Nice picture of our very own Dick leading the way in his new duds. Also, here is another video from Mudbury.
 

Parade rest in front of The Wayside Inn.  A brief respite from the weekend of showers. 

Here are the Swiss from last year…

Can anyone tell us more about this event?

This one goes back to July, but it was just recently posted to YouTube. It is not a very long video but at least you get a sense of how many guys we had on the street for Deep River.
 

YouTubed again…
The first two videos are of a cocktail corps we sent to the Saratoga muster earlier this year. The second video is really just a continuation of the medley we are playing called Eagle and the Anchor.
 

 

 
This next video was shot at the Westbrook muster. You will notice that the corps is a wee bit larger.
 

What a great show!

Just in case you’re home, nursing a hangover and are feeling sorry that St. Patrick’s Day and the attendant drunken silliness is over for another year, fear not!

The Mariners are gearing up again for the Mystic Irish Parade which is right around the corner. And by gearing up, I mean I have to figure out which corner of my truck I threw my uniform into and perhaps, if it really really really needs it, wash the shirt and pants. Never, NEVER the jumper.

Notice two things: my jumper is hung up (on a hanger) AND I know where it is.

“Woody,” the latest legend-in-the-making incarnation of the pirate in chains, was at my house last night, begging for more leather to replace the shackles and chains he lost in New Haven. He claims there was a woman involved. I say, Who loses their chains? Ridiculous. In case you’re wondering, I gave him the leather, but only on the condition that he stand up on a bar in Mystic and sing us a song.

Anyhow, the Parade is running quite late this year because Easter Sunday is running exceptionally early.

Aside from the Mariners, the other guests of note are available here. A quick perusal yields many of the usual suspects, but one new group of four footed fame was brought to my attention, The Budweiser Clydesdales. Now I can’t say that I’m a big Budweiser fan, but I have enjoyed some of their advertising in years past.

Here’s the original classic:

And here’s another, that makes me glad there’s a whole summer of shenanigans ahead.
The Parade steps off @ 11am, from the lot opposite Mystic Seaport Museum and ends up just across the drawbridge. The Mariners will then be seen throughout town wherever fine beverages are found.

Zeke just sent me this video that, I believe, he took with his phone. The video is of the Mariners in a Swiss restaurant singing the Mingulay Boat Song. Every person you see in this video, except the waitress, is a Mariner. If we sound a bit tired, it probably is because we were. We had spent a long day rehearsing and preparing for the show in Augusta Raurica for the following day. I assumed we would finish our dinners and turn in early so that we would be well rested for the next day’s show. Au contraire mon frair. It wasn’t long before our energy levels improved. Not long after, the local law enforcement arrived as a result of the nine noise complaints the received from the neighbors. That got us all fired up and, consequently, we decided to move to the Baggenstos for a few evening Warteks. By 3am I was dragging Mariners out of the Beggenstos. Recent experience told me that in Switzerland the hour that immediately follows 3am is 8am. Those Swiss are crafty when it comes to manipulating time.

I’ll sing you a song if you’ll sing it with me. But for many of you, the words that you sing along will be just as empty as Henry’s bucket. The songs of the chanteymen and the instrumental music of the fife and drums, revisited at least once a week during the season, possess more than just notes and lyrics. This is the reason why we are all here. Ultimately it is the music that brings us together. But, it is the memories of past jollification and anticipation of future celebrations that give the music a life of it’s own.

Perhaps, we as performers become selfish, playing primarily for ourselves and secondarily for any lucky enough to witness our performance. But the energy and passion that is so apparent when watