New blog

Fantastic Festival of Lights on in York, ‘Illuminating York’. The principal spectacular is in the Museum Gardens where from 5pm to 11pm there is a lighting and sound event with the whole of the Yorkshire Museum facade used as a screen and also St. Mary’s Abbey so one can see and listen to two shows at once, awesome. This is on till 2 November 2008 so get down there quickly, not much time left. And it’s free.

Yesterday evening I was at a Creative York meeting in the Hospitium where the various artists and curators involved gave fascinating talks on there work and how they made these spectacular shows.

Then it was back to Whitby which, in spite of a North Easter blowing up the River, was at least two degrees warmer than York. I managed to make the Whitby Folk Club at the Friendship Rowing Club by 10pm. There was a good turn out, a visit from ‘The Pirates’ and also Mike Lydiatt from Sheffield.

I sang ‘Young William’s Tale’ and ‘John Hodgson’s Song’ (Also known as ‘The White Horse Song’).

I’ll make a note to tell you about the stories behind these songs in a future blog.

Tony Morris
www.tonymorrispoet.com

Good night at the Filo with visitors, Lynn from Retford with her Melodeon, Kath from the Grove Folk Club at Leeds with her sweet voice and a beautiful self-penned song and Mike from Sheffield whose instrumental guitar playing got some of our regulars jealously reaching for the wire cutters and whose own songs sound a bit like Jez Lowe’s.

Another fun night at the Filo. DO NOT FORGET TO TURN UP ON THIS SATURDAY, 1 NOVEMBER, FOR THE FIRST SATURDAY IN THE MONTH SESSION.

Tony Morris
www.tonymorrispoet.com

Welcome to anyone finding this Blog as the result of the Black Swan Folk Club, York Newsletter.

Iusually blog at least once a day and, as anyone can see from previous entries, often comment on the Folk Club Scene, particularly in and around Whitby. So, I thought it would be useful if, over the coming days or weeks, gave an account of each one an its particular ‘flavour’, and then finally listed them.

The First In Last Out, known locally as the FILO, is a pub on the Fishburn Park Estate in Whitby, which area the locals refer to as ‘The Railway’. Much of the housing in this densely populated district was built around 1863 with some later Victorian and Edwardian inclusions. More of this in other blogs.

The Pub is small and traditional and in the Real Ale Guide for 2009 being run by the Pritchetts, Charles and Sheila. The Open Folk Session is on a Tueday night officially starting at 8.30pm but rarely getting going till 9pm. It is run by Stuart Tonnar with Chris Coulter occasionally standing inif Stuart is absent. If both are absent then I am usually ‘it’.

It is a round and round session with everyone joining in with voice and or instrument if they want to and no objection has been voiced by the performer whose turn it is. There is not too much chat and it goes round quite quickly. However, it is a pub and if the locals talk when your on it means you’ve got be a bit more interesting. there is often a break on tuesday nights for sandwiches but I won’t tell you when or you’ll just turn up for the sandwiches.The session ends promptly at 12 midnight and participants are expected to clear off pronto as the pub is in a residential area and regard has to be had to the neighbours.

For my tastes it is one of the best nights in the area and the standard of music, entertainment and hospitality is high.

There is a similar session every First Saturday in the Month so, spend the weekend in Whitby and get along there on 1st November, its this week.

Tony Morris
www.tonymorris.com

A while ago I promised some ghost stories. Here is one about the Joseph Rowntree Theatre in York.

 

The building was opened in 1935 close to Rowntrees Factory and to the River Foss.

 

Before Rowntrees built the Theatre and Yearsley Swimming Baths, adjacent to the River Foss it had been popular to swim in the River in summer. The Foss is a slow flowing stream at this point and of no great width. All this is but the background to my story.

 

As the theatre is run as a community theatre it has been staffed in the past by a manager, who was an employee of Rowntrees, and volunteer staff from the various amateur companies performing there. It is, for most of the day, a quiet place.

 

Over the years a ghost has been seen wandering about the Theatre. This takes the form of a young girl who, by her wandering and movements appears to be lost.

 

Research has shown that the Theatre was built on the site of footpath that went from the Foss to the house in the Groves where the Victorian housing was used by some of Rowntree workers. One fine summer day a girl left her home in the Groves to go swimming in the Foss. She did not return home alive. She was drowned at play. It is thought that the ghost is the spirit of this child trying to return to her home along the familiar path from the Foss to the Groves. The Joseph Rowntree Theatre having been built over this path causes her to be lost and to wander about in the Theatre never to find her path home.

