Hello South Florida folk fans!

Welcome to our Folk and Folk-Rock Sing Out Jam Out ("SOJO")! Here’s a little bit about our format:

We gather in a circle and each member selects a song for the group to sing and play. Each Member also has the option of going solo, teaching a song, leading an alternate version of a song, or passing altogether. We use the Rise Up Singing songbook as our main source for most of our songs, but participants may also bring lyrics and chords to songs not found in the book and hand out copies.

While the emphasis is on singing, your musical instrument is a welcome and valuable accompaniment to the chorus of voices. We warmly welcome guitars, harmonicas, mandolins, banjos, fiddles, basses, Auto Harps, dulcimers, and all acoustic stringed and wind instruments. Some instrumentalists sing along with us, some just play. All the rest make a joyful noise with just their voices.

Please Acoustic instruments only. (non-amplifier type)

In the true folk tradition, we welcome singers and musicians of all skill levels. Singing and playing ability will vary greatly from amateur to professional. Not all participants know all the songs either, but the important thing is we have a lot of fun. The informality is part of our charm. And the less experienced musicians and singers appreciate the opportunity to practice with other non-judgmental participants. We don't do auditions. We want to hear you sing and/or play regardless!  Enthusiastic participation is the key!

The people that are drawn to us tend to have a rich familiarity with traditional folk songs as well as those songs from the "Great Folk Scare" of the 1950s and '60s. But we don't stop there. Most of us also are big fans of the folk-rock and singer songwriter era from the '70s up to the present. We even mix in some pop...and lots of Beatles! Celtic and British folk (especially Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span) are also well represented. We've done everything from Alice Cooper to the Carter Family. Stephen Foster to Pink Floyd.

Whatever the repertoire, we particularly welcome uninhibited singers with loud voices and singers who can harmonize. We’ve also discovered the unique contribution of the upright bass which anchors us and adds something magical to the songs.

To get a better taste of what you can expect from our Ft. Lauderdale area Sing Out Jam Out (“SOJO”), click on the "Photos" link in the bar toward the top of the screens on our Web pages (where you are now) to see pictures of this Meetups gatherings. And click on "Message Board" to see the list of songs we've sung at each gathering, as well as lots more information that all members are free to post.

I’ve found that stability and predictability play a significant role in the success of various Meetup groups. That said, our group meets at the same indoor location every first and third Saturday of every month from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. So there will be no need to do research to find out where and when we're meeting in any given month. It's always the same. And that's what people like. Of course, there's a charge to rent the space, so we'll be asking participants at each get together to donate $3 toward offsetting that expense. We occasionally meet in outdoors parks, and those events are free.

Since these are sing alongs based around the Rise Up Singing songbook, we strongly encourage returning members to purchase a copy of the book. The following link is your best source for obtaining a new copy: http://www.singout.or.... Amazon, Half.com, Overstock.com and eBay should also have a good selection of used and new books. We also may have loaners available with a "borrow one time only" honors policy. We have to have this policy because sharing books is not very practical as the print is quite small, and we need to reserve the loaners for the newcomers.

CHILDREN POLICY:  We love kids.  We love having them around in general, but we think for their well being (from both SOJO and the Groups' points of view), it would be best if our sing/jams be reserved for grown ups only. 

We're all about enjoying the camaraderie that comes with singing and playing music with enthusiastic like-minded people in a friendly, welcoming environment! We're a friendly, fun group!   IF YOU'RE NOT SHY ABOUT SINGING AND/OR JAMMING, COME CHECK US OUT!  Sign up and stay tuned!

Keep on grinnin,' singin’ and a-playin,’

Ray