To festival or not to festival, that is the question?

It's an expensive job being a 'folkie'...........

Folk music fans are a tough lot. Weathering the storms of winter with nowt but 'singarounds' and 'sessions' to keep our 'hands in', while looking forward to the long lazy festival days to come. I think festivals are our 'wages' in payment for all the money spent on Kate Rusby and Seth Lakeman CD's. Or the set of 'olive label' fiddle strings you bought that cost more than the instrument! As I mentioned in a previous post, I want to make 2012 a festival going year and was looking forward to every 'folkie' minute of it. Being a Yorkshireman and of limited means, I thought doing some sums was the order of the day. Well bu*?er me you could have knocked me over with a 14lb lump hammer! My 'wish list' was Beverley in June, Rothbury in July, Whitby Folk Week in Aug and Otley in Sept. Quite a lot, but it's not every year, is it? Not taking money for pints of the 'black stuff' and eating into consideration and camping (I'm still daft enough to do it), I still have a dilemma, on the one hand I have 15 days of 'folking' goodness and the other, 14 nights 'all in', in sunny Mexico and change!! Now don't forget, I'm single and no kids. If I had, I would be hard pressed to justify even Whitby. It would be thank goodness for Saltburn (no offence). The reason for these ramblings? I thank my lucky stars I'm single, have a few bob and not bothered about a suntan! I do have some good news...... David Hope has an EP ("Hell or High Water") available for download.

Our association is all I find good about the 'Twitter' age. Without it I would never have found this super chap with such a talent. He has just returned from entertaining the Germans and is working on an album for release later in the year. As soon as I get wind of it I will bring you the news. For now at least the EP will have to do!You can find him along with the 'Henchmen' on MySpace and at www.davidhope.ie.

Late news...the Wilson Family are confirmed for Rothbury festival on the 14th July.

This weeks 'pet hate', kids that say "innit" at every verse end!! Byeeee.

Email: folktalkinfolk@gmail.com, Twitter: @folktalkinfolk, Phone: 07526 504285.