Venues - Zoom - Folklife's online Directory

Venues - Virtual (Zoom etc)

Mainly LISTINGS, plus: * INTERNATIONAL ZOOM LISTINGS * Some HELPFUL NOTES about ZOOM *
DETAILED ARTICLES by LYNN NOEL (Boston, USA); MARK DOWDING (Lancs); DAVE MASON (Scotland).
Our listings below, see also others' SITES WITH ZOOM LISTINGS/CALENDARS after our listings.

Listed by country & area -- in same order as in Folklife West magazine news on https://folklife.uk, & on these online webpages:

→ Cymru • Wales → England: West Country → West Midlands (these, plus Oxon, are our main areas, so most entries)
→ England other regions --- East Midlands, East; South-East, London; North-West, North-East, Yorkshire & the Humber
→ Alba•Scotland → International entries welcome from enthusiasts everywhere!

Listings by Day, so Day Varies, then  Sunday to Saturday.

Add your listings - scroll down for details, which follow Listings.

Most Directory entries are from paying Folklife Members, paid membership (details foot of page) very welcome, but not required for Directory listing.
For more details of those listed who are  🄵 Folklife members,  Ø Associate members, ØØ International Updates-signups, see Folklife West folk news.

We also list, free, in this Directory,   🅄  UK Updates-signups (other than above), and  🄹  Folklife Traditions Journal  subscriber/contributor.
(TBC) reported to us but not signed-up to our mailing list so we are not in regular contact with them

(Paul Clarke) : Paul Clarke of FOCSLE Music provides us with Zoom Updates - and checks our existing entries.
* FOCSLE Music, Southampton, UK, www.focsle.org - real live music in Southampton, UK for the past 60 years - and now Zoom as well.

Day Varies

ØØ  Day varies. USA LIVE FROM THE MERMAID'S TAVERN   from Boston, Mass.
→2-4 EDT [= UK 7pm-9pm].
⇒ SIGN UP VIA WEBSITE  For details see sites.google.com/view/lynnoel/music/mermaidstavern
Join the mailing list at http://mailinglist.mermaidstavern.com
⊕  Ballad sings and tavern/chantey sings, often 1st Sunday, but varies for seasonal themes and concerts - join the mailing list. (revised Sam, 11/2023)

Sunday

Ø   Sunday, weekly.  England LOCH DOWN FOLK CLUB  from North-East.
→ 8pm.
⇒ DIRECT LINK https://us04web.zoom.us/j/445376545?pwd=L1BiRlozc2NqYXJZQlQ4ZkVIaW45dz09
   Meeting ID: 445 376 545 Password: 000338
⊕ Songs, tunes, poems or just come for the craic and have a listen. All nationalities. All languages. All welcome.  (confirmed Paul Clarke, 6/23)

🄹  Sunday, 1st and 3rd. England JULIE & GAVIN'S SUNDAY NIGHT ZOOM SESSION from Marden, Kent.
→  7.30pm to 10pm London time.
⇒ EMAIL For the link, please send an email to gmatkin<at>gmail.com Join the mailing list by emailing gmatkin<at>gmail.com
⊕  Singdanceandplay.net A traditional-leaning Zoom that features songs interspersed with tunes  [New listing: added Nov 2023]

(TBC) Sunday, fortnightly. Israel   LET'S SING TOGETHER (Virtually!) from Jerusalem.
→ 8:15 to 10:30pm Jerusalem time [6.15 to 8.30pm UK time].
⇒ EMAIL  For the link. please send an email to pgbacal <at> gmail.com
⊕ www.facebook.com/pg/JM.Folk.Music.Evenings/posts/ We open at 8:00 pm and the singing starts at 8:15 (Israeli time) [6.00-6.15 UK time].  We usually finish around 11pm-ish Israeli time. [confirmed Sam 7/23]

ØØ   Sunday, occasional. USA  LIVE FROM THE MERMAID'S TAVERN, ONLINE BALLAD SING from  Boston, Mass. - see Day varies USA above for details.
(revised Sam, 11/2023)

