Shetland 'folk' Festival

[Guest Auld Meerkat]

My point was not to critcise the hard work and organising ability of the festival or hall committees. I was simply making the argument that the format is vastly different from the original ideas and of course if I don't like it I can allways go to the Orkney Festival !

People in Shetland are remarkable in their help to organise this festival, the Fiddle and Accordion Festival (which does exactly what it says on the tin!) and events like the Tall Ships.

Since then, if it seems that the people want a multi style music festival, why not really go for it and have the Shetland Popular Music Festival in May or June and involve the organisers of the jazz,blues, country and rock scenes. Let's have a week long spree with a club scene for each music type and have rock bands at Clickimmin and Morrison quay with Mareel and a stage tent at the pier for the rest. The country halls would of course be heavily invoved as well. The Simmer Dim Music Week ? - This would be a big tourist attraction..!

[Mhari P]

Yep - you're right. Like most things, our Festival has evolved and this is in response to customer feedback. Orkney Folk Festival has also changed significantly through the years and they programme many similar "Folk" bands to Shetland. Staging our Festival at the end of April/beginning of May brings a massive boost to the local economy and critically, this is in the off peak tourist season so we won't be looking to change this.

 

Good luck exploring your idea.

 

M

[Seaflech]

I was simply making the argument that the format is vastly different from the original ideas......

 

So what's your point? It's no longer a small festival populated by men with beards in stripey jumpers with questionable personal hygiene? Things evolve for a reason, ie because the customer demands it.

 

Let's have a week long spree with a club scene for each music type and have rock bands at Clickimmin and Morrison quay with Mareel and a stage tent at the pier for the rest. The country halls would of course be heavily invoved as well. The Simmer Dim Music Week ? - This would be a big tourist attraction..!

 

And then what - 51 weeks of the year with nothing at all? Good plan.

 

As stated earlier in this thread, it is both staggering and depressing the lengths some people will go to to shoot everything down.

 

Mhari P and all the other FF 'folk', keep up the awesome work, best 4 days in the calendar!

[furrydice]

Well said Seaflech!!!

 

Clearly Auld Meerkat, you believe the Folk Festival should showcase only "traditional" folk music?

 

"Traditional Folk Music" although having no set definition, can be described as "old music passed orally from generation to generation" An extension of the term "folk lore", it's music relates to "traditions, customs and superstitions of the uncultured classes". I much prefer Seaflech's definition however As previously mentioned, this is a very specific genre and it's highly unlikely traditional folk music concerts would sell out throughout the isles over a 4 day festival? I, for one, am not sure I could sit through one concert....let alone several over 4 days! But then....thats just my opinion.

 

However, as mentioned already....folk music has evolved. The term "Folk Music" (not "traditional" folk music) refers to both traditional music AND the genre that evolved from it during the folk revival in the mid 1900's. New "folk music" or "contempary folk music" is defined to also include fusion genres such as rock, blues, metal etc. The "Shetland Folk Festival" is exactly that. It is not the "Shetland Traditional Folk Festival".

 

The diversity of the music at the festival is what makes it great and the committee should be wholeheartedly applauded for it's huge success each and every year!

[DavieG]

Well whit will we read here next!!!! Somebody got oot o bed wie a gripey belly this morning and no mistake!!!!

 

Thankfully it's just about all been said in reply and thank Christ things DO develop and move on and are not totally static or worse still pigeon holed into what somebody (usually a real minority - if not one person) terms 'folk' music or alternatively wants personally for themselves by way of musical entertainment.

 

The very term 'folk music' should be self explanatory in itself and not simply a convenient and hugely restricted term as suggested here by the original poster.

 

For proof lets just look to one of the most acclaimed, successful and indeed popular 'folk' festivals in the world for an answer - the Cambridge festival - and to how musically unrestricted that is while still keeping a firm focus on possibly the TRUE grass roots meaning of the word folk. NOBODY - that I know of anyway - complains or goes away disappointed (as suggested here) that they have seen, alongside perhaps the more 'traditional' (whatever that word REALLY means) acts that they may favour, that they also get the chance to see Steve Earle, Nanci Griffiths, the Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain, Trecherous Orchestra or whatever. While many good so called 'indie' bands (Mumford and Sons perhaps being a prime example) now also potentially (or even generally) appeal to the same genre and can confidently find a place on the same bill - upsetting only those that term themselves pureists or 'traditionalists' (a real minority I can assure you)

 

By expanding the term folk (faithfully in my humble opinion) this has brought whole (indeed massive) new audiences to 'folk' music over the past 20 years or so - including young folk most importantly. It's also in that time become 'inclusive' not 'exclusive' and all the better for it I would say. Indeed I would even go so far as to suggest that such as approach has saved - let alone developed - folk music itself.

 

Would the Shetland festival have survived (let alone developed in the way it has) if it still only purveyed folk music as it stood or was recognised in the 1970's and 80's when it first started???? I very much doot it!!!!

 

And tell me what to hell 'World Music' actually is? Whit a fu****g stupid term!!!! Music from the world? OK there's a surprise!!! At one time however this term encouraged more restrictive pigeon holing!!! It more or less applied uniquely to African, possibly far Eastern or perhaps Latin American music - full stop!!! Now it's expanded to recognise the indigenous ( hey maybe traditional) music of ANY country in the WORLD - including Scotland thankfully and yes Shetland too!!!! So now it truly is World Music - not just the music of Africa as it once almost uniquely aligned itself too. Even the WOMEX World Music Expo has expanded to incorporate this new thinking and recognition - well nearly anyway!!!!!

 

Folk Festivals also increasingly have to be financially viable or self sustaining into the bargain - without hopefully totally selling out - especially in light of falling funding opportunities. So it's become necessary to fully embrace the expanded term 'folk music' to benefit from this too.

 

Thankfully the world has moved on greatly, especially over the past 30 years, as to what it (not we) now terms folk music. This has allowed and encouraged festivals all over the world - not just in Shetland - to faithfully expand their programmes in line with this new thinking and for everyone to reap the benefits - added exposure for artists and events, enhanced performance opportunities and incomes for many great artists, increased audiences and audience development opportunities and yes financial benefits too - to name but a few.

 

Had this not happened 'organically' as it has - and the term folk had been left exclusively in the hands of the wooly jumper, zither and finger in the ear brigade then I humbly suggest there would be many LESS folk festivals, active folk clubs, folk music record labels and great musicians working professionally and internationally etc etc than there are now.

 

And remember many larger festivals such as Glastonbury etc now have their own 'folk music' stages - bringing the music to a new and increasing audience . Thank Christ THEY dont pigeon hole it and say "no that's folk music it has no place here"!!!!!

 

Musical genres and indeed festivals who do not develop wither and DIE - fact!!!!! Remember this was happening to what was initially termed 'traditional Shetland music' in 50's Shetland let alone today!!!!

 

However that's not to say there's not a place for what some folk term 'traditional folk festivals' - I fully accept that there are. However they are now very much in a minority (a limited or 'niche' market) and struggle from year to year to even survive due to the simply fact there is so little support for or interest in them from today's audiences. And yes that goes for Shetland in a general sense too.

 

Finally promoting music in Shetland is NOT the unique domain of the likes of the SFF, Accordion and Fiddle Festival, Thomas Fraser festival or even individuals such as myself.

 

If anyone is NOT happy with what's already happening up here or in effect laid on a plate for them (usually at significant fianancial risk to the local promoter(s) concerned) by the likes of hugely committed volunteeers at the SFF or whoever, then I humble suggest they get off their opioninated arses, get out there and do it themselves if they know better what should or should not be done or delivered!!!!!!

