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Brisbane Folk Club History Project Brisbane has arguably the most vibrant folk music scene of all the major cities in Australia. The depth of talent among the local musicians, singers and organisers is outstanding, yet folk music and folk culture is little known in the mainstream. The stories in song and verse handed down through the many songwriters in our folk music family are of historical importance not just to us but also to the wider community. With this in mind I want to set in motion this project with the aims of recording the history of the Brisbane folk music scene and promoting the work of the many and varied folk artists who are performing in and around Brisbane today. As envisaged, the project will take three forms to be integrated as a single package. 1: A DVD documentary recording the Brisbane Folk Music scene, past and present. 2: A compilation CD of Brisbane folk music artists, past and present. 3: A Companion Book documenting the history of the above. 4: An exhibition of photographs and memorabilia. The Brisbane Folk History Project has applied for incorporation as an association. Office bearers are:
Membership is open to all, and any assistance is gratefully accepted. A Funding Subcommittee is sourcing grants and a Research Subcommittee is collating information. We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who has written about or researched this subject in the past. Any recordings, videos, films, articles, books, anecdotes and memorabilia would be invaluable. However long you have been involved in the Brisbane Folk Scene, we are keen to hear your stories. The questionnaire included in this issue of the Folk Rag will be going out far and wide, and we invite you to respond using whatever means best suits you:
Michael Tully
(An electronic questionnaire version can be downloaded from here )
Brisbane's Folk Music History - How's your memory? Do you remember any of these? Bands: Verandah Band; The Adams (band); Red Brick Bush Band; Bale em up Bush Band; Black 'n Tan (band); Hilltop Holdout Bluegrass Band; Rumbylowe; Wayfarers; Rantan Bush Band. Folk clubs: The Tar Pot Folk Club; The Quart Pot folk Club (Toowoomba); The Farmers Arms Folk Club (Cabarlah); Edward Street Folk Club; The Old Bark Hut Folk Club; Freakin' Folk Club; The Pod Folk Club; The Federation Folk Club; Others: House Concerts; events at Manilla Street; Roma Street forum concerts; The Primitif; Riverside Folk Club (adventurers Club); Mediaeval Fayres; The Curry Shop; Wine & Cheese parties at Milton; Fling things; Morris, Garland & Rapper dancing in and around Brisbane. Anything else? Please tell me about it. , even with just one simple fact. If anyone has any old Newsletters for magazines, especially prior to the mid '80s, I would love to see them. You can either donate or loan them to the project. The Brisbane Folk History Project is now going full bore and, with a grant from the Brisbane City Council, has been buying digital recorders and interviewing folkies to get their stories down for our history book. A hired transcriber is translating the voice recordings into print. We are selecting a story every month to feature on the Brisbane Folk History website at www.brisbane.folkhistory.org Check out the The Stories link. One of the first to be interviewed was Pamela Gallagher. Read her story in the June edition of the Folk Rag. The first story to feature on the Folk History website is ...well, it is mine! Because it's been written and so is available. As new stories come to me I will publish them, so, IF YOU WANT TO HAVE YOUR SAY, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE, or, if you want to contradict or add to any of my recollections, get yer finger out and go for it! A Wikipedia site for Brisbane folk music history will be opened; anyone can contribute to the site. We will have more to say on that once it is fully established. We hope to hold another folk nostalgia concert, at Clovely Cellar Door, Red Hill, in July - watch this space for details. See the BFHP website!
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