(TBC)  Sunday, 1st. USA   Virtual SOUTH STREET SEAPORT MUSEUM’s monthly SEA CHANTEYS AND MARITIME MUSIC from  NY. New York City.   → 2pm - 4pm EST, this is 7pm- 9pm UK time.
⇒ SIGN UP VIA WEBSITE. Sign up on southstreetseaportmuseum.org/chanteysing to receive the Zoom link 24 hours prior.
⊕  Listen in, lead or request a song, and belt out the choruses for your neighbors to hear. Hosted by singers from the New York Packet. If you'd like to lead a song, register at least a week before the sing.  NOT checked this one lately (11/23)

Monday

🄵 Monday, fortnightly. England   DRAGON INN: VIRTUAL IRISH SESSION  from Worcester, Worcs.
→ Starts 8.30pm. As to which Mondays, check Mike's calendar on worcesterfolk.org.uk
⇒ EMAIL You will need to contact Mike Walton, mike<at>worcesterfolk.org.uk
⊕ An "Irish trad" (not enforced) session on the Mondays when the live Dragon Inn session (see venues - Midlands) doesn't run. (updated Jan 2023)

Ø  Monday (& Thursday), weekly.  England PHOENIX FOLK TUNES SESSIONS  from Newcastle upon Tyne.
→ 8pm-9.30pm.
⇒ DIRECT LINK Weblinks and other info on phoenixfolk.org.uk/online-sessions/4594895190
⊕  You'll hear the tune leaders playing live fiddle & guitar so that you can play along at home. Everyone joining in will be muted during tunes; we'll still all be playing music together, and you can be un-muted inbetween tunes! (added 22/7/2020)

Ø   Monday, weekly.  Scotland  BORDERS ONLINE MUSIC SESSIONS  from the Scottish Borders.
→ Opens from 7.30pm (GMT), music starts at 8pm, till 10pm.
⇒ DIRECT LINK https://us02web.zoom.us/j/72019462970?pwd=music  Meeting ID: 720 1946 2970 Passcode: music
⊕ Singers and musicians of all abilities welcome.    Weekly, plus monthly 2nd Fridays. Ray. (Code revised 16/02/2022)

Tuesday / Nos Fawth    Zoom / Zŵm

🄵 Tuesday, 1st. Cymru / Wales   LLANTRISANT FOLK CLUB ZOOM  from Pontyclun, Rhondda Cynon Taf.
→ The doors open 8:20pm, music starts 8.30pm.
⇒ DIRECT LINK See Facebook www.facebook.com/Llantrisant-Folk-Club-226706954032491/ or http://folk.wales/updates/whats-on-at/
⊕ Yes, we’re making virtual music via Zoom! Just go to Zoom link on the Facebook page Live club every Wed. [confirmed Sam 7/23]

Ø Ni'n cwrdd ar Zoom ail nos Fawth bob mis. /Tuesday, 2nd.  Cymru / Wales  SESH SŴN Ddigidol. o Gastell-nedd Port Talbot / from Neath Port Talbot.
→ 7 - 9pm.
⇒ EMAIL Contact details to have the zoom link is cymuned<at>micnpt.cymru
⊕ Whether you’re fluent or learning Welsh, this is a chance to join in a traditional Welsh Folk Session. So grab your instruments and come along to enjoy in a friendly, supportive environment.   [update Aug 2021] Now live ??? TBC (Nov 2023)

🄵  Tuesday, 3rd. Cymru / Wales   THE LYCEUM FOLK & ACOUSTIC CLUB. from Newport.
⇒ DIRECT LINK    Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2802265304 Meeting ID: 280 226 5304
     hfacebook.com/Lyceum-Folk-Club-of-Newport-213395425376402/ and on lyceumfolknewport.org.uk/
⊕ We are holding virtual club nights every 3rd Tuesday via Zoom. For more details about our Zoom evenings, see "Lyceum Folk Club of Newport" on Facebook.  Live Club on Thursdays.   [confirmed Sam 7/23]

Ø    Tuesday, weekly. England PHOENIX FOLK SINGAROUND  from Newcastle upon Tyne.
→ 7.30pm - 9.30pm.
⇒ DIRECT LINK   Weblinks and other info on phoenixfolk.org.uk/online-sessions/4594895190
⊕ You can perform a song (or tune) to the rest of the group, just as you would in a regular folk club. (added 22/7/2020)

ØØ Tuesday, 1st & 3rd. USA  SAN FRANCISCO FOLK MUSIC CLUB'S SINGS  from San Francisco, CA.
→ 1pm - 3 pm PDT = 9pm - 11pm UK time.
⇒ VIA WEBSITE, sign up via website https://www.sffmc.org to receive an invitation to the meeting: subscribe to our Harmony email list, via the website https://www.sffmc.org
⊕ Whether you sing traditional songs or newer songs, a cappella or with your guitar, whether you play Old-Time, Irish, or other instrumental tunes, whether you dance contra, Irish, or swing, we’re always thrilled to meet new musicians!   [added 19 Jun 2021]

We have Folklife members from Skye to Brussels!, but no significant circulation outside our main area (Wales; England West Country & W.Mids).
. . . but it might be worth joining Folklife in some circumstances:
-- for venues near to our area
-- for venues in popular holiday areas
-- for venues with something else to publicise eg a folk act, or a folk festival - we can publicise all your folk activities if you are a Folklife member
-- or if interested in our general articles on our Folklife Traditions Journal , and in reading folk news in 'Folklife West
-- . . . or to support us ! Contact [email protected]

Wednesday

🄵  Wednesday, 4th. England WHITE HORSE FOLK CLUB  from Highworth, Wilts.
→ about 7.45pm for 8pm, and the contact is Geoff Davies 01793 706753.
⇒ EMAIL Any queries or for invites use whfczoom<at>gmail.com    [confirmed Sam 7/23]

🄵 Wednesday, last. England Virtual FOCSLE MUSIC  from Southampton, Hampshire.
→ 8pm.
⇒ EMAIL   Contact Paul Clarke for Zoom link, pls. e-mail virtual<at>focsle.org, and see Website http://www.focsle.org
⊕   FOCSLE Music meets virtually, via Zoom. Join us and our international music friends (incl. some professionals) on last Wednesdays, 8pm (UK).  [Amended to last Wed ,Aug 2024]

ØØ Wednesday, weekly USA  CA. THE TRANS-ATLANTIC SESSION from California.
→ Start 12pm Pacific time, 3pm Eastern time, 8pm Ireland+UK
⇒ DIRECT LINK is https://link.americeltic.net/session
To request the link during the session, you can send us an email [or US only, text] message
⊕ Every Wednesday, Tony Becker and Mark Wallis (occasionally) co-host an Trans-Atlantic Irish Traditional Virtual Zoom Session. Like most in-person Irish sessions, this session’s music emphasis is on traditional Irish, Contra-dance, Old-Time and similar instrumental dance tunes, with an occasional song.
[confirmed Sam 7/23]

Thursday

(TBC)    Thursday, weekly except 3rd. England  VIRTUAL THURSDAY ZOOM SESSION at CENTRAL BAR from Gateshead.
→ 1pm.
⇒ DIRECT LINK    Meeting number is 895 8997 2620 and pass number id 015239.
⊕ Ged Moore. 3rd Thursdays live.   (confirmed Paul Clarke, 6/23)

Ø    Thursday, weekly. England  PHOENIX FOLK TUNES SESSIONS  from Newcastle upon Tyne.
→ 8pm - 9.30pm.
⇒ DIRECT LINK   Weblinks and other info on phoenixfolk.org.uk/online-sessions/4594895190
⊕  You'll hear the tune leaders playing live fiddle & guitar so that you can play along at home. Everyone joining in will be muted during tunes; we'll still all be playing music together, and you can be un-muted inbetween tunes!  (added 22/7/2020)

Ø   Thursday, weekly. England ZOOM AT THE TOP from Newburgh, Lancs.
→ 8.15 for 8.30 start.
⇒ EMAIL, OR FACEBOOK. We’re on Facebook or e.mail me for the link, maggihuyton<at>yahoo.com. Meeting ID 174 901 873
⊕ On Mondays, Room at the Top Folk Club is live in The Red Lion, Ash Brow, Newburgh, Lancs, see Venues England other regions webpage.
(Updated July 2023)

