Chas Clark profile picture

Chas Clark

About Me


I began by "Floor Singing" in the sixties. around the London Folk Clubs, like the Troubadour. Where Martin Winsor and Red Sullivan were the residents.
Attended Mike Mulligan's Magnolia Jazz Band in Edmonton, London in the late fifties. George Melly was young then.
JUST THE THING FOR YOUR CULTURAL EVENT.
English folk music and song from the British Isles.
Although similar to and a relation of the Celtic music and song of Scotland and Ireland. There is an Englishness of difference in style.
Collected from the early 19th Century to the middle of the 20th. Century, so's they wouldn’t be forever lost.
There are now thousands of collections and variations. Which have spread worldwide. These are the traditional English folk song ballads that have been passed down orally for 4 – 500 years or more.
They are full of humour, romantic and tragedy.
A member of the English Folk Song and Dance Society for over 40 years,
I sing songs from the Alfred Williams, Cecil Sharp and Hammond & Gardiner collections. A few of the Child Ballads and songs from the Bodleian Broadside Library.
With and without, guitar, concertina and melodeon accompaniment.
Along with several of the newly penned songs written in the tradition.
All introduced with a slight ironic humour an entertaining evening is hopefully assured.
Moved to Norway in 1968 and to Sweden in 2002.
I also paint watercolours.
Used to do ceramics as well. Gave that up several years ago.
Too time consuming.
Still have some that I exhibit now and again.
Next exhibit is in Vänersborg, Sweden, in November 2008.
Vänersborg is on the South Western edge of the largest lake in Sweden. Lake Vänern.
Lake Vänern is the the third largest lake in Europe.
I have also done a few murals different places.
Here are two of them that are in Oslo, Norway.
The first is on a large veranda to a private apartment.
The second is the back wall to a stage in a pub.
.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 18/12/2007
Band Website: http://chasclark.net
Band Members: Just me.

But I also play with Roger Green and Eileen Burgess in our group called,

"The Fidjits"

You can see us on the website.

Since moving to Sweden in 2002 I've been playing for the,

"Dansere & Spelmän på Dal"

A local Swedish Folkdance group. Great it is to be disciplined.

And also, playing guitar accompaniment with the,

"Dalslands Spelmannsforbund"

January 2nd. 2009 my good friend Doris Forsdahl had her premier showing of the Mini Opera in Folkton that she had directed. Her daughter Kristina played maria. The place was packed and the response was gratifying..

Photos by Fredrik Ahl and myself.

Since November 2008 I've been playing with "Halmstråket" (Straw Bow) for dances and concerts. Good fun.

Influences: Traditional English Folk Singers.

Some North American ones too.

Started with Trad Jazz, then Skiffle. American Leadbelly stuff.

Then found that we had our own Folk Music and Song in England. What a revelatiion!!

Fidjit

Ah my world map.

And my visitors map

Lets me see where you are.
Sounds Like: Folk Music to me.

adopt your own virtual pet!

Just back from a Melodeon Makers course at the East Anglian Traditional Music Trust, Museum, in Stowmarket, England.

..

My new CD, "More Scratches . . . . ." is now available. Here's a preview. You can hear a couple of tracks above.

Heres' pictures from an Ancient Tractor Festival where we, "Spelman and Dancers from Dal" played for the dancing.

Photos by Björn Schullerqvst

Just had a look inside my concertina to control that the number was correct. It was.
..

Needed to confirm the age of the instrument. Seems it was made around 1895 !

Record Label: Our own label called. "Ceramic Songs".
Type of Label: Major

My Blog

Slideshow

Since November 2008 I've been playing with "Halmstråket" (Straw Bow) for dances and concerts
Posted by on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:12:00 GMT

2009 Melodeons and More

The Tenth Melodeons and More, Mendlesom Suffolk.Great crowd as always. An assemble of 140 Melodeons and concertinas were present.I even got videod !! Wow! Watch out!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjar...
Posted by on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 10:43:00 GMT

Dalkullan

A mini Opera in the Folk TraditionOriginal  from Wendela Hebbe (Swedens first journalist) This was written for her daughter, Opera Singer Signe Hebbe. First performed in 1858. Without Signe as she w...
Posted by on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:27:00 GMT

Eken Morris Dancers Stockholm

Eken Morris side have benn going for 29 years. Next year they will have their 30th. year celebration in England with Sarum Morris.The first Saturday of June, Eken Morris have thier annual,l" Dance Out...
Posted by on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 10:51:00 GMT

Making a Melodeon. A

Well I just did it. Not one hundred percent of course, but very nearly.I was accepted to take part on a Melodeon Making Course that was arranged by, The East Anglian Traditional Music Trust.Stowmarket...
Posted by on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 01:46:00 GMT

The song, the story and the Source about the Christmas tree Lament

The Song, The Story and The Source..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />"The Christmas Tree Lament"The BeginningThe song came about after attending a meeting of the ...
Posted by on Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:36:00 GMT

What I do

I play and sing mostly Traditional English Folk Songs. With guitar or concertina accompaniment. I also play in a group called The Fidjits"    
Posted by on Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:05:00 GMT