunshine, Light, and Colours.” Well, it should be possible to find musical contributors for that.