The Club was formed in 1968 and has remained one of the most successful in the country and continues to thrive in spite of fluctuating fortunes and changes of venue. We feature a wide range of music — from blues to ballads, country to contemporary, Celtic to jazz, and all styles are welcomed and encouraged.

We are an incorporated society governed by the Incorporated Societies Act.

WHERE:

We meet at The Dux De Lux, Christchurch Arts Centre, at cnr Hereford and Montreal Street.

WHEN:

Sunday nights at 7:15 PM. - music starts at 8:00 PM

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS:

The Club is usually closed for Queen's Birthday weekend, Labour weekend, and from mid-December to mid-January. At Easter, the Club (in the form of a separate incorporated entity) hosts the Canterbury Folk Festival, a most glorious and entertaining 4-day weekend of music at Waipara - North of Christchurch.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

We have a committee of 8 or 9 and every Sunday two committee members are Hosts and will answer inquiries, welcome new people, arrange for a compere, and take care of booked performers.

BEHAVIOUR

This is a LISTENING Club. Talking and other noise is to be kept to a minimum during performances. Members who disturb performers and the audience may be asked to leave. The Committee reserves the right to revoke the membership of any member who is consistently disruptive.

FORMAT:

Most Sundays we feature a support artist who plays for approximately 20-30 minutes and the main artist for the evening, who performs for approximately 60-90 minutes. The main performer is paid a fee, which is why we have a door charge.

We also have nights for our members to play:

1. "Open Mic Night" where members who wish to perform ring the Host or the Compere in advance to put their names on the list. Entry fee is a gold coin.
2. "Come All Ye" nights where the emphasis is on informality — no stage or P.A. system is used and we sit around a circle and each person performs or passes.
3. "Blind Date" nights where the names of those wishing to participate are drawn out of a hat in groups of three. These trios are then given 2 weeks to prepare a 10-minute act.

HEAR YE

The club distributes a regular (6-weekly) newsletter to our members. For contributions, news, reviews & adverts, input and enquiries, you can contact our editor, Sue Harkness at: hearye@folkmusic.org.nz

LIBRARY

The folk club has a small library of music and song books - contact Neil Crosby if you would like to take anything out.

MEMBERSHIP

Membership fees are based on a sliding scale, and you can find more details or join up here.

ADVANTAGES & PERKS OF MEMBERSHIP:

1. Cheaper entry to club nights
2. Frequent cheaper entry to special concerts by overseas and out-of-town artists.
3. Entry at members' rates to other Folk Clubs around NZ on presentation of your membership card.
4. Newsletter with advance notice of who will be performing for the following 6 weeks, inside information on what on around town, reviews, etc.
5. A register of active members (subject to the Privacy Act) for non-commercial use of members.
6. Weekly emails

SO WHO DOES THE WORK?

Your committee all give their time and effort voluntarily, from running raffles, setting out chairs before and stacking them after concerts, booking acts, and the MANY other tasks associated with running a successful Club. As a member of the Club, you are invited to attend our Annual General Meeting and perhaps volunteer for the committee.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED MORE:

If you are interested in becoming more involved, please speak to one of the committee members. Volunteers are always needed and there are many ways that you can help!

If you have a spare bedroom and are happy to billet artists, hosting performers is a great and rewarding way to support the club. We are also looking for people who can help with advertising by putting up a poster or two. In your workplace, cafes, bookshops or wherever you can.

Members are welcome on the committee (elected annually at the AGM), and even if you can't make that commitment, smaller jobs like setting out chairs and greeting newcomers are all equally as important for keeping the club running.

Donations for the raffle table are appreciated, or if you have any special skills that you would like to make other members aware off (eg. instrument care, tutoring, non-musical skills) let us all know through the Hear Ye or website.

Please phone Russell Gillies on (03) 980 7541 for more information or contact any of the committee members here or at the club.