 

I look forward to seeing what it is they think needs to be done, what will work in every sense of the word up here and what they physically come up with to address the issues they highlight - rather than simply spouting off and hiding behind the anonimity that this particular forum affords them

 

Davie Gardner

Atlantic Edge Music Services

Shetland

 

See I'm no afraid to say who I am and what my opinion is. So come on complainer lets see you in every sense of the word!!!!!

[DavieG]

Let's have a week long spree with a club scene for each music type and have rock bands at Clickimmin and Morrison quay with Mareel and a stage tent at the pier for the rest. The country halls would of course be heavily invoved as well. The Simmer Dim Music Week ? - This would be a big tourist attraction..!

 

And wha's going to pay for that wan and take the HUGE financial risks (not to mention the organising time) that come wie anything of this nature - much smaller events included?

 

I come back to my final point in the original post - on you go then!!!!

[Seaflech]

^^^

 

Big

 

Well said Davie.

Some of the omnistupid people on Shetlink would struggle to run a bath, let alone the fantastic range and quantity of music events we are lucky enough to have for such a small place. Shetland really punches above its weight when it comes to this thanks to the hardwork of the positive minority, rather than the whingeing, whining, nothing-better-to-do-but-complain minority. Keep up the good work!

[Biglad]

'I look forward to seeing what it is they think needs to be done, what will work in every sense of the word up here and what they physically come up with to address the issues they highlight - rather than simply spouting off and hiding behind the anonimity that this particular forum affords them!' - Davie Gardner

 

There has NEVER been a truer sentance written on this bloody forum!

[Biglad]

^^^

 

Big

 

Well said Davie.

Some of the omnistupid people on Shetlink would struggle to run a bath, let alone the fantastic range and quantity of music events we are lucky enough to have for such a small place. Shetland really punches above its weight when it comes to this thanks to the hardwork of the positive minority, rather than the whingeing, whining, nothing-better-to-do-but-complain minority. Keep up the good work!

 

Annider wan, well said!

[Guest Auld Meerkat]

Sorry folks - I seem to have been deluded into thinking that a forum was somewhere you could highlight, suggest ,complain about or praise a subject that caught your interest - without starting the third world war.

I shall retire to my lair with a mug of horlicks and leave you young dudes to your own show, before Simon Cowell comes on with his twopenceworth !

[Seaflech]

Sorry folks - I seem to have been deluded into thinking that a forum was somewhere you could highlight, suggest ,complain about or praise a subject that caught your interest - without starting the third world war. !

 

It is, and it's good to see all of the above in a post - but what made this thread grow to what it has is because your initial post certainly 'highlighted' the 'complain' element, sod all of the 'praise' part (initially at least), and the 'suggest' function was an unrealistic logistical nightmare.

 

I'm not having a go at you, but it is an all too frequent occurrence on Shetlink that a poster will air their particular grievance about a particular subject with the following traits a) having no more than a passing understanding of what they are talking about, wanting to change the world to suit their own needs, c) accidentally (in some cases) upsetting a large number of people with a badly written comment or suggestion, and then throw their toys of the pram when people come back and rip them to shreds.

The anonymity afforded by a username on a public forum has its pros and cons. One of the pros is that nobody knows who is writing what they read, the con to that is that when people write disparaging replies, you know it is your opinion that is being slated.

 

By the way I think Davie Gardner is still waiting for some suggestions from you......

[DavieG]

Totally agree with the above, it is the best 4 days of the year, and why should they change a winning format, and I've never heard any complaints from visitors, in fact they keep coming back

 

In fairness to the festival again they DO continually change the format and the programme content pretty radically - and still it works!!!! Anidder big thumbs up!!

[JustMe]

The Shetland Folk Festival manages to attract people from all over the world, most of the concerts sell out, people love the Festival Club so I reckon the organisers are doing a pretty good job (apart from the antiquated booking arrangements which I have already mentioned). If anyone thinks they can do better then let them get on with it. Just as long as they choose another name and another time of year.