i was in a few pubs tonight
impromptu pup crawl
in the southside of Glasgow.
(victoria road/pollokshaws road)
plenty of irish pubs.
i noticed they all had football on the telly.
but it was dead, barely 5 or 6 people in each pub
i reckon the landlords would get more folk in the door during the week if free(?) live music was on offer.
a few of the pubs advertise live Folk music, but it usually involves Rebel/Football songs or other sentimental shite.
i would like to start a session up.
but im not a good enough musician to wander in with a banjo and start playing.
plus its in the southside, where not a lot of music students/tourists venture.
please give me some good pointers on how I might engineer some kind of half decent session.
none of my mates can play the tunes though.
its all free form experimental stuff with them...which i love as well.
but some times u need to get yer jolly tinker on.
I started one by asking the guy in charge of the establishment if he would have us (free, maybe some rounds supplied after a while) and then putting a survey on my website to find out what night would be best for the majority.
Then I published photos and a good report of the event. It has grown ever since. Most times since the beginning there are people who meet for the first time, which is always a good sign.
If I had to do it again, I would do it the same way.
But I must tell you...it doesn't seem like you have much to work with. Your mates can't play the tunes thru and they do free form experimental stuff...hmmmm.
It is hard to know for sure but it sounds from your posts as though you don't know that many Irish musicians or go to sessions that often. There will be sessions in Glasgow most days of the week ranging from beginner-friendly to very advanced, so whilst I am of the opinion that a place can never have too many sessions, Glasgow certainly doesn't suffer from any serious need for it.
Anyway if that is the case, you should find musicians. Start hanging around the established Glasgow sessions and making friends. One of them is near Pollokshaws, at a pub called the Ivory on Fridays. It's a pretty high quality (except for me when I occasionally show up) Irish session. The other ones will be on the north side. I think the forum at www.footstompin.com often has updated information about those.
You'll struggle to get a session going without having many connections to the rather extensive trad music scene.
Of course if I read your post wrong and you have Irish music playing friends, then it is just a matter of finding a venue willing to host you.
1. Find a pub’ that is always full of chav sports fans, junkies and p*ssed up old slappers.
2. Make sure it’s really smelly with the funk of gentlemen’s lav and vile food fried in stale oil.
3. See that the carpet is reduced to a black adhesive thing on the floor and that all furniture surfaces are sticky.
4. Find some guitar players who mainly dig (and only know how to play) the blues but do say they are interested in trying out something else.
5. Round up, in this order:
(a) a miserable and aloof but good fiddle player with no social skills
(b) a jokey p*ss artist pain in the arse of a flute player
(c) a geriatric box player whose wheelchair blocks off the route to the bar
(d) two loud Bodhran players, one who “doubles” on ear splitting screechy whistle playing random notes and the other who specializes in upsetting people with lippy remarks
(e) an apparently deaf, dumb and blind banjo holder
(f) a player (of any instrument) who believes anyone caught smiling or enjoying themselves (let alone playing in anyway progressively; backing for instance) is a slight to the music, history and culture of Ireland
(g) A player (of any instrument) who believes to play any tune in a key, setting and on an instrument that is conventional for ITM is just old hat
6. Have it on the same night as the football every week.
7. Select a pub’ that is miles from any transport connections after 11 pm.
8. Make sure the landlord serves up some sandwiches and sausages for the musicians at the beginning of a set which therefore will be eaten by the punters before the set is done.
9. See that the pub’ manager buys some people pints and not others leading to increased animosity amongst the musicians.
10. Regularly invite any of the punters to sing Danny Boy and/ or Athenry.
I started up a session by calling most of the players I know who were in reasonable proximity to the proposed location and inviting them to come join us. Then I just showed up and so did a bunch of them. People in the area plus tourists staying nearby found out about it and sometimes we had 35 or so people there. The hardest part was keeping it going. Eventually the session became mostly populated by those who liked playing "old-time" style music, and so I deserted it for a differnt session the same night that played mostly ITM. I felt guilty deserting my own session but not enough to keep playing "Golden Slippers" and "Red Wing" and such over and over...... It eventually ended.
I play at some sessions that have been in existence for decades which is amazing I think.
So basically, I think you just call up a few friends who play and invite them to join you and take it from there. It will fly or it won't.....
All that seems uncannily familiar, Krick! I Reckon that you've blown the lid off it!
