Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help

Subject: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: CRANKY YANKEE
Date: 07 May 01 - 11:32 PM

The Mayor of Providence Rhode Island (Keep your smart remarks to yourself) does a lot of things right. This is one of them. The City of Providence owns the full size , accurate replica of John Paul Jones' first Naval Command, The sloop, "Providence" which was also the very first ship incorporated into the Continental Navy (which became the US Navy). Mayor Cianci wants to film some Nautical Folk singing and sea chanteys on board the Providenceand & do a history of Sea Chanteys for broadcast on television. I sailed with them a few trips last summer and have interested the captain and crew in this project. I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS BY MYSELF.

I had previously obtained permission to use "HMS Rose" for part of this project, because Providence doesn't have a capstan or a foresail. But, Rose is being re'built for a movie and at the present is all torn up, so that's out. I have a capstan which I'm going to try to mount on the Providence (temporarily.) If that doesn't work, we'll mount the capstan on the dock and warp the ship in "inside out" as it were.

I'm still working out the details. I'm hoping some of my new friends on the "Mudcat" who are "Maritime orientd" willhelp out with the singing. (and the sailing)

Mayor Cianci has done, and is doing, a lot of really worthwile things to the city, Since he's been in office, Downtown Providence and the surounding neighborhoods have undergone a dramatic face lift and cultural rennaisance. The people love this guy, and, I think he's a damned good mayor. His legal problems are still just allegations, none of which have been proved. He's also very personable and easy to talk to. When he gets behind a project he appoints someone to get it done and then gets them all the support they need. WITHOUT INTERFERING.

Please let me know if you'd like to help with the singing.

Y'r Ob'd'nt s'v'nt

Jody Gibson

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 May 01 - 04:49 AM

Well, Jody, it all sounded wonderful, until you said, "his legal problems are still just allegations." I couldn't help laughing.

It sounds like a great project. Barry Finn is laid up right now, but I bet he can lead you to some people who can help. Click here to send Barry a personal message. There are a number of nautical Mudcatters not far from you.

-Joe Offer, now engaged to a Rhode Island woman-

---

Click here for the Sloop Providence

(with a seriously cool introduction)

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: Marc
Date: 08 May 01 - 06:59 AM

Count me in. I live in Westerly R.I., have a large Chantey repertoire, and guite a bit of sail experience. Feel free to contact me at [phone], or [e-mail].

Marc Bernier

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 May 01 - 07:54 AM

Depeding on the date, and the availability of accomodations, I am available. Are you considering doing it this summer? I may be able to draft a few more people from up here in Maine. Let's talk about it at the shanty party.

I spent a year and a half in Rhode Island. I'm sure the legal problems are all just allegations and as soon as the authorities dig up some witnesses they will be after the perpetrator, assuming there is any evidence on the bodies.

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: Charley Noble
Date: 08 May 01 - 08:08 AM

Well, I'm certainly willing to march around in a circle heaving at the capstan bars to a shanty or two. It's really not that different from what seems to happen every day to me in terms of getting anywhere. Give us a shout when you want to warp'er out, or in, or whatever.

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 08 May 01 - 08:37 AM

Curmudgeon and Bat Goddess are interested, too, although I'm sure Curmudgeon will be concerned about the authenticity of using female (as in Bat Goddess') voices in shanty singing.

Bat Goddess

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: MMario
Date: 08 May 01 - 08:58 AM

wow! what a great project! wish I was closer...

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: Marc
Date: 08 May 01 - 02:09 PM

Idon't see where a woman should be a problem Bat goddess. After all we're talking about Chantying on a "military vessle",which most scholars would think twice about, and a fiber glass one at that. It just sounds like a fun project to me and an excellent opportunity to get together with folks.

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: Kim C
Date: 08 May 01 - 05:44 PM

when is it? I've never been up there and if I could get there I would GLADLY be there as long as us girls are allowed. Trust me, I have a really big voice. ;-)

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: InOBU
Date: 09 May 01 - 09:00 AM

Need an Uilleann piper who is both a sailor and chantyman? Larry

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: Just another Dave
Date: 09 May 01 - 04:47 PM

Add my name to the list. I'm in Western Connecticut. Send me info when you have a definite date.

Dave

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: InOBU
Date: 09 May 01 - 08:09 PM

Bye the Bye, Charley Noble is an old down east term for a maritime chimney, is it not? Larry

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: Charley Noble
Date: 09 May 01 - 08:24 PM

Larry – arghh! Another one has "smoked" me. But the real question is how CY plans to lead the shanties. Will he be keeping the beat with a cat-of-nine-tails?

