Podcast Prototype Number 1

Well I didn't get to Havering Folk Club last Wednesday because I was on holiday canal boating on the Kennet and Avon canal on board Isabella.
So instead I'm blogging here about what's happening with the Tuesday evening live streaming music show that I've been doing for almost a year now, most weeks. I've decided to turn it into a podcast as well.  That means you don't have to be there live at 7.00pm on a Tuesday in order to hear the show. You should be able to subscribe with iTunes or similar feed reading software, and have each episode downloaded as an mp3 file to listen to as and when you have a spare moment.

The show itself is pretty much the same unrehearsed music and chat as always except that I don't stop to mess about with the record/stop button and saving the description and tags etc in between each song. The whole thing gets recorded as one block and then the audio is stripped out and distributed through the podcasting channel via one of my websites called  andyroberts.me

We're still in the prototyping stage so this could change but for the present the new url for the podcast feed should be at

http://andyroberts.me/?feed=podcast

Try putting that into your iTunes subscriptions . In my version you have to go to the overhead top  go to the top of page drop down menu and select "Advanced" then "Subscribe to Podcast" and paste the url http://andyroberts.me/?feed=podcast  into the box which pops up. Your mileage may vary.

I can still edit out individual songs for uploading to youTube so there's nothing lost in that respect and here are the five songs from last week's Andy Roberts podcast prototype number 1

The Wreckers Prayer

People Are Strange

Cormorants

Here Comes The Sun

Narrow Boats

Havering Folk Club Temporary Venue

Havering Folk Club Venue

Due to the sudden closure of the Golden Lion pub in Romford, the Havering Folk club met in a new venue last night. The little stables building at the back of the White Horse in Chadwell Heath was most acceptable as a means of keeping the continuity of this group going, though about half the size of the function room in the old place, and with nowhere for larger groups of musicians to put their instruments down or tune up. It was easy enough to make the journey, just 5 minutes walk from Chadwell Heath station and with a large car park for drivers. The hope remains that the town centre Golden Lion pub will reopen under new ownership soon and that the function room will remain available so the Havering Folk Club will be able to return to the most popular venue and able to accommodate larger audiences as are more likely to turn up regularly.

Last night we were treated to a performance by Gemma Salter and friend from the cast of Come Dancing who sang a lovely song that she wrote during the early days of the show.

Havering Folk Club Songs

I played an instrumental for the first time, a very old tune of mine called Narrowboats which was actually composed on the roof of a narrowboat during a Kea Youth Club expedition to the Midlands and river Severn a long time ago. Then I sang my version of Wonderwall , the traditional Mancunian folk song by Oasis, dedicated to Frankie whose birthday it was yesterday.

In the second set I managed to get a request for The Cormorants Song aka London Bridge

Listen to Cormorants on Last.fm - free download

Havering Folk Club News

update:

Havering Folk Club is now back at the Golden Lion as usual on Wednesdays at eight o'clock sharp.

Tom Bliss at Havering Folk Club

It was a Special Guest Night this week at havering Folk Club with Tom Bliss who we just missed at Crail back in September when we were in Fife.

It was good to see Simon back for a short visit after suffering severe back trouble, and that a £5 entrance night can still generate a sizeable crowd for a weekly club.

There was only time for each floor spot to do one song so I did Cormorants, which has been on my mind this week.

Havering Folk Club

Havering Folk Club

I played for the first time at Havering Folk Club last night which was fine. There's no amplification, just a nice upstairs room with good acoustics and a small friendly crowd of regulars. We can get there on the train really easily so this is better than anything that exists in East London, which is not a lot.

I sang in the first half:

* Cormorants
* The Nutmeg Tree

later:

* The Wreckers Prayer

which got the audience going in the chorus. I'll be going back to Havering Folk Club