An Evening Of Songs From Many Sources

Our final folk club before the summer break featured a good selection of folk songs from our headliner, Pete Kiddle, and a wide variety of acoustic goodies from our floor singers.

Pete played songs and tunes that covered subjects as diverse as  lost love, an outcast accidentally murdering his sisters, emigrating to China and General Wolfe.  Pete has a great talent for arranging traditional tunes and in one of the most popular songs of the evening, "Ellen Taylor", he combined words collected in Wiltshire in 1914 with a tune commemorating a New York State town that was flooded to make a reservoir. Despite being unrelated, lyrics and music fitted perfectly.

Our half a dozen or so floor singers also provided enjoyable arrangements of songs that included ample opportunities to sing along. We were especially pleased to welcome back one of our regular singers, Ray, after a period of absence. 

There is no folk club in August but we will be back on Saturday 1st September where we will welcome Worcestershire singer/songwriter Keith Judson (http://www.keithjudson.co.uk/). 

If you want to keep up to date with folk and acoustic music and learn about gigs taking place in the West Country a good place to start is Johnny Coppin's show on BBC Local Radio at 1pm on Sundays (or via http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p001d7z8).

This Saturday (7th July): Bouzouki and Concertina at the Saltcellar Folk Club

Next Saturday, 7th July, sees the Saltcellar Folk Club welcome our guest artist Pete Kiddle. He is well-known to regulars, having played a floor spot on several occasions. 

Pete has spent many years singing and playing traditional music, is a resident at Devizes folk club and regularly performs solo and as part of the Bath group Sulis.  He is well known in the South West for his singing and fine bouzouki and concertina accompaniments, as well as his skill with dance tunes. Pete’s first solo album, Gunpowder Tea, was released last October.  See http://petekiddle.com/ for more information.

Any singers and musicians are invited to perform from the floor on Saturday.  If you wish to take part please make yourself known at the start of the evening. 

The Saltcellar Folk Club meets from 7.30pm in the basement of Totterdown Baptist Church on Wells Road. Entrance costs £6 and you can usually expect about three hours of music!  There is a coffee bar but you are welcome to bring your own alcoholic drinks (there is a Co-Op nearby).