On Apr 26, 1:09 pm, "William Black" 
wrote:
> "Steve Mansfield"  wrote in message
>
> news:maEQj.16096$244.5287@newsfe1-win.ntli.net...
>
> >>> The Oxford authorities have just published a new set of guidelines.
> >>> The major change is from "no amplified music that uses mains power" to
> >>> "no amplified music".
>
> >> Almost certainly because of the advent of reasonably loud but small
> >> guitar amplifiers like the Roland Microcube and the Fender Amp-can.
>
> >> That seems reasonable,  I've done a pub solo gig with a Roland Microcube
> >> and an electric guitar...
>
> > Presumably anyone who uses one of those portable amps for guitars etc. on
> > a morris stand automatically puts their team outside the terms of the
> > Schedule 1 exclusion, as that also explicitly states that the music must
> > be acoustic - I don't know if any side has yet been 'done' on those
> > grounds yet though ...
>
> My experience of council officials is that they don't actually know the
> details of the regulations but they'll try and stop anything they don't
> like,  or think does not meet the exacting standards laid down by their
> masters.
>
> If they like what you're doing they don't bother.
>
> I would venture to suggest that someone playing an accordion with a Morris
> group and who uses a midi synth for a bass and is sending the sound to a
> small portable amplifier isn't going to have problems,  but a gang of kids
> playing distorted guitars through the same sort of equipment probably
> will...
>
> If the accordion player is using one of the new clever wireless thingies you
> could put all the technology in an orange box and the audience couldn't even
> see it.
>
> Of course you may get a 'radical' council official,  in which case the kids
> will be ok but the Morris dancers will get moved along for blocking the
> Queen's highway...
>
> Life's like that.
>
> Counsel officials involved in the licensing of musical events and locations
> seem to know very little about music, but they're very good on the fire
> regulations.
>
> Which is probably as it should be...
>
> --
> William Black
>
> I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
> Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland
> I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate
> All these moments will be lost in time,  like icecream on the beach
> Time for tea.

You weren't at the Oxford Folk Festival by any chance? For those of
you that weren't, it was a gloriously sunny day. Morris sides had come
from miles around do dance in Cornmarket, Broad Street and probably
elsewhere. An enterprising group of young'uns (can't have been older
than 15) had traipsed down to Cornmarket at considerable effort,
playing rock music with guitars, large amps, microphones an electronic
drum kit. They'd clearly gone to a lot of trouble.

But they were very loud. And not in a designated spot. And blocking a
fairly important emergency vehicle route. And they were louder than
the morris sides who were desperately trying to dance a few feet away.
I (and others) asked the community support officers who were lurking
close by if they wouldn't mind asking them to turn it down a little.
Turns out they told them to pack up and go entirely!

What opinion you take of that is up to you. They were playing to a
high standard. People were enjoying it. I didn't like what they were
playing, but free speech and all that, they had as much right to be
there as I had ... in principle. But they were amplified and had a
generator (I believe this was after the new regs) and they were
drowning out the scheduled Demonstration of Ethnic British Dance.

Regarding William's comment about arbitrary choices, I welcome a bit
of DISCRETION for a change. It would be a sad society if everyone did
things by the book all the time. If that results in some odd
decisions, I can live with that.

Joe