A report on FCB # 167 on Friday 10.04.26 by John Hurd of 3SongsBonn with stunning photos!

 

Look and listen to John Hurd's wonderful 3SongsBonn report on FCB # 167 here:

https://3songsbonn.com/2026/04/20/italian-blues-slides-into-folk-club-bonn/

Italian Blues Slides into Folk Club Bonn

 April 20, 2026 by 3songsbonn

                                                                                                                                 

There are some more photos OF THE EVENING available here: 

 https://johnno.jalbum.net/Folk%20Club%20April%202026/      

Thank you so much, John, FOR THE SMASHING REPORT, and a very big shout-out to  Pierluigi (PG) Petricia, FOR THE BLUES, And TO 

all of our performers, ON THE April 

Meet EVENING for making it so WONDERFUL!       

                                                                                                                        

Hermann Josef Wolf, a unique enrichment to any Bonn Folk Club evening

 

https://3songsbonn.com/2026/04/16/in-memoriam-fliege/

Thanks for this report about dear Fliege on 3SongsBonn, John!

"Fliege" was quite a remarkable entity, and a truly remarkable "connoisseur of folk and blues music", 

a man of great charisma and with a recollection second to none. 

He loved live music as much as I and many others do!

In his later life, he worked as a taxi driver in Cologne and must have been one of life's most wonderful chauffeurs for unsuspecting guests. Although he lived in Cologne, he often made the summer journey to Folk Club Bonn on the first Friday of the month on his little "Mofa" and, miraculously, found his way home in the dark. Always a dedicated man on a dedicated musical mission.

I remember when, as MC of the evening, I asked him in March 2014 what the band was called, which John Hurd rightly described as "Mathew Robb and his band". Fliege replied, without missing a beat,     "The Dodge City Blues Band", and that was how they played on that particular evening. 

   https://3songsbonn.com/2014/03/08/of-rivers-and-rhythms-bonn-folk-club/                             

 One could not even begin to imagine making up such audacious, immaculate spontaneity!

"Fliege" will be dearly missed as a great personality. and a multi-instrumentalist, and a great Blues harp player, who also blew a mean kazoo!

During the COVID lockdowns, "Fliege" could always share the simple joys of life, even if the folk club had to meet outside in 2020 and be amplified, breaking its own one surviving fundamental rule, yet conforming to the restrictive rules of the day, for meeting with other human beings in close proximity, with a live musical backdrop.

If I remember correctly, I said to Hermann Josef on the night,

"We've experienced worse times, even though I cannot remember when, and yet we have still survived!"

"One has to be a little bit woke to be able to share a joke"

"Sometimes dead men may still have dreams!"

R.I.P. dear Fliege 

Pierluigi (PG) Petricca in Café Melody

 Anyone who fancies hearing Pierluigi (PG) Petricca again will have the chance to do so: 

-    On Saturday, 11 April from 16:00 hrs at Café Bistro Melody, Werftstraße 5–7, 53117 Bonn-Graurheindorf 

Folk Club Bonn FCB # 167 on Friday 10.04.26

Dear Folk Club friends,

Due to Good Friday, the April Folk Club will not take place until the second Friday of the month, i.e. 10 April.

You can once again look forward to a Featured Artist. Pierluigi (PG) Petricca from Italy has been announced – an artist who has not performed at the Folk Club before. Pierluigi is a thoroughbred blues and folk musician; you’re in for a real treat.

As always, the programme will be rounded off by local artists.

The theme of the evening is ‘Wonders’

Let yourself be surprised and enjoy the evening!

Here is a summary of the key details:

Date: 10 April 2026

Start: 19:00 hrs until approximately 22.00 hrs.  The venue opens at 5.00 pm, offering the chance to enjoy a leisurely meal and a drink before the concert. Those who arrive early can also secure a seat 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)

The admission is free   

Preview:-    1st May 2026 Theme of the evening: ‘Magical Moments / Magic Moments /Momenti veramente magici’; Featured Artists: Serena Finatti and Andrea Varnier from Italy

 

Anyone who fancies hearing Pierluigi (PG) Petricca again will have the chance to do so: 

-    On Saturday, 11 April from 16:00 hrs at Café Bistro Melody, Werftstraße 5–7, 53117 Bonn-Graurheindorf 

Attached you will find posters for the evening at the Folk Club and the performance at ‘Melody’ in German and English.

Further information is available on request from

Your Folk Club Team

Elena, John and Detlef

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

Liebe Folk-Club-Freunde,

der April-Folk-Club findet wegen des Karfreitags erst am zweiten Freitag, also am 10. April statt.

Ihr dürft Euch wieder auf einen Featured Artist freuen. Mit Pierluigi Petricca aus Italien hat sich ein Künstler angekündigt, der zuvor noch nicht im Folk Club aufgetreten ist. Pierluigi ist ein Vollblut-Blues- und Folkmusiker, Ihr werdet Eure helle Freude haben.

Abgerundet wird das Programm wie immer durch regionale Künstler.

Das Thema des Abends lautet „Wunder“

Lasst euch überraschen und genießt den Abend!

Hier zusammengefasst die wichtigsten Daten:

Datum: 10. April 2026

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:

-    01.05.2026 Thema des Abends: „Magische Momente / Magic Moments /
Momenti veramente magici“; Featured Artists: Serena Finatti und Andrea Varnier aus Italien

Wer Lust hat, Pierluigi Petricca noch einmal zu hören, hat Gelegenheit dazu

-    Am Samstag, den 11. April ab 16 Uhr im Café Bistro Melody, Werftstraße 5 -7, 53117 Bonn-Graurheindorf

Anliegend erhaltet Ihr Plakate für den Abend im Folk Club und den Auftritt im „Melody“ in deutscher und englischer Sprache. 

