Latest News from the Shantymen
Hi all, here we are in 2008, really where does the time go? Especially when I've been doing this for over 18 years now.
We had an amazing year last year culminating in our trip to Wicklow to 'name' the lifboat which we purchased for the RNLI The Sheringham Shantymen. I guess this is the best place to say an enormous thankyou to the people Wicklow who were so generous to the Shantymen and especially to everyone involved with the Lifeboat. They made our visit so very special.
At the moment the lads are working their socks off practising new songs for the CD which we plan to record in April. We meet every Thursday at 8.00pm at Oddfellows Hall for two hours practise. We also meet with some of our members on a Tuesday evening for an extra couple of hours to practise some specific details, usually musical, which I feel we need to improve on, and that really is paying dividends. The next CD will see us change our format very slightly but also demonstrate a growth in skills and confidence I hope. We now have three guys singing bass and three singing tenor and that gives a very rounded and full sound. The CD will include our own musicians playing a selection of their own instruments including: guitar, banjo, sqeeze box, fiddle, harmonica, bodran, mandolin and penny whistle. Bottom line, we still enjoy it immensley.
Later this year we will be travelling down to the Falmouth festival again to renew old friendships and to support the Falmouth Branch of the RNLI with their festival of the sea. We have enjoyed our previous gigs at Falmouth where we have become experts at judging the quality of the Cornish Pasties as well as the products of the local brewery and where our Dennis has an ongoing war with local herring gulls. They are not only enormous but they do like to eat either out of your hand or your hand and they don't seem to mind which!
We are searching for pastures new to perform at, either in the UK or Europe, so if anyone has any ideas please feel free to contact me or any of the Shantymen. If we stay for a weekend festival, we support ourselves where possible but sometimes look for a contribution to help defray our costs. But importantly we raise and help others to raise an enormous amount of money for charity.
Take care, and I'll be seeing you.
Brian J Farrow.
Musical Director ~ 15th February 2008