Looking for thoughts on this. Do you have a session at a cafe or some other non-pub location. Has it worked out? We have one session at a local French bakery. It's been going for years. We have to play outside however which can be a challenge some days.
We have a major wonderful session at the IAANJ, the local Irish American Association. Are you in USA? They are all over I think. Look in the phone book.
They love us having this thing there. It's a huge hall and room to dance, so much nicer than the pubs I think.
We have one at Border's Books in Norman, Oklahoma on the first Friday of the month. There is also one semi-regularly at 'Full Circle Bookstore' in Oklahoma City. Both of these venues have small coffee bars, and the musicians just set up in a corner of the room and listeners gather around.
I used to play at a couple back in Indiana. One was at a coffee shop at a mall -- that one folded unfortunately. Nice venue, but I guess there wasn't enough interest to keep it going. The other was at a coffee shop in Bloomington. We played outside if it were nice out. Nice little place and as far as I know it's still going on.
Crysania, yeah the one in the Mall in Indy was kinda nice. That joint is the center of a big evangelical community and they never quite knew what to think about us. Lew Truex set that up...
The one in Bloomington is in the Runcible Spoon Coffeehouse, still. It's a great little session led by Grey Larsen and some of the eldest and best players show up for that one.
A while back we had a session in the Borders Bookstore here in Bloomington. It was ok, but a lot of the folks were bothered by the fluorescent lights, the cappucino WHOOOOOOOSH that was so loud and by the conversation levels around us.
Folks talking never bother me, it feels good to me, but I didn't like the lights. Many folks also felt the atmosphere "sterile"...
The Encore Cafe, where we session weekly now, is not a pub, per se, but a large restaurant. It's fine... It's a loud room, too, and some players find it hard to hear each other, but loads of folks come to hear us and they have very good beers there. <G>
There's a lovely session in Illinois, just west of the Wabash River and Vincennes, Indiana, at the White Owl Winery, and it's waaaaay out in the country. The winery is a family-run business on their farmland and they LOVE having the session there. Wine fans and tourists come, as well as some regular punters. The wines are fun and they have a wide variety of 'em. Not a pub, tho... <G>
There was a session in Evansville in a coffeehouse, but it turned out to be a regular group of folks, not really an open session. The regulars sat on a raised stage and read the tunes from charts. When folks came in who could play the stuff without paper, there was a bit of tension. I don't think the high-quality, high-voltage coffee drinks helped... <GGG>
We used to have a slow session in a community center in an old school building. It was fine for a slow session, very good for the concentration, but it wouldn't have done for a session session... <G>
i nearly ( . . . and wish i had now) started one in the forecourt of a garage at one of the mayo fleadh's (around 1998) with an assorted bunch of brilliant players, the likes of which one would never again get into a garage anywhere altogether in the one place at the same time _but family pressure and the usual ''catholic guilt'' knocked that one for six
so why don't we start a new national trend _'the garage sessions . . . '
applicable to all countries globally, it would generate media interest and win new musical converts and so be it
Slow and mellow, maaaaaan.......
I do go to one coffee bar session, London not Amsterdam, which goes on approximately once a month on a Saturday afternoon, but it's very open, we have everything from Bach to eastern europaen, from ITM to acoustic R'n'R, so it's pretty open, and not so intense as some ITM sessions.
I know vaguely of one that takes place at a winery in the Santa Cruz mountains. I could probably find out about it more specifically if anyone wants to know.
Sessions at venues other than pubs?
Sessions at venues other than pubs?
Looking for thoughts on this. Do you have a session at a cafe or some other non-pub location. Has it worked out? We have one session at a local French bakery. It's been going for years. We have to play outside however which can be a challenge some days.
# Posted on May 1st 2006 by larrywcusick
Re: Sessions at venues other than pubs?
We have a major wonderful session at the IAANJ, the local Irish American Association. Are you in USA? They are all over I think. Look in the phone book.
They love us having this thing there. It's a huge hall and room to dance, so much nicer than the pubs I think.
# Posted on May 1st 2006 by irisnevins
Re: Sessions at venues other than pubs?
The best session in my area is at the local AOH (Hibernians) hall. It works out great for us.
# Posted on May 1st 2006 by RogueFiddler
Re: Sessions at venues other than pubs?
We have one at Border's Books in Norman, Oklahoma on the first Friday of the month. There is also one semi-regularly at 'Full Circle Bookstore' in Oklahoma City. Both of these venues have small coffee bars, and the musicians just set up in a corner of the room and listeners gather around.
