What we’re about
The Milford Folk Music Society Meetup group was created by Jamie Boss, head luthier of BOSS Guitars and the Hot Strings Guitar company. It was his desire to provide a comfortable place for folk singers and folk song lovers to get together and enjoy the medium. The MFMS group meets once a month on the first Sunday of the month. You can bring a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle or just your voice and join in on the fun.
Our private meetup gatherings are for members and invited guests only. If you would like to attend, please join our group or e-mail us to ask for an invitation. Membership approvals and invitations are at the organizers discretion.
Each meetup is divided into two parts with a short break between the two. The general format is a group circle where we play song selections chosen from our own books or individual songs that were sent in to the organizers prior to the meetup. We ask that copies be provided of songs not selected from our standard books so all members can follow along. Songs can be led by members, or can be played solo by members and are generally announced by the moderator during the meetup. Pecking order and song selections are established on a first come, first served sign-up basis.
Milford Folk Music provides a PA and 2 mics. No other amplifiers are allowed.
Our group is for the enjoyment of all it's collective members. We play songs we all know and enjoy. We are a Folk Music Society and our songs reflect a rich heritage of history. Be it the blues, gospel, bluegrass, traditional folk or modern folk, our goal is to enjoy the songs of years long past. During the year we have occasional concerts in which individual performances are emphasized and celebrated.
For Our New Members!
Welcome to our group and here is what happens at our Meetups.
Our group singing circle is scheduled for two hours or so with a short break about half way through. We all sit in a circle and play and sing songs selected from the songs in our book, another book called "Rise up Singing" or songs that people bring in enough copies to go around. The song reservations are sent in to our Meetup discussion board a week or so before hand and put in order by our organizers.
Our MFMS song book can be downloaded from the files section of our website. Go to the FILES section of the Meetup group and click on the “Name/Description” header to order the songs alphabetically by name. The song book titles will begin with an exclamation point (i.e. !MFMS…). The song books will show up in sections and in both single sided and double sided versions. Simply save the version you prefer to your computer and print them out. The written songs have the words and chords.
Someone runs the circle by announcing the songs and who is up next. The song is usually led by the person who sent it in. We use a microphone to allow the leader to project his beat to those following along. The circle instruments are acoustic only with no amplification. You can play and sing, just sing, just play or just watch...it's up to you.
Our rule on song selections is we are a folk group, but if the song fits the spirit, that's fine. You will normally find us playing all kinds of folk, blues, bluegrass, some modern pop, some 60s, some country and original songs written by our members. The number of songs allowed per person is two and it's first come, first served for sign-up the day of the meeting. Occasionally we run short so keep some songs in your pocket.
DUES
The Meetup company requires us to pay for our use of their on-line facility so an annual dues of $15 per member is required on or about January of each year. There is an initial one-time charge of $25 for new members to be placed on our Meetup group list which includes the $15 annual fee. The initial fee is also applied to former members who let their membership lapse.
So, here is what you might need.
1. Guitar or instrument if you play. You will find us playing guitars, banjos, autoharps, mandolins, fiddles, tenor guitars, banjos and harmonicas. You may also hear an occasional tamborine and bodran (and sometimes even a train whistle).
2. A guitar stand and capo for your instrument is a good idea. Definitely a capo.
3. A music stand for your music book.
4. The music book from our website that can be found in the "Files" section. We also use a book called "Rise Up Singing" that can be easily found on-line. You will need a large binder for the files you print out.
5, Bring a drink and snack if you need one. It's a long session. Please make sure it's a sealed container and police your crumbs.
Thanks for joining and we all hope to see you at our next meet-up!
Ray