Friday

🅄 Friday, fortnightly. England  ‘PETE’S ALTERNATE FRIDAY SINGAROUND  from Coventry.
→ 7-30pm UK time.
⇒ DIRECT LINK   link is 87338821694 password 115009
  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87338821694?pwd=UGJDMW1VcnhuOEtjdTV0RUE5ZGZTUT09
⊕ Small but perfectly formed! Join us if you feel like it, poets and musicians welcome as well as singers. Every fortnight, Pete Grassby.
   [updated 17/1/2023]

Ø    Friday, weekly. England FRIDAY FOLK ZOOM  from Kent.
→ 7.30-10pm.
⇒ PHONE. If you are on our email circulation list you will receive an invite every week with a link to click. Otherwise ring Sue on 01-304-360877 if you wish to take part. [confirmed 7/2023]

🅄   Friday, 1st. Scotland ROLLING HILLS FOLK CLUB ZOOM  from the Scottish Borders
→ Waiting room opens at 7.30pm UK
⇒  FACEBOOK : https://www.facebook.com/RollingHillsFolkClub The Zoom link changes monthly. Send a private message on the Rolling Hills Folk Club Facebook page with email to receive the link and time information  or contact by  EMAIL : rolling.hills1<at>btinternet.com
⊕ Summer break - no Zooms in July & August   [revised contact details November 2023]

🄵   Friday, sometimes 1st, usually 2nd. Scotland  SRÙBAG! Cèilidh Seinn na Gàidhlig –– Gaelic Song Cèilidh Zoom fromEdinburgh.
→ 7.30pm.
⇒   FACEBOOK OR EMAIL See www.facebook.com/seiseansrubag or contact https://linnphippsfolk.co.uk/contac for the Zoom link and/or more information.
⊕   Gaelic songs live online. Scottish and Irish Gaelic songs are welcome, as are songs from the wider Celtic family such as Breton and Welsh songs. Monthly Guest singer and additionally the song turn goes round the virtual “Room”.   Linn Phipps.

Ø   Friday, 2nd. Scotland TEVIOTDALE ONLINE MUSIC SESSIONS (was Borders Online Music Session)  from the Scottish Borders
→ Opens from 7.30pm (GMT), music starts at 8pm, till 10pm.
⇒ DIRECT LINK https://us02web.zoom.us/j/72019462970?pwd=ck0xNGVYdVJpcG16RW5oZkNobXZXUT09
Meeting ID: 860 4678 1202 Passcode: music
⊕ The 2nd Friday of each month, and every Monday too. Singers and musicians of all abilities welcome.   Ray.
   (name, and code, revised 1/03/2023)

Saturday

Ø   Saturday, weekly, except 3rd. England  SATURDAY SEA SONGS  from London.
→ 7 - 9pm.
⇒  EMAIL    Contact via email editor<at>folklondon.co.uk  to join. [revised 12/2023]

🄵   Saturday, 4th.  England CORNWALL ZOOM FOLK CLUB  from Cornwall.
⇒    EMAIL   Email Nigel Morson, ntmorson<at>aol.com. https://en-gb.facebook.com/MistOverFourLanes/
⊕      www.dreamersfolk.co.uk Join our regular singers & musicians & guests from around the world! Nigel Morson.     New - starts Feb 2022.

🄵 Saturday, 3rd.  Scotland   LEARN (SCOTTISH) GAELIC SONG SESSION  Zoom   from Skye.
⇒ VIA WEBSITE Contact https://linnphippsfolk.co.uk/contact/ Linn Phipps
→ 6pm UK/Ireland time
⊕   Free, with all materials provided, no prior knowledge of Gaelic required, pls contact Linn if interested!      [2/3/2022]

