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01 Jul 05 - 02:39 PM (#1513892) Subject: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: GUEST,Chanteyranger The Festival of the Sea, at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, is set for Saturday, September 10, 10am-5pm. Thefestival will feature music at four stages, kids concerts and crafts, shipboard living history demonstrations, small craft exhibits, and a grand opening of an exhibit of the ship Balclutha's cargo. The festival will celebrate the Balclutha's 50th anniversary of her restoration and opening to the public as a museum ship. I'm the ranger who organizes the music program at the festival. This year's music program leans a little more than usual to Scottish and English music, in honor of the Balclutha, the 1886 square-rigger that was built in Glasgow and sailed under the Union Jack during her years as a Cape Horner. The performers are: Andy M. Stewart and Gerry O'Beirne, Alasdair Fraser, Shay and Shosi Black, Holdstock and Macleod, The Johnson Girls, Malcolm Rigby, Danny and Joyce McLeod, Carol Holdstock, Oak, Ash and Thorn, Pam Swan, Riggy Rackin, Adam Miller, Nathalie Reginster, Salty Walt and the Rattlin'Ratlines, Skip Henderson and the Starboard Watch, Lintie (Christa Burch and Kim Hughes), Chris Caswell, Kathryn Daskal, Sons of the Buccaneers, Dogwatch Nautical Band, Revell Carr, Inge Wessels (kids puppet shows), Valentine Doyle, Peter Kasin and Richard Adrianowicz. Mudcatters on this list are Dave Swan, P.J., Riggy, Radriano, Joy Bennett, Lancslad, and myself. Mudcatter Melani will be volunteering. Mudcatter BillR is the park's newest ranger. A website for the festival is being created, and I'll post the URL when it's up and running. Anyone interested in volunteering, please contact the volunteer coordinator, Terry Dorman, at 415-556-1613 or terry_dorman@nps.gov. Volunteer positions are open from everything to logistical to stage managers and emcees. Volunteers are treated to breakfast,lunch, and dinner, plus the post-festival party. Hope to meet other Mudcatters there! Chanteyranger |
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02 Jul 05 - 09:31 AM (#1514159) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: Charley Noble Sounds like a great gathering. Wish we could be there but we'll just be getting back from our trip to Seattle and Vancouver, BC. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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03 Jul 05 - 04:30 PM (#1514635) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: Peter Kasin Another time then, Charley. have a great trip to the Northwest. One more name to add to the performers list is Bruce Sherman, our roving chanteyman, who'l be up and down the pier with his voice and melodeon. Chanteyranger |
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05 Jul 05 - 07:11 PM (#1515563) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: radriano The lineup for this year's festival sounds wonderful. The east-coast group "The Johnson Girls" are a real treat and I'm sure will be a bit hit here. Danny and Joyce McLeod, who I have not seen in a few years, are as fine a pair of English singers as you could want. Of course, it's also an opportunity to cavort with all the great local sea music singers in the SF Bay Area mentioned in Chanteyranger's first post in this thread. And a time to welcome back our old friend Revell Carr (Revell ran the chantey sings at Hyde Street Pier just before Peter took over). I can't help but think of John Roberts who performed at last year's festival. He's undergoing by-pass surgery and I wish him a speedy recovery. Radriano |
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05 Jul 05 - 07:29 PM (#1515573) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: GUEST,Jim I always am excited for the fantastic line up they usually have at Festival of the Sea, but I'm especially pleased this year to have Andy M. Stewart at the Festival. I've never before heard him sing, dispite being a fan of his & of Silly Wizard for many years. And I'll be volunteering again, too. Congrats to Bill on becoming a Ranger. Jim P.S., I'm still looking for anyone with a copy of his out of print songbook for sale! |
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05 Jul 05 - 07:33 PM (#1515579) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: radriano Hey, Jim. I think I have a copy of Stewart's songbook. Send me a PM and we'll work something out. Radriano |
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22 Jul 05 - 01:08 PM (#1525438) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: GUEST,Chanteyranger Adding to the list is park historian and chantey singer Steve Canright, who wrote a song in honor of the Balclutha. He'll be performing it at the 11am ceremony. Chris Caswell will play his pipes at the ceremony as well. Interested in volunteering? See my other seafest thread for details. If that drops off the column, and you see this before it's refreshed, the volunteer coordinator is Terry Dorman, who can be reached at terry_dorman@nps.gov,or 415-556-1613. Chanteyranger |