# Posted on May 1st 2006 by jasonlburnfield
Re: Sessions at venues other than pubs?
I have played and swapped some tunes with other travelling musicians in Abbey Tourist Hostel in Ennis. Can that be called a session?
# Posted on May 1st 2006 by slainte
Re: Sessions at venues other than pubs?
Our local ceilidhe club has a monthly slow session, which I hear is nice.
# Posted on May 1st 2006 by AlBrown
Re: Sessions at venues other than pubs?
I used to play at a couple back in Indiana. One was at a coffee shop at a mall -- that one folded unfortunately. Nice venue, but I guess there wasn't enough interest to keep it going. The other was at a coffee shop in Bloomington. We played outside if it were nice out. Nice little place and as far as I know it's still going on.
# Posted on May 1st 2006 by Crysania
Re: Sessions at venues other than pubs?
I once attended a session in a public toilet . . the acoustics were great . . but s**t was crap.
# Posted on May 1st 2006 by Justintime
Re: Sessions at venues other than pubs?
LOL.
# Posted on May 1st 2006 by Justintime
Re: Sessions at venues other than pubs?
Sorry for any offence caused, but I've just come back from a folk festival at Whitby, and I'm still as high as a kite.
# Posted on May 1st 2006 by Justintime
Re: Sessions at venues other than pubs?
Crysania, yeah the one in the Mall in Indy was kinda nice. That joint is the center of a big evangelical community and they never quite knew what to think about us. Lew Truex set that up...
The one in Bloomington is in the Runcible Spoon Coffeehouse, still. It's a great little session led by Grey Larsen and some of the eldest and best players show up for that one.
A while back we had a session in the Borders Bookstore here in Bloomington. It was ok, but a lot of the folks were bothered by the fluorescent lights, the cappucino WHOOOOOOOSH that was so loud and by the conversation levels around us.
Folks talking never bother me, it feels good to me, but I didn't like the lights. Many folks also felt the atmosphere "sterile"...
The Encore Cafe, where we session weekly now, is not a pub, per se, but a large restaurant. It's fine... It's a loud room, too, and some players find it hard to hear each other, but loads of folks come to hear us and they have very good beers there. <G>
There's a lovely session in Illinois, just west of the Wabash River and Vincennes, Indiana, at the White Owl Winery, and it's waaaaay out in the country. The winery is a family-run business on their farmland and they LOVE having the session there. Wine fans and tourists come, as well as some regular punters. The wines are fun and they have a wide variety of 'em. Not a pub, tho... <G>
There was a session in Evansville in a coffeehouse, but it turned out to be a regular group of folks, not really an open session. The regulars sat on a raised stage and read the tunes from charts. When folks came in who could play the stuff without paper, there was a bit of tension. I don't think the high-quality, high-voltage coffee drinks helped... <GGG>
We used to have a slow session in a community center in an old school building. It was fine for a slow session, very good for the concentration, but it wouldn't have done for a session session... <G>
stv
http://cdbaby.com/Culchies
# Posted on May 1st 2006 by stv culchie
Re: i only wanted deisel
i nearly ( . . . and wish i had now) started one in the forecourt of a garage at one of the mayo fleadh's (around 1998) with an assorted bunch of brilliant players, the likes of which one would never again get into a garage anywhere altogether in the one place at the same time _but family pressure and the usual ''catholic guilt'' knocked that one for six
so why don't we start a new national trend _'the garage sessions . . . '
applicable to all countries globally, it would generate media interest and win new musical converts and so be it
but still, who are we though?
# Posted on May 1st 2006 by lisaniska
Re: Sessions at venues other than pubs?
I wonder what's the session like in a smokey "coffee shop" in Amsterdam.
# Posted on May 2nd 2006 by slainte
Re: Sessions at venues other than pubs?
Slow and mellow, maaaaaan.......
I do go to one coffee bar session, London not Amsterdam, which goes on approximately once a month on a Saturday afternoon, but it's very open, we have everything from Bach to eastern europaen, from ITM to acoustic R'n'R, so it's pretty open, and not so intense as some ITM sessions.
# Posted on May 2nd 2006 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Sessions at venues other than pubs?
I know vaguely of one that takes place at a winery in the Santa Cruz mountains. I could probably find out about it more specifically if anyone wants to know.
# Posted on May 3rd 2006 by cathrynb