Mittwoch, 20. November 2024

Photos from Café Olea in Graurheindorf with Attila Vural.

 Fellow folkie Sabine Büttner was unusually unable to attend the last Folk Club Bonn, as she was in attendance at The Harmonie, a place the Folk Club hasn't been to since C-19 restrictions ended. Sabine did however come along to the pre-Folk Club concert on the Thursday before in our old spiritual ancestral home in the northern Bonn village of Graurheindorf. Thank you Sabine!


 Always a pleasure to get the evening rolling and with the memory sometimes beginning to 
fade a little, it's always an asset to have the lyrics written on the back of my eyelids.

Attila Vural is an amazing instrumental guitarist,

so it was great pleasure to jam with him on a couple of numbers.

After using his guitar sometimes primarily 

as a percussive instrument, Attila finally remembers which side the bread is buttered 


and which side his strings are on. Whilst many people unfortunately lost something during C-19, like their sense of smell or taste, Attila actually gained something, his voice, and gave us a wonderful rendering of "Dollar Got The Blues" from Clarence Gatemouth Brown.  Post-C-19 inflation has qualified and quantified that when you used to get "Two-for-one", 
nowadays you often only get "One-for-two."


Attila finds notes on the fretboard previously hidden by magicians!

Attila didn't remove or lower his G-string, (as Jimi Hendrix once famously did) but he damned near removed his lower E-string, mid-song, in his pursuit of percussive harmony on the guitar!
(It wouldn't even surprise me if Attila hadn't snared a few rabbits in his time!)


           Finally, Attila treats us to something completely different, his double-necked Uke-guitar

 Arns & Kallenbach  

Model: 15-string guitar «Semi Fretless Nylon String Uke-Guitar» 

Year of manufacture: 2018  

After twelve years with the 14-string guitar it was time to find a new sound. 

The 15-string guitar Arns & Kallenbach is a mixture between a semi fretless 

nylon string guitar and a fretless ukulele. 

It was first played live in Homburg (D) on August 25, 2018 at Mandy's. 

Pickups: Carlos Pickup Acoustic 6 Edition


So who's a happy chappie!?!

After 8 encores all those present certainly were very happy and well-indulged!


Thank you Attila for such a wonderful evening and thank you Sabine for capturing it so well!


If you lack sufficient imagination, as to how such an instrument sounds, or even  something that I often struggle with, "Vorstellungsvermögen"die wichtigste Form aller verschiedenen Arten von „Vermögen“


Then just pin your ears back and click below:


Donnerstag, 7. November 2024

Folking in Graurheindorf Attila Vural in Café Olea in Graurheindorf Thursday 07.11.24




 Dear Folk Clubbers the Bonn Folk Club was launched in Graurheindorf to the north of Bonn in 2010 in the Schützenhaus and later in Haus Mühlestumpe. So this evening we are travelling back to our roots in a certain spiritual sense. Café Olea normally only opens during the daytime but has hosted several jazz concerts in the past and is opening up this evening to host one of Europe's finest instrumental guitarists, Attila Vural from Switzerland.  Come along and enjoy a sneak preview of what you can expect at Folk Club Bonn in Dotty's Bar in Dottendorf on Friday 8.11.24. 






You can just feel Attila's glee, it's palpable!

(Photo by kind courtesy of Sabine Büttner)

Folk Club Bonn #151 on 08.11.24 with Attila Vural

                    

Dear Folk Club friends, 

Due to the All Saints' Day holiday on Friday, 01 November, the Folk Club is postponing its 151st edition by one week to 08 November.

But be sure, the wait will be worth it, because for the third time we welcome the Swiss guitar virtuoso Attila Vural as a featured artist at the Folk Club(https://www.lavural.ch/). Attila inspires with his virtuoso, percussive playing on his sometimes unusual guitars.

Attila Vural's music invites you to follow him on his sound journeys into the wide world of musical encounters. He now has nineteen solo CDs to his name and most recently ‘Electric Conversation with Acoustic Affairs’ (2024). Vural's percussive guitar can be heard live on many occasions, both nationally and internationally. Whether on recordings or on stage, anyone travelling with Attila Vural will visit places that one would not expect a solo guitar to discover. 

The theme of the evening is: ‘Once upon a time - without a mobile phone’. It was chosen at Attila's request. We are excited to see how he and the other artists who will round off the evening will interpret the theme.

                                          

 

Let us surprise you again and enjoy the evening!

