Welcome to the New 12th Gate Coffee House
I thought as we were beginning to get started again, that I might raise the question of favorite folk songs and folksingers. Now the New 12th Gate center stage is not restricted to folk music and from time to time, we will look at a variety types of music, but classically coffee houses generally began with the folk tradition.
So tonight, I thought I would get the ball rolling and share six of my favorites. At the end, leaver a omment with your suggestions for the future..
Well, here we go – This one ages me! The Kingston Trio – MTA. This may be the first folk song I ewver paid attention to.
I’ll stay with the Kingston Trio, but fast forward in time with singer, Bob Shane – Scotch and Soda in 2007. It’s the first song I actually performed – still might if my fingers weren’t so numb!
As I got a little more radicalized then I found Tom Paxton (rexord with Pete Seeger) Buy a gun for your son
As long as we are mentioning Pete Seeger – Here is his What did you learn in school today?
I suppose I could post hundreds, but this one sticks with me more and more. Peter Yarrow – Don’t laugh at me. This is a great version with some adaptations performed on European TV
I thought I would close with Holly Near and a performance ofn Singing for our lives. I first learned this at church – yes church – in 1985. This sing along version with the help of the Windy City Gay Men’s Chorus was performed on November 28, 2008 as the city of San Francisco remembered the lives of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk.
Leave a comment with your favolite folksinger or folk song! Have a great week - John
All of these were great. My favorites you’ve already included – Holly Near and Peter, Paul and Mary. When I used to be a youth group leader about 15 years ago, I played a lot of Holly Near at youth group meetings and even in youth Sunday School, when there was a song that fit in with our lesson or discussion. I have heard her live a number of times, and one of the things I really like about her performances are the stories she tells, along with the songs.
“Don’t laugh at me” brings tears to my eyes every time I listen to it. I love the chorus, and it is so true, but we have so far to go yet, on a universal understanding of what that means and would look like in our world.
Perhaps sometime we could have some John Fahey?
Great selection!
I ran into an acquaintance from the original 12th Gate today and he reminded me that Alex Beaton sometimes played there 40 years ago. Check out Alex’s music at http://www.myspace.com/alexbeaton.