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22 Jul 05 - 06:08 PM (#1525733) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: Celtaddict Envy, envy! I'll be in Iceland. Maybe next year for SF. Enjoy! |
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23 Jul 05 - 12:24 AM (#1525975) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: Mark Cohen Huzzah! I'll finally be able to be there. Will probably volunteer as well, as soon as I double check my calendar. I saw Silly Wizard perform in Philadelphia in 1978 or thereabouts, but haven't seen Mr. Stewart since then. I'm looking forward to this stellar lineup. Aloha, Mark |
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10 Aug 05 - 03:56 PM (#1539660) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: GUEST,Chanteyranger Refresh |
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10 Aug 05 - 04:13 PM (#1539668) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: Charley Noble I could also add that Danny and Joyce McLeod are fine traditional style singers but also should be credited with introducing or reviving interest in the sea poems of Cicely Fox Smith, and with the help of their friend Alan Fitzsimmons setting these poems to music. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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24 Aug 05 - 02:25 PM (#1548778) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: GUEST,Musique174 I know I am definatly looking forward to the festival. But then who wouldn't look forward to the chance to perform with people you've always admired. I just wish I wasn't so nervous. Nathalie R aka Musique174 |
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24 Aug 05 - 02:48 PM (#1548790) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: radriano Nerves are good, Nathalie. They keep you on your toes and also keep you from getting too smug. You'll be fine. I have no doubts. Richard |
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24 Aug 05 - 03:29 PM (#1548817) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: GUEST,Chanteyranger Here's the park website: http://www.nps.gov.safr Click on the photo of the festival, and you'll get a flyer with the schedule. If anyone would like me to email them a complete schedule of music and all other festival events, feel free to PM me to get my work email address.I'm away August 25-September 5, but can send it today and from the 6th on. Pam Swan needs to be added to the blue-clicky performers bios on the site; she'll be at the Scottish songs workshop. 'Catters Melani, Mark Cohen, Open Mike, JP, and Bev & Jerry have signed on as festival volunteers. Nathalie, you'll do fine. Looking forward to seeing you there! Chanteyranger |
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24 Aug 05 - 04:27 PM (#1548840) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: radriano For your convenience, here an active link to the park website: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco, 2005 |
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24 Aug 05 - 04:32 PM (#1548849) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: radriano Hmm, that last link I posted doesn't work, try this one: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco, 2005 Radriano |
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24 Aug 05 - 10:49 PM (#1549103) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: Peter Kasin Unfortunately, that website has no details. Please go to the official park site, http://www.nps.gov/safr for performer bios and schedule. Thanks, though, Radriano. Chanteyranger |
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25 Aug 05 - 02:00 AM (#1549173) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: Mark Cohen Hey, Peter, somebody at NPS goofed! The photo of "Holdstock and MacLeod" on the NPS Sea Music Festival webpage is actually a picture of "Holdstock and Holdstock," i.e., Dick and Carol. Allan MacLeod may be cute, but he's not anywhere near as pretty as Carol. Aloha, Mark |
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26 Aug 05 - 01:04 AM (#1549987) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: Mark Cohen It's fixed. I remembered Peter was on vacation, so I emailed the site, and now they have it right. Hope Carol didn't see it! Aloha, Mark |
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26 Aug 05 - 01:33 PM (#1550394) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: radriano Chanteyranger, sorry about the multiple links I provided. That first link didn't seem to go anywhere. If anyone has problems just Google "Hyde Street Pier" and you'll eventually get to the Festival of the Sea information. |
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06 Sep 05 - 06:42 PM (#1557997) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: GUEST,Chanteyranger Just back to work today, and found out unfortunate news. I just heard from his agent that because of a mixup with the visa, Andy M. Stewart will not be able to be at the festival! However, Gerry O'Beirne will do the gig solo. It's call coming up soon! We're keeping an eye on the weather, which is unseasonably cool and cloudy right now. Usually it's warm to hot in early September. Who wants a festival schedule emailed to them? Send me a PM with your email address. Chanteyranger |