Here is a summary of the most important dates:

Date: 08 November 2024

Start: 7.00 pm until probably 10.00 pm. The hall is open from 5.00 pm and offers the opportunity to enjoy a cosy meal and drink before the concert. If you arrive early, you can also sit in the front row.

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

Furthermore, as always, the admission is free

 And a little tip: If you would like to hear Attila Vural before the Folk Club, you have the opportunity to do so on Thursday, 7 October from 7 pm at the Olea Café, Werftstraße 5-7, 53117 Bonn-Graurheindorf (admission at 6 pm). The Olea Café asks you to book in advance so that we can plan the evening better. The café offers hot and cold food as well as fine drinks.

The Olea Café asks you to register in advance via: info@oleacafe.de; Tel.: 0228-68478721

Admission is free, there will be a hat collection for the artist.

 

And one more thing: If you can't get enough of folk music, we recommend the performance by Irish folk legend Andy Irvine on Wednesday, 6 November 2024 at 7 p.m. at LILO in the Altes Hallenbad, Rheinpromenade 4 in Bad Honnef (right at the terminus of tram line 66). Our master of ceremonies John Harrison will also play a few pieces to start the evening.

Details can be found at https://ausbadhonnef.de/2024/10/16/konzert-mit-andy-irvine-am-6-11-2024-im-lilo/

Preview:

- 06 December

We will once again be welcoming Simon Kempston from Scotland as a special guest. It has become a cherished tradition that Simon honours the Folk Club every year in December and presents his latest pieces.

 

If you require further information, please contact

your Folk Club team

 

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

 Liebe Folk-Club-Freunde, 

wegen des stillen Feiertages Allerheiligen am Freitag, den 01. November verschiebt der Folk Club seine 151. Ausgabe um eine Woche auf den 08. November.

Aber seid sicher, das Warten wird sich lohnen, denn wir dürfen zum dritten Mal den Schweizer Gitarrenvirtuosen Attila Vural als Featured Artist im Folk Club begrüßen (https://www.lavural.ch/). Attila begeistert durch sein virtuoses, perkussives Spiel auf seinen teils auch ungewöhnlichen Gitarren. 

Attila Vurals Musik lädt ein, ihm auf seinen Klangreisen in die weite Welt musikalischer Begegnungen zu folgen. Dazu stehen mittlerweile neunzehn Solo-CD's bereit und ganz aktuell „Electric Conversation with Acoustic Affairs“ (2024). Bei vielen Gelegenheiten ist Vurals perkussive Gitarre national und international live zu hören. Ob auf Tonträger oder auf der Bühne: Wer mit Attila Vural die Reise antritt, wird Orte aufsuchen, die zu entdecken man einer Solo-Gitarre gar nicht zutrauen würde. 

Das Thema des Abends lautet: „Es war einmal – ohne Handy“. Es wurde auf Wunsch von Attila gewählt. Wir sind gespannt, wie er und die weiteren Künstler, die den Abend abrunden, das Thema interpretieren. 

Lasst Euch wieder überraschen und genießt den Abend!

Hier zusammengefasst die wichtigsten Daten:

Datum: 08. November 2024

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  

Und noch ein kleiner Hinweis: Wer Attila Vural schon vor dem Folk Club hören möchte, der hat dazu Gelegenheit am Donnerstag, den 07. Oktober ab 19 Uhr im Olea Café, Werftstraße 5-7, 53117 Bonn-Graurheindorf (Einlass um 18 Uhr). Das Olea Café bittet um vorherige Anmeldung, um für den Abend besser planen zu können. Das Lokal bietet neben gepflegten Getränken auch warme und kalte Speisen.

Das Olea Café bittet darum, sich vorher anzumelden über: info@oleacafe.de; Tel.: 0228-68478721

Der Eintritt ist frei, es gibt eine Hutkollekte für den Künstler. 

Und noch etwas: Wer nicht genug kriegen kann von Folk Musik, dem sei der Auftritt der irischen Folk-Legende Andy Irvine am Mittwoch, den 06.11.2024 um 19.00 Uhr im LILO im Alten Hallenbad, Rheinpromenade 4 in Bad Honnef empfohlen (direkt an der Endhaltestelle der Stadtbahnlinie 66). Unser Zeremonienmeister John Harrison spielt dort zudem ein paar Stücke zum Einstieg in den Abend.

