NW House Filks -- What's up?

	[JLTaylor had sent me a message asking if I knew what was up
	with NW house-filk activities:  Had she been left off of the
	list, had nothing been happening for the past year, or what?
	She also wondered if she should organize her own gathering, 
	and/or check out some of the circles hosted by other groups.
	Since this touches on concerns I've heard others of you 
	mention, I'm attaching my reply to her below.]

	House-Filks = No you haven't been left off of any phone or 
	mailing lists that I know of.  There simply hasn't been a 
	con-related house-filk since the one at Dixon's last fall;
	at least none that I've been told about.  (And you're right
	I probably would have heard, or at least so I'd like to think. :)
	Mostly this is a matter of inertia:  ie No one has gotten up off 
	of their duff to put one together.  Many of us just don't have 
	the space in our current residences to host such things; those 
	that do have been busy with other activities, or judged it was 
	too close to a con, or didn't think about organizing one, or who 
	knows what.  Dixon's been talking about getting a house-filk put 
	together at his place a couple of times, but something must have 
	come up, because I never heard anything more.  

	Solution = If you have the space and the interest, ORGANIZE IT 
	YOURSELF!  You have a ready-made invitation list right here, and
	a couple of us can help you access some of those folks who aren't
	on the computer.  Pick a date (or offer a couple for people to 
	choose from) with sufficient notice for us to put it on our 
	calendars, and tell us when and where, and whether you want to 
	turn it into a potluck; and you'll get an assortment of singers,
	musicians, and fans.  (Some of Darragh's house-filks only had
	a half dozen attendees.  Dixon's last one was probably close to 
	30 bodies.)  You're not the only one who'd like to see more musical
	gatherings in between cons:  I also miss them, and I've heard some
	other members of the crowd expressing similar thoughts.

	Other Song Circles = I've always been a proponent of musical 
	diversity, so if you're interested in checking out some other 
	groups' song circles, by all means do so.  I went to a couple 
	of the SCA bardic meetings a few years ago, and still attend the
	fireside gatherings whenever I'm able to make an Event; there's 
	some really neat music here.  However, I don't currently know 
	when and where they're meeting in Seattle.  The same for the
	Seattle Folklore Society, though I've enjoyed some of the concerts
	they've organized.  I can probably find this information out if 
	you give me a few days, but someone out there is welcome to beat 
	me to it.

	Anyway, I think that's it for now.  As always, responses are 
	welcome.

				Quarong
				(quarong at eskimo.com)