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06 Sep 05 - 07:48 PM (#1558035) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: GUEST,Dr Price Richard Adrianowicz has just emailed me about SF Festival Of The Sea - I sure wish I could be there, but circumstances say No. You're bound to enjoy Danny and Joyce McLeod - they come from Newcastle, in the north-east of England, which means they speak in impenitrable accents! |
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06 Sep 05 - 08:21 PM (#1558057) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: Charley Noble Richard and Peter- Give my best to Danny and Joyce. Cheerily, Charley Noble, back in Maine |
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07 Sep 05 - 01:32 AM (#1558210) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: Anglo Well, give all our best to Danny and Joyce - all of us that can't be there, that is. JR |
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08 Sep 05 - 12:05 PM (#1559114) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: GUEST,Chanteyranger Refresh |
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08 Sep 05 - 03:48 PM (#1559246) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: open mike ok setting sail for the bay tomorrow!~ anyone have a spare eye patch i can wear??!! arrrgh! or a parrot to sit on my shoulder?? practice up -- talk like a pirate day is only 10 days away! |
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09 Sep 05 - 01:17 PM (#1559900) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: GUEST,Chanteyranger It's tomorrow! Woo-hoo! |
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10 Sep 05 - 01:05 AM (#1560275) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: Musique174 Yes it sure has come up quick... Its like christmas eve, I'm excited, nervous and plan on coming home with a whole bunch of new CD's. :) Musique174 |
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11 Sep 05 - 04:11 PM (#1561246) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: Mark Cohen It was a roaring success! Even the weather cooperated. (Well, except for a bit of a breeze...) Loud huzzahs for Chanteyranger and everyone else who made it happen! Aloha, Mark |
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11 Sep 05 - 08:41 PM (#1561387) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: open mike It was great to help with this event, and meet various mud catters who were doing the same, and enjoying it all!! The chance to be on some wonderful historic boats and ships was a treat!! and the shanty sing last night was a great way to end the day!! |
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11 Sep 05 - 08:42 PM (#1561388) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: Charley Noble More details, please. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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11 Sep 05 - 09:11 PM (#1561407) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: Mark Cohen Charley, the schedule for who did what when at the Festival is here. The only one missing in action was Andy M. Stewart, who apparently was waylaid by visa difficulties. Here are performer biographies. Highlights for me were: Danny and Joyce Mcleod, The Johnson Girls (whom I heard described as "The Andrews Sisters singing sea shanties...only more of them"), Alasdair Frazier's ad hoc duet on "When the Yellow's on the Broom" with Christa Burch of Lintie, the "all hands" sing at the end, with everybody leaning backward against the wind, and...well, everything! The sun was out--burning not a few performers' faces along the way--the crowd was lively and happy, and everything seemed to run smoothly. A big hand to Ranger Terry Dorman for coordinating the volunteers and helping us all to help everybody have a good time...and of course to Peter Kasin (Mudcat's Chanteyranger) for energizing the whole day. When I was standing at Balclutha's after rail in the late afternoon, hearing the strains of music carried on the (stiff) breeze, looking out at the Golden Gate with the Bridge glowing in the evening light and sailboats billowing about the Bay...I felt like the luckiest person in the world. Aloha, Mark |
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11 Sep 05 - 10:21 PM (#1561435) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: GUEST,Franz S. Charley, I got to spend the night in the foc's'le of the Balclutha in exchange for volunteer work; an amazing experience. Slept well, too. Got up once; the view of SF from the Hyde St. Pier at 2am was unforgettable. I also got glimpses of several places on the Balclutha and the Eureka that one doesn't normally see. Also got an update on the terrible fate of the coastal steamer Wapama, the one on which my dad explained triple-expansion steam engines to a young ranger over 20 years ago. She's dying on a barge in Oakland, where she's been for 20 years. I missed most of the music, but I had a wonderful time coloring fish and making signal flags with small children. The Johnson Girls have great voices, impressive power, and a lively sense of humor. Well worth going some way to hear. I heard at least six languages (including Bulgarian) and seven varieties of English. The chantey sing last night was great, as was the informal gathering on the Eureka's upper deck before dinner. I now have faces to go with themonikers of several mudcatters. All in all,a peak experience. |
