Sharps London Folk Festival, The Report.

Sharps London Folk Festival, The Report

In a paragraph, the weekend was a success! Not everything was perfect, and I didn't like everything I saw and heard, but the good so far outweighed the bad that my feeling about the weekend is just generally positive. I didn't know this, but this is the first Sharps Festival, not just the first one for many years. I think the biggest hurdle to be overcome was definitely the weather; last week was one of the hottest weeks on record, and the weekend was not a lot cooler. For me, the biggest highlight of the weekend was meeting the marvelous ladies of Craig; Morgan; Robson. Not only are they talented, welcoming and affable performers, they're also just wonderful to talk to. I hope to see them often as I become more active in the UK folk scene.

I'll section the detailed report below into days to make it a little easier to read.

Saturday was Superb.

( 1. Commute, Merchants, Morning Singaround )

( 2. Harmony Workshop with Craig; Morgan; Robson )

( 3. A very late lunch, and afternoon singarounds )

( 4. Saturday Evening's Concert )

Sunday Was Sketchy

( 1. Commute, Conversation, Early Singarounds )

( 2. More Conversation )

( 3. Sunday Afternoon's Concert )

Singarounds were supposed to go on until 11:00 last night, but we were tired after the weekend, so we went on home and got Chinese. J had to be on a train to Bristol this morning very early, so we got to bed not long after dinner.

All in all, it was a good weekend-- as I said, the good far outweighed the bad, and it was wonderful to connect with so many people in a short space of time. I've now got several things I'm looking forward to at Sidmouth, and I know more about my fellow conspirators at Sharps than I would have if we'd stayed home this weekend and hung around the house building shelves and rearranging furniture. ;-)

Geeking on Ballad Singing

Warning: there is a poll in this entry. It's a short poll, and it's not for everybody. I only want people who sing ballads to answer it. Now, that doesn't mean that only people who perform ballads can answer the poll: I want everyone who's ever learned and sung a ballad, even just for themselves, to answer this question. I'll put most of the discussion behind a cut-tag, and then I'll put the poll down at the bottom. Please tell me more of your feelings about ballads in comments, too.

( Ballad Singing -- Just My Approach )

What's your approach? If you're a ballad singer, answer my poll, and leave your thoughts in comments!

[Poll #776874]