Edinburgh University Folk Society
About Us
So this FolkSoc then, what’s it all about?
- FolkSoc caters for anyone with an interest in folk music and song.
- What do you mean by ‘folk music and song’? I don’t want to sit listening to four old guys in pullovers singing songs about dead lifeboatmen.
- We don’t get much of that nowadays. Things have moved on. Now we do songs about the dead guys who used sing songs about dead lifeboatmen.
- Really? Behave yourself.
- Folk music is notoriously difficult to define. But think coffeehouses, think campfires, think bothies, think busking.
- Don’t tell me. It’s like all of these, but like none of them, right?
- You are. Sort of. The goings on at FolkSoc change from week to week, depending on who attends. We start off with assorted singers, listeners, players and pints; crammed into our wee FolkSoc room. The sessions intersperse tunes and songs with rambling anecdotes and general banter. Sometimes we’ll split into smaller groups to accommodate different musical tastes and levels of ability. One group might focus on Celtic tunes, for others it may be Scottish ballads or American folksong. I remember one night myself and two lassies from Canada spent the last hour singing Kiss and James Taylor songs in the style of Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.
- But you’ve evolved since then I presume?
- That’s not for me to say.
- So what’s in it for me?
- Everyone gets the opportunity to learn from the other musicians and singers on an informal basis during sessions and singarounds. There is also the chance to participate in tuition workshops organised according to demand. You get access to the society’s collection of music and songbooks, and can use our permanent rooms in The Pleasance for practising. Last year we played several gigs as a group, and have already got a couple lined up for this session. In the summer we made our third trip up to the Orkney as guests at the folk festival. Plan to make it our sixth in 2005, and are looking into a trip to Dublin either this term or next. Closer to home there are regular trawls round the Edinburgh pub session circuit, and to folk clubs outwith the city.
- Sounds like there must be a few good musicians in FolkSoc, what about those of us with less ability?
- Sounds like you’re referring to me, I’m definitely in the ‘less ability’ category. But there really is an opportunity for everyone to participate and develop.
- And what about us listeners? Everyone says we’re welcome, but we often feel left out.
- I can understand that. But the format of FolkSoc evenings with the emphasis placed on informality and social interaction, reduces the likelihood of this happening. If there are any problems just kick up a fuss, stamp on a fiddle or two.
- It would be a pleasure.
- Only joking.
- Who goes to FolkSoc?
- There’s a broad mix of people (just as you’d expect me to say). Over three-quarters are students at Edinburgh University. The rest comprise students at other institutions, full-time musicians and even some folk with proper jobs. It has even been known for Uni teaching staff to attend, making for exciting confrontations between perennial-excuse-making-late-essay-handing-in-layabouts and heard-it-all-before-tutors.
- What about nationality, are they all as impenetrably Scottish as you?
- On the contrary (some good rolling r’s there) over half the members come from outwith the British Isles, bringing with them a wide range of musical influences and tastes.
- So when does this FolkSoc thing happen?
- We hold our weekly meetings in the FolkSoc rooms every Tuesday during term. It officially starts at 21:00 and lasts till 23:30. Additional events (such as ceilidhs and trips away) are made known to members, and those on our weemail list, as and when they happen.
Weekly Meetings: Every Tuesday at 48A Pleasance
(downhill from the courtyard, before you get to the Sports Centre)
Starting 21:00. All Welcome.
Contact Us for more information!
Published by Folk Soc webmaster.