Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012

Subject: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 31 Oct 11 - 11:37 PM

That's the date for the annual fundraiser for the Mystic Sea Music Festival. Chantey Blast will be from 1 to 5 PM at the usual location, Forshinn Hall aka the German Club across the street from the seaport's entrance. There is no admission fee, but a donation of $15 is suggested. Hey, it's a fundraiser, right? I hope the weather is better this year than last. Chantey Blast is bound to be, well, a blast. I am planning to go. Anyone else?

Drifting in my own thread: this Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011, is the seaport's major celebration of the Charles W.Morgan's 70th year in Mystic. Admission to the seaport will be free that day and special activities are here. http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=B2079971-1E4F-379B-6034791822F9C66B
I'm plaaning to go then, too.

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 01 Nov 11 - 11:40 AM

If the weather be fair, I'll certainly be there, at the Chantey Blast.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 01 Nov 11 - 11:04 PM

Not surprised that you were the first to respond! I know you drive for several hours to get to Mystic and couldn't come last year because of the weather. I missed hearing you leading some songs. In good weather my drive takes about one hour and last year I almost didn't go! I kept looking out the window of Forshinn Hall, ready to bolt if snow started! I managed to stay until the end.

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 17 Nov 11 - 10:46 AM

refresh!

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 17 Nov 11 - 09:46 PM

Thank you, Charley, for refreshing this thread. While the Chantey Blast will take place at its usual location, Forshinn Hall across the street from Mystic Seaport's Main Entrance, the seaport will be closed that day. If anyone was planning to visit the seaport during the morning and go to Chantey Blast in the afternoon, please amend your plans and just come for Chantey Blast. Mystic Seaport will be closed for 6 weeks after New Year's Day. I think this is unprecedented and caused by the economy. I plan to give two family and two couple memberships as Christmas gifts, but Mystic Seaport, like so many nonprofits, needs much more help.

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 05 Dec 11 - 09:48 PM

It's getting closer!

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 09 Dec 11 - 09:14 AM

Marc Bernier started a thread titled MSMF Symposium Call for Papers. MSMF stands for Mystic Sea Music Festival. Here's a link to Mystic Seaport's posting about submitting papers. The link includes Dr. Gordinier's snail mail and email addresses for those who wish to submit papers. All other information is there, too.

And in the meantime, I hope to see a lot of people at the Chantey Blast which is now less than a month away!

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: GUEST,the Heavenly Twins
Date: 11 Dec 11 - 08:07 PM

Pam and I did not attend last year and regretted our decision not to come due to the predicted snow as there really wasn't much that day.It would have to take some really authentic nasty storm to keep us away this year. One year is so long between festivls and the January event helps to fill the gap. So far so good in Dec....no snow since Halloween. See you there

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 11 Dec 11 - 08:34 PM

This will be great fun!

Anyone want to carpool with me on the road from Maine?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 29 Dec 11 - 08:38 PM

January 7th is coming up fast. I'm still looking for riders from Maine or New Hampshire.

The plan would be to go down and come back on the same day.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 03 Jan 12 - 12:55 AM

I hope you pick up some passengers, Charley!

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 03 Jan 12 - 08:15 AM

ChanteyLass-

Got a few nibbles but no keepers.

I don't think the Press Room gang follows Mudcat threads much anymore, except for Batgoddess.

I'm now studying the long range forecasts. So far they look promising.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 03 Jan 12 - 10:26 PM

That's reassuring! Did you read that, Heavenly Twins?

I knew Mystic Seaport would be closed but hoped the Cafe and Bake Shop would be open so I could grab coffee and a sandwich. That will be closed, too. I guess I'll have to pack a snack.

By the way, if you decided you wanted more music and could spend the night away from home, Bob Franke will be performing a Stone Soup that night. As I always write, it is a few blocks from Rt. 95 in Pawtucket, RI--and within those few blocks between Stone Soup and 95 is a Comfort Inn!

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 04 Jan 12 - 09:01 AM

I'll probably be stopping for lunch around noon time at Kitchen Little.

I'd love to share an evening with Bob Franke but I'll need all my remaining energy to get back home to Maine.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 06 Jan 12 - 08:29 AM

Well, maybe a verse competition will help revive this thread, to the tune of the "Sailor's Hornpipe":

Oh, we're rolling down to Mystic town,
Yes, we're rolling down to Mystic town;
Now we'll have our run ashore,
For them flashgirls we adore;
And we're rolling down to Mystic town!

Tomorrow is the big day and the weather looks great for travel!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 06 Jan 12 - 05:59 PM

. . . and I'm having car problems. If you see a little white car pulled over below Cranston, RI, it might be me. I've been told it will be safe to drive while the new parts arrive from NJ, but I'm not happy that the Check Engine light came on.

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: sciencegeek
Date: 07 Jan 12 - 06:36 AM

Mike & I will be thinking of you guys, but without the Enterprise to beam us over, we'll be spending today in western NY.