(TBC)    Saturday, monthly. USA   Virtual SF MARITIME ASSOCIATION CHANTEY SING  from San Francisco, CA.
→Noon to 1:30pm, Pacific time; 8pm - 9.30pm UK time.
⇒ VIA WEBSITE To pre-register to lead a chantey (fills up fast!): https://maritime.org/sea-chantey-sign-up/ (if not leading a chantey, no registration needed). Event information at https://maritime.org/evernts-home/chantey-sing/
Day of event link to enter for live streaming streaming: https://GikveButter.com/ChanteySing
⊕  Donations to the Association will be accepted during the event, which will be used to buy virtual technologies to broadcast more events from the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.   [added 23 Aug 2020]

ØØ  Saturday, 2nd. USA NH - PMFF CHANTEY SING.  from  Portsmouth, NH.
→ 8-10 PM London time
⇒ DIRECT LINK   Shortly before each sing, we'll post zoom info on our website (http://www.pmffest.org/) and in the corresponding calendar entry at https://www.bostonsongsessions.org/virtual-sessions
⊕ An open chantey & maritime zoom-based sing with organizers and regulars of the Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival.   [added 8 Aug 2020]

ZOOM/VIRTUAL free SESSIONS: free listings details

Your Directory Updates will be included on the UPDATES webpage

Currently, mainly Wales, West Country & West Midlands; but all areas welcome!

Not including occasional dates.

For gigs, concerts, festivals, etc, see folklife.uk Folklife members' Folk News pages.

You'll be added to UPDATES emailing list

We'll also include your Directory entries in next UPDATES mail-out, which we'll send to you.
You can unsubscribe any time & we'll remove your listings - our data policy is on https://folklife.uk/data-page

ZOOM/VIRTUAL free SESSIONS: free listings details

① Day (Sunday, etc - or - Day Varies)
② How often (Weekly; 3rd week; etc! - or: Varies)
③ Country (If UK: Wales, England, Scotland, NI ?)
④ ZOOM / VIRTUAL SESSION NAME in CAPITALS

⑤ [optional] City or Town or Village

⑥ Area (UK County or Metro Borough; US State; etc)

⑦ → Time: start/finish and Time zone (eg UK time)

⑧ ⇒ HOW TO JOIN YOUR ZOOM ? we suggest:
1. how you join EMAIL, WEBSITE, FACEBOOK, direct ZOOM LINK
2. then the details - say "EMAIL - john@ ... to join" or "WEBSITE - details on "www. .. ", or "ZOOM LINK is https:// . . .. "

⑨ ⊕ [optional] More details (up to 40 words)

Example ① to ⑥:
Tuesday, 1st.  Cymru / Wales  LLANTRISANT FOLK CLUB ZOOM  from Pontyclun, Rhondda Cynon Taf.

--- OR if you prefer - whatever's easiest for you -
you could copy questions into your email,
then answer

---- OR  download text file below
(same wording as  ZOOM/VIRTUAL free SESSIONS: free listings details  )
add details,
and email as an attachment

virtual-zoom-venues.rtf
File Size:	2 kb
File Type:	rtf

Download File

SITES WITH ZOOM LISTINGS/CALENDARS

Adapted from MEDIA entries under

  M.6: ONLINE FOLK MAGAZINES & LISTINGS --- INTERNATIONAL

Note:  this is a Directory summary, so word limits: symbol ⊕ = up-to-40 words additional info.

USA
(TBC)  CALENDAR of VIRTUAL SONG SESSIONS    bostonsongsessions.org/virtual-sessions
→ An invaluable resource for USA, UK, & more (as pictured above)
⇒ Please send corrections, additions, and suggestions to:  virtualtradsession <at> gmail.com It's maintained jointly by Clara Jordan (Sheffield, UK) & Jeff Keller (Somerville, MA, USA). For individual session queries, contact that session.
⊕    A calendar of online (mostly zoom-based) pub sings, chantey sings, & ballad sessions started up under the Coronavirus lockdown.
   Unless your browser is confused, times should display in your timezone. Note that some of the sessions require registering in advance.

ØØ   COUNTRY DANCE & SONG SOCIETY'S ONLINE EVENTS CALENDAR https://www.cdss.org/community/events-calendar
→ CDSS, mainly USA and Canada
⊕ Check out CDSS's online events calendar Dozens of virtual events posted every week for traditional singers, musicians, and also dancers. Most are hosted by Americans & Canadians, some by others, but anyone can join.

