Cheltenham and Other Festivals

Spent last weekend at Chetlenham Folk Festival. Obviously I ended up stewarding during the thing I really wanted to see (which would be Jon Boden and the Remnant Kings) and, it being on the Friday night, I didn't have time to swap with anyone but it turned out well since the person I was on the doors with didnt like them so let me do all the inside stuf so I caught mosy of them and they were brilliant. Loved all the different mixtures of instruments (although have to say that Paul Sartin looks terrified of holding the melodeon, never mind using it) and the mix of songs from the album (greatly added to by the sound of the oboe, I felt) and from the Folk Song a Day project were great. Gorgeous rendition of 'Rigs of the Time' all on strings and really liked Sportsman's Hornpipe (at least, that's what I think it was) leading into 'Penny for the Preacher. Also really liked the song about Francis Drake (whose title I just can't remember). I was off duty in time for the singaround afterwards which was great fun. We all sang along to 'Butter and Cheese and All' which was being recorded for the dollowing day's podcast and The Bailey Sisters treated us to a lovely rendition of 'The Cuckoo' before Paul Sartin brought the house down as well as not so much lowering the tone as boring a hole in the bottom and scuttling it with the hilarious 'Cock-a-doodle-doo'. Just a really nice end to the evening and I hope it catches on.
Saturday included, Jackie Oates, The Askew Sisters, Freya Abbott Ferguson, Hannah James and Sam Sweeney (introduced as Hannah and James by a slightly confused Pete Grasby which resulted in ahuge cry of 'Sam' from the audience which apparently made Sam Sweeney, backstage, wonder what on earth he'd done!), Pete Coe, The Crucible Trio and Kerr and Fagan who were just brilliant. Also managed to buy some fingerless gloves and some new melodeon straps (which was a little more involved than I suspected since the original Pokerwork strap fittings won't take the nice new straps so I'll have to get new fittings which PJ sadly didn't have with him at the weekend. He has, however promised to bring them to IVFDF and fit them for me and, in the process of all this, found that my current fitting was hanging by a thread so he fixed that so that my melodeon won't fall off the current straps in the meantime so disaster narrowly averted there). Also bought the new Blowzabella CD, 'Dance' which is just great!
On Sunday I managed to catch Mike Wilson and Damien Barber and their song to talk ratio is improving (although not by much! Doesn't matter though. Could listen to them do either all day). Went to Simon Care's melodeon workshop and he really is lovely. Didn't really teach us anything new but spent the whole session just reassuring us that what we were all doing was absolutley fine which was actually really, really helpful. I'm booked on one of his workshops at Squeezing Shropshire later in the year and I'm really looking forward to it. Finally managed to see most of The Melrose Quartet's set (and they were very, very good) before having to head for the train. Which was cancelled so they put us on a bus which didn't quite make it in time for my connection (although we were treated to a highly exciting 3 point turn in some incredibly narrow streets) so I had to wait an hour for the next train. Still I got back in one piece and it was still less time travelling than any festival I've managed from Edinburgh. Travel notwithstatnding, I had a great weekend with some lovely people and some fantastic music (and even ran into a Mons Megger. We turn up everywhere you know!) and Cheltenham has now been added to my list of likely festivals.

On Monday, I got to see The Remnant Kings again at the O'Reilly Theatre in Oxford (and, oh, the novelty of a gig I can get to with a short bus ride...). They were even better (possibly because I wasn't having to keep ushering people through doors during it). Was absolutely fascinated by the workings of the phonographs (one of which was right in front of me) and I also now have some slight urgings to have a go at the concertina after watching Rob Harbron. He really is a bit good. Anna, who I was at with, apparently fancies the double base, but I'd never be able to see over one!). We had a bit of a mad dash for beer during the interval since the bar was apparently in another building which made it interesting to find and it took them ages to serve us. (We were quite calm until we'd noticed that the band had just been served and were heading back. Panic set in a little then. The sing around was great fun again. This time we got to join in on 'Cupid's Garden' for the podcast. Lovely rendition of 'Don't Go Out Tonight Dear Father' by Jon Boden with slightly hilarious backing vocal antics from Messers Sweeney, Harbron and Sartin and we got a couple of numbers from Ian Giles to join in with. I do like him. He always seems to be so surprised to be talking to people. And, of course, Mr Sartin managed to get 'Cock-a-doodle-doo in again to general merriment.
Lovely evening with good company and good music.

Festival-wise this year, I'm definately going to IVFDF, Bristol, Shrewsbury, Holmfirth and Sidmouth. I was planning on the the Oxford Folk Festival and The Big Session but the Big Session is reduced to one day at the 'Beautiful Days Festival' which I can't make while they look for a new venue now that they'll not be using the DeMontfod Hall anymore and Oxford has just had to cancel due to economic difficulties. Fingers crossed that both of these manage to get off the ground again in 2012 because they're both great festivals and I shall really miss them this year. Anyhow, am currently considering Sheppley, Beverley and Ely. Sheppley's looking pretty good at the moment (list includes Bellowhead and Belshazzars Feast) and I really enjoyed Ely last year (may volunteer as a steward this year). Will have to see.

In the meantime, this weekend, I'll be heading back up to Edinburgh for a DERT pratice (and, hopefully, a pub tour) with Mons Meg. It'll be nice to dance some rapper again (rapper withdrawal is a bit severe currently since the Mables are busy trying to organise DERT so aren't really dancing at the moment) and it'll be lovely to see Mons Meg again too. I have missed them!

Also, at some point, I shall get round to sorting out my room since it is ridiculous to need a climbing harness in order to find clothes!

Odds and Ends

Parcel turned out to be a 'How to Play Melodeon' book so that was a nice surprise. Worth going out for.

Weather seems to have brightened up, now if it can just stay like this for Oxford I'll be a happy gremlin!

Must remember to do my washing for the weekend so that I can get it dried. (Nice thing about linen is that it dries fast.) If it stays like this I might be able to put it out on the line again.

Haircut tonight. will be interesting to see what they come up with. What the hell, the stuff grows fast enough that I can't bring myself to be that bothered (Just please don't let them try to have a conversation with me. My focus is completely on not hitting them for touching my head and I feel it is wise not to distract me from that!)

In festival news, have now booked tickets and camping for Ely, am still waiting on hearing from Whitby for Stewarding and have been watching the Bellowhead DVD to try and calm myself down before Oxford (that's not really working. I know Bellowhead are recording a new album at the moment and I have a wish that they include 'Haul Away' and 'If You Will Not Have Me' on it cause it's really frustrating only being able to listen to them on the DVD and not on my ipod. Ah well, shall see.) Been eying up the workshops at Oxford. I quite fancy trying the harp one and the melodeon workshop might be good to go and sit in on. There's also a Northumbrian pipes workshop but it clashes with Karen Tweed and Paul Hutchinson. The decision on that one may have to come down to the wire cause I really can't make up my mind which I want to attend more.

Rapper Musings

Very good rapper pracice last night. We watched the videos that Joe took of us dancing on saturday and they looked better than I thought they would. I still appear to be on my masochistic spree since I managed to propel my eye onto Neil's elbow during one dance (and it really was that way round) which stunned me a little and my left shoulder wasn't as fixed as I thought it was since I managed to wreck it again during Winalot's backlock. (Hate the backlock, hate it with a hateful hatred!). Sat in the shower again last night to try and free it up and it seems to have worked again so will just have to take it little easier this week. The fact that I'm not dancing rapper again till Monday should help.

Off to collect a parcel tonight from what has to be the most inconveniently placed parcel depot ever. Really glad I have Roger (Who seems to be missing one of his wing mirror covers for reasons best known to himself. Must check out the spare parts directory at some point.) since it's a 25 minute run out of Edinburgh and not exactly on the bus routes! I suspect it may be my new rapper shoes. Sadly too late to get new soles in time for DERT but still a little excited. With any luck I'll have ordered the right size first time off and I won't have to spend time faffing around sending them back until I get the correct size.

Easter kind of snuck up on me so I had completely forgotten I have a Borderer's event this weekend. Still, nice surprise (even if it means I have to leg it on Monday to get back to Edinburgh in order to get to our last DERT practice.). Must make sure I've dug out all my tudor kit in advance. This would probably be helped by my tidying the burrow. I should probably look on this as encouragement.

My mind seems to have set itself on going to Ely overnight (obviously I don't mean actually going down to Ely overnight, I mean that my mind set itself overnight. You know what I mean!) so it looks like I'm booking for that. Here's hoping the weather improves and it's not another horrible wet summer since I appear to be spending most of it in a tent. As far as wellies go, I usually just put gaiters on over my Doc Martens since they're easy to pack but I may have to actually invest in some proper wellies for this year if it doesn't get any better. Might have a look and see if they still do those half welly half walking boot type things that I used to wear when I worked at the stables, they were good.

St Andrews Tour

Spent most of this week compusively playing the melodeon. Can't seem to put it down for long. Weirdly, it also makes me want to practice the fiddle so I've been getting a lot of that in too.

Early start to St Andrews on saturday and an absolutely beautiful morning. I think we may just have experienced summer! Was really lovely waiting for everyone else to turn up while we sat in the car and listened to Dot practice her northumbrian pipes in the playground (and I'm really getting tempted by them. No, too many instruments to learn at the moment. Maybe later.)

Practice itself was very good (floor was lovely) but I seem to have managed to knack my shoulder doing the backlock in Winlaton (or Winalot as it is now known). I'm really starting to hate the backlock. I can understand the theory behind it and I can see just how it should go but my lack of height makes it so bloody awkward and has a knock on effect around the set which makes me feel horrendously guilty which is just stupid because it's not like I'm being short on purpose and there's no-one taller we could sub in at DERT but there you go. Anyhow, spent the rest of the day with pins and needles all down my left arm. Think it was a trapped nerve.
Funniest moment was when Andy had a go at playing his melodeon and then Kev stepped up to have a go and someone asked everyone who actually tried a melodeon to put up their hands. Out of 8 people, I think 5 put their hands up. It seems we are a side of secret melodeon afficianados.

After lunch we set out to tour St Andrews. Despite being severely hampered by the football being on the telly we managed to get 5 dances (one of which was in the Whey Pat which we didn't think we'd get into and has a lovely floor) and got a good reception for all of them except the last dance at Greyfriars (which I think I preferred when it used to be The Tudor.) where we had a couple of blokes walk through the set. The dances themselves went well but I managed to get kicked in the ankle in one dance and slammed my elbow off the bar in another (but I kept hold of the sword despite not being able to feel it for a good few seconds!). Obviously it was my turn as side punchingbag.
After the last dance, most of us decamped to Trina's for curry and chat which was lovely. Really nice day out all told and we did far better that we thought we would.

Sunday brought on the worst post dance come-down I've had all year. Very odd, had thought I'd gotten out of that but apparently not. Wan't helped by the fact that my sore shoulder meant I couldn't really play the melodeon (didn't stop me trying which was possibly not that bright...)
Eventually I gave in and went and sat in the shower with the heat turned way up in an effort to relax my shoulder enough to try and free what was trapped. Seems to have worked since the pins and needles has mostly stopped and my shoulder is just a little sore now. Managed to do a little melodeon practice after that (and a lot of fiddle practice since that doesn't require so much shoulder movement) so cheered up a little. Spent the rest of Sunday sat on the sofa doing puzzles and listening to Dr Faustus (I got both their CD's recently and absolutely adore them) and their new incarnation, Faustus.

On that note, apparently Faustus are playing at Ely Folk Festival in July. Apparently the Oysterband, Demon Barbers and Les Barker will also be there. Very, very tempting. May have to think about booking. Will probably book. I'm definitely going to book aren't I. Must check the tent is working order.