MBAC re-emerged at The Dog & Badger this week after its enforced hibernation. The club’s only met once since the Xmas meal on 15th December, and Rosie and I were away for that. It was especially a shame that the ‘Gerry Miller feature evening’ on the 23rd December was cancelled due to snow and Gerry’s bad back. Gerry’s now back in Australia but, as he’d intended to buy the drinks on that evening, he left an envelope of cash with us. Thanks to his great generosity, this bought the first round of drinks this week, and will do the same for the next couple of weeks too. Cheers Gerry.
Kate McGarrigle died this week, so Karen sang her unaccompanied version of Heart Like A Wheel, probably the McGarrigle sisters’ most famous song due to cover versions by Linda Ronstadt and The Corrs. Karen’s other songs (with Roger) were This Old Town (slightly different to Steve’s version), Ye Jacobites By Name and Kate Wolf’s Give Yourself to Love.

I'm not sure that the link was intentional, but David sang Dead Skunk by Kate McGarrigle’s ex-husband, Loudon Wainwright III. He also sang Too Close To The Wind by Stuart Marston, a Northampton school teacher and recorded by Nicol/Swarbrick and Fairport. The song is apparently about the Culworth gang of highwaymen who were the last group to be hanged in their home town. Alison sang Working On A Railroad and the cheery (not!) Jacob’s Dream. The latter was written by Julie Lee and recorded by Alison Krauss. Simon contrasting songs were Lust For a Sailor and Let It Be (with much singing along).

We’re glad to see Martin B coming along regularly with eclectic material. Tonight we had Tom Rush’s No Regrets, best known from The Walker Brothers’ hit version, and Paul Simon’s For Emily Wherever I May Find Her. Both versions were accompanied by just guitar, without the big productions that the familiar version of each has.

G K Chesterton made an appearance too, his poem Wine and Water being adapted into a fine song by Terry. The key line is “Don’t care where the water goes if it doesn’t get into the beer”. Terry also sang Koshieville and Peter Bellamy’s Danny Deever.

Fred has written a bunch of really good songs. Tonight’s was If You Love Me, Bring Me the Moon. It was so good that he sang it 1½ times, due to a memory lapse first time around.

This evening’s starting number (from Dick as always) was Bring Us a Barrel, which we hear a little less than we used to. His other numbers were Let Union Be and Turkish Men of War. Ian sang The Earlson Sword Dance Song and Lizzie Lindsay.

Last and perhaps not least, Rosie and I served up the Irish polkas Teahan’s Favourite/Maggie in the Woods, the French Schottishe à Bethanie plus That Ole Devil Called Love and Dolly Parton’s The Grass is Blue.

We’re at The Prince Albert at Frieth on 26th January, where we expect the usual good turnout.