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Published: September 15th 2010
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During our stay in Sarah and Darryl’s house in Moira, both before my heart operation and once I had begun to show signs of a recovery, I had established a regular Sunday night routine. I had found my way, partly by recommendation, to a splendid folk club in Quorn, about a 30 minutes drive away. Quorn folk club is made up of about 25 or 30 singers, musicians, reciters of poems etc of which about a ten attend regularly and others intermittently. The average number of attendees each week is 15 or so and if more than that attend, the small back-room of the Blacksmiths Arms in Meeting Street is full to over-flowing. But the atmosphere is superb and the evenings are conducted in a relaxed and jovial manner in which all contributions are well received, making the journey from Moira well worthwhile. It reminded me a lot of my “home” club at Frampton on Severn.
At the same time, and with Frampton often in my thoughts, I had been keeping in touch with good friends Hugh and Caroline, fellow members of Tarran Gray, and had met up with them as often as I could to continue our love of
playing music together and generally enjoying each other’s company. I travelled down to Gloucestershire from time to time and on a couple of occasions they travelled up to Moira - once we went to The Scrag End Club at Oakthorpe and on the second visit they came with me to Quorn where a brilliant night was enjoyed by us all. Our last official performance together was this time last year when we were on the bill of The Helmsley Folk Festival in Yorkshire- probably the highlight of our relatively short (but not yet finished!) folk group career.
I had promised myself that I would do my best to continue with my folk music while travelling around Aus and, if an opportunity arose, I would try to include a public performance or two. I know there’ll be a chance to sing when we get to Mansfield as the friends of Sarah and Darryl, the Reeves, are musicians while Mark and nephew Jake are part of a band which has regular practice sessions in the studio (shed!) adjacent to their house which, coincidentally, is where our caravan is parked awaiting collection.
Sarah had purchased a Spanish guitar on her travels
but we had agreed that I could swap it for a folk guitar if I could find a suitably priced one. With the troubles we have experienced with the car, finding a guitar was not high on my priority list but, having been settled in brother-in-law David’s house in Warwick, Queensland for a while (he’s away doing voluntary work at a school in Tanzania) I sought out the local music shop and spotted a few potential purchases. The proprietor seemed keen to “do a deal” on Sarah’s guitar so I took it in the following day and we discussed possibilities. My head told me to go for one of two cheap and cheerful guitars - both sounded good. However, my heart took me to a more expensive acoustic/electric Martinez guitar which came with a hard case. When the fellow offered me an attractive part-exchange discount for Sarah’s and a free strap, I didn’t hesitate and, with Jan’s blessing, came away with a very nice instrument.
During our many “coffee stops” in Warwick we have become regulars at the DeLamauta coffee house where we also, often, took lunch. On their notice board I had spotted some pictures of musicians and
an advert for a “Blackboard Gig” to take place in the coffee house on the night of Friday 10th September. On closer inspection it was inviting all musicians of any genre and standard to turn up and have a go to raise funds in support of The Southern Downs Music and Arts Association. The entry fee was just five dollars for musicians and audience alike and the “blackboard” reference was because potential artists put their names on the board if they want to perform.
I had discouraged Jan and Daphne from attending as I didn’t know whether it would be my/their sort of thing and, if I was there alone and it wasn’t right, then I’d just come away. When I arrived I was able to park outside and watch them setting up - amplifiers, microphones etc - not what you want to see as an acoustic musician. Also, there were only a handful of people there. Soon, though, many more people began to arrive - musicians and audience - and I became a little more confident. I enquired about the “process” and was encouraged enough to get my guitar and to register my name on the blackboard. I
was about fifth on the list but became a little unsettled when all of the preceding artists, mainly groups, played electrified “Blues” music. I was assured that “folkies” were always welcome and that I wouldn’t be the only one. I saw an opportunity to try out the electric side of my new guitar and waited optimistically for my turn.
The act before me was listed as Hartley, Dylan and Friends. They had been asked to add the “friends” bit as a couple of musicians had been invited but the organizers weren’t sure they could attend. So Hartley and Dylan, modest but listenable musicians and singers, began their set of two songs - more blues!! During their second song, two “friends” turned up and I sensed a murmur of anticipation go round the room which by this time had about twelve artists and maybe as many as 60 or 70 audience members. At five dollars a time they will have done well for their fund raising.
Personally, I didn’t know the “friends” but the lady sat next to me explained that they were two members of an aboriginal music group - father and son. They were invited to join Hartley and Dylan and proceeded to set the room alight - they were magnificent and, although I’m not a blues fan, I was truly staggered by their musicianship and singing. It transpired that they were members of the Knox family, father Roger was the instigator of a family music tradition. He was a national award winner in his own right but son Buddy is a national icon and has won international acclaim for his performances. Try and find his entries on Youtube if you can (Google “Australian Buddy Knox” as there’s also an American one) - you will be impressed I’m sure. They were encouraged to do more songs and after they had done about six, IT WAS MY TURN!!!!!!!!!!!! Follow that!!!!!!!!!!!! I felt a little overawed and was a bag of nerves but, with the help of a “roadie” to set up the guitar and microphone, managed to bumble my way through Streets of London and The Cloud Factory which I had chosen simply because no-one else was using sheet music and I actually know the chords and words to those two. They were surprisingly well received and I began to feel a little more relaxed. For old time’s sake I had registered myself on the blackboard as Tarran Gray and before the end of the evening, once I’d got used to answering to the name of Tarran, I was invited to two more events (which sadly I’m unable to attend) and asked for my phone number and email address.
So, after some more fairly ordinary but highly entertaining acts (a couple of which were “folkies”) there was another batch of songs from Buddy and Roger Knox together with other well known local musicians. The whole evening finished on a “high”. It had been such a great night that I wondered how I was going to explain to Jan and Daphne exactly what had happened and why it was that I had discouraged them from attending. Hopefully I’ll have a few more opportunities to sing during our travels but it will be difficult to surpass that night in Warwick.
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Darryl and Sarah
Wallaby Wanderers
Music, sweet music
Good on you Dad! Well done you. It sounds like a fabulous night - bet Mum and Daph were gutted you'd talked them out of it!! Tonight we have been using up some of the beetroot from the garden. We've made Beetroot and Chocolate cake plus Red Flannel Hash (which is corned beef hash with beetroot!)!! The kitchen smells lush! Loving the blogs! lots of love D.A.S.H x x x