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 07 Jan 12 - 10:42 AM

I'll be thinking of you, too, and all our friends who can't make it today. Hope to see you all at the Sea Music Festival! It's time to revive that thread!

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: GUEST,ChanteyLass on cell
Date: 07 Jan 12 - 07:50 PM

Well, that was fun! Mary, I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you. I was way back In the corner near the fire exit.

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 07 Jan 12 - 10:59 PM

It was great fun and a fine turnout. I got back to Maine about 10 pm, deciding to just jump in the car and start driving while I still was running on adrenaline. It would have been nicer to have had dinner with friends in Mystic but I probably would have been sleepy sooner.

I have about two hours of photos of people leading songs, before my battery died. I'll post them in a week or so on my Facebook page with a link here.

Geoff Kaufman was saying that over $3000 was raised at this gathering, certainly making it a financial success as well as great fun.

There certainly was some fine singing, and I'm always amazing at the range of singers who lead songs, some as young as ten, some almost as ancient as myself.

Bonnie Milner was taking careful notes of who was leading songs and what they were singing. Maybe I can borrow the list from her and post them here.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 08 Jan 12 - 02:04 AM

That would be great! After I left Mystic I stopped for a snack after I entered RI, then continued to Pawtucket to hear John Schindler and Bob Franke at Stone Soup. Then a group of us went to our regular late-night dinner spot. After all that music, when I parked my car in front of my home I realized I was singing Yangtze River. It's all your fault, Charley!

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 08 Jan 12 - 11:13 AM

ChanteyLass-

Sounds like you had a full day and evening! I like to think that songs like "Yangtse River Shanty" help us get through the day. I know that much of the time driving (four hours each way), I was listening to the current draft of my next CD, figuring out what harmonies I could clone for the final release version. That keeps my mind alert. However, sometimes I miss my exit...

The old minstrel song "Stormalong Stormy," which I led at the Chantey Blast, will be the lead track on that CD. I'm very fond of this song but the text lacked any reference to a tune. "Sail Away Ladies," however, seems to be a good fit. The song dates back to 1850s and may be the first reference to "Stormy." Here's the full citation: based on a song by John Smith of White's Serenaders at the Melodeon, New York City, from White's New Ethiopian Song Book, published by T. B. Peterson & Bros., Philadelphia, US, © 1854, p. 71. I added the last two verses and changed a line of the chorus.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 08 Jan 12 - 10:15 PM

Here's a link to some photos I took at the Chantey Blast last Saturday afternoon: click here for PIXS

I'd appreciate help in identifying anyone who I've mis-identified or haven't been able to identify.

Alas, I was not able to take a photo of myself singing but maybe someone did.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 08 Jan 12 - 10:41 PM

The only information I can add is that April's last name is Grant if you want to include that. You know many more of these people's names than I do!

I like stories and songs about Stormy. When I started teaching there was a play about him in the sixth grade reader.

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 09 Jan 12 - 07:54 AM

April Grant, indeed. She's also a good storyteller.

I must say, more as an observation than a complaint, that there are many more fans of shanty singing over on Facebook than there are here now. Some fans may still be lurking here but most of the folks that used to post regularly on the sea music threads no longer do so. That's also obvious from the response that we get here from the Press Room and sea music festival threads.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: Dave Ruch
Date: 09 Jan 12 - 12:11 PM

Charlie, I tried to tag myself in one of the photos, but it wouldn't "take". It's the one that you captioned "???" toward the end of the photo album. I'm wearing a gray t-shirt with orange writing on it, and holding some sort of beverage...

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: RTim
Date: 09 Jan 12 - 12:32 PM

I am now Officially "bummed" that I had something else on that day!!
I see so many people in the photos, I would have loved to have heard and talked with them.

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 09 Jan 12 - 02:24 PM

Dave-

You are now appropriately named. You may need to be one of my 500 "friends" to tag photos in my Facebook albums.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: Dave Ruch
Date: 09 Jan 12 - 03:21 PM

Charlie - friend request sent!

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 09 Jan 12 - 08:50 PM

Excellent!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 12 Jan 12 - 07:05 PM

Here's a link to a second set of PIXS taken by Jan Christensen: click here for PIXS

Some nice shots!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 12 Jan 12 - 11:02 PM

Loving the photos!

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 13 Jan 12 - 07:39 AM

Jan's camera is much better quality than the point and shoot camera I was using. Still, mine was a lot more convenient to stash in my vest pocket.

I do encourage the dozen or so other people who were shooting photos to edit them and post them. If you're going to shoot them (which is distracting at best, rude at worst), please share them.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Mystic Chantey Blast Jan.7, 2012
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 13 Jan 12 - 08:30 PM

I didn't take any. I didn't even bring my camera! I was so far back in a corner taking photos would have been difficult, anyway.