Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room

Subject: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: curmudgeon
Date: 12 Feb 05 - 02:55 PM

Next Saturday, Feb. 19 is the date for the monthly shanty / forebitter session at the Press Room in Portsmouth NH from 3:30 to 7:30. Hope to see all the usual suspects and perhaps some unusual ones as well. You know the drill by now. And if not, post here -- Tom

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: SINSULL
Date: 12 Feb 05 - 06:30 PM

If the weather cooperates I will be there with jacqui in tow.
Mary

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: Charley Noble
Date: 12 Feb 05 - 06:33 PM

Weather or not!

Anyone want to join the van pool from 40 Salem St. in Portland at 2 pm?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: SINSULL
Date: 13 Feb 05 - 12:52 PM

refresh
Who else is joining us?

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: curmudgeon
Date: 13 Feb 05 - 08:11 PM

Good try. Mary. Usually the only ones I hear from are you and Charley. I guess we have to take the rest of this lot for granted.

BTW, where are you, justanotherdave? Its been too long -- Tom

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: Brían
Date: 14 Feb 05 - 01:10 PM

I am busy right now, but believe I will see y'all at SINSULL's

Brían

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: curmudgeon
Date: 17 Feb 05 - 12:11 PM

You'll be missed once again, Brian. Is anyone else going to be missed?

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: jacqui.c
Date: 17 Feb 05 - 02:22 PM

Hoping to be there with SINSULL.

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: Brían
Date: 17 Feb 05 - 03:13 PM

Thread creep: My Mudcat profile is up!

Brían

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: GUEST,Charley Noble
Date: 17 Feb 05 - 05:11 PM

Anyone know if Ranger1 is joining the van pool?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: curmudgeon
Date: 17 Feb 05 - 05:42 PM

When are you going to bring R&G's new shipmate with you?

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: Charley Noble
Date: 17 Feb 05 - 05:47 PM

Tom-

I'll do my best to shanghai Jeff. We'll be doing a Roll & Go practice earlier on Saturday. But outside of that they're really harder to herd than cats!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: curmudgeon
Date: 19 Feb 05 - 09:12 AM

Anyone else?

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: GUEST,a man overboard!
Date: 19 Feb 05 - 09:27 PM

hey i'm looking for simple chords and lyrics to any sea shanty thats cut-throught or comical, traditionals are cool but the more tragic or unscencord or down right filthy the better. drinkin, sailin, whourin, lootin pilliging,plundering or just plain stupid! ghost song would be great. my band would much appreciate it

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: Charley Noble
Date: 20 Feb 05 - 10:58 AM

Guest A Man Oveboard-

Tell us, after you come up for air, some more about yourself and your band, where you're based. It sounds interesting.

There is a wealth of such songs posted here at Mudcat which you should be able to dredge up with a thread search for key words such as "bawdy sailor songs", "ghost songs", etc.

The best CD I'm aware of is called "UNCENSORED SAILOR SONGS" which might be right up (down?) your alley, Shinbone Alley to be more precise.

The session last night was really great, after a slow start with only Nor, myself, Tom and Linn there for the first hour. Carol did a nice arrangement of "The Flat River Girl" which I'd sure like to hear again. Bruce did a much slower and elegant version of "Farewell to Nova Scotia." Jeri did a new song she's composed, something about the loss we feel when we lose a "folk legend", or maybe it was the loss involved in creating a "folk legend;" I was thinking Stan Rogers while she was singing it but it has more general meaning. In the absence of Jeff Warner, Nor led "Road to Mandalay"; there are risks involved in being absent from the shanty sing for too long. And what is the name of that fine singer who led Lester Simpson's "Polly on the Shore"? He does such a great job of singing it. I got to try out a couple of songs I hadn't sung before at the Press Room, "Captain Bailey's Mistake" and the traditional drinking song from the Stonington Harbor area of Maine "Merchant's Island". Linn led a spirited rendition of "Nine Times a Night" and Tom did a fine job with "The Handsome Cabin Boy." Jacqui led "The Gray Flannel Line" which I have never had the joy of actually hearing before. JudyB led "Roll the Old Chariot," making good use of the various beverages available at the Press Room for each verse. Sinsull led "Shenandoah." There were many more songs but maybe someone else can post some more notes.

