Events 25-31 May 2020

Although there are no 'live' folk events taking place, there are plenty of 'mediated' experiences for us to enjoy including community radio and more active Zoom on-line meetings/sing-alongs.  Do let me know of other such on-line meetings/sing-alongs that we should be telling people about. - Julie

Please Note - New/seriously revised items are in yellow and this week's calendar, starting with Monday 25 May, is at the bottom.

Community Radio

1st Saturday every month - Focus on Folk, 5-6pm, Fine Music 102.5 FM, with presenters John Milce, Paul Jackson, Kate Delaney, Carole Garland, Gerry Myerson, Roger Fyfe.  These programs are pre-recorded.

Every Saturday - Worldwide Folk, 2-4pm, VOX FM 106.9, with presenters Russell Hannah, Roger Fyfe, Yvonne O’Grady, Rod Cork.

Every Sunday - Whirled Wide, 1pm, Fine Music 102.5 FM, with presenters Carole Garland, Ian Carswell, Linda Marr, Orli Zahava. These programs are pre-recorded.

Every Wednesday, 9-10pm, 2NURFM, Classic Folk program, with Phil Bates and Jane Klein.

Online Meetings/Sing-alongs/Sharing

Troubadour Sessions - Each Sunday, 2-4pm. Third Sunday of each month, session is live in Kariong gardens, with virtual attendance by Zoom for those who can’t get there in person. First, second, fourth Sunday of the month, session is currently a virtual one, by Zoom or phone. Details: Hugh Worrall 0402 529 474

The Troubadour's Virtual Floor Spots have been a great success since the COVID shutdown commenced in March. There are currently an entire mini-festival of great performances filmed at home & uploaded for your enjoyment. We welcome more online submissions. For details, please see the invitation on our Facebook page. 

Friday Lunchtime Online Choir - 12.30-2pm, Fridays. 8 weeks (started Friday 8th May).  No previous experience necessary. All voices welcome.  Course run through North Sydney Community Centre and conducted by Scottish singer Mary Kiani.  Cost: $170/$127.50 (pensioners/full time students). You get to choose the songs - anywhere from 'A White Sportscoat' to 'Zippity Doo Daa'. And then join us for virtual coffee afterwards.

SongsOnLine - I have decided to completely revise the SongsOnStage Newsletter, it should be finished this week. It will include a list of tips to help people improve their sound in Zoom, based on information and links that people have sent me. Thanks to all of you!

• Zoom have recommended everyone update to Zoom 5.0 now. After May 30, 2020, all Zoom clients on older versions will receive a forced upgrade when trying to join meetings as GCM Encryption will be fully enabled across the Zoom platform. Click here for more information.
• If you need help setting up or using Zoom, please contact me, I am happy to have a 1 on 1 session with you to sort it out, any time that is convenient for you (but NOT during an OpenMic). Zoom is FREE, and you can use it to log in to my sessions from anywhere in the world.
• I am also investigating a product called Jamkazam, that appears to facilitate online real time jamming - I will let you know when I have got this working.
• Also note that from 1 June 2020 the NSW Government will allow pubs, clubs, cafes and restaurants to have up to 50 customers, subject to a one person per four square metre rule, and with strict social distancing guidelines. So this week I will be contacting the venues I used to organise OpenMics, etc. at, to see if and when they want to restart.

For more information go to my Facebook page or to book in to play contact Russell Neal.

Corona Choir - Thursdays at 7.30pm. 9 week course (ends: 25th June) presented by Rob Bullen.

World Music Singing for Mums & Bubs - Wednesdays & Fridays at 9am.  With Miriam Lieberman.  Carers & kids also welcome. Live streamed via Zoom, Launch week free!!  Email Miriam to register your interest. 

Newcastle's Acoustic Folk Lounge is now meeting on-line via Zoom with details on Facebook before the regular meeting time - first Wednesday of the month, 7-10pm. A circle style session where we take turns to sing a song or play a tune. All welcome. Further information, Catherine 0437 556 864.

The vibrant Newcastle Ukulele Community who used to attend ukestras has now quietly retreated to five Zookestra sessions a week, led by Mark & Jane. We've even got some international visitors!

