July Press Room (NH) Shanty Sing

Subject: July Press Room (NH) Shanty Sing
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 11 Jul 16 - 06:01 PM

The July Third Saturday of the Month Shanty, Forebitter, and Foc's'l Ballad Session will be happening THIS SATURDAY, July 16th from 3:30 to 7:30 PM, downstairs at The Press Room, 77 Daniel Street, Portsmouth, NH, USA.

It's summer...some regulars are off doing summer things...and our server Jaki is taking the summer off from the Press Room before returning to school in the fall. (But, don't worry, there will be someone there to keep us from dying of thirst!)

Come help us raise the rafters with song. See you there!

Linn

Subject: RE: July Press Room (NH) Shanty Sing
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 12 Jul 16 - 07:47 PM

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸Refresh¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

Subject: RE: July Press Room (NH) Shanty Sing
From: GUEST,Don Hale
Date: 13 Jul 16 - 01:06 PM

I do expect to be there.
                              
                  Don

Subject: RE: July Press Room (NH) Shanty Sing
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 15 Jul 16 - 09:31 AM

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸Refresh¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

Subject: RE: July Press Room (NH) Shanty Sing
From: maeve
Date: 15 Jul 16 - 01:28 PM

Have a lovely time! ♪♪♫

Subject: RE: July Press Room (NH) Shanty Sing
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 16 Jul 16 - 10:08 AM

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸TODAY!¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

Linn

Subject: RE: July Press Room (NH) Shanty Sing
From: Charley Noble
Date: 17 Jul 16 - 10:49 AM

Another fine session! Thanks again to Linn for hosting it.

Cheerily,
Charlie Ipcar

Subject: RE: July Press Room (NH) Shanty Sing
From: Jeri
Date: 17 Jul 16 - 11:52 AM

Good time! I did go to a concert with incipient migraine. The ONE thing everybody should do with a headache is go to a bar to drink booze an listen to the seacoast's loudest band. (Luckily, the headache didn't get worse, but why did they have to do it on THIS Saturday?)

Subject: RE: July Press Room (NH) Shanty Sing
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 17 Jul 16 - 02:42 PM

I managed to do two things yesterday as well (everything seems to be double booked lately) -- after the shanty sing, I stopped at Smoky Goodness on my way home to hear Poor Howard Stith sing Piedmont and Delta blues and have a spot of supper (pulled pork sandwich and smoked mac & cheese). Alas, I was the only person in the audience from 8:15 until just before he was to wrap at 9:00 when a couple enthusiastic (though probably a bit inebriated) young women came in to, uh, "dance". I hope they bought a couple CDs and contributed to the tip jar as they'd threatened.

The crew was me, Charlie (Charley Noble), Ranger1, Bob Eaton, Don Hale, Gail & Jim Finn, Susan Young, Jeri, Eric & April (who recently discovered us), Justine Donovan, Lucas Duncan and friend, Rita Pomerleau, Bill & Carol, Gail & Janice, and Dave Johnson.