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: CRANKY YANKEE
Date: 09 May 01 - 09:47 PM

In the first place, Providence is not a warship. It's a replica of a warship and has never engaged in combat in all it's Fiberglass days. The crew is a professional civilin crew who really know their stuff. The Captain is first class. etc etc. The times I've sailed with them there were no more than 6 men and women plus the captain.

HEY JOE OFFER, MARRY HER. In my experience, they make great wives. I've only had two serious love affairs in my life, I married both of them and both were Rhode Islanders. The first, (sadly, now deceased) was with me all through my USAF Air traffic controller career. Also went overseas with me (RAF Bruntingthorpe near Leicester and RAF Lakenheath, W. Suffolk ) We had three amazing children, all folksingers, Joyce Katzberg, Kate Katzberg and David Katzberg. I used to be a Katzberg too./ David is also an ofshore commercial fisherman. (the fishin' musician)
The first one was from Pawtucket (no snotty remarks please) Donna is from Newport. I met her when I was gainfully employed as a folk singer at the Black Pearl Tavern. We've been married 31 years, this May 14th. It gets better every day.

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: CRANKY YANKEE
Date: 09 May 01 - 10:00 PM

BAT GODESS. In my opinion, Women sailors are everybit as good as men. Up in the rigging, They are better. They don't try to impress the world with how tough and brave they are. They get on the stick, do the job and climb down. They don't slide down the backstays getting metal splinters in their ass. All in all, they act like civilized human beings, and I don't have to constantly remind them to "Stand up straight, look intelligent and don't drag your knuckles". When you pass this bit of drivel to the curmudgeon, tell him that Donnas says, "H'rumphh.

?Oh yes, on shipboard, the term "man" means "hand" and has no sexual bias. Manned, "Handdled". Men, "hands. as in "Topman",deck hand, etc. "The ship was manned by 20 men and 5 women".OK?

I'll let you all (not y'all) know when. And, thank you immensely.

Jody Gibson.

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: Charley Noble
Date: 10 May 01 - 08:37 AM

CY – you're related to those Katzbergs? Wow, I am impressed! I remember listening to some of their scathing Providence songs about the local mayor, "Let's Haul the Trash Out of Town" I believe the song went.

Oh, I misposted this on the Blood Red Roses thread:

Hay, maybe, this would be the time to revive that old shanty "Wake Up, Suzianna," the precursor to "Wake Up, Little Susie" that I found lining the drawer in an old sea chest.

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: Barry Finn
Date: 10 May 01 - 08:40 PM

Hi Cranky Yankee, be happy to lend another voice or three if you need providing there's no conflict. When the time & date are you're still looking. Barry

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: Jeri
Date: 10 May 01 - 09:54 PM

Bat Goddess, tell 'Mudgie I'm looking for a blue jacket and whiter trousers. ;-)

(And I like to climb things. Spent my formative years in trees. Some people might say I only came down because the squirrels started fighting over me.)

Jeri, the female rambling sailor wannabe.

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: Melani
Date: 10 May 01 - 10:06 PM

Be careful, Jeri, the female rambling sailor fell out of the rigging. :-)

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: GUEST,adamss1
Date: 11 May 01 - 04:23 AM

sounds like a lot of fun. I play a squeezebox, and have some experience sailing on the tallship Gazela in philadelphia, and doing colonial & civil war reenactments.

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: Uncle Jaque
Date: 11 May 01 - 10:15 AM

Assuming that Providence (the other one) opens a door of opportunity, I would love to be involved in such a gig. It would be a long shot, as out-of state events have been few and far between of late, and we will be lucky to get to the Deep River Ancient (Fife & Drum) Muster in CN the 3rd weekend in July as it is. Other complicating factors include vast construction projects on the T-pike which reduce it to a multimile parking lot, especially in the Summer, and anticipated $3 a gal. or so fuel prices. I don?t suppose the Canadians are shedding too many tears of sympathy, as I understand it?s been going for about a buck a Liter (go figure) up there for some time.
If I could get leave from Domestic Administration and hitch a lift from Naemanson (getting there could be half the fun - vocals behind the wheel with tinwhistle accompaniment from the passenger?s side. Who knows what we might pick up along the way?) I?d certainly be tempted.

Since ?politics? regarding the Mayor et al. is to be laid aside for the good of the common mission, hopefully similar tolerance might be extended to a ?conservative? old Yankee and we will get along much better than a casual observer of some of our threads might initially presume.

