2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)

Subject: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 22 Sep 12 - 12:00 PM

The 2012 (13th Annual) Portsmouth (NH) Maritime Folk Festival will be taking place this weekend, September 29th and 30th, in downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire. PMFF

We've got a great lineup -- Jon & Rika, Bob Webb & Dave Peloquin, Ken Sweeney, Jeff Warner, Calico Jack, Bob Stuart and lots of local talent including the newly formed London Julie. (Full list with bios, etc. at the website.)

Everything is FREE! From the kid's program ("Music In My Pockets" by Jeff Warner) to the Saturday night concert, street busking, mini-concerts and open sings (TWO venues on Saturday), closing shanty blast on Sunday... Schedule and downloadable schedule grid here -
2012 Schedule

The festival actually kicks off with the regular Friday evening trad session at The Press Room (4:30-9:00) on Daniel St. to get everyone in a nautical mood.

Come and enjoy all the FREE music and meet some "famous" Mudcatters!

Linn

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 22 Sep 12 - 02:22 PM

Sounds like a great line-up as usual and it's FREE!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 22 Sep 12 - 11:34 PM

I'll be in Ireland. If not I'd be at New Bedford's Working Waterfront Festival. But if some year New Bedford's and Portsmouth's events do not conflict, and if I have a newer car, and if I can afford a place to cheap motel room, I will be there. The line-up this year is wonderful, with many of my favorites.

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: Jon Bartlett
Date: 23 Sep 12 - 12:40 AM

Greetings, all! We're in Montreal, having just arrived via the Transcanada, and looking forward to seeing everyone in Portsmouth.

Jon Bartlett

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 23 Sep 12 - 08:39 AM

Looking forward to seeing you and Rika, Jon!

Linn

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: SINSULL
Date: 23 Sep 12 - 05:55 PM

I will be in Market Square on Sunday with a money jar. Not sure what is happening Saturday.
SINS

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: GUEST,SussexCarole
Date: 23 Sep 12 - 06:24 PM

Have a great time - we have wonderful memories of our time at Portsmouth Fest and wish we could be there with you again.

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: My guru always said
Date: 24 Sep 12 - 09:35 AM

I can echo Carole's post, I just know you'll have a fabulous weekend & wish we were able to join you this year.

Maybe next year, please post dates as soon as you know.

Have a good one!

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 25 Sep 12 - 09:24 AM

Looks as if it may be a cool weekend...but that will just make the Saturday concert more enjoyable. (It got pretty hot in the hall last year even with the windows open.)

Hils, the festival is ALWAYS the last full weekend in September...so, if you've got next year's calendar handy, you'll already know the festival will be September 28th & 29th. We would LOVE to see you back! And maybe you and I could actually get to spend some more time together... You, too, Carole (and Andrew). There just isn't enough conversation time festival weekend.

Tom's birthday is the 30th, so this year we'll have to make a mad dash (well, not that fast...) after Sunday's closing shanty blast to get to Newick's for his birthday rate supper. (Bet he has the fried clams...)

Linn

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: My guru always said
Date: 25 Sep 12 - 05:10 PM

Thanks for confirming next year's dates, Linn! Looks like a good year for visiting as the FSGW Getaway will be the following weekend as far as I know. Very tempting! About time I visited my Sister again, some serious thinking to be done!

Have a fabulous weekend you lot!

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 26 Sep 12 - 11:36 AM

Got a couple volunteer spots still open -- short stints on Sunday that would keep you from enjoying other performances.

Look forward to seeing you again one of these years!

Linn

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 27 Sep 12 - 05:16 PM

Kick off for the festival at tomorrow night's Press Room trad session. Some of the performers will be there (the rest coming on Saturday).

It's inevitable that something fails to go according to plan...Calico Jack had to cancel yesterday because of a serious health issue -- that's reflected on the new schedule grid posted on the website, but was too late for the printed program.

Linn

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 28 Sep 12 - 01:49 PM

Looks like the weekend has a 30-40% chance of being at least sporadically damp. Temperatures in the mid-60sF.

There are indoor venues planned to replace outside ones -- I just don't know yet if an official decision has been made yet. If so, Warner House performances will be at the Discover Portsmouth Center and Market Square performers (outside Ri-Ra) will move inside Ri-Ra. And, if necessary, Sunday's closing shanty blast can move to under the canopy at the Federal Building on Daniel St. We did that once before when it poured the whole weekend. This weekend, from the weather reports, looks more like nuisance showers.

