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Aug.1/17   Yarmouth Shantymen On the Halifax waterfront with the Tall Ships

The crew returns for the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic's Tuesday Night Tunes series.

 

"The Yarmouth Shantymen are probably the single most popular act we feature annually in our concert series. Their presentation of rollicking sea shanties both traditional and contemporary is a huge crowd pleaser. The music is great, and the humor the group expresses on the stage gives everyone great laughs. All around a real audience favorite," says Music Programmer and Host Jon Stone. 

 

There will be two one-hour programs beginning at 14:00 and 19:00 (that's 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm for lubbers). Admission is free.

2015: Yarmouth Shantymen wrap up successful singing season

The Yarmouth Shantymen, a local singing group that performs traditional work songs from the age of saiing ships (“shanties”), were on the road — and the sea — this summer, representing their town to international audiences. On July 14, they visited Halifax as guest artists for Tuesday Night Tunes, a series of musical evenings organized by the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in partnership with Halifax’s Waterfront Development. They drew a crowd of 130, the largest of the season to that date.

In August, the group appeared at the 30th Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival alongside other notable talents such as Cape Breton’s Jimmy Rankin and New Brunswick’s award-winning blues artist Matt Anderson. The festival’s main venue seats 1000 and filled up quickly when the Shantymen took to the stage on August 7 with a rollicking tune that set the tone for the evening, getting the audience clapping and cheering. They also co-led an educational workshop about traditional folk music and sang to an appreciative group of festival-goers on the pier at the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic.

Several times throughout the tourist season, the Shantymen entertained passengers aboard the international ferry Nova Star, teaching them about Yarmouth and the rich history of shanties as they performed. After wrapping up each session, they were found mingling with the tourists, promoting the town and the province.

As the tourism shoulder season comes to a close, group leader Eric Ruff looks forward to the Shantymen continuing their “voyaging” next year. “We’re already booked at the Maritime Museum in Halifax,” he says. “We hope to get invited to another major festival as well. Wherever we go, we’ll act as ambassadors for Yarmouth, stimulating people’s interest in the music, culture and heritage of our region.”

The Yarmouth Shantymen currently consist of Eric Ruff, David Sollows, David Mahoney, Wayne Robichaud, Gordon Rothwell, Brad Fulton, Bob MacConnell, Jim Rideout, and Ed Kennedy.

MUSIC

Our repertoire contains 85 songs, and counting, 53 of which are on CD.

 

Across the Western Ocean
All For Me Grog
Auckland to the Bluff
Away Santy Anno
Banks of Newfoundland
Barrett’s Privateers
Black Ball Line
Blackbird
Blood Red Roses
Blow the Man Down
Blow Ye Winds
Bully in the Alley
Can’t Ye Dance the Polka
Chastity Belt
Clear the Track
Codfish Shanty
Donkey Riding
Drunken Sailor
Essiquibo River
Eternal Father
Farewell Shanty
Farewell to Nova Scotia
Fathom the Bowl
Fiddler’s Green
Fire Down Below
Fire Marengo
General Taylor
Greenland Whale Fisheries
Haul Away Joe
Haul Her Along
Haul the Bowline
Heart of Oak
Hieland Laddie
High Barbaree
Hog Eye Man
Holy Ground
John Cherokee
John Kanaka
Johnny’s Gone to Hilo
Jolly Rovin’ Tar
Le grand mât veut d’la route
Leave Her Johnny
Lowlands
Maggie May
Marching Inland
Marco Polo
Mingulay Boat Song
My Son John
O’Brudar
Ode to the Elbow
Old Molasses
Outward Bound
Paddy Doyle’s Boots
Paddy Lay Back
Partons la mer est belle
Pull for the Shore
Pumping Shanty
Randy Dandy
Ranzo Ray
Reuben Ranzo
Rio Grande
Roll the Chariot
Roll the Woodpile Down
Rolling Down to Old Maui
Running Down to Cuba
Sailor’s Prayer
Sam’s Gone Away
Santiana
Shallow Brown
Shenandoah
Skye Boat Song
South Australia
Spanish Ladies
The Anti Chantey
The Diamond
The Maid of Amsterdam
The Parting Glass
Tommy’s Gone to Hilo
Vem kan segla förutan vind?
Wave Over Wave
Whiskey Johnny
Whup Jamboree
Yangtze River
Yarmouth Town

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