However, you forgot to mention a few things:
11) Select a pub with no free car parking within a two mile radius.
12) On no account must the landlord reserve tables/chairs for the session musicians (its much more fun when you have to evict the punters from their seats).
13) Your session musicians needs to include someone who likes to lead long very long sets of obscure tunes in G-Flat major or whatever. There is no challenge if its too easy to join in!
14) Your session members must include a singer - preferably someone specialising in interminably long ballads sung in a monotone and in no particular key.
15) Your session members must all agree to sing "Wild Rover" at every session (perhaps with "Gillgary Mountain" as an alternate choice).
16) End every session with "Ashokan Farewell", or simliar sentimental hogwash.
yeah, i dont go to sessions that often.
i keep meaning to, but most nights during the week, after work i go and do some painting. I cant relax in pubs during the week.
Silver Spear: thanks for the heads up about the Ivory. I know where that is. I had no idea they had a session there.
Friday nights suit me.
i will go and check it out. Purely to spectate though.
cheers!
Too funny Krick and Mix O'Lydian . Seems like you've been lurking at some of the sessions I attend. You should also include at least one "Asperger's type" male who has memorized long and obscure lyrics to tunes that I was unaware even had lyrics.......
And let's not forget the non-musicians who insist on having Amazing Grace and Scotland the Brave played(sigh)........although I guess Danny Boy and Ashoken will suffice in their absence.......
how to start up a session?
how to start up a session?
whats a good way to start a session?
i was in a few pubs tonight
impromptu pup crawl
in the southside of Glasgow.
(victoria road/pollokshaws road)
plenty of irish pubs.
i noticed they all had football on the telly.
but it was dead, barely 5 or 6 people in each pub
i reckon the landlords would get more folk in the door during the week if free(?) live music was on offer.
a few of the pubs advertise live Folk music, but it usually involves Rebel/Football songs or other sentimental shite.
i would like to start a session up.
but im not a good enough musician to wander in with a banjo and start playing.
plus its in the southside, where not a lot of music students/tourists venture.
please give me some good pointers on how I might engineer some kind of half decent session.
any advice is appreciated.
cheers.
# Posted on November 18th 2008 by DubChieftain
Re: how to start up a session?
all you need is some mates. You can't do it on your own.
# Posted on November 18th 2008 by llig leahcim
Re: how to start up a session?
none of my mates can play the tunes though.
its all free form experimental stuff with them...which i love as well.
but some times u need to get yer jolly tinker on.
basically im advertising for new friends.
# Posted on November 18th 2008 by DubChieftain
Re: how to start up a session?
I started one by asking the guy in charge of the establishment if he would have us (free, maybe some rounds supplied after a while) and then putting a survey on my website to find out what night would be best for the majority.
Had a great first night:
http://sessionite.com/aoh01/images/01.jpg
Then I published photos and a good report of the event. It has grown ever since. Most times since the beginning there are people who meet for the first time, which is always a good sign.
If I had to do it again, I would do it the same way.
But I must tell you...it doesn't seem like you have much to work with. Your mates can't play the tunes thru and they do free form experimental stuff...hmmmm.
# Posted on November 18th 2008 by feardearg
Re: how to start up a session?
It is hard to know for sure but it sounds from your posts as though you don't know that many Irish musicians or go to sessions that often. There will be sessions in Glasgow most days of the week ranging from beginner-friendly to very advanced, so whilst I am of the opinion that a place can never have too many sessions, Glasgow certainly doesn't suffer from any serious need for it.
Anyway if that is the case, you should find musicians. Start hanging around the established Glasgow sessions and making friends. One of them is near Pollokshaws, at a pub called the Ivory on Fridays. It's a pretty high quality (except for me when I occasionally show up) Irish session. The other ones will be on the north side. I think the forum at www.footstompin.com often has updated information about those.
You'll struggle to get a session going without having many connections to the rather extensive trad music scene.
Of course if I read your post wrong and you have Irish music playing friends, then it is just a matter of finding a venue willing to host you.
# Posted on November 18th 2008 by DrSilverSpear
Re: how to start up a session?
1. Find a pub’ that is always full of chav sports fans, junkies and p*ssed up old slappers.
2. Make sure it’s really smelly with the funk of gentlemen’s lav and vile food fried in stale oil.
3. See that the carpet is reduced to a black adhesive thing on the floor and that all furniture surfaces are sticky.
4. Find some guitar players who mainly dig (and only know how to play) the blues but do say they are interested in trying out something else.