Bei Bedarf gibt es weitere Informationen bei

Eurem Folk-Club-Team

Elena, John und Detlef

Detlefs Bilder vom Folk Club Nr. 166 am 6. März 2026

John Harrison eröffnet den Abend

Ute Brüggemann

Andreas Kulik

"Los Rios" alias Daniel Habermann, Ruth und Esteban

Ismael de Barcelona

Ismael de Barcelona und Thomas Monnerjahn

Thomas Monnerjahn

Jochen Hiester

Caroline Bernotat

Peter Bachmann und Caroline Bernotat

Ashleigh Edwards

Gareth Price-Baghurst

Alle singen "Jock Stewart"

 

"The end of the last folk club is only just prior to the next folk club"

 So, for now "Poetry adieu" !

As Mario always reminds you at the end of one of his excellent folk club reviews,

"After the last folk club, is only just before the next folk club!"

Here is a brief reminder of John Hurd's excellent 3SongsBonn review of FCB # 166:

https://3songsbonn.com/2026/03/11/fyre-flamenco-and-daffodils-at-bonn-folk-club/

and a wonderful reminder of Ismael de Barcelona y ThomasMonnerjahn playing "Neuwe de Julio" to a raptuous audience, a true declaration of Flamenco meets Jazz, and showing that the secret to any good musical pot pourri is not just speed, but dynamics:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_ZrKMulz4k

Some rather excellent music which is almost too good for an average folk club, but we are most proud to be very well blessed indeed!

I tackled John Hurd on the camera angle for this video and for the photo below, as both have in the background the Werbebanner / Banner ad of Ismael and Thomas showing a photo of them in Bad Godesberg, which John Hurd took, and which also features on the cover of their live CD, "Live at Brotfabrik Bühne Bonn". He replied that sitting on the floor was the only free seat available in the folk club on this evening and so my assertion about his deliberate positioning in order to require the desired camera angle is both completely coincidental and meaningless.

The next chance you have of seeing and hearing this dynamic duo is at The Harmonie in Bonn in the Frongasse 28-30 in 53121 in BONN-Endenich on Friday 08.05.26 (that's a week after FCB on Friday 01.05.26) and tickets are available at an exclusive collection price of € 26,-- from the Harmonie itself. 

https://www.harmonie-bonn.de/veranstaltung/ismael-de-barcelona-y-thomas-monnerjahn-flamenco-meets-jazz-2/

Very highly recommended indeed, and we also hope to see you there!

In the meantime, do have a happy Easter, and we hope that you will find all of the hidden eggs!

FCB # 166 Poet's Corner

 

Our German Dichter extraordinaire, Wolfgang Schriefer, an ex Rock and Rollator, who Steve Perry had initially invited along to the folk club and who comes down every month from Cologne had unfortunately stubbed his foot and broken his toe and so was incapacitated in March. 

    Gute Besserung Wolfgang and hopefully see you and hear you again in April.

 

If          

  By Rudyard Kipling        1865-1936     Born im Mumbai formally Bombay. One of the most famous late Victorian poets and authors who wrote „Jungle Book“ This is one of Briatain's most famous poems and was written in 1895 and published in 1905. It is a tribute to stoicism and inspires resilience, character and integrity and is possibly the best advice that any man could give to his son.

If you can keep your head when all about you   

    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,   

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

    But make allowance for their doubting too;   

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

    Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

    And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

 

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;   

    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;   

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

    And treat those two impostors just the same;   

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

    And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

 

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

    And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

    To serve your turn long after they are gone,   

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

    Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

 

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,   

    Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

    If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

    With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,   

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,   

    And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son! 

I sing an accapella version of this poem which was arranged by the late Teeside trobadour, Vin Garbutt, who saddly died in 2017 at almost the ripe old age of three score years and ten. Vin's version of Kipling's poem  appeared on his 1983 album entitled "Little Innocents" and you can listen to it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpYAONe6gVU&list=RDEpYAONe6gVU&start_radio=1

It's only just over two minutes long, but it is certainly worth that much of anyone's time to listen to it.

Old Bonn Folk Clubber John Hurd who runs 3SongsBonn was out enjoying daffodils at the end of February and early March and invoked with this photo of his on FaceBook a reference to the famous poem by William Wordsworth about daffodils in the Lake District in north west England.

John Hurd 

"When all at once I saw a crowd, a host, of golden Daffodils"

- Spring is beginning to spring up in Bonn

John Hurd kindly agreed to recite this poem at the March folk club:

  I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud 

I wandered lonely as a cloud 

That floats on high o'er vales and hills, 

When all at once I saw a crowd, 

A host, of golden daffodils;

 Beside the lake, beneath the trees, 

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

 Continuous as the stars that shine 

And twinkle on the milky way, 

They stretched in never-ending line 

Along the margin of a bay: 

Ten thousand saw I at a glance, 

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. 

 The waves beside them danced; 

but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

 A poet could not but be gay,

 In such a jocund company: 

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought 

What wealth the show to me had brought: 

 For oft, when on my couch

 I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, 

They flash upon that inward eye

 Which is the bliss of solitude; 

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

 And dances with the daffodils.

                                                        by William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

For those of you who may perhaps think there may be too much poetry and not enough music here, a little known fact is that the English poet William Wordsworth and Bonn's most famous musician, Ludwig van Beethoven, were both born in the same year,  1770. Now, if that ever helps you to win a future obscure pub quiz and you feel obliged in some way, mine's a Weizenbier!