As near as can be deduced, the folk club in Newcastle started in 1964 and was dubbed “The Folk Sanctum” although many Novocastrians will be more familiar with the subsequent title in 1967 of “Purple Parrot Folk Club”. Back then, the club was packing out a weekly meeting in the basement of the WE Clegg building at Tighes Hill Tech [referred to as “the Cage” and subsequently became known as ‘the basement’]. Despite fluctuations over the years, the Newcastle and Hunter Valley Folk Club Inc [as it is now known] has proven to be a strong, enduring club that provides its members with regular concerts, dances, and poetry events, welcoming performers from the local environs as well as those from across the country, and touring artists from various parts of the world. It is an inclusive club that extends the hand of friendship to all who share the love of community and folk music - in all it’s guises.
If you would like to know more about the club and what's happening in Folk around Newcastle, go to the club's website and explore the happenings.
http://www.newcastlehuntervalleyfolkclub.org.au/
2015 New Initiative:
Tradewinds Folk Events begin in January 2015 . Details at: www.tradewindsfolk.com
I love to get involved in some of the sessions around the area and thought I'd share a few that you might like to start with:
- If you play an instrument [at any level] there's a circle session run by Paul Regan at Teralba on the 4th Sunday of the month
- If Celtic is your flavour, then you'll definitely want to know about Shayne and Roz's session at the Bennett Hotel in Hamilton on the 3rd Sunday of the month
- Fancy a bit of song? The People's Chorus welcome's new members and they rehearse every Monday evening at the Trades Hall Council rooms in King Street ....or Kent Daniels Open Mic nights are always popular - every second Thursday in Maitland
- Are words your thing? Try Poetry at the Pub on the 3rd and 5th Monday of the month at Hamilton
what's happening around the region
21 YEARS OF IRISH SESSION IN 2012
On Sunday 19th August 2012, the famous Bennett Session celebrated its 21st birthday.
The following is a history of the session written by Roz:
Started by Shayne and Roz Kerr in August 1991, the monthly session held at the Bennett Hotel in Hamilton shares Traditional Irish and folk music with musicians and non-musicians who love to listen.
We held our first session on Sunday 25th August 1991at the General Roberts Hotel, New Lambton. Other local sessions had faded away after some usicians moved from Newcastle. So we decided to start our own. Roz rode her bike around New Lambton and Lambton one Sunday afternoon to check out possible venues for a music session and found the General Roberts was willing to give us a go. Shayne produced a poster and distributed it to likely participants. Many musicians turned up and we enjoyed a great musical and social afternoon. So we had another one the following month and just kept on going.
We moved to the Duke of Wellington Hotel in New Lambton on Sunday 9th July 1995 because the General Roberts decided to establish an Italian restaurant in our session space. They must have thought there was more money in Italian food than Irish music punters. On 16th July 2000we had to move the session again as the Duke was closing for major renovations. Chris Cady suggested the Bennett Hotel in Hamilton. Fortunately we are still playing at the Bennett in 2012, a friendly pub for acoustic music, thanks to the great support of the proprietors John and Betty McCoy. We have survived about three renovations here.
Although we concentrate on playing traditional Irish music, we also play Scottish, English, old time American and Aussie bush tunes. Between sets of tunes, singers have an opportunity to perform a song or two, whom we normally accompany. Many people come to listen to the session, socialise and have a few drinks. They come from the Newcastle-Lake Macquarie area and even from Maitland and Singleton. At the Bennett we used to have a suitable floor space for dancing and members of the Newcastle Irish Set Dancers came to dance some sets to our music.
The session plays unamplified and musicians do not receive any remuneration, which is how we like it!
The following is a history of the session written by Roz:
Started by Shayne and Roz Kerr in August 1991, the monthly session held at the Bennett Hotel in Hamilton shares Traditional Irish and folk music with musicians and non-musicians who love to listen.
We held our first session on Sunday 25th August 1991at the General Roberts Hotel, New Lambton. Other local sessions had faded away after some usicians moved from Newcastle. So we decided to start our own. Roz rode her bike around New Lambton and Lambton one Sunday afternoon to check out possible venues for a music session and found the General Roberts was willing to give us a go. Shayne produced a poster and distributed it to likely participants. Many musicians turned up and we enjoyed a great musical and social afternoon. So we had another one the following month and just kept on going.
We moved to the Duke of Wellington Hotel in New Lambton on Sunday 9th July 1995 because the General Roberts decided to establish an Italian restaurant in our session space. They must have thought there was more money in Italian food than Irish music punters. On 16th July 2000we had to move the session again as the Duke was closing for major renovations. Chris Cady suggested the Bennett Hotel in Hamilton. Fortunately we are still playing at the Bennett in 2012, a friendly pub for acoustic music, thanks to the great support of the proprietors John and Betty McCoy. We have survived about three renovations here.
THE MUSICIANS AND THE MUSIC
There is a pool of about 30 musicians who attend our regular monthly session. At any one time we have 10 or more turning up. Most live in the Newcastle-Lake Macquarie area. Occasionally Irish musicians from the Central Coast come and join us. Musicians range in age from pre-teens to over 70 years old. Instruments played include fiddle, mandolin, tenor banjo, whistle, melodeon, accordion, concertina, bodhran, spoons, guitar and bouzouki.Although we concentrate on playing traditional Irish music, we also play Scottish, English, old time American and Aussie bush tunes. Between sets of tunes, singers have an opportunity to perform a song or two, whom we normally accompany. Many people come to listen to the session, socialise and have a few drinks. They come from the Newcastle-Lake Macquarie area and even from Maitland and Singleton. At the Bennett we used to have a suitable floor space for dancing and members of the Newcastle Irish Set Dancers came to dance some sets to our music.
The session plays unamplified and musicians do not receive any remuneration, which is how we like it!