5. Round up, in this order:
(a) a miserable and aloof but good fiddle player with no social skills
(b) a jokey p*ss artist pain in the arse of a flute player
(c) a geriatric box player whose wheelchair blocks off the route to the bar
(d) two loud Bodhran players, one who “doubles” on ear splitting screechy whistle playing random notes and the other who specializes in upsetting people with lippy remarks
(e) an apparently deaf, dumb and blind banjo holder
(f) a player (of any instrument) who believes anyone caught smiling or enjoying themselves (let alone playing in anyway progressively; backing for instance) is a slight to the music, history and culture of Ireland
(g) A player (of any instrument) who believes to play any tune in a key, setting and on an instrument that is conventional for ITM is just old hat
6. Have it on the same night as the football every week.
7. Select a pub’ that is miles from any transport connections after 11 pm.
8. Make sure the landlord serves up some sandwiches and sausages for the musicians at the beginning of a set which therefore will be eaten by the punters before the set is done.
9. See that the pub’ manager buys some people pints and not others leading to increased animosity amongst the musicians.
10. Regularly invite any of the punters to sing Danny Boy and/ or Athenry.
# Posted on November 18th 2008 by Krick Stahlschwanz
Re: how to start up a session?
Haha!!
# Posted on November 18th 2008 by yer_man
Re: how to start up a session?
I started up a session by calling most of the players I know who were in reasonable proximity to the proposed location and inviting them to come join us. Then I just showed up and so did a bunch of them. People in the area plus tourists staying nearby found out about it and sometimes we had 35 or so people there. The hardest part was keeping it going. Eventually the session became mostly populated by those who liked playing "old-time" style music, and so I deserted it for a differnt session the same night that played mostly ITM. I felt guilty deserting my own session but not enough to keep playing "Golden Slippers" and "Red Wing" and such over and over...... It eventually ended.
I play at some sessions that have been in existence for decades which is amazing I think.
So basically, I think you just call up a few friends who play and invite them to join you and take it from there. It will fly or it won't.....
# Posted on November 18th 2008 by fiddlinfarmer
Re: how to start up a session?
All that seems uncannily familiar, Krick! I Reckon that you've blown the lid off it!
However, you forgot to mention a few things:
11) Select a pub with no free car parking within a two mile radius.
12) On no account must the landlord reserve tables/chairs for the session musicians (its much more fun when you have to evict the punters from their seats).
13) Your session musicians needs to include someone who likes to lead long very long sets of obscure tunes in G-Flat major or whatever. There is no challenge if its too easy to join in!
14) Your session members must include a singer - preferably someone specialising in interminably long ballads sung in a monotone and in no particular key.
15) Your session members must all agree to sing "Wild Rover" at every session (perhaps with "Gillgary Mountain" as an alternate choice).
16) End every session with "Ashokan Farewell", or simliar sentimental hogwash.
# Posted on November 18th 2008 by Mix O'Lydian
Re: how to start up a session?
er.
i was a bit drunk when i wrote that rant.
yeah, i dont go to sessions that often.
i keep meaning to, but most nights during the week, after work i go and do some painting. I cant relax in pubs during the week.
Silver Spear: thanks for the heads up about the Ivory. I know where that is. I had no idea they had a session there.
Friday nights suit me.
i will go and check it out. Purely to spectate though.
cheers!
# Posted on November 18th 2008 by DubChieftain
Re: how to start up a session?
Too funny Krick and Mix O'Lydian
. Seems like you've been lurking at some of the sessions I attend. You should also include at least one "Asperger's type" male who has memorized long and obscure lyrics to tunes that I was unaware even had lyrics.......
And let's not forget the non-musicians who insist on having Amazing Grace and Scotland the Brave played(sigh)........although I guess Danny Boy and Ashoken will suffice in their absence.......
# Posted on November 18th 2008 by fiddlinfarmer
Re: how to start up a session?
Don't forget to have a couple of secret step-dancers, who will, without a doubt, randomly start dancing to the music after a few drams!
# Posted on November 18th 2008 by ajh92
Re: how to start up a session?
Krick: We may all be deaf, dumb and blind kids, but we sure play a mean pinball ...
# Posted on November 19th 2008 by Rick Payman