Hi there -- first time up and came across this thread. This year's festival was right on target for me and brought in large names with a link to sea music. For me this was sorely lacking in previous years.

Been at the festival off and on for 15 years and this year to my delight I had the pleasure of hearing the Johnson Girls. They blew me away. What fantastic renditions of the shanties. I was fortunate enough to attend a number of workshops where they were -either in force - or as solo members and learned that they are not just about shanties. I was very impressed with Joy Bennet in the Songs of Fishermen and the Women and the Sea workshops. Her knowledge and treatment of the material and the way she handled the introduction made me want to hire her straight away (would that I could). In the worksongs traditions workshop I found their tracing the "voyage" of a particular song, with a few verses of each tracking the song from children's song to mill working song, to shanty to be particularly interesting. They really know their stuff.

I was also impressed with the versatility of the group. From Shanties done with a fervour and spirit that made me believe work was being done, to a very renaissance like Italian fishing song, they sang them all. And their willingness to share time with audience members when they are "off" only adds to the equation.

Their enthusiam, power, and interpretations, wow!

And all this from women. I was skeptical at first, but am now a true believer.

I can only imagine what the after hours were like. And I am jealous.

I bought their CD and was glad I did. Their enthusiasm for the music shines throughout the CD. A wonderful addition to my Shanty collection.

Thank you Johnson Girls for what you bring to a festival and thank you Mystic for giving me the opportunity to hear this truly fantastic group. I hope they will be at the festival again soon.

Figgyd