efnMagazine - Webmaster's Blog

Pat Tracey, Keith Summers and Other Things

noreply@blogger.com (Chiltern Birder) — Mon, 12 May 2008 20:03:00 +0000

The Guardian published an obitiary of Pat Tracey today. I really don't know if I should be pleased at the recognition of a major figure in the folk scene or angry because it took them three months to publish it.

Pat isn't the only Essex folkie to be remembered recently. I have just spent a most enjoyable time at the fourth Keith Summers Memorial Weekend. These events, funded in part by a bequest from Keith, are a gathering of singers and musicians from around the British Isles (and occasionally beyond) in a back street pub in central London. One of the entertaining elements is watching passers by stop at the door and scuttle away in horror at the sight of people actually singing or playing music for themselves. Our photo gallery contains pictures from the first three festivals, and I have sorted out 22 from the 150 shots taken from this one for inclusion in the near future.

Looking back at the local folk scene Blackmore Folk Club has abandoned the Black Bull for the second time in it history, and more significantly has also changed the day of week on which it meets. Full details can be found in our Stop Press page.

Our June edition should be in the post by now, the usual reminder will go out by email but if you are a reseller or subscriber and you copies have not arrived by the end of the week please let us know.

Radio

noreply@blogger.com (Chiltern Birder) — Sun, 04 May 2008 16:04:00 +0000

I caught the tail end of something interesting on Radio 3 this morning. What sounded like an early music group playing Princess Royal. The announcer then said it was Trunkles and added that it reminded him of Percy Grainger. I really don't know how I avoided throwing something at the radio.

Our June edition is at the printers and I am gradually playing catch up with recovering files from my broken PC. I have just reconfigured the mailing list so I will be able to pester people with Stop Press mail outs again and will send out invoices to the advertisers who didn't get them during the coming week.

The Mayor's Thames Festival - September 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Chiltern Birder) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 21:52:00 +0000

There is lots of puff about this in their website but no detail. I know from other sources that there will be a cajun and zydeco stage but I have heard no mention of any British folk music or dance.

If anybody is doing anything we will be glad to list it in the magazine, just let us know. As with any local authority gig I don't trust the organisers to have any info out until the weekend before the event.

Young Coppers

noreply@blogger.com (Chiltern Birder) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:03:00 +0000

I had the pleasure of being at the Young Coppers CD launch last Thursday. The late publicity and the mid week timing meant that attendance could have been beter but it was a superb evening with all of the late Bob Copper's six grandchildren on stage as well as a selection of performers giving their versions of the family repertior.

A full review of the CD will be published in the next issue of the magazine.

First Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Chiltern Birder) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:36:00 +0000

Well everybody else is doing it so I thought it was time to have an EFN blog. Future content will be a mix of announcements and information regarding the magazine and my own thoughts about the local and national fold scenes.

First off don't forget that we have changed our copy date. We changed printers just over a year ago and we have been seeing a consistently faster turn around with each issue. So, the copy date for our June issue will now be 21 April with the usual mid May distribution. The bad news is that there will be minumal leeway on the copy date in future and none at all on this one.

On a totally different topic I am sure that the organisers of many clubs and morris sides have, like me, ended up having to pick up their copies of the magazine from their Royal Mail delivery office. I came across this excellent device recently which allows deliveries to be left safely when you are not in. I have fitted one and wouldn't be without it.

They are available from a number of sources but if you buy from this link Amazon will pay us three pounds which goes towards the costs of maintaining our internet presence.