Ahoy Mates!

This is essentially a continuation of the essentially past-tense "XMas Chantey Sing" thread.

If I knew how, I'd put a "blicky" at the end of it to link it here, as seems to be the 'Cat custom when threads go over 100 messages or take a significant turn in subject direction. For those who do know the HTML incantations and are so inclined, by all means feel free!

But having done this & said that... these Chantey Sings really get my musical sap flowing and I find my old bones hankering for MORE MUSIC!!!

Bria'n; I wasn't aware (or forgot) the Re'Ra' Monday nite open-mike thing; it's a rough night for Susan, as she is usually exhausted after a day's work, and loathe to go out on a "work-night", but I may well overcome my aversion for "big cities" and pop down for one if I knew you and/or other members of the local Celtic/Chantey Music community were going to be participating.

Perhaps those of you "in the know" about what's happening on a regular (or irregular) basis between Portsmouth NH and Bath Me (?) for instance, post it from time to time (as has been done & appreciated) here so that those of us on the "outskirts of civilization" (Ja, right; Yarmouth) might know in advance & plan to participate.

And now for some spontanious and gratuitous brain flatulance, for what it's worth...

Any chance of a ressurection of the old "Portland Folk Club"? I never got in for many of those sessions, but those we did were wonderful. As much as I love the "Songs of the Sea", I'd like to share some music of other ecclectic genres within the general "Folk/Trad" realm as well. We did that a couple of times up in Bath with Naemanson, and it was great! We seemed to do as much socializing and getting aquinted with fellow area Musicians as we did singing & listening, but both activities (not to mention helping Naem' dispose of his surplus brews) were equally enjoyed.

I'm aware of a few clusters of the "Celtic" crowd, and certainly the "Chantey" Crews (with some interesting overlapping going on there), but have we in the area any:

Old time "Gospel" aucoustic groups - "shapenote" or otherwise?

People interested in Victorian-style "Glee-Club" Quartet singing? Not to be confused with "Barber-Shop"; The Glee was actually the predecessor to the BSQ style - they moved the "Lead" from the Tenor to the Baritone around the 1880's and went from there. Of course these groups weren't limited to a "Quartet" per se, but that was traditional as most of the music from that period is written in 4 parts.

Of course this is the kind of singing that would fit in perfectly with my "Living History"/Reenactment activities, so your suspicions of an alterior motive here may, in fact, be quite well-founded! Might I point out that both the "Victorian Mansion" and the Center for ME History are right in town, and the latter has an "early 19th Century in Maine" exhibit on through most of this year. Id' think that they might be interested in hosting some sort of a musical History "do" in conjunction with their regular activities. I wouldn't be surprised if some local Portland Resident approached one of them if they might not be open to a possible "Victorian Sing" in one of their facilities... just a thought... Don't they have a piano-forte or harpsichord in one of those places? I'm told that the Victorian Mansion has some interesting acoustics...

Let's keep in touch, eh? I'll be looking forward to sharing much more "Joyful Noise" with ye all in 2002!