Tuesday's folk night was stowed out and it was great to welcome friends and new folk friends staying at Lidalia Caravan Site or, in the case of Elaine and Eric, scooting through the back-ways from Greenhead. So, along with our crew of stalwarts, we had a full house and a grand variety of songs and tunes. Gillian and Brin joined us from Wales as audience - always appreciated. There were two sets of pipes, three 'Davids', five guitars and a dulcimer present. The Davids were all instrumentalists (dulcimer, guitar, pipes) but i'll also distinguish them by their place of habitation.
David a highly accomplished guitarist from Darlington (in camper), appropriately for a (sadly) former railway village, steamed in with a rousing, 'Travelling by Steam', a Huw and Tony Williams song. Katy, staying with the locality and a different kind of pulling power, turned to matters of border history or legend with 'Willie's gane to Melville Castle' about a departing border gallant bidding farewell to admiring lasses. Carol and Eliza singing 'Searching for Lambs' were accompanied by Carol's guitar and David (of Crawcrook)'s dulcimer. Bruce picked 'Whistling Rufus,' an African-American piece composed by Frederick "Kerry" Mills on his trusty guitar and, also with guitar accompaniment, Steve gave us 'Gentle Annie' by Stephen Foster and Carol (with David on dulcimer), 'They Marry and Go.'
In honour of our Welsh guests, David of Newcastleton played two tunes on English small pipes (small pipes with English fingering - all very technical), 'Mellionen' and 'Mopsi Don' and Kevin, also on small pipes the Northumbrian, 'Noble Squire Dacre.'
Phil's next was a humorous song by John Walsh with acknowledgements to 'The Ancient Mariner' about air rather than sea travel and Angus put his cards on the table with Bascom Lamar Lunsford (the 'minstrel of the Appalachians')'s, 'I Wish I was a Mole in the Ground'. David of Darlington asked us to imagine him having the appearance of a youthful female setting off to observe the pranks of the French with his rendering of 'The Female Drummer.' Imaginations soared. Katy raised the once vexed question of the morals of the Edinburgh Medical student in 'Sandy Bell's Man.'
After Robbie's Napoleonic 'O'er the Hills and Far Away' with words as a prop a couple of months ago, he decided to go for it minus the written page and we all lifted the roof on the chorus. Bruce played a couple of tunes to Burns' pieces, 'Ye Banks and Braes and 'Ae fond Kiss.' Eliza sang 'The Recruited Collier' and eighteenth century ballad, at least one source being Anderson's 'Ballad in Cumbrian Dialect' (1808). Apparently A.L Lloyd touched it up by making a carter of coals into a collier. Steve sang, 'Roll on the Day, David of Newcastleton, 'Tuppence on the Rope,' Carol, 'She Cut Through to my Heart', David of Crawcrook the dulcimer tune, 'The Fair and Charming Eileen o' Carroll'.
At this point Kevin, joined by David on whistle and Angus on guitar, played tunes on small pipes; 'Neil Gow, Holmes' Fancy and the song tune, 'Chevy Chase' which is quite stirring on pipes.
Elaine, who had missed the first round, gave a wonderful performance of 'The Cullercoats Fish Lassie with a touch of the Music Hall style. David o' Darlington continued the military and recruitment theme with 'Twa Recruiting Sergeants,' and Katy, Sydney Carter's 'Like the Snow.'
At this point Phil's mysterious beast, 'The White Dog of Yokenthwaite' reared it's head from a poem by Dorothy Una Ratcliffe and after a tension dispelling, 'I Never Realised What you meant to Me' from Angus and a Jelly Roll Morton offering from Bruce, Eliza threw in a more murderous spine-chiller set in Whittle Dene near Prudhoe.
Two rousing chorus songs Steve's, 'The Rose of Allendale' and 'David' of Newcastleton's Plains of Waterloo' raised the voices and then Carol and Dave accompanied John Martyn's 'Spencer the Rover' on guitar and dulcimer. The instrumentalists played severe rounds of 'Eagle's Whistle' and Kevin on pipes, 'Fairly Shot on Her' and 'Highland Laddie.'
Elaine gave another fine rendering, this time of 'Mother I Would Marry'. David of Darlington on guitar finished with Matt McGinn's 'Rolling Hills of the Border,' another great Scottish chorus song and a tune by Dave Richardson, 'Calliope House'. Katy's last was, 'Woe Worth the Time,' Phil who was on a comic roll finished with 'The shelves of Herring' and Angus led his medley of polkas and Northumbrian tunes (sorry I didn't ask you for a final song Angus - next time).
Thanks, once more, to all who trekked from far and near.
At this point Phil's mysterious beast, 'The White Dog of Yokenthwaite' reared it's head from a poem by Dorothy Una Ratcliffe and after a tension dispelling, 'I Never Realised What you meant to Me' from Angus and a Jelly Roll Morton offering from Bruce, Eliza threw in a more murderous spine-chiller set in Whittle Dene near Prudhoe.
Two rousing chorus songs Steve's, 'The Rose of Allendale' and 'David' of Newcastleton's Plains of Waterloo' raised the voices and then Carol and Dave accompanied John Martyn's 'Spencer the Rover' on guitar and dulcimer. The instrumentalists played severe rounds of 'Eagle's Whistle' and Kevin on pipes, 'Fairly Shot on Her' and 'Highland Laddie.'
Elaine gave another fine rendering, this time of 'Mother I Would Marry'. David of Darlington on guitar finished with Matt McGinn's 'Rolling Hills of the Border,' another great Scottish chorus song and a tune by Dave Richardson, 'Calliope House'. Katy's last was, 'Woe Worth the Time,' Phil who was on a comic roll finished with 'The shelves of Herring' and Angus led his medley of polkas and Northumbrian tunes (sorry I didn't ask you for a final song Angus - next time).
Thanks, once more, to all who trekked from far and near.