Details hierzu unter https://ausbadhonnef.de/2024/10/16/konzert-mit-andy-irvine-am-6-11-2024-im-lilo/

Vorausschau:

-    06. Dezember

Als besonderen Gast dürfen wir wieder Simon Kempston aus Schottland begrüßen. Es ist inzwischen eine lieb gewordene Tradition, dass Simon alljährlich im Dezember den Folk Club beehrt und seine neuesten Stücke vorstellt. 

Bei Bedarf erhaltet Ihr weitere Informationen bei

Eurem Folk-Club-Team

John Harrison (0228 3670150)

Detlef Stachetzki (0228 671621)

Mario Dompke (02633 470327)


 

Mittwoch, 6. November 2024

Andy Irvine in Bad Honnef


 We invite you to the

concert with ANDY IRVINE on 6 November at 7 pm at LILO in the old indoor swimming pool, Rheinpromenade 4 in Bad Honnef.
Support act John Harrison, one of the organisers of the Folkclub Bonn
Andy Irvine, a legend of the Irish folk scene, has often delighted folk and world music fans with his acclaimed performances at the Feuerschlößchen and the KASCH. Now he, now 82 years old, is coming back to Bad Honnef by popular demand as part of his current tour of Germany, this time on 6 November at 7 pm in the LILO in the old indoor swimming pool, Rheinpromenade 4 (terminus Str.B 66).
Andy Irvine is one of the most influential driving forces of the recent Irish folk scene and has made a name for himself worldwide as a bouzouki, mandolin and mandola player. He is one of the great Irish singers and his voice reflects the soul of Ireland. He is a founding member of the legendary Irish groups Sweeney's Men and Planxty and has clearly influenced their style. He has played with De Dannan and Paul Brady, Patrick Street, Usher's Island and Mozaik. Irvine is regarded as an imaginative arranger who knows how to prepare traditional material in a new, fresh way and is an excellent composer with very special rhythmic skills. His songs are stories of the politically persecuted, of emigrants, of working class heroes, and of his experience as a travelling singer who has sung almost all over the world. He received the Folk Award for Lifetime Achievement from RTE Radio in 2018.
‘He is Ireland's Woody Guthrie, with the ear of a philosopher and the passionate voice of a prophet. He is a stunning singer who weaves melody and lyrics, harmony and rhythm into a vibrant tapestry of present and past’ (the American singer-songwriter Si Khan).
Admission €17.50, concessions €15, free admission up to the age of 14.
Box office + € 2.50
Advance booking at Guthy's Depot, Bahnhofstr. 8, and Stadt-Info, Rathausplatz 1
Advance booking by telephone: 02224 75011 or 0176 63654368 or at
mensing.fif@web.de
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Wir laden ein zum
Konzert mit ANDY IRVINE am 6. November um 19 Uhr im LILO im alten Hallenbad, Rheinpromenade 4 in Bad Honnef.
Vorgruppe John Harrison, ein   Mitorganisator des Folkclub Bonn
Andy Irvine, eine Legende der irischen Folkszene, begeisterte die Folk- und Weltmusikfreunde schon häufiger bei seinen umjubelten Auftritten im Feuerschlößchen und in der KASCH. Nun kommt er, mittlerweile 82 Jahre alt, im Rahmen seiner aktuellen Deutschland-Tournee auf vielfachen Wunsch erneut nach Bad Honnef, diesmal am 6. November um 19 Uhr im LILO im alten Hallenbad, Rheinpromenade 4.(Endstation Str.B 66)
Andy Irvine ist einer der einflussreichsten Triebkräfte der neueren irischen Folk-Szene und hat sich als Bouzouki-, Mandolinen- und Mandolaspieler weltweit einen Namen gemacht. Er ist einer der großen irischen Sänger, seine Stimme spiegelt die Seele Irlands. Er ist Gründungsmitglied der legendären irischen Gruppen Sweeney’s Men und Planxty und hat deren Stil deutlich beeinflusst. Er spielte mit De Dannan und Paul Brady, mit Patrick Street, Usher’s Island und Mozaik. Irvine gilt als ideenreicher Arrangeur, der es versteht, traditionelles Material auf neue, frische Art zuzubereiten und ist ein ausgezeichneter Komponist mit ganz besonderen rhythmischen Fähigkeiten. Seine Lieder sind Geschichten von politisch Verfolgten, von Emigranten, von Helden der Arbeiterklasse, und von seiner Erfahrung als fahrender Sänger, der fast auf der ganzen Welt gesungen hat. Er bekam 2018 von RTE-Radio den Folk Award für sein Lebenswerk.
„Er ist Irlands Woody Guthrie, mit dem Ohr eines Philosophen und der leidenschaftlichen Stimme eines Propheten. Er ist ein überwältigender Sänger, der Melodie und Text, Harmonie und Rhythmus zu einem lebendigen Teppich aus Gegenwart und Vergangenheit webt“ (der amerikanische Singer-Songwriter Si Khan).
Eintritt 17,50 €, ermäßigt 15,- €., bis zum 14. Lebensjahr freier Eintritt.
Abendkasse + 2,50 €
Vorverkauf bei Guthy’s Depot, Bahnhofstr. 8, und Stadt-Info, Rathausplatz 1
Telefonische Vorbestellung: 02224 75011 oder 0176 63654368 oder bei
mensing.fif@web.de