ØØ    AMERICELTIC    www.AmeriCeltic.net / www.facebook.com/AmeriCeltic
→ West Coast of U.S. and more.
⇒ Public Calendar of related events: AmeriCeltic Calendar Weekly newsletter: AmeriCeltic Newsletter
Read about all our work,: www.AmeriCeltic.net/about
A weekly newsletter needs NEWS! Please submit your relevant news to americeltic<at>gmail.com.
⊕ A user supported, non-profit service organization. Our Mission is to restore awareness, celebrate and preserve the culture and history of Celtic Americans by promoting live Celtic music, festivals, history & ancestry as well as report and comment on related current events.

ØØ  AMERICELTIC CALENDAR AmeriCeltic Calendar
→ West Coast of U.S. and more. Live and Zoom listings
⇒ Read about all our work, www.AmeriCeltic.net/about
⊕ A user supported, non-profit service organization. Our Mission is to restore awareness, celebrate and preserve the culture and history of Celtic Americans by promoting live Celtic music, festivals, history & ancestry as well as report and comment on related current events.

SOME USEFUL EXTRAS

*** NEW TO ZOOM ? SOME HELPFUL NOTES ABOUT ZOOM *** click to open/close

MORE ABOUT ZOOM FOLK SESSIONS
For security, & for new options, keep checking for updates  -- on iPad, you can just download the app, you don't have to sign up, unlike YouTwitterFaceGram (anybody wanting your date of birth & other info to track your every electronic second to sell you something is up to no good).
   In UK rural areas, mostly existing clubs, typically the majority are regulars; they welcome visitors. Many are smaller, & tend to go round twice.  They tend to be general sessions, rather than the specialised sessions ('chanties', 'ballads', 'pub sings') common in the USA.
   Chat-etiquette : please be aware that some sessions prefer chats only when people are not singing; - and some don't use them at all. Many tend to send "chats" less & talk more than you might find in eg London & US.

HOW TO JOIN ZOOM SESSIONS VARIES
   Several --- DIRECT ZOOM LINK on their website or facebook - click & go!  Noted as (direct link).
Mostly --- you need to EMAIL or phone TO JOIN a mailing list. Only after that, Zoom link is emailed to you.  Noted as (email).    A few -- additional security processes, so do allow time to find out.

Publicity for your virtual session ?

We can draft a listing for you based on your website etc details, whether via a signup or giving a direct link, as you wish
To be be added to our list --- simply sign up for our free emailed Newsletter, above; then email [email protected]

Updates are added to this page, plus:

our Updates on www.folklife.uk/updates.html
emailed Folklife Newsletters, see Updates

ARTICLES 1. -- # FUTURE OF FOLK:
LYNN NOEL OF DIGITAL HERITAGE CONSULTING (BOSTON, USA) LOOKS AHEAD
CLICK TO OPEN/CLOSE

FW printed pages: download from Folklife Traditions, FT65, 2020 Sept
Copyright © Lynn Noel, 2020. Please ask us if you wish to reproduce this.
Eleanor & Sam Simmons, Editors, Folklife West magazine, 30 July 2020.
Lynn/ DHC is based in Boston, Mass, USA. Other US news on International webpage.

#FutureOfFolk: Lynn Noel of Digital Heritage Consulting Looks Ahead

Lynn runs The Mermaid's Tavern Online Folk Club, with ballad sings, chantey sings, houseconcerts, and special events - 32 live events in the first 3 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as providing DIY coaching for artists and venues making the pivot to digital.

Lynn performs solo, duo, trio, and in ensembles ranging from colonial and Celtic to music hall and mumming. She is a professional heritage interpreter and independent scholar in geography, history, and folklore, as well as being a career IT professional and consultant.

So, we thought, the ideal person to ask where we go from here. We're very grateful for her timely response. - Sam & Eleanor Simmons, Editors, Folklife West,

Q: Lynn, what has been your involvement in traditional music and song, prior to the pandemic?