Massive Singlets - In a Massive Singlet, you'll join up to 500 participants worldwide in warmups, the learning and singing of a song (or two), a little drink break, and then a bit of sharing: thoughts, knitted things, flags, or snippets of music from you, possibly finishing with a dance track. You'll see everybody, but mostly you won't be able to hear everybody, due to latency (delay). But sometimes you will, for a moment, be able to hear everybody. Stephen Taberner will take you through all the things, the warmups and the main song. This is what he's been doing for 27 years, only usually in the same room as people! You have control over what you see, and whether people see you (though they will see your name). Bookings (& donations). (If we go really well with donations, we’ll end up assisting covid work in the third world.)

SEASON PASSES are also now available for the Thursday ukulele and kid’s singlets for those people who are confident that they’re likely to come to most or all of these sessions . . . because they aren’t full, and because we’re noticing many of the same faces. We hope this will save you some kerfluffle!

Alone Together Choir - Mondays 1-2pm.  Time to sing!  A wide range of songs, great harmonies, free your voice. Presented by Christina Mimmocchi.  All welcome - no previous experience necessary. Email to register.

Choir on a Wire @ NSCC - 7.30-8.30pm, Mondays. 9 weeks starting Monday 27th April.  No previous experience necessary. Course run through North Sydney Community Centre and conducted by Christina Mimmocchi.  Cost: $180/$135

We celebrate the songs of the great songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen with the return of Choir on a Wire (a nod to his famous song "Bird on a Wire" which started here back in 2007).  

Part-choir, part joyous singalong, this course will bring together people from all walks of life who love to sing Cohen's wonderful songs that celebrate life and love and laughter.

Newcastle & Hunter Valley Folk Club Virtual Floor Spot

We can’t have in-person “Come All Ye” but that doesn’t mean we can’t connect.

The idea is to do something as if you are performing for a “Come All Ye". We’re not looking for pre-recorded and edited videos, or videos done for promotional purposes. Just use your phone, video camera or laptop.

We want to make it as easy as possible for people to participate and we’re looking for genuine performances.

1. Go to our Facebook page and click on the photo/video icon under the "Create Post" button. Select your video to upload.
2. Write a short description in the space about your video. Use the heading ”Come All Ye"
3. Your floor spot should appear soon after it has finished uploading.
4. Press "Post". That's it!
5. "Follow" this Newcastle & Hunter Valley Folk Club Inc. Facebook page so that it appears in your own Facebook news feed.

We’re looking forward to seeing you in a Newcastle & Hunter Valley Folk Club Virtual Floor Spot.

Covideo Folk Club

The idea is to post self-filmed smart phone videos of folk club-going folkies singing the songs they usually sing at their local folk club - no studio produced videos or videos of gigs or live streaming you have previously recorded.  Hopefully this will create an online club which gives some of the feel of those real world folk clubs. Your video should include you providing the title and name of writer (just as you would have done in a real folk club). There are lots of folk club type performances, usually by a single performer, from different parts of the world, it seems, as well as from Australia.

If you'd like to participate, go to our Facebook page and join the group.

Monday 25 May

Alone Together Choir - 1-2pm. With Christina Mimmocchi.  Go to web site for info.

SongsOnLine Australia Showcase - 7-10.30pm. Zoom session. Facebook event. Acts so far: Roxanne Kiely, Stephen Kiely, Angie Thornton, Lisa Matuszewski, Rodney Rockhopper, Cathryn Dorahy, Jo Kerr, John Maddox, Kenneth D'Aran, Russell Neal (host). (ORIGINALS ONLY! Everyone is welcome to play, you don't have to be a member of SongsAlive! Australia.)

Choir on a Wire - 7-10.30pm. Week 3 of a 9 week course. With Christina Mimmocchi.

Tuesday 26 May

Massive Singlet - 8pm. Bookings (& donations). The classic singlet, the first singlet, the purest singlet. Our much embraced regular star guests, Jack and Naomi will join us for the amazing Curtis Mayfield freedom anthem, “People get ready”. And as we speak, I’m warming up to the notion of  arranging the song, and inserting the sweetest middle 8 I can think of . . . get in early, or you may, indeed, miss the train!

