Wotcher from London England

[Mike Williams]

Cor blimey guvna, strike a light!

I've just registered here and thought I would say hello from London.

I'm mainly a guitar player, but have been playing more and more mandolin over the last few years.

I play a Novotny that I bought as an impulse purchase during Sore Fingers Week (www.sorefingers.co.uk) about three years ago.

Looking forward to joining in here.

[Katie]

Hey. I'm not around much, but more recently. Welcom and all. I just got to visit London for the first time this summer on a research trip. I love the city! You have a kickass library. Enjoy the forum.
-Katie

[Taube Marks]

Hi Mike,

How's life? How come we did not see you at the Carl Jones and Beverly Smith at the Oratory Primary School in Kensington? We had a great day and the evening concert was grand. Are you going to the autumn round of Sore Fingers or the even the Spring event. Did you make it to Didmarton? The Nashville Bluegrass Band were great (and so was the New Essex).


Taube

[Fred Keller]

Hey Mike!

Welcome. Any tips for places to pick in England? I'm coming in Nov (16-24 to be precise).

Fred

[InspectorMorse]

Mike,

Another UK person on here...oh good! :)Although I`m in the East Midlands..

Total novice to music I`m here to try to learn....


Regards,

Keith

[danb]

The Hemingford Arms near Kings Cross station has bluegrass on a monday night. Is that what you're coming for?

Irish jam I'd recommend is Sunday night at the Cobden arms on Camden High street (near camden town stn). Plan to cab home, it's a might rough in the evening there! Another is at O'Neill's in Richmond on a Monday night.

[trevor]

The only regular thing I know of in Brighton is Irish at The Pond in Gloucester Rd
Monday nights.

[Aran]

Wotcher Mike,

Welcome aboard!!

(I'm based in Dublin but spend a lot of time in Brighton)

[Ivan Kelsall]

Aran,you might know a Mandolin playing friend of mine,also fron Dublin - Enda Donnelly.He plays Mandolin with the "Fair city grass",
Saska

[Aran]

Hi Saska,

Yes I know Enda very well. In fact he showed my first couple of things on the mandolin and now we meet every now and again for a pick.

How do you know Enda?

[Taube Marks]

Too bad you will not be here for the Oxford jam...we meet on the last Thursday of each month at the Fox and HOunds pub on the Abingdon Road in Oxford city.

Taube

[Ivan Kelsall]

Hi Aran - I've known Enda for nearly 20 years or maybe more than that.He used to come over with his previous band to the Edale Bluegrass Festival in Derbyshire.I've played Banjo for over 40 years & me and Enda have had many good jam sessions. At one of the Ironbridge (Shropshire), Bluegrass Festivals some years ago,we did a heck of a good version of "Rawhide" - good enough for Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum,who were the main artists at the Festival,to come over & listen to anyway.

[Bob Denton]

Aran,you might know a Mandolin playing friend of mine,also fron Dublin - Enda Donnelly.He plays Mandolin with the "Fair city grass",
# # # Saska
Were they playing in Kilala last weekend?

BTW, my band was the "warm up" for Doyle Lawson at Edale some years ago. Coldest damn bluegrass festival I have ever been to!

Cya

Bob

[tree]

Wotcher, y'all.

(No mando content.)

Is that correct usage? #I generally avoid any opportunity to exhibit my ignorance, but in this case I am curious enough to stick out my neck. #I'm usually pretty good at gleaning clues from the context, but this one has always stumped me, other than the obvious context as a greeting. #I'd be honored if one of you UK gents would explain or define "wotcher" for me.

[Chadmills]

Opinion from Gloucestershire, England. #"Wotcher" is (probably) a reduction of "What cheer?" which in itself is a bit meaningless, but means "how's it going."

"Cheer" meaning "reasons to be cheerful."

"Wotcher, y'all" is a nice transatlantic mix!
Tom

[InspectorMorse]

Hi, or in the case of Derby(shire) folk...means "How do"..friendly greeting...

Does the Edale festival still happen?

[danb]

Please drop me a line if you're ever up London Way. Irish or Bluegrass, I'm at least good for a pint..

[Ivan Kelsall]

Hi Bob - I was there at Edale when Doyle & his band played,so i must have seen you. Cold,you're darn right.If you ever bump into
Laurie lewis or any of the old ''Grant Street String Band'',ask them about the time they played Edale - the 1st weekend in June &
it was snowing & howling a blizzard. Those guys had just flown in from California & nearly froze to death on stage.
When Ralph Stanly & the boys played there,i got talking to Ralph
& Curly Ray.Ralph mentioned how cold it had been during the night
& Curly Ray exclaimed ''Hell fire,i nearly turned blue''. That was pretty common for Edale,& sitting in that old barn didn't help.Some of the coldest & most enjoyable moments ever for me,
Saska

[Ivan Kelsall]

Just for the benefit of Inspectormorse,Edale unfortunately ceased
many years ago.Edale was the 1st Bluegrass festival in the UK & set the pattern for all that came after.We had some of the finest bands from the USA as well as the top uk bands.The other much lamented festival,no longer held,was the Ironbridge Bluegrass Festival,held at Jackfield,near to Ironbridge,in Shropshire.Again
a venue for some of the best of the US bands,including Tony Trishka's band that eventually became 'The Big Dogs' & Scott Vestal's band 'Livewire' (i have the T-shirt to prove it !!)
Saska

[tree]

"What cheer" - wow, that makes way more sense than "watch her", which I knew was wrong, but it was the only direction my mind was able to go with it. (A side effect of testosterone, I'm sure. I can't multi-task either.) #At any rate, thanks for the etymology lesson. Carry on.

[GinaG65]

Well hi from Swindon, Wilts. I'm American but have been living here for 6 years. I don't get out to the bluegrass festivals or jams, though. And if I did I'd bring my guitar and not my mandolin. I'm too new at the mandolin to jam with anyone! But guitar playing..that's another story.. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif