The Mike Harding Folk Show Podcast

 Dear Folkies,

                        on the right-hand side of this blog, there are a few interesting links for you to enjoy. One such is the Mike Harding Folk Show. It is exactly what it says "over the door", or if you prefer "on the box." "The very best in folk, roots and acoustic music."  

Here it is a two-hour podcast for you to listen to, for free, and at your leisure:

http://mikehardingfolkshow.com/category/podcasts/

Mike Harding is quite a character, and who he doesn't know in folk music and the songs that he doesn't know, are frankly not really worth knowing. 

You can read more about him here on his Wikipedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Harding

Quite a remarkable man. After many decades as a successful folk singer/songwriter mainly playing the guitar and the mandolin, but indeed able to play most instruments known to man and a mean Blues harp player too. An author, a comedian and a rambler through the dales of northern England. Later on he took a job with the BBC Radio 2 and ran his own weekly half hour radio show there, "The Mike Harding Show", but in 2012 after 15 succesful years as a disc jockey, in a remarkable naive case of ageism somebody at the BBC noticed that he hadn't retired at the customary age of 65 years and had well overshot the mark, even though Mike wasn't complaining in the slightest. So, they decided to unceremoniously "put Mike out to grass".  Mike though, in classical renegade style, had noticed that technology had sufficiently shifted the old tectonic plates of the radio music world to such an extent that a somewhat slightly angry and determined older man could now significantly take on a long established traditional institution such as the behemoth that is the national radio broadcaster in the UK, ever since radio was invented, an even win! Mike Harding speedily set up his own "new radio" show as an internet podcast as a new two hour show, and literally ran rings around them and duly left them standing! What a wonderful story of a folky "David and Goliath!" Mike started the weekly show from January 2012 just after folk club Bonn started in 2010. By doing weekly shows as opposed to our monthly reality German folk music shows, it wasn't very long until he overtook our numbers. Finally in 2017 it finally dawned on Mike that the BBC might have had a point after all, and perhaps it was a good idea if he slowed down a little, so he took a short break, but before long he started up again, but this time on a more reasonable leisurly monthly rather than a weekly basis.You can now listen to show number #285, as usual a wonderful diverse platter of the very best, both old and new, folk, roots and acoustic music. Please enjoy! If you enjoy it, do feel free to contribute "a few Bob" or whatever you can spare, as Mike has licencing fees to pay in order to continue doing what he does so well. All previous 284 shows are also available for your perusal and enjoyment. If you look on this site under "Folk Clubs and Sessions" and look under the searchable site and insert "Germany" you will also find "Folk Club Bonn" there.

For mor information on Mike Harding you can visit his regular web page here:http://www.mikeharding.co.uk/

A man who ticks all of the folk music boxes, with a vengance, and then some!

Keep up the great work Mike and never cease to let us hear the best music ever to come out of a stone Yorkshire shed. There really are some incredible people in the world, who keep the music flowing, sometimes against all the odds, especially in these most difficult Coronavirus COVID-19 times, that seems to have stopped so many wonderful musical events dead in their tracks, with hardly any current reprieve.

Here are over two hours of Mike Harding's most recent show:

Click below on the orange arrow to listen, or find the podcast on iTunes.

I can certainly recommend it. Do try it and let us know in the comments below what you think of it.

Many thanks in advance.

Podcast #285

Published September 27, 2020

---

 

Playlist:

 

Intro – Temperance Reel / Shenandoah Falls – Strings & Things – Shady Grove  

 

01 Ocourenta & Cadillac – Teres Aoutes String Band – Courenta Cadillac

02 Three Little Birds – Kate Rusby – Hand Me Down

03 One More Lockdown Day –Robb Johnson and The Irregulars – Pandemic Songs 

04 Poolbeg Chimneys / The Ivy Leaf – Patricia Walsh – Simply Whistle

05 Maid On The Mountain – McGoldrick McCusker Doyle – The Reed That Bends In The Storm

06 When I Was A Cowboy – Happy Traum – Buckets Of Song

07 The Recesses – Jenny Sturgeon – The Living Mountain

08 Hion Daila Horo Ri Ho Hion Daila Là – Garefowl – Cliffs

09 Love Of The Common People – Kate Rusby – Hand Me Down

10 Joan Of The Greenwood – Joshua Burnell – Flowers Where The Horses Sleep

11 Wild Sparrow – John Blakey – The Legend Of Icarus O’Toole

12 Honky Tonk Woman  – John Blakey – The Legend Of Icarus O’Toole

13 Union Jack House – Virginia Kettle – No Place Like Tomorrow

14 Air And Light – Jenny Sturgeon – The Living Mountain
15 Knocking On Your Door Again – Hank Wangford – Holey Holey

16 Hare Spell – Fay Hield – Wrackline

17 Sweet William’s Ghost – Fay Hield – Wrackline

18 Stringybark Creek – John Campbell Munro – The Kelly Collection

19 The Ballad Of Ned Kelly – Fotheringay – Fotheringay

20 A’ Fàgail Hiort – Garefowl – Cliffs

21 Across The Western Ocean (Single) – Jenna Moynihan

22 Claudia’s Waltz – Patricia  Walsh –  Simply Whistle 

23 Gentleman Jack – O’Hooley & Tidow – Live At St Georges

24 Mrs Macintosh Of Raigmore – Lauren MacColl – Landskein

25 The President Sang Amazing Grace – The Kronos Quartet – Long Time Passing