Wednesday 27 May

World Music Singing for Mums & Bubs, 9am.  Presented by Miriam Lieberman 

Newcastle's Acoustic Folk Lounge - 7-10pm. A circle style session where we take turns to sing a song or play a tune. All welcome. Details on Facebook. Further information, Catherine 0437 556 864.

SongsOnLine Songwriters/OpenMic - 7-10.30pm. Zoom session. Facebook event. Acts so far: Peter Granton, Angie Thornton, Rodney Rockhopper, John Maddox, Kenneth D'Aran, Russell Neal (host).

Classic Folk, 9-10pm, 2NURFM, with Phil Bates and Jane Klein. 

Thursday 28 May

Massive Kid’s Singlet - 7pm. This is becoming a delightful club . . . but you’re very welcome to join us! The one where you need to be accompanied by a minor, or where they can even be unaccompanied by you. best, we think, for the 7-13 year old age group: songs, clapping games from samoa, some bits where the kids have to make up things, a chance for the kids to show their musical skills . . . and crazy dancing to finish! Bookings (& donations).

SongsOnLine Songwriters/OpenMic - 7-10.30pm. Zoom session. Facebook event. Acts so far: Gia Clarissa, Kenneth D'Aran, Russell Neal, John Chesher (host).

Corona Choir - 7.30-9pm. Week 5 of 9. Presented by Rob Bullen. 

Massive Singlet (ukelele version) - 9pm. Taberner dares, once again, as an idiot savant of the instrument, to show his own particular ideas about ukulele strumming and non conventional but entirely logical nomenclature. we will SING SONGS . . . a new one each week, and then a reprise of last week’s song. the homework can be found on the webpage, the pleasure of collectively exploring the infinite variety of possibilities of this silly, lovely instrument is growing by the week . . . (all welcome, but helpful if you already know 6 or 8 chords). Bookings.

Friday 29 May

World Music Singing for Mums & Bubs, 9am.  Presented by Miriam Lieberman 

Friday Lunchtime Online Choir - 12.30-2pm. Week 3 of 8.  Course presented by Mary Kiani.

Saturday 30 May

The Peppercorns Live Online at the Troubadour - 7pm. 

Hailing from the south coast of Western Australia, The Peppercorns come with a great reputation & an enviable recording catalogue. They are Craig Sinclair (guitar, vocals) & Lara Norman (violin, mandolin, vocals), with a wealth of musical influences together with their bluegrass, swing & old-timey blues inspired folk tunes. Using a traditional single microphone, their delicate string arrangements, soaring harmonies & timeless lyrics create a unique sound both intimate & powerful. On Saturday night at home -a great way to get together & enjoy some truly fine uplifting music from a great duo.Let yourself be carried away by their great guitar, jazzy fiddle, rich harmonies, great songs. The Peppercorns will soon have you tapping your feet, dancing in your chair or across the lounge room & singing along. 7pm. Tickets free, $5, $10, $15. Bookings (all funds raised support the performers). Enq, Michael & Ina Fine 02 4342 6716

Worldwide Folk, 2-4pm, VOX FM 106.9, with Russell Hannah.

Massive Black Singlet - 5pm. We will do, as usual, something unbelievably compelling from my homeland. All comers are welcome, even if you can’t even imitate the eccent cirreectly! we’ll announce the song midweek, in the meantime, snaffle the best spots! Bookings.

Sunday 31 May

Whirled Wide, 1pm, Fine Music 102.5 FM, with Linda Marr.

SongsOnLine Songwriters/OpenMic - 2-5pm. Zoom session. Facebook event. Acts so far: Frank Zappia, Peter Granton, John Maddox, Kenneth D'Aran, Russell Neal (host).

Are YOU a member of the Folk Federation of NSW?

Folkmail is issued as a service to members of the Folk Federation of NSW Inc.  If you are receiving it, and are a lapsed member, or not a member at all:

1. Please consider joining/rejoining. Details
2. Support folk music in NSW by 'attending' some of these events!