Author: Allison

Let’s celebrate seafood!

Allison

We were invited to perform for a few afternoons at the Prawn and Seafood Festival this summer (May 17-June 16). We’d not heard of that event before, but Steveston is a great little corner of the mainland and seafood deserves its own festival, so we said yes, without knowing much about what to expect.

Our first afternoon was Saturday, May 18. There was an awning set up for us, and banners waving all along the boardwalk. We sang three sets while trying not to be distracted by the scent of fish and chips, or the sight of fishing boats, or people on the boardwalk with their cute dogs and kids, tantalizing ice cream cones, or bags of sea urchins and spot prawns fresh from the fishing boats!

We came with our favourite shanties and just passed the songs around and around, repeating some in the next set, or running through our lists for more options. It was fun to take a looser approach to the presentation and it kept us on our toes, musically, as we weren’t sure exactly which tune the next singer might choose.

Singing outdoors is always a challenge, but the location made it worthwhile. We get to do it all again on June 8, the official Spot Prawn day.

Fast away the old year passes

Allison

So that was 2023.

Somehow, we managed to squeak in a few live performances before the year ended, and it was quite heartening to hear us side-by-side again, and hear the audience joining in, too. Some of it was familiar, singing at the Vancouver Folk Song Society and Folk Music on the Beach at the Hollyburn Sailing Club. And some of it was quite new — being part of the quasi-historical entertainment at a 17th century “coffeehouse” at Simon Fraser University as students presented their projects over coffee and tarts.

We’re optimistic about the upcoming year and are already looking a couple of performance possibilities. I’m also remembering that a few days after taking photos of the first snowdrops in my neighbourhood, we were hit by snow.

And so it goes. Haul away for better weather and be grateful our route isn’t taking us around Cape Horn.

Singing again!

Allison

We’re finally getting out in public again! We were invited to perform at a Volunteer Appreciation Lunch in White Rock in May, and then in July, we went “overseas,” or at least on a ferry, to Gabriola Island for a shanty session with friends as part of the Island’s Cultivate festival. The performance was in honour of the late Bob Wyche, an Island boat builder, sailor, and shanty singer. That’s our friends Jon and Rika in the background.

We also had fun at a Volunteer Appreciation Lunch in White Rock, theme of “Pirates.” We’re flexible, switched around our set list, were impressed by their decorations, and hopefully impressed them with our delivery. But we spent our hard-earned doubloons eating fish and chips by the sea shore.

This doesn’t show the full crew, but certainly demonstrates our ability to adapt to the situation.

I can hear everyone at once!

Allison

When the dark, wet winter drove us from singing in the outdoor public parking garage, we reZoomed online practice sessions without much enthusiasm. When spring turned to summer, we cautiously tried in-person sessions again, this time, at home in a large kitchen with patio doors open, air purifier humming away, singers masked except when leading a shanty, and physically distanced. It was encouraging to see real faces attached to bodies, but the sense of camaraderie was not at our previous level. And then we received The Invitation.

A friend was helping to organize a Wooden Boat Show and Open House for the Hollyburn Sailing Club in which he was a member and wanted to know if we could come and sing for an hour or two. We’d get a free lunch, and alternate with one other act — a group of guys in matching Hawaiian shirts covering pop songs on ukuleles. This was an ideal re-entry for live performing. After discussing our COVID-19 concerns and precautions, we agreed and showed up at the boat club on a sunny afternoon.

Under the protective canopy, we stepped away from ukulele band’s electronic gear, lined up, and sang for anyone who strolled by, but mostly for ourselves. We rediscovered live harmonies, adjusted volume on the fly, listened closely and watched one another for those little cues you miss from across the kitchen. We were finally singing as a group again and it was a wonderful feeling!

At the Open House for the Hollyburn Sailing Club for our first live performance since COVID hit.

It gave us so much confidence that we agreed to lead some shanties at Folk Music at the Beach on September 9 at the Hollyburn Sailing Club. It will be like old times — almost.

Waiting for our ship to come in

Allison

Like so much in our lives, shanty singing has moved online— listening to or watching old recordings, joining in a Zoom session from the privacy of your headphones where no one else can hear your amazing harmonies. We’re missing the live sessions with contributions from every corner of the room and January, in the post-Christmas doldrums, was “traditionally” the month we reserved the back room of the Tipper Restaurant and sang until closing time with anyone who could find the door.

It’s heartening to see this sudden online media interest in shanties, short snippets of favorite songs, built up layer by layer by strangers, resulting in wonderful and wild turns of arrangements. It’s great to see the enjoyment on the singers’ faces.

But it’s not quite the same without sharing a beer and/or a smile in real time, passing quick comments between the songs, and adjusting your musical contribution as you go – depending on who joins in, who takes what harmony line, who finds a new verse. And the laughter that grows from across the room.

And when the session is done, it’s done. It may live on in a few shaky camera recordings maybe, or recorded more carefully so we can play it again to listen critically, and see how we can improve – but we never go back to it. The live session, however, lives in our memory, getting better with each visit, and inspiring the next one.

When safe group singing is no longer a challenge, we look forward to meeting the latest batch of shanty enthusiasts IRL. And we’ll teach them the rest of the verses of “The Wellerman.”