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12 Sep 05 - 01:13 AM (#1561500) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: Joe Offer I caught the tail end of the festival - it took us an hour just to find a parking space (for $15 for 12 hours), but I made it to hear Holdstock/McLeod and the closing all-hands concert. Those two concerts were delightful, as was the chantey sing. We stayed to the very end, and I'm glad we did. The chantey sing in the hold of the Balclutha is always my favorite part of the festival. A fringe benefit of the chantey sing is that you get to walk Hyde Street Peir during the breaks, and the view is remarkable - the moon and Ghiradelli Square and the Golden Gate Bridge in one direction, and the City of San Francisco in the other. Great view of Alcatraz, too - and you see this from a quiet, peaceful pier, away from the noise of the city. Besides all that, you see the silhouettes of sailing ships. And a lot of wonderful people, too. There were a number of people I saw across the room but didn't get a chance to talk to - hello, all you people. -Joe Offer- |
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12 Sep 05 - 07:16 AM (#1561613) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: GUEST,Chanteyranger Thank you to the Mudcat volunteers and performers who helped make this festival such a great success! As noted, the weather was fine, the setting beautiful. The front gate opened at 10am, and festival activities got underway with capstan and pumps demonstrations by the park's living history program, held aboard the square-rigger Balclutha. At 11:00, a ceremony in honor of the Balclutha's 50th anniversary as a museum ship was held on her poop deck. Chris Caswell opened the ceremony with some pipe tunes, and after several presentations, Alasdair Fraser ended the ceremony with some fiddle tunes, with me guesting with him on a set of reels. Music on the forepier stage began at 10:30 with Salty Walt and the Rattlin' Ratlines. music on the mid-Pier stage began with Danny and Joyce Macleod, and at noon in the Balclutha's shelterdeck, Alasdair Fraser started the first of two solo sets, the other at 2:00 on the mid-Pier stage. Children's concerts and puppet shows started earlier in the visitor center theatre. One of the great things about traditional music festivals is the sense of community among the performers and among the audiences, and this festival was no exception. Alasdair Fraser calls up several musicians from the audience to do a song, or fiddle tune, with him. Another performer, Christa Burch (of the duo "Lintie"), is called up to do a song which Alasdair accompanies. Gerry O'Beirne shows his brilliance on the guitar, and calls up Alasdair for some tunes. It's a professional gig, but it's also friends getting together and having fun on stage, and conecting in a special way with their audiences. Rather than "We're up here and you're down there," the spirit is more like "We're all here together. Let's do some music!" This was the first time for a good number of bay area people to see The Johnson Girls, (they performed a sea music concert for a much smaller audience here a couple of years ago) and Danny and Joyce Mcleod. Need I say they made an impression? The Johnson Girls are beginning to influence and inspire chantey singers in the bay area, mostly through their first CD, which has been out for a few years. "London Julie,' "Blackbird Get Up," and several other songs from their repertoire are making their way into the chantey sings here. It's time for their second CD to start planting seeds among bay area chantey singers. We are blessed with a large number of very talented local chantey singers, anchored by Dick Holdstock and Allan Macleod, who have been performing at this festival since the park's first one in 1979, and by Skip Henderson, a fixture on the scene for at least 30 years. Dave Swan's group Oak, Ash and thorn were in fine form-fitting bras...er...I mean in fine form. Pam Swan has emerged as a force in mouth music and has a new CD out of international mouth music. The youngest performer was Shay Black's six and a half year-old daughter, Shosi. She sang with her dad at one of the children's concerts. She's an older role model for the up and coming five year olds! Hyde Street Pier's longtime galley cook extroardinaire Alice Watts and her volunteer crew kept performers, volunteers, and staff incredibly well fed with breakfast, lunch, and a huge barbecue meat and vegetarian dinner party aboard the 1890-built ferry Eureka before the Balclutha's evening chantey sing. The spirit of the festival kept rolling Sunday night at the Starry Plough Irish Pub in Berkeley, at Shay black's session. A special post-festival session was held, with much more emphasis on singing than usual, as a number of festival performers were there. Thanks to shay for hosting it, and for the Starry Plough regulars for giving way to festival performers in the singing slots. Mudcatters played a prominent role from performing, staffing, and volunteering were PJ and Dave Swan, Riggy, radriano, Melani, BillR, open mike, Bev and Jerry, FranzS, Mark Cohen, Joy Bennett, guestJim, and Musique174 (who had her solo performing debut), and Lancslad. Great to see Joe Offer in the audience and at the chantey sing! Did I leave anyone out? All in all a great day. Now, finally, to sleep. G'night! Chanteyranger |
