Post by Traditional Music forum on Mar 1, 2021 13:42:01 GMT
A weekly two minute catch-up for members from the
TMF Director's desk
These are some of the things that have caught my attention this week.
Enjoyed the Battle of the Folk Bands which took place last weekend, and like the Young Trad competition a few weeks earlier, it made the most of reduced circumstances while showcasing an incredibly high standard of playing. Tough one for the performers as they don't have the usual supportive audience. The Young Trad in particular has always been notable for the audience willing on all of the participants even if they are partisan about a particular performer. The debate about competitions will go on forever, but they are just one element of the activity in our community. In a world where trad music has an uphill struggle in the competition for attention, awards and contests can bring a spotlight that might rarely swing in our direction otherwise.
A lot of mixed feelings around about the Scottish Government's ever-cautious approach to loosening the current restrictions especially in light of Westminster's proposal that restrictions on large events might be lifted after June 21. SG clearly taking a leaf out of physicist Richard Feynmann's notebook when he said, 'I think it's much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers that might be wrong.'
It looked for a time that last orders was on the cards for the renowned Edinburgh session pub Sandy Bell's which can now look forward to re-opening thanks to a £10k grant from the Grassroots Music Venues Recovery Fund.
Speaking of Scottish Government you might be forgiven for shouting 'house!' in policy-speak bingo on lighting on its 'draft public engagement strategy consultation' on Scotland's transition to net-zero carbon emissions. Joking and jargon aside, it's a step towards involving communities in the process in a way that hasn't been evident before.
The mega-conference and trade fair Folk Alliance, which normally takes place in a giant hotel somewhere in North America is happening online this week with a good Scottish representation elbowing its way through the crowds of singer-songwriters to get some attention from presenters and promoters. The scale and diversity of the event is staggering, although it can seem a bit of a zoo at times.
In contrast to the sprawling nature of the event they have one of the best web addresses anywhere - folk.org A Tardis of a name if ever there was.