Where We Sing
2025 Performance dates
COVID Not gone, not forgotten We know that COVID is still a risk in many situations, including close-contact singing. We’re singing again in public, but carefully choosing the venues based on our comfort (level of risk) and that of our audiences.
2025
UPCOMING
Sunday, December 7 at the Vancouver Maritime Museum 2:30 pm and 3:30 pm, indoors in the museum lobby.
We’re part of the Winter Market happening across the Vanier Park, including the Vancouver Maritime Museum, Vancouver Museum, and H.R. MacMillan Space Centre. Check out the other musical events, culminating in the False Creek Ferry ballet starting at 5:15 pm. Market stalls, hot chocolate, and more during this special “pay what you can” museum and science centre entry.
Past
Saturday, October 11. We’re back at Hastings Mill Museum (full name “Old Hastings Mill Store Museum”) to help celebrate with their Fall Market. We’re singing at 3 pm, but the festivities start at 1 pm and finish at 4 pm. There will be pumpkins for sale, a bake sale, jumble sale and craft sale, and a raffle! Entrance by donation.
Saturday, July 5th Maple Day at Hastings Mill Museum We took over the upstairs room at the museum — wonderful acoustics — and sang for about 45 min that afternoon with an attentive and enthusiastic audience as part of a free “Maple Day” celebration. We included lots of Canadian content and it was great to be back at the Mill, complete with maple tea and maple cookies.
Wednesday, April 1 Back in our home port, home berth, of the Vancouver Folk Song Society to lead a 30-minute shanty session feature. Lead? More like, sing the first line and get out of their way! The date of our gig is an absolute coincidence.
2024
Thursday, December 12 It was a mild, misty, and magical evening when we joined the Vancouver Maritime Music for their Light Up the Harbour festival. In addition to free hot chocolate and admission to the Museum, there was a sweet children’s choir, and lots of lights.
Saturday, October 19 from 3 – 4 pm at Old Hastings Mill Store Museum Fall Festival. Typical fall weather (rain rain rain!) may have shrunk the audience somewhat, but the indoor events, including Doug and his fiddling friends, entertained everyone who braved the rain. We led a long shanty singalong to wind up the afternoon.
Saturday, June 8 and May 18 We spent two beautiful afternoons singing on the boardwalk at Steveston during the Spot Prawn & Seafood Festival. Watching the boats and the people passing by with ice cream, puppy dogs, smiling children, an bags of sea urchins and spot prawns made it hard to concentrate on singing!
Saturday, April 27 Another Hastings Mill Session. Keep watch on dates above for any more performances this summer!
Sunday, March 3 We returned to our first session at Hastings Mill Store Museum since COVID introduced ourselves. We sang upstairs for more acoustics and more space (as downstairs continues to develop as a museum) and had nice mix of ages in the audience. We hope to do it again soon, so watch the UPCOMING section for dates.
2024
Friday, Dec. 1 We joined a 3rd year English class at Simon Fraser University as part of their 17th century “coffee house” to end their winter semester. Historical perspectives on technology and “social media” as well as coffee and snacks were also part of the afternoon.
Friday, Nov. 10 Revisited the Hollyburn Sailing Club for another sing-along shanty session at Folk Music on the Beach. 1326 Argyle, West Vancouver.
Wed. Nov. 15 Vancouver Folk Song Society The Jacks had 30 minutes to share as many shanties as possible in that time, with a large crew and lots of possibilities at our home port. We opened with a roaring version of Snowplow Buccaneer.
Saturday, August 25 International Play Music on the Porch Day
From 1-2 pm you can hear Alouette Baroque (keyboard, cello, violin, and alto recorders, and from 4-5 pm it’s Bergamasca, a recorder concert including the full range from soprano to bass. The Lazy Jacks will be the sing-along, audience participation part of the afternoon. But we’re not snooty, a couple of the Jacks pull double duty and play instruments in the other groups!
Sunday, July 9 noon. Free!
As part of Gabriola Island’s Cultivate Festival, we led the audiences in a giant shanty session in honour of the late Bob Wyche, musician, sailor, and shipwright, at the Gabriola Commons Reservoir Stage. We were delighted to be joined by Bob Bossin, Jon Bartlett and Rika Ruebsaat.
Friday, May 26
We found a sweet spot — outdoors, with an overhang roof to bounce back the sound — so masks came off, and harmonies came out! We were delighted hear and see each other again this way, and so was the audience. Thanks to the White Rock Seniors Centre Volunteer Appreciation Lunch for inviting us to kick-off their event. It had a pirate theme, and with a few adjustments to the lyrics and our usual outfits, so did the Lazy Jacks!
2023
2022 Performance dates
We’re cautiously heading out into live singing again…
Friday, Nov. 11
Hollyburn Sailing Club for Folk Music at the Beach We shared the stage with some friends from the Vancouver Folk Song Society at the always appropriate location at the Hollyburn Sailing Club, overlooking the waves.
Saturday, Aug. 6
An outdoor session in August for the Hollyburn Sailing Club Wooden Boat Show and Open House.
2020-21 Performance dates
Songs for Challenging Times
A new pandemic, lock-down, and recommendations that changed to keep pace with the virus mutations. Not so much fun.
However, there were a few benefits with the wave of online singing sessions. You could join virtually anywhere in the world, without having to travel or even change out of your pajamas.
And since shanties have always evolved and been adapted to suit the work needing to the done, we found that tradition continued to reflect our current circumstance, giving us such delights as “Flatten the Curve,” (written by Barnie Matthews and performed by the Longest Johns as one of the entries in the Coronavision Song Content) and Dermot Ryan’s revised Lanigan’s Ball, delivered virtually.
Previous performances
Here’s a record of our past deeds, musically speaking.
Lazy Jacks Shanty Crew 