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12 Sep 05 - 07:20 AM (#1561616) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: GUEST,Chanteyranger The grammar in that last paragraph proves that I need lots of sleep. Chanteyranger |
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12 Sep 05 - 10:48 AM (#1561763) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: Charley Noble So much better! Thanks for the detail. Sleep is wonderful after a weekend of music making, all those songs running through your head, mixed with your dreams! Has it gone beyond my finding, gone forever, ship and man, Far beyond that scarlet sunset, flaming down behind Japan? But perhaps I'll find the dream there that I lost so long ago, Half across the world to westward, in a harbour that I know. Paraphrased from C. Fox Smith's "Pacific Coast" to the tune of "Rolling Home." Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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12 Sep 05 - 02:58 PM (#1561979) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: GUEST,Chanteyranger Mudcatter LindaM was also sighted (I believe that's her Mudcat moniker). She donated a new shower curtain to the cause of chantey singing. Ok, I better tell the story :-). At a couple of previous festivals, I brought my old shower curtain from home to the chantey sings, and asked if anyone considers themselves "shower singers." To help ease the trandsition from singing in the shower to singing in public, the curtain was unfurled and held up for anyone who wanted to stand behind it and sing. This new curtain has a fish theme, and will be the new chantey sing shower curtain. now, if I can get a shower massage to bring, we're really set for some music. Chanteyranger |
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13 Sep 05 - 09:14 AM (#1562690) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: thejohnsongirls Many thanks to Peter and his organizers, and to all the volunteers who give of their time and hearts to make this festival happen. We had an amazing time with the other fabulous performers and so many wonderful people. Huzzah to the folks that make this happen. we hope to see you all in the near future. October 15 in Voorheesville, NY with the Old Songs concerts then Oct 22-24 in Workum, the Netherlands for the Shantyfest. Joy |
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13 Sep 05 - 01:00 PM (#1562827) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: GUEST,Chanteyranger ...and performer "Salty Walt" is a mudcatter, with that moniker. The fog is beginning to clear. Chanteyranger |
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13 Sep 05 - 01:30 PM (#1562854) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: GUEST,darkriver (sans cookie) Peter, It was my first there. I brought my almost-16-year-old son with me, and he had a ball too. He's in Advanced Choir at his high school; I hope he picked up some pointers. Got to hear (and be impressed all to pieces by) the Johnson Girls and so many others. During the breaks in the nighttime chantey sing, I'd wander out on the deck of a real sailing ship, look at the half moon in a clear sky and the lights of San Francisco and the East Bay on a warm beautiful night, then come back inside for some fine singing. Sat in front of Dave & PJ Swann. You kept it very relaxed; everyone seemed in a good mood. Finally got to meet Joe Offer too. Thanks for the great time! Doug (darkriver) |
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13 Sep 05 - 05:13 PM (#1562989) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: GUEST,Chanteyranger Joy, I'm really glad it was such a good experience for the J-Girls, as it was for audiences and for us. darkriver, after 13 years there, I'm still awed by the beauty of the setting, especially at night. I know the feeling! Chanteyranger |
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13 Sep 05 - 09:11 PM (#1563137) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: Barry Finn Hi Peter Congradulations. Sounds as if a great time was had by all, would've loved to have been there. Missed out seeing & hearing so many old friends Barry |
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13 Sep 05 - 11:47 PM (#1563227) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: RiGGy Great to hear from YOU, Dr Finn ! Riggy |
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14 Sep 05 - 01:22 AM (#1563253) Subject: RE: Festival of the Sea, San Francisco From: GUEST Got an e-mail from Terry today. He says there were 5500 visitors to the festival. WOW! Bev and Jery |