Debbie’s Filk FAQ

Question: How do I contribute something to the Interfilk auction or Fan Fund?

I’m hoping that representatives of Interfilk and/or the Fan Fund step up here to volunteer info, since my info is limited. If anyone there can help describe the internal process of how items are accepted as well as offer any tips of items which do/don’t sell, please do post below! [Read more →]

The Filk Film Project is a documentary about filk and filk community. From their Web site:

In August 2005, Karen Praxel, Darrin Kean and Erin Kean were introduced to Filk through their friend Teresa Powell, a member of The Three Weird Sisters, at ConChord in Los Angeles. We three friends came away from the LA Filk Con feeling that the story of Filk must be told. We were fascinated and intrigued by the music, intelligence and humor and were compelled to explore the possibility of creating a respectful and humorous film about
Filk.

As for their progress, I have no idea…and there seems to be no contact info on their Web site. If anyone has any updates, please do post below. Thanks!

 [Update: Teresa has written to the FPP on my behalf to find out what's up. I'll post here when I find out anything.]

Two-fers are sort of like one-shots, except you perform two songs in a row rather than just one.

I’m curious about filk but have never heard it. Where can I find recorded samples of filk online?

Here are a few sources: [Read more →]

From Erica Neely:

“An Interfilk wench is someone who acts as a runner at an Interfilk auction; the term is not gender-specific – we’ve had some great male wenches! The wench’s official job is to show the item to anyone interested in bidding in it. The wench’s unofficial job is to entice people into bidding, generally through some kind of schtick. (Note that sometimes the schtick is cooked up with the help of the auctioneer – there’s interplay between the wenches and the auctioneers, just as there is between the wenches and the audience.) [Read more →]

“I want to be the sort of performer that others can and want to play along with. What skills do I need to have/polish that will make it easier for other musicians to accompany me? Are countless hours fumbling through Irish sessions and filk jams/preserves the only way to get there?” [Read more →]

One of the parts of filking I’ve always enjoyed is playing music with other people. Before I joined Urban Tapestry, my sole instrument in the filk circle was the flute. I remember being incredibly nervous about it at first, not knowing (1) whether I was good enough to play along with other people and (2) if they wanted me to.

I’ve learned a lot about instrumental accompaniment over the years, and I’m still learning. Some things I’ve learned: [Read more →]

From the Interfilk Web site:

“Interfilk is a fan fund. Most fan funds raise money to transport a fan to a convention that they would not normally be likely to attend. In our case we raise money from filk fans to transport members of the filk community who have something special to share.” [Read more →]

There are several excellent German filk resources online. [Read more →]

“I’ve had a number of people in the filk community ask if I have a CD available for sale. I’d *love* to record a CD, but I don’t have a lot of money to do it. Any suggestions and advice?” [Read more →]