I’ve been a singer all my life, from childhood chorus and guitar lessons to a ten-year touring career, half a dozen bands, and twenty years leading song sessions from Boston to Sidmouth. I was a morris dancer (Cotswold, border, and longsword) from the late 1970s until about 10 years ago, and have three joint replacements to prove it. The Mermaid’s Tavern grew out of local sessions I founded about 15 years ago, so its roots are pretty deep in pre-pandemic folk.
While I play mountain dulcimer, guitar, string bass, percussion, and beginning concertina, I’m best known as an a cappella and close harmony singer with deep repertoires in ballads, sea music, and pub traditions as well as a taste for multilingual song in French, Gaelic, and beyond. I do write and compose in the tradition, and take delight in those of my songs that have escaped into the wild over the years.

The Country Dance and Song Society was kind enough to recognize me as one of their Local Heroes for founding the Boston pub and chantey sings, the Greater Boston Community Burns Supper, www.nechanteysings.com, online singers’ groups from Yahoo to Facebook, and the Mermaid’s Tavern.
I’ve released four albums, one of which is still in print and available on Bandcamp, and have another one in the mastering stage. The Mermaid’s Tavern was originally conceived as a home recording studio, and I’m surprised and delighted to see it take shape as a digital community space.

I did spend ten years or more on the road, and had many international musical adventures. However, I was never what one thinks of as a national/international touring artist, and never really wanted to be. I’m drawn to grassroots music, cultural heritage communities, and the people who make music happen wherever they are. These days, that’s online, and there’s more of them than ever.

Q. Whilst many of us in the UK were wondering what this "Zoom" thing was, on the day Massachusetts declared an emergency, you launched The Mermaid's Tavern Online Folk - how was that possible?

On March 10, I was in the car with a load of sound gear when the Board of Health shut down the senior center and cancelled our band’s St. Pat’s gig. Matthew Byrne was in town from Newfoundland to play the Folk Song Society of Greater Boston the following night, but none of the local hosts was willing to risk a large gathering. Driving sadly home, I got a call from FSSGB President Lynn Feingold asking if I could livestream Matthew from my new digital studio, which at the time was a couple of old Macs and an HP laptop with a webcam. Insanely, I said “Sure!” At 6:45pm, we didn’t have sound in, but Matthew is unflappable, and we went live at 7:30 to an audience of over 300. A week later we hosted Alex Cumming live in the studio, but the following week we were in full lockdown, so we hosted Debra Cowan remotely over Zoom on April 2. By then it was clear that live-streaming folk music was A Thing.

On April 4 we hosted Elizabeth LaPrelle for a ballad workshop and session, which went so well that we decided to try a full-on ballad sing. Now at the end of July, we’re running two ballad sings a month plus a chantey sing, a tavern sing, and a Thursday concert series. Our song circles draw 35-40 singers from five time zones, and we have gone four and a half hours to make sure everyone gets a chance to sing.

I’ve been working remotely since the days of the fax machine, and since I used to direct a collaboration services team in a global IT firm, I’m handy with the tech. Probably the most important thing I’ve learned during the pandemic is how important it is to get leaders and singers *as a community* over the initial hurdles of computer, network, microphone, camera, and lighting setup and comfortable with basic use of the app platform (in our case, Zoom). When you’re stuck on the tech, it’s easy to think it’s all about the tech. Once the group, as a whole, is communicating comfortably on a common platform, you can begin the real work of building a participatory community that has real-world as well as digital impact.

Q. During this pandemic, what resources are available on your website, for venues/clubs and for paid performers, to help those struggling with Zoom and similar?
My website www.lynnoel.com is an example of how one “solopreneur” can put together a wide range of passions, skills, and talents as a digital business. Digital Heritage Consulting (DHC) is an umbrella for my corporate contract work in information and data management (the day job that funds my arts and education work); my own performance and recording label Crosscurrents Music; the Mermaid’s Tavern as a working example of a digital heritage community;DIY Digital life coaching as assisted self-service for artists and venues on this journey; and my blog, which includes a Mermaid’s Tavern How-To series highlighted on the Tavern home page. Since information design is my field, I build all my own websites on Google Sites, which is free and easy to use, and coach DIY no-code web design. I’ve led one masterclass and one panel discussion on The Future of Folk: Making the Pivot to Digital, both available on video from the DHC Facebook Videos page.