 

Tony Morris

www.tonymorrispoet.com

 

 

I really cannot believe it was as long ago as last Thursday that I blogged. Now the clocks have gone back I can tell you that I was supporting American guests, Anne Price and Steve Suffett at the Black Swan Folk Club, York on Thursday evening. I greatly enjoyed their music and there performance of americana which was quietly attention grabbing. I have to admit that during folk performances I often ‘drift off’, probably because I often find it difficult to hear the words of a song over the accompaniment which becomes increasingly difficult if the performance is amplified. If I can’t hear the words then boredom quickly sets in. I didn’t ‘drift off once on this occasion.

Friday was an admin day and as Vin Garbutt at the Whitby Rifle Club was not in my Diary I forgot and missed him.

Saturday evening saw me at The White Hart at Mickleby once again listening to Steve Turner. I MCeed his gig at the Black Swan Folk Club, York last year and then saw him a week or two later at the Robin Hood’s Bay Folk Club. He gets better every time I see him.

Tony Morris
www.tonymorrispoet.com

Good turn out of Whitby Creatives at the Station, Whitby last night. Very positive talk from Chair, Adrian Riley of Electric Angel at Scarborough as well as Kate Longmate of the Stephen Joseph Theatre, fresh (perhaps not quite the right word) from Musicport and Heather Niven of Creative York. One got the feeling that things really had a chance of happening.

If there is to be a recession then there are going to be opportunities to be taken so that everyone is prepared and on the starting blocks when it ends. 

Whitby already has a successful arts scene, with music and poetry and writing and painting heading the list with a number of succesful design companies in new technology, particularly touch screen technology and design. It is a question of getting everyone to see the benefit of sharing ideas rather than keeping them close to the chest. Creatives sharing ideas can be a real tool for development and growth. One has only to look at the relationship of scientific development and the history of the role of the Royal Society to see this. Science is just another Creative Art.

Tony Morris
www.tonymorrispoet.com

 

A most enjoyable evening in a beautiful venue with my playing some music on my Native American Style Flutes and on lyre and bowed psaltery accompanying Keith Armstrong in his readings of poetry and stories of four Durham characters, Richard Watson, the lead miner poet from Teesdale, Jamie Allan, reknown Northumbrian piper, Christopher Smart, and The Little Count.

There was a wonderful interlude when David Biermann. virtuoso violinist played some Baroque pieces and one of Vivaldi’s Manchester sonatas.

Tony Morris
www.tonymorrispoet.com  

Tony Morris will be performing with Keith Armstrong as part of the Durham Literary Festival Fringe at the Joachim Room at the College of St. Hild and St. Bede on Tuesday 21 October 2008 at 7pm.

The notable Newcastle Poet, Dr. Keith Armstrong, sometimes known as ‘The Jingling Geordie’, will be reading poetry, original source material and talking about Four larger than life Durham Characters, The Little Count, Richard Watson, the lead miner poet, Christopher Smart and Jamie Allan.

Tony Morris, described elsewhere in the publicity for this event as ‘A Folk Legend’, will provide improvised music on Lyre, Bowed Psaltery and Native American Style Flute.

This should be a lively event not to be missed.

Tony Morris
www.tonymorrispoet.com

Just back from the gig with King Courgette (Mike Hickling), Slim Bean Slim (Alfred Hickling) Hot Chilli Magraw and Bad Apple Double T Curtis, occasionally assisted by Mama Courgette (Jane Hickling) on percussive Sam Wellie and stick with rattly bits, ‘The King Courgettes’. Fantastic fun and sound renderings of blues classics and more. Spotted in the audience Ralph Bowen, reknown luthier and member of Los Yobos and the artist, Baz Ward.

Tony Morris
www.tonymorrispoet.com

Been in York trying to put together some of the admin stuff for the release of my pending new album ‘Sprites - Water and Land’. Still having difficulty sourcing brown re-cycled cardboard CD sleeves.
 
Off to see the King Courgettes at the Black Swan. Blues and blue grass. Very funky and great fun.

Tony Morris
www.tonymorrispoet.com