I am a little surprised that no mention has been made of the ?Ancient Mariners Chanteymen? from the CT area. They are (or at least recently were) a choral extension of a fairly large Nautically - themed Fife & Drum Corps which we have had the distinct pleasure of jamming with at Deep River. I have one of their albums:

?Turnin? The Tide? Nossel Studio, Wallingford CT 1993

which I like very much. Despite a couple of unfortunate ?klunkers?, most of the tracks are very well rendered, and some, including ?Let the Bulgine Run?, ?Cape Cod Girls?, and ?Old Moke? are among my favorites. The harmony parts are sufficiently distinct so that I can chase the bass line along with them just for fun. One of their contemporary works ?A Sailor Ain?t A Sailor? which I enjoy seems to be a hit with Mariners who have ?been there?.

Apparently the ?Chanteymen? (I?ll let you take that up with them, CY; I?ve seen these guys in action, and there?s some pretty big brutes amongst ?em!) rehearse frequently at the Mystic Seaport, and are a regular feature at some of their historical presentations.

Contact info on the album is:

Kevin BROWN 122 Meadowlark Lane Westbrook, CT 06498

For a top-of-the-line early 1800?s impression Fife & Drum Corps, there is none better than the Middlesex County Volunteers based in the Newton, MA area.

http://www.mcvfifesanddrums.org/

They have done presentations on board the USS Constitution, have toured the US, UK, and EU, and have several excellent albums out.

Do keep us posted!

Appologies for any formatting irregularities; the posting field has been getting really squirrelly lately, and attempts to edit or format often make it do really strange things like blank out or repeat entire sections of text, and during the last attempt to post this crashed my browser (NS 6.01) and ate about an hours worth of text. This time I composed on MS WORKS and pasted in. Attemts to isnert breaks etc. make it go nuts again. Site or browser issue? Any clues? - UJ

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: Uncle Jaque
Date: 13 May 01 - 09:24 AM

Somebody mentioned "period attire" for such gigs;
I've posted this before but rather than chase it down, here it is again:
For quality, durable working clothes cut in the pattern of the early 1800's (or thereabouts) at a reasonable price, inquire of:

GOHN BROS.
105 South Main
Box 111
Middlebury, Indiana 46540-0111
[phone]

They deal with the Amish, Mennonite, and Penn."Deutch" Communities and provide much of the "plain" (early to mid 19th Century style) clothing worn by some of the adherants to those traditions.
Of particular interest to Farmers and Sailors would be the "Men's Broadfall Drop Front Work Trousers" available in several colors and materials. I have a pair of the #44 "Natural" broadfalls in white cotton duck without hip or wrench pockets standard on the others (hip pockets are apparantly a 20th Century innovation) and no buttons, so you can sew your own on - pewter, horn, wooden, or whatever suits your impression or fancy. Although fundamentalist "stitch counters"{ would fault them, I rather think that they would suffice for ordinary windjammer use. I have seen Rev-War Reenactors cut them off just below the knee, split the outer seam up 4 or 5 inches, and install buttons - from a distance they look pretty OK.

Another good item is the "ROPP Old Fashioned Shirt", which is actually Colonial or RevWar period with it's wooden buttons, loops, and drop shoulders. I use them for ACW Reenacting, although the button loops are a pain to unbutton when they get sweated up. I would think that these would work well for a riggin' skipper too.

The Broadfalls go for around $20, and the shirts about $25, and they will outlast most name-brand duds considerably - they are built to work.

Subject: RE: Colonial Warship 'Providence' need help
From: CRANKY YANKEE
Date: 13 May 01 - 08:12 PM

Yes, I am "The Katzbergs'" father. I know that Joyce always reminds her Providence audiences that Mayor Cianci is a convicted felon.

He served his time, got out and was re-elected mayor of Providence by a whopping landslide. Whatever his negative aspects are, he's done a trmendous job in transforming Providence from a dung heap into a modern beautiful city, and the people love him for it. HE DOES A WHOLE LOT OF THINGS RIGHT.

My name used to be Joseph Katzberg. I started using a professional name at the same time my Brooklyn Buddy Eliott Adnapoz changed his name to Jack Elliot and for the same reason. Nobody wanted to hear the kind of music we wanted to sing by a couple of guys named Katzberg and Adnapos, in 1947. Happily, this is no longer so. When I ran for City Council in Newport, Most people knew me as "Jody Gibson" and in order to get that name on the ballot, I had to change my name legally.