Next month we're going to try something different on the Sunday (March 20th) following the regular Saturday (March 19th) shanty sing. We're going to do a concert with nautical singer and songwriter BOB ZENTZ. We'll be doing the concert upstairs at the Press Room from 2 to 4 pm, admission $10. Zentz is based in Norfolk, Virginia, and for years Gordon Bok and others have been singing his finely crafted songs. He is a fine singer as well, and instrumentalist on concertina, banjo, guitar and some instruments that only he knows the name of. He also has produced a CD primarily of C. Fox Smith sea poems that he has set to music. Don't miss this concert. For reservations or more information contact Tom and Linn by PM, e-mail, telephone, or word of month.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 20 Feb 05 - 04:47 PM

Steve Carrigan sang "Polly On the Shore" -- great voice!

Let's see, other songs -- I did "Down Below" during the "silly" go-round. A song written entirely to lead up to the horrible pun in the last verse. But at least it has , uh, "water" as subject matter and mentions boats floating on it.

I also did "Home, Dearie, Home." Can't think right now what else I did or anybody else for that matter. Later!

And we'll start a thread closer to show time aobut lthe Bob Zentz concert reminding everybody of the great opportunity to hear such a fine nautical singer.

Linn

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 21 Feb 05 - 07:50 AM

Bruce sang "Little River" and Nor sang "Flowers of Bermuda" and "Shanghaied Dredger." Jacqui started with "The Keel Row" and I think she also sang "Dark-Eyed Sailor." After Charlie's song about being 'wooed and tattooed", Sinsull HAD to sing "Tattooed Lady."

Other songs will come to mind.

Linn

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: kendall
Date: 21 Feb 05 - 10:23 AM

I want to see Bob, but not if they allow smoking. How do we find out?

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Feb 05 - 11:33 AM

Kendall-

There will be NO SMOKING upstairs where the concert will be.

Tom also did "The Leaving of Liverpool" and Steve led "The Bonny Bay of Biscay-o." I also did C. Fox Smith's "Outward Bound." Jeri did "Molymauk." Tom and I were having fun seeing if we could come up with all the verses to "They're Moving Father's Grave to Build a Sewer."

There also seemed to be a good number of people listening to what we were doing. Some of them, however, were chatting fairly loudly and smoking up a storm.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: GUEST,Bat Goddess
Date: 21 Feb 05 - 05:55 PM

A lot of that smoke came from one table (one person in particular).

I'd really prefer it if nobody smoked within a mile or so of singers.

Linn

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Feb 05 - 07:28 PM

Maybe we need a "No Smoking" shanty, subtly done of course so as not to offend but one that gets the point across.

There could be this ship cruising along full and by, when suddenly everyone lights up and the helmsman is overcome with the fumes...the wheel spins, the sails are taken hard aback, the ship breachs to, as the waves and wind force her over onto her beams end. It don't look good, lads and ladies...

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: SINSULL
Date: 21 Feb 05 - 08:51 PM

Where did my post go?
Repeat:
Bruce sang the traditional Sailor's Hymn "Eternal Father".

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: Jeri
Date: 21 Feb 05 - 10:11 PM

SINS, I think you meant 'Seamen's Hymn'. 'Eternal Father' is a different song. (There's a thread on the two songs somewhere.)

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 22 Feb 05 - 07:32 AM

Hey! How could we forget Carol's Greek Rock 'n' Roll version of "Bonnie Ship The Diamond"?!?

Linn

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: kendall
Date: 22 Feb 05 - 07:45 AM

How do I make two reservations for Bob's concert?

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: Charley Noble
Date: 22 Feb 05 - 09:08 AM

Kendall-

You just did. We'll maintain a reservation list.

Anyone else want prime seating?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Feb.Shanty Session at the Press Room
From: SINSULL
Date: 22 Feb 05 - 10:58 AM

I do.

Thanks Jeri. I am not functioning on all cylinders.