Bonn Folk Club is Ten
Hard to believe but The Bonn Folk Club in Gaststätte zum Schützenhaus is now into double figures and growing in reputation with every guitar, cello and uilleann Pipe that stands before it’s double bulbed floorlamp. Friday saw ‘Silversigh’ make a large audience glad they had braved the sub-zero temperatures for a ‘pint and a song’ As the song goes – ‘The weather outside is frightful, but inside it’s quite delightful’ I was certainly delighted to get out of the cold and into the pub. I also felt a bit guilty about mentioning Barry arriving late last time I was there. It was 8pm and this time I was the one arriving late…
“So what actually happened before you launched into your spirited rendition of ‘Blaydon Races?” I asked John Harrison rather sheepishly. John does have something of a schoolmasterly air about him sometimes. “Well, boy, if you have two hundred lines saying ‘I must arrive at the folk club on time’ on my desk by 9am tommorow, I’ll tell you” he replied. Well actually, he didn’t – but I felt guilty enough to have done them if he had. You see a lot can happen, and usually does, in five minutes where Bonn Folk Club is concerned. This Friday was no exception: I’d missed a political demonstration for starters. John had got things going innocently enough with Willie Dixon’s ‘Little Red Rooster’ (okay, I know there are some double entendres in there but I’m sure John’s a gentleman)
Edgar Allen Guest’s poem ‘Spirit of Buffalo County’ though is all about “tackling the thing that cannot be done, and do it” and then Arlo Guthrie’s defiant anthem to the FBI ‘The pause of Mr Clause’ with its chorus of “Why do police guys beat on peace guys?” I can almost see a lookout spotting me coming up the path and calling out “Okay, the english network guy is here, better halt the demo John. Time for ‘Blaydon Races’”.
'Mulled Claret' warm up the audience
There were a lot of youngsters in the hall as well I noticed. Several of them made up the band that were the first ‘Floor spot’ of the evening – ‘Mulled Claret’. The torn trouser leg of their singer suggested anarchy and I prepared myself for cries of ‘bring back the Deutschmark’ and ‘Angela go home’. But do anarchist bands include a female cellist? Phew! Time to relax. No cries of outrage, just a band of enthusiastic young people enjoying playing their music. Maybe not the best band in the world, but without the nervousness they might be on to something good – and time, as the great philosopher Jagger once said, is on their side.
After the break Barry Roshto was on hand to remind us it was Christmas. Well two hands and a piano to be exact and some Festive songs in English. As we’ve only just staggered into December I wasn’t too keen on the Festive folkitudes (yes, I made that word up!) but forgave Barry as soon as son David joined him with his cello. Even the gifted Sol Gabetta has never tried ‘Slide cello’ to my knowledge so it was great that guest musician from Silversigh, guitar maestro Berndt Heunemann, joined them literally on left foot – expertly wedged in front of Davids cello which decided it didn’t like the waxed floor tiles. Several melancholy cello/piano pieces later I was relaxed enough to enjoy more songs about Christmas – this time with Ingrid on vocals, and in German. I remember the one chorusing with ‘And mother was hard at work again’ brought particular applause, especially from the women in the audience. Great sing along stuff and the perfect counterpoint to the ‘hearalong’ set that followed from Silversigh.
A German Christmas with Ingrid & Barry
Well, who could even try to match a voice like Esther Oberles? She took a couple of numbers to really warm up and ‘Bird on a Wire’ sounds oddly better spoken by Leonard Cohen than sung by anybody else irrespective of their voice but from KT Tunstall’s ‘Black Horse & The Cherry Tree’ on we were in for a treat. Whoever said you don’t get something for nothing would have taken it back had they been at the Bonn Folk Club and heard Silversigh perform Joni Mitchell’s ‘River’. I was finally happy to accept the first line: “It’s coming on Christmas”. Heavenly guitar by Berndt and angelic vocals by Esther and Helga Lukas. Yes people, Christmas is a coming!
Silversigh -Did I hear someone drop a pin?
John Harrison whispered in my ear after the applause had died down “A big audience all sitting in complete silence as someone plays super music. Isn’t that wonderful?!” and with that John had described the evenings Folk Club in one sentence.
A word of warning however – next Folk Club will not be so relaxed. ‘Special instrument of the evening’ is the kazoo. If you live in Grauerheindorf you have been warned!
Thank you, and goodnight!
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