Review: John the Ferryman!!!!!!

Subject: John the Ferryman!!!!!!
From: InOBU
Date: 22 Mar 02 - 04:22 PM

Just got a wonderful CD from Germany, which I hope (being it has a mudcater on it) may have a few tracks on the Mudcat CD one day soon. John the Ferryman is a German band that does English and Irish maritime music... the excellent singing (with German accents) really evokes the foc'sle because of the mix of German voices and English songs... Let's see, who do we have here,... Anika Ropnack, on Gesang (!?... maybe vocals?),Akkordeon, Folte (must be a wooden flute to flote, eh?) Tin Wistle und Percussion, Heike Lajda, also Gesang, and Bodhran, Gitarre, Waschbrett (washboard? Hey I'm learning German here!) Flote, Percussion, Lars Schiele, (guess what also...) Gesang, Mandoline, Banjo (which I undersand in German does not mean banjo but means canoe paddle...) Roland (yeah!) Ropnack (with an umlot over the o) Gesang, Banjo Mandoline Fiddle Mundharmonika und Perccussion (larry panting from typing out all he plays! and well as well, he does play all these things!!!) Wolfgang Ropnack (begining to see a trend here, like maybe a family band? another Von Trapp family in the works...) ON that's right, Gesang, Gitarre, Percussion, and lets not forget Michi Grot on Tontechnick ( on dead tinybopper??? you really got me on that one guys...)
But they really are VERY VERY good, lovely voices, lots of energy, good harmonies, and I am going to listen a lot, if only to find out what a Tontechnick is, as well as to enjoy some really nice music, from some really nice brothers and sisters, (I hope...)
Cheers Larry

Subject: RE: Review: John the Ferryman!!!!!!
From: InOBU
Date: 22 Mar 02 - 04:24 PM

Oh that is Tontechnich, not Toten Chick....

Subject: RE: Review: John the Ferryman!!!!!!
From: InOBU
Date: 22 Mar 02 - 04:25 PM

AH Recording Technition, I bet... German is not unlike English if you just say it out loud a few hundred times... not dead tiny bopper, but technician!

Subject: RE: Review: John the Ferryman!!!!!!
From: InOBU
Date: 22 Mar 02 - 07:25 PM

OH Hey... I think you can buy one of these CDs... let's see... email [e-mail] and send them marks... you WILL be happy you did! Someone tell Liam's Bro about this for South Street, or some other matitime venue here in the states, it would be good if they tour the US... fun for all around! Cheers again, Larry

Subject: RE: Review: John the Ferryman!!!!!!
From: InOBU
Date: 23 Mar 02 - 10:09 AM

Gee Rollo, this is worse than a Rodney Dangerfield skit... I'm John the Ferryman and I don't get no respect! Come on fellow Mudcatters, ask a bit about Rollo the Mudcatter's band, here!
Well, Rollo... My wife Genie heard your CD this morning and really liked it as well, she compaired the harmonies and balence to the Rankin Family! She really liked it... Also, I enjoyed that you have an IWW song on it, (preacher and the slave)
InOne Big Union, Larry

Subject: RE: Review: John the Ferryman!!!!!!
From: SINSULL
Date: 23 Mar 02 - 10:33 AM

"How about a list of tracks?" she asks, knowing that between the German titles and InObu's spelling it was almost pointless.

What tunes can one possibly play on a TeenyBopper?
Maybe John The Ferryman Rollo can step in and help us out.

Larry - good to hear from you. If you make it to Portland, let me know.

Subject: RE: Review: John the Ferryman!!!!!!
From: InOBU
Date: 24 Mar 02 - 07:02 AM

Well, I am off to meeting, so I will start the list, maybe Rollo can finish it... Haul away... The Bonnie Lass o'Fyvie... Only Fools... Brothers of Keep Smiling... ... ... ... ... ... Larry

Subject: RE: Review: John the Ferryman!!!!!!
From: Rollo
Date: 24 Mar 02 - 08:14 AM

Here I am at last... So Larry it has arrived... Thank you for liking it! I am afraid your own cd is still travelling somewhere on the atlantic... you shouldn't have dropped that mysterious white powder inside the box, eh? *GGG*

Well, folks, the complete list of tracks:

1 haul away
2 The bonny lass o´fyvie
3 only fools
4 brothers of keep smiling
5 The infant´s song
6 The lily of the west
7 pie in the sky
8 red is the rose
9 the foggy dew
10 crusade
11 jonny went out to play war
12 the jolly mermaid
13 wild mountain thyme
14 ye jacobites

4, 5, 10 and 11 were written by my brother wolfgang.

Michi is our technician and somewhat of a producer.

Beside the fat guy on the cover playing canoe paddle is is me. Lars is a rather sleek guy.

If you want to contact us, we are changing the contact adress. try contacting me directly at
[e-mail]

I'm sorry but I have to leave now, having a date elsewhere. Lateron I will answer every question with joy.
Bye Rollo

Subject: RE: Review: John the Ferryman!!!!!!
From: Rollo
Date: 24 Mar 02 - 09:56 AM

here I am again! Larry, greatings to your wife, I am sorry but I don't know the Rankin family she compares us to. *GGG*
Well, indeed Anika and Wolfgang are my brother and sister. We are a family of music, you might say. Both my mum and dad have play instruments and encouraged us in every way. That is, my father cannot anymore since his left arm is lame due to illness. The worst fate I can imagine, not to be able to play instruments anymore!

The rest of my family also plays in a group where they perform old dances wearing traditinal dresses. Whatever you call that kind of "reenactors" in english, the name of this group is "de beekscheepers".

The others are good friends of us, who originally don't have relations to folk music. And that's what makes it so interesting to make music together: everyone has other intentions and imaginations how something should be done. Myself loving american Folk, blues, and expecially cajun more than everything else, my sister and brother being fans of irish folk, my brother also writing new dances in the northern german tradition as well as pop songs, lars playing ragtime and oldtime jazz on the piano, Heike (who sadly left us meanwhile) singing chancons... In the end you never know what will happen to a song once we start to work on it. talking of money *GGG*, if anyone of you wants to buy our CD, you pay EUR 14 plus transportation for more than 70 minutes of music, that's 20 euro-cent per minute (plus transp.), and thats next to nothing, isn't it? *GGG* Just send me a message!
Now my advert-time is over, I fear. I just wish everyone out there as much joy while making or listening to music as we have with John the Ferryman!

Subject: RE: Review: John the Ferryman!!!!!!
From: InOBU
Date: 24 Mar 02 - 05:49 PM

Well that really explains the interesting mix! My condolences to your dad, but hearing you all must be a real blessing for him! Cheers, Larry, if the CD does not arrive in a few more days PM me, and I will resend! Cheers again, Larry