And we sang --
1. Plum Island National Anthem - Linn
2. Parking Lot Pirates - Charlie
3. The River (Battlefield Band) - Bob
4. Bold Riley - Don
5. Connemara Cradle Song - Gail Finn
6. Johnny Be Fair - Linn (can't remember what triggered this)
7. Midway (Paul MacNeil) - Linn ("Brucing" it...)
8. Pastures of Memory - Charlie
9. Across the Western Ocean/Amelia - Susan
10. Davey Louston - Justine
11. Boys of Killebegs - Bob
12. Leave Her, Johnny - Don
As Don explained, enough time had passed since he last sang it that I "allowed" him to sing it again. To explain for those (at least two at the session) who didn't know the story, "Leave Her, Johnny" was our closing song for the Friday trad session through most of the 1980s. We all -- including the waitstaff -- got so sick of it we couldn't stand to hear it. Tom DID try to revive it as a closer for this session in January 2003, but...no. We were still sick of it. It's okay in extreme moderation...
13. South Australia - Jim Finn
14. Nine Times a Night - Linn
15. Roll Out Boys and Heave That Cotton - Charlie
16. Song For Ireland - Gail F.
17.Boney Was a Warrior - Eric
18. Fire Down Below - Jeri
19. Goodbye, My Riley-O - Justine
20. Sloop John A (Les Barker) - Linn
21. Keep On Fishin' - Bob
22. Neptune's Daughter - Susan
23.Shipmates - Charlie
24. Pay Me My Money Down - April
25. Black Bird, Get Up - Jeri
26. Ida Lewis - Justine
27. Wiscasset Schooners (Lois Lyman - Jay Smith's ex-wife) - Bob
28. Darby Ram - Eric (a third version, which I'd not heard before)
29. Baidin Fheilimi - Jim Finn
30. Aunt Clara (request) - Linn
31. Don't Go Into the Lion's Cage Tonight - Charlie
32. Bantry Girl's Lament - Sue Young
33. Sailor Went to Drink-i-ing - April (not sure of title)
34. The Blarney Stone - Gail F.
35. Gosport Nan - Don
36. Johnny Come Down to Hilo - Justine
Discussion of blue dress. Tom always said a blue dress indicated a prostitute, but I only found on what he based his comment recently. Should have known it was from liner notes of an LP. In this case Arthur Argo's "A Wee Thread o' Blue". In some English houses of detention, prostitutes wore a uniform of a blue dress or a blue sash. All other folk references I've found say blue is symbolic of purity. This led us into a discussion of "cleaning up" lyrics that might be offensive or might take too long to explain. It's important, I think, to know the original reference and put it in the context of the times. I dislike the unnecessary "cleaning up" in "Whup Jamboree" of "long-tailed black man come up behind" to "long-tailed sailorman come up behind". That makes absolutely no sense. The black man is NOT a Negro; it's the DEVIL. I sing it "long-tailed devil-man" which at least is more accurate for the benefit of the ignorant who might be offended.
37.

Oops. Don't have much more to finish, but I really HAVE to leave.

Later!
Linn

Subject: RE: July Press Room (NH) Shanty Sing
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 18 Jul 16 - 06:43 AM

Yesterday I went to see the vacation version of Great Bay Sailor at The Barley House in North Hampton (NH). Everyone except Bruce MacIntyre and Taylor Whiteside were, uh, sailing. So Dave Hallowell and Craig Werth were shanghaied to fill in. I hitched a ride with Bruce and had to dash off to meet him.

Okay, here's the rest of what we sang on Saturday --
37. Noah Built The Ark - Susan
38. Lowlands - Eric
39. Spectral Fishing Fleet - Charlie
40. Ben Backstay - Lucas
41. Paddy West - Lucas
42. Whiskey-O, Johnny-O - Linn
43. The Seaman's Hymn/Nelson's Prayer - Don and the Company

There 'tis...

Linn

Subject: RE: July Press Room (NH) Shanty Sing
From: maeve
Date: 18 Jul 16 - 07:28 AM

I love reading the list each time, Linn. Thank you.

Subject: RE: July Press Room (NH) Shanty Sing
From: Charley Noble
Date: 18 Jul 16 - 08:49 AM

Linn-

Thanks for doing "the list" (sounds like the name of a new nautical dance!).

Charlie Ipcar

Subject: RE: July Press Room (NH) Shanty Sing
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 18 Jul 16 - 01:50 PM

Port or starboard list, Charlie? Does it depend on who's leading?

Linn

Subject: RE: July Press Room (NH) Shanty Sing
From: GUEST,Don Hale
Date: 18 Jul 16 - 04:08 PM

Another fun time! Thanks, Charlie, for singing "Shipmates", it's one of my favorites. With regard to "Leave Her Johnny", as I sing a less common version than is usual around these parts, I figure I should be "allowed" two times a year. I have started the countdown as of Sunday.....
                              Don

Subject: RE: July Press Room (NH) Shanty Sing
From: Charley Noble
Date: 18 Jul 16 - 05:14 PM

Don-

You did a nice job with "Gosport Nancy." (No. 35 on the list)

Cyril never tracked down who composed that song but he collected it in his songbook Gray Funnel Lines.

Notes from Cyril Tawney:

"Across the harbour from Portsmouth…lies the borough of Gosport, its junior neighbour and the setting for another unique composition. In style and spirit it can rank alongside the best of the old sailing-ship ditties on the same subject. The author was clearly a cut above the usual standard of RN songwriters, yet he (or they) remains anonymous."

Charlie Ipcar

Subject: RE: July Press Room (NH) Shanty Sing
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 18 Jul 16 - 06:35 PM

And, of course, on THIS side of the Atlantic, we've got our own Portsmouth at the mouth of the Piscataqua...and Gosport on the Isles of Shoals.

Linn