Dienstag, 5. November 2024

Fotos von FCB # 150 von Michael A. Schmiedel

 
From the outside in the early evening Bonn Folk Club on the first floor of 
BTHV in Dotty's Bar in Dottendorf looks surprisingly innocent, quiet and unassuming.
Inside it's about to become different:

Pardon, did somebody say something?

When is a Guild not an Innung?
When it's a guitar!

Something exciting is about to happen

Ismael de Barcelona & Thomas Mannerjahn

seasoned "old" folk clubber and "Piano Man" Thomas taking the lead 
Ismael in full flight!

Shay McVeigh with the most difficult job of the evening!
Hats off to Shay for singing and playing "Dust" from The Dead Tongues.
Johnny Campbell the evening's featured artist from Yorkshire is a Martin guitar man 





The days when a troubadour's merchandise table only consisted of CDs are long gone, 
Johnny has Zines and artistic Yorkshire tea towels in his Merch' armoury.


It's never too late for a "Früh" Kölsch!
After the break Gerd Schinkel managed something that even Kris Kristofferson 
never managed, a fitting tribute to Kris Kristoffersen's with his songs in German!



Jutta Mensing drew attention to the upcoming gig of Andy Irvine in Bad Honnef on Wednesday 
06.11.24 (well recommended!) before performing Fresenhof accompanied by Mario
Mario performing "Ich hab' Dich Lieb" referring now to an IPAD 
and no longer to old-fashioned paper sheets.

Wolfgang Schriefer from Cologne is developing into the Folk Club's  go-to German language poet.

Wolfgang's always still got a tune or two up his sleeve with "I'm A Blind Man". 
Come to think about it not many people in the Folk Club actually play Deep Purple songs. 


Finally, Jock Stewart rounded off another wonderful evening.

Samstag, 26. Oktober 2024

Mario's report of FCB # 150 on 04.10.24

 Golden October with cosy evenings, or rather political with geopolitical divisions 

The motto of the evening was ‘Cosy evenings, the true north, the northern English counties and other physical and geopolitical divisions’. Is this unwieldy or just broad? Is it familiar and cosy or is it descriptive of former and existing political tensions? Probably a bit of each and that's how the evening unfolded, beginning - as always - with the heartfelt welcome ‘Laaaaadiiiees and Gentlemeeen, Mesdames et Messieurs.....’ from our Master of Ceremonies John Harrison. Yes, our John still has a powerful and ‘rallying’ voice, with which he always creates the calm that an amplifier-free atmosphere needs. And he not only opened the 150th Folk Club with his call, but also, as usual, with his contributions of poems and songs adapted to the theme. ‘The Green Man’ by Martin Donnelly metaphysically described all aspects of the evening - nature, both in fauna and flora references, cannot be separated geopolitically, nature provides a sense of belonging, nature thrives in the true north (well, elsewhere too, but fits the theme so well here), and nature is simply the basis of all life and therefore also the mythological personification of nature - The Green Man. 

‘The Dove’ continued the theme as a poem, written by John, describing the River Dove, which separates the English counties of Staffordshire and Derbyshire and thus represents a natural divide in geopolitical contexts. The next song, ‘To The Begging I Will Go’, described a more physical separation between rich and poor, but the psychological separation (between wealth and poverty), which is virtually reversed, is also described. The successful person always has to worry about losing everything and be guided by necessity. The beggar can simply sit down when he is tired and is convinced that his trade is the best in the world. Well, you can sugarcoat any situation :-). But if we  consider of begging as a profession, then it is noticeable today that this profession can be carried out without the burden of paying tax and without the business costs (just imagine you put € 10 in a beggar's hat and the answer is not thank you, but ‘there is still € 1.90 VAT missing’) - but a street musician - must nowadays in most cases buy a licence in advance before practising his profession - in other words, pay the tax on his income before he has even earned it. And John also recited a poem on this subject (‘Buskers’), which he took from Alec Rapkin. John ended his introduction to the 150th Folk Club with the beautiful song ‘Beeswing’, by Richard Thompson, which is about the restlessness of a woman who breaks out of ‘orderly’ circumstances and shapes her future life as a roving woman. 