The Mermaid’s Tavern site is new this month, and there is an explosion of new resources coming out of lockdown creativity. I collaborate closely with the keepers of the Virtual Sessions calendar and the CDSS Resource Portal, especially the emerging Resources for Organizers: Engaging Participants from a Distance. Since I’m a solo act, I’m using my CDSS membership as an opportunity to contribute to and support a national organization with a well-developed COVID-19 strategy. I have been enjoying the conversation among local organizers as we each shape our community strategy toward a fast-emerging digital future.

Q. What's the digital future, for performers and venues, when we can safely sing together again as a community? Will we need to continue digitally?

We are singing together today more than every before, in ways made possible by technology (latency notwithstanding). Mermaid’s Tavern audiences adore mingling with fellow ballad geeks from Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, New York, Newfoundland, Devon, Cornwall, Dublin, Edinburgh, and Brittany in the same session. Once you’ve tasted that richness, you come back for more. Digital sessions are scoped by genre much more than region.

Smaller clubs and artists face the same challenges in growing and keeping an audience that we’ve always faced. Reexamination of one’s mission statement is a great exercise for folk organizations already wrestling with transgenerational appeal. One age-old question is “how welcoming are you to new members?” Some virtual sessions are intentionally (semi)-private, keeping to their real-world footprint of local community for continuity during the pandemic. That’s entirely legitimate, and some clubs may make an intentional decision to eschew digital for awhile and await events. I think we’ll also see more digital-first or digital-forward venues, as well as self-produced artists mounting their own digital studios and productions.

Performers and audiences can come together at lower travel cost in virtual festivals and concert series. I certainly see those continuing as a low-carbon-footprint alternative to the grueling life on the road that I lived for ten years (in the days before cell phones and GPS). Personally, I’m ruminating on how best to approach organizers of virtual festivals as a studio-ready artist performing from home, especially while I’m recovering from knee replacement. I did my first virtual festival in June, and I think there’s enormous opportunity for increasing the range and diversity of programming as well as the reach of individual artists without needing to mount a national/international tour.

Nothing can or will replace live music as participatory community. If anything, this brief pause in life-as-usual has given us the chance to reaffirm the essential importance of making music together, not just passively consuming it on screen or stream. Harmony is not a metaphor. It is a tangible and essential element of peace in a just world where everyone’s voice is heard. We will sing together again. We will value our time together, in place and in person, more than ever before.
It’s that quality of connection and that love of the music that binds us around the world. When singers meet, even for the first time, we will hug for certain. Between hugs, we stay connected in digital community. We even have a hashtag for it: #futureoffolk.

Copyright © Lynn Noel, 2020. Please ask us if you wish to reproduce this.

ARTICLES 2. -- USING ZOOM FOR A FOLK CLUB:
MARK DOWDING OF "ROOM AT THE TOP" FOLK CLUB (LANCS) CLICK TO OPEN/CLOSE

FROM FW PRINTED PAGES. YOU CAN DOWNLOAD IT FREE: FOLKLIFE TRADITIONS JOURNAL, FTJ 69, 2022 JAN

ARTICLES 3. -- USING ZOOM FOR A FOLK CLUB - A SINGER'S PERSPECTIVE:
DAVE MASON (SCOTLAND) CLICK TO OPEN/CLOSE

FROM FW PRINTED PAGES. YOU CAN DOWNLOAD IT FREE: FOLKLIFE TRADITIONS, FTJ 70, 2022 MAY

See @ Updates webpage for latest Updates: for Zoom, & folk news, & folk directory ---
We include only Zooms we've asked - and they've agreed.
Some Zoom sessions are private ones or don't want publicity.
Please do tell us of other Zoom sessions (open-to-public), we'll email them to ask if we can list.
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ZOOM:
"Hugely enjoyable ... very reassuring to see one's friends in good heart and good health" - Crabbe

In fond memory of Crabbe (Bryan Neville-Lee), Somers Trad. Folk Club, centre of picture (Spring 2020)

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