Our umbrella lives in the car, but I haven't a clue where my rain poncho is. Not where I've looked for it. Will have to check again.

At least it won't be uncomfortably hot at the concert Saturday night.

Linn

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 28 Sep 12 - 10:14 PM

I'll post photos of tonight's session at Facebook tomorrow.

What a glorious session and it's not even officially part of the festival! We're starting to get people from as far away as Buffalo, New York and the Gulf Coast of Texas who have found out about the festival online. Word of mouth gets us a lot of festival goers, too.

Strong singers...since we do this every week, I left most of the singing to others tonight, but got a couple songs in anyway as well as a lot of "working the hall" (and running to the car for more programs, etc.)

Very gratifying comments showing appreciation of how much work we put in to produce this festival, now in our 13th year.

Linn

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 01 Oct 12 - 08:58 AM

Okay, so it rained...

It cleared enough so the finale shanty blast could be held outside in Market Square as scheduled (instead of inside Ri-Ra).

Counting the unofficial Press Room kickoff on Friday, three days of some pretty amazing music.

I'll just post this morning's press response --
Foster's

Portsmouth Herald

More later,
Linn

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 01 Oct 12 - 12:36 PM

Here's a video of some of Sunday's performances at Ri-Ra in the Portsmouth Patch --

Portsmouth Patch

Linn

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 02 Oct 12 - 05:16 PM

Let's refresh this so some of the gang that chose to go to the Getaway instead of the PMFF can see what they missed.

I see some of them are arriving home and may actually be awake enough at some point to check Mudcat.

Linn

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: CET
Date: 02 Oct 12 - 06:32 PM

I wish I could have been there. Next year perhaps. For those of you who don't know Portsmouth, it's well worth a visit. There's a very interesting historic section, and some good places to eat, including one of the best brew pubs you'll ever find. The friendly cat that was infesting the historic herb garden the last time I visited may be meowing with the choir invisible by now. I am very glad to see that the festival is going strong.

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 03 Oct 12 - 10:27 AM

Linn-

Thanks for posting the updates. Curiously I've been getting some fragmented scenes from the Festival in my dreams the last few nights. I'll have to compare the images with your photos. Were you really dancing on a table top waving two Japanese fans?

We're still on the road for a week following the DC Getaway. We look forward to seeing you again at the Shanty Session in October.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 03 Oct 12 - 10:39 AM

No, Charley, FOUR fans. And they were peacock feathers. Probably should have been goney feathers or storm petral feathers. The frozen albatross on a stick didn't seem to actually HAVE any feathers.

And it was during my set at the Athenaeum when I sang about a few naughty girls. Probably should have saved the table dancing for the Rusty Hammer...

Linn

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: Dave Ruch
Date: 03 Oct 12 - 10:43 AM

Hmmm, Lynn....who came from Buffalo NY?

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 03 Oct 12 - 12:29 PM

Dave, I don't know their names; Press Room is too noisy for too complicated a conversation, plus Tom really needed to get home. They said they discovered the festival from our website. Nice couple. Saw them to wave to a couple more times Saturday and Sunday, but not to talk to.

Linn

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 20 Oct 12 - 11:00 PM

I'm refreshing this for selfish reasons! It's almost 11 PM and I'm too tired to follow the links tonight but don't want to have to search far for this thread tomorrow!

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 21 Oct 12 - 06:28 PM

Well, Janet -- did you get to read it?

You're not that far away -- why don't you come up some time for our third Saturday of the month sea music sing? Or the festival?!?

Tom's not on Facebook -- he lurks on my Facebook identity, BTW.

Linn (Schulz)

Subject: RE: 2012 Portsmouth Maritime Folk Fest (USA)
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 21 Oct 12 - 08:39 PM

Linn, I would love to do that, but . . .

I have an old car. Until I can buy a new one, I don't want to drive that far. As It is I will probably have to drive to the Berkshires around Christmas so that I can see my 12-year-old grandson at my son't timeshare when he comes for the week. I am already hyperventilating about that drive. If I could just buy a Prius . . .

The Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival conflicts with the New Bedford Working Waterfront Festival which is much closer. (I missed it this year and went to Ireland, which is why I may not be able to buy a car any time soon.)

There also seems to be a strong connection between Mudcatters in NH and ME. Maybe some day I'll get up to one place, the other, or both for some music!