John was followed by Thomas Monnerjahn & Ismael de Barcelona, two exceptional musicians who we had been waiting to see for a while, but whose tight schedule only made it possible now. A medical question aside - do you know how many fingers are on a guitarist's hand? There's no clear answer to this question with these two. Biologically there are certainly four, but it sounds like several hundred. At the speed at which virtuoso flamenco or tango runs were played, your eyes wouldn't be able to count the fingers either. But that's not so important in music. It was much more important that every single note could be heard, no matter how fast, short, hard or soft - this is a great art that I greatly admire. With ‘Entre dos Aguas’ by Paco de Lucia, the two cast a spell over the audience. With ‘Rio Ancho’ by Paco de Lucia and Al di Meola, they brought the audience to musical rapture, but also to the brink of despair by announcing that this would be the last piece in their set. Fortunately, we live in a democracy (hopefully for a long time to come) in which decisions can also be reversed through protests - and so the vehement protest against them stopping – which indeed led to an encore in the form of ‘Tango Nueve de Julio’ by José Luis Padula. I would really like to write much more about this duo’s virtuosity and the enjoyment, they create but I simply don't have the words. But you can experience it for yourselves, because in January the Folk Club will welcome them as featured artists and then we'll get to hear more.

Another great musician who has already delighted us a few times, now took to the stage in the shape of Shay McVeigh. Shay knows how to transform the most diverse musical genres into an audible acoustic version of the song with simple guitar accompaniment. He gave us his own beautiful acoustic version of the country song ‘I Dream Of Highways’ by Hoyt Axton. With ‘Carmelita’ by Fred Eaglesmith, he stayed true to the road and the road movie.  With ‘Dust’ by The Dead Tongues, Shay wandered into ballad rock music, which he again transformed very well into a purely acoustic version. Overall, Shay's performance was a very worthy and good transition into the featured artist act of the evening. 

As in the previous October, this was Johnny Campbell. A musician from the north of England who has dedicated himself to reviving traditional folk songs and writing his own pieces in this style. With very detailed explanations of the individual songs, he translated the evening's motto into musical poetry. He began with ‘The Derby Ram’, a song about a giant ram. Explaining that over the centuries, new (tall) tales about the Derby Ram have been made into ever new verses, Johnny joked that he would spend the next 45 minutes performing all 400 verses known to him. He didn't do that after all, but he performed a few selected verses a cappella with a powerful, expressive voice that emphasised the content. The romantic story of a young man who meets a broom seller on the street, "Lish Young Buy-a-Broom" was presented to us by Johnny with an expressive guitar accompaniment. Even though we probably all know the song Homeward Bound by Simon and Garfunkel, we should not confuse it with the ‘Homeward Bound’ sea shanty (Johnny pointed this out). The song describes how the sailors eagerly await the departure of their ship from the Blackwall Docks, only to land there again 10 months later and blow their wages with young girls who earn their living that way. Then the game starts all over again :-). With ‘Bonny At Morn’ Johnny entertained us with a song that I can't really say that I understood the meaning of. It's a lullaby, but not to lull babies to sleep, but rather to find an excuse for inactivity. At the same time, however, this inactivity describes the subversion of outlaws - in other words, a condemnation to inactivity rather than laziness. Yes, traditional songs often describe much more than the superficial lyrics suggest. Johnny sent us off into the interval with another song in this vein. ‘Here's The Tender Coming’ is a song about suffering after rash deeds - namely drinking too much at the expense of others. The navy needed seasoned sailors, and as the desire for war was not enough to recruit sufficient personnel, there were the so-called press gangs, who would buy young men rum and ale in the pubs in the harbours until they fell into a deep sleep - they woke up from this sleep as pressganged sailors on the Royal Navy's ships. 

Let's stay with Johnny Campbell and report on the second half of his set at the end of the Folk Club. In the second half, Johnny concentrated on his self-penned songs, remaining true to the style as already described. ‘The Roving I Will Go’ already speaks for the content from the title. Travelling, living but also coping with adversity, that is the life of a travelling musician. Specifically, the song describes the accomplishment of a popular hiking trail in Scotland. ‘A Right To Roam’ is a protest song by Johnny, which denounces the fact that around 90% of the land in England is privately owned, is usually fenced off and cannot be entered at will. Recreation in the countryside is therefore not easy for the working class. ‘Travellers’, performed next, is a song that Johnny wrote during his first USA tour. He had a gig in Wilmington and was astounded at the high police presence, whereupon his host told him that Wilmington's main street had the highest murder rate and therefore the security measures were quite justified. Johnny then retreated to his hotel room for the three days of his stay and as he had nothing else to do, he wrote this song in memory of the “Travellers”, Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie and others. In ‘John Clare's Dream’, Johnny describes the poet John Clare's dream that the privatisation of land would be changed and free movement through the countryside in England would be possible again. His last song of the evening, ‘Winter Hill Trespass’, had a similar context. The march up Winter Hill, which ten thousand marchers took part in to protest for the use of land for recreation, ended on Winter Hill, with thirsty throats, and only two pubs! I don't even want to imagine how long I have to wait for a beer when five thousand people are standing in front of me at the bar :-).It remains to be said that I am curious to see whether Johnny Campbell will be back at the Folk Club next October and, after Simon Kempston, start another permanent guest tradition. 

But back to the other artists of the evening. Gerd Schinkel, a musician often seen and heard at the Folk Club, did the honours on the occasion of Kris Kristofferson's death by presenting three of his songs with German lyrics. Not much needs to be said about the content because I think almost everyone knows both the melody and the content of the songs ‘Sunday Morning Coming Down’, ‘To Beat The Devil’ and ‘Me and Bobby Mc Gee’. Gerd Schinkel has translated the content wonderfully into German, whereby translated here does not mean that a literal translation has taken place, but that a German text reflects the meaning and form of the song. Even though German songs have become common once more in recent years (in addition to pop songs), such challenging songs are rarely found in German. Gerd Schinkel is certainly one of those performers who are keeping this tradition alive. 

Attracted by the motto ‘the true north’ and the opportunity to promote an Andy Irvine concert in Bad Honnef on 6th November, Jutta Mensing came to the Folk Club. Suffering from a slight cold and therefore with a somewhat scratchy voice, she sang the wonderful and atmospheric song by Knut Kiesewetter ‘Fresenhof’, which describes both the true north and the cosiness of a warm fireplace on an autumn day. This really matched the evening’s theme very well, like a hand in a warm glove. Your chronicler, me, was allowed to accompany Jutta on the guitar during this song. And once on stage, I took the opportunity to sing another song - from my own pen - about cosiness in the evenings. In this case about playing and romping around with my son before going to bed. Well, the song is already old and the focus will probably soon switch to this same ritual with the grandson. 

Wolfgang Schriefer waited patiently for his turn at the last Folk Club and as it was very late that day, he waived his presentation. This kind of courtesy should be rewarded, which is why Wolfgang was given more and real time this time. He made good use of it. With his own poem, ‘Life in nuances’, he described the Folk Club as a constant feature in his retirement. With ‘Bahnfahren war einmal’ (Travelling by train used to be), set to a tune by Nirvana (About A Girl), he made fun of the current situation of train and tram cancellations, but in a grumpy tone - because he usually comes to the Folk Club from Cologne to Bonn by train. Let's see when Wolfgang Schriefer and Holger Riedel (Schrankenblues) get together to make a potpourri  of their respective works. Wolfgang then sang excerpts of ‘I'm A Blind Man’ and ‘Father And Son’  in a narrative, before finishing with the melancholic song ‘Niemals geht man so ganz’ (You never really leave) by Trude Herr, together with audience participation. 

Did I write at the end? No, of course not, because first Johnny Campbell came back on stage and then, at the end, all the artists came on stage to pay homage to the patron saint of the Folk Club together with the audience. Well, we now have 150 versions of ‘Jock Stewart’ in our collection. 

Dream of the past Folk Club for a while longer but look forward to the next one - on 8th November 2024 with the Swiss virtuoso instrumental guitarist Attila Vural.  Attention, dear people, I didn't make a mistake with the date. Due to the All-Saints' Day public holiday on Friday, 1st November, we have to postpone the Folk Club event by one week. 

Out of the bedroom (and into the next folk club!) 

Your Mario