Celebrating Folk
Mark McNeil
The Hamilton Spectator

Don and Brenda McGeoch    are the founders of the       Brantford Folk Club.             (photo by Scott Gardner,             The hamilton Spectator)

The early 1980s were tough years for folk music. Radio stations didn't play it. Record stores didn't stock it. Pub owners didn't book it.
And if you felt like stepping onto an open stage to play a few tunes -- well, there weren't too many opportunities for that either.

Against this bleak backdrop, Don and Brenda McGeoch decided to give folk music a bit of a helping hand. They put up a few posters, handed out some leaflets, and in October 1982 the Brantford Folk Club was born in a rented room at a local racquetball club.
The club was a big hit even in the first year. Every two weeks, 50 to 80 people would come out for open stage nights and the occasional concert. Don was emcee and Brenda minded the door.

Now -- as the club celebrates its 20th season this year -- the registered non-profit organization has grown into one of the most respected folk music clubs in Canada. The club is known for good quality sound, comfortable surroundings, attracting large audiences from a wide area and presenting performers from around the world.

Club nights are now held at the Best Western Brant Park Inn in Brantford. While it is called a "club", no membership is required.
"I think one of the most important things is a good atmosphere," says Don. "You can have a bunch of musicians who play well, but if there is no atmosphere there is no magic and communication between the performer and audience. The sound needs to be good to hear the words. You don't want one instrument overpowering another. There has to be a fine balance there."

Open stage nights bring out 100 to 150 people, with 12 to 18 performers. Concert evenings see crowds as large as 350.

Over the years performers have included Loreena McKennitt, Garnet Rogers, Mose Scarlett, Spirit of the West and the all-time club favourite, Eric Bogle, an expatriate Scot who now lives in Adelaide, South Australia. Bogle, who is next scheduled to appear Dec. 1, "is a brilliant songwriter and incredible entertainer," says Don, "As soon as people know tickets are on sale for Eric Bogle they get snapped up very quickly."

This season will also feature folk legend Tom Paxton, a special Christmas show with the U.K. singing trio Artisan as well as a songwriters' night with James Keelaghan, Mae Moore, Guy Davis, Ray Bonneville on Feb. 28.

The club's full-day folk festival, Octoberfolk, on Oct. 5 will see the seven-piece Irish band Danú as well as Valdy, Cindy Church and others.

The McGeochs immigrated to Brantford from Paisley, Scotland, in 1974, and through the late '70s Don performed occasionally as a singer and guitarist at parties and other social gatherings, playing mostly Scottish and Irish music. In the spring of 1982, they heard about the newly started Hamilton Folk Club (then at the Gown and Gavel but now every second Tuesday night at the Pheasant Plucker on Augusta Street).

"We went to a couple of Hamilton clubs and we thought it would be nice to have something like that in Brantford." But different to Hamilton, the McGeochs wanted to go beyond open stage nights. They wanted to also regularly host folk concerts and bring some of their favourite performers to town. "The main reason for the concerts is we were fed up with having to go out of town to see folk concerts. We had to travel to London and Toronto. We thought it would be nice to bring the performers here."

Don says open stage nights were popular right from the start and continue to draw well. "There are loads of people who play acoustic music and are looking for a place to perform."

A lot of performers who come out for open stage nights are baby boomers who played guitar years before but temporarily gave it up while they raised a family. Now their kids are older and they are taking up the guitar again. Many others have been inspired to play by the new folk musicians who have come on the scene.

Home studios have created an explosion of folk music that is being released independently on CD. There are hundreds of Canadian, American and U.K. performers who play some form of folk music that ranges from Celtic to contemporary, bluegrass to blues, Cajun to Klezmer.

The Internet has become the way that folk fans and folk musicians communicate. Folk festivals also spread the word. They have increased to a point that folk fans -- willing to drive an hour or two from Hamilton -- are able to attend a different one every summer weekend.

Folk clubs, song circles and, the latest trend, folk house concerts, are springing up everywhere.

It's a much different world of music than it was 20 years ago. "There is a lot more folk music out there today. There is no question about that," says Don. But in a way, he doesn't find it surprising. Folk music touches on basic human experience. People always want to hear about that. "It's music that a lot of different age groups can relate to. It's music that can certainly make you think, make you laugh and even make you cry."

Asked how much longer he wants to continue the club, he said: "A couple of years ago I said if I reached 20 years, I'd be doing well. But now that 20 years is here, I think we will keep going for a bit anyway, because there is definitely a market for it. It would be a shame to let it go ... for now we'll go the way we are."

You can contact Mark McNeil at mmcneil@hamiltonspectator.com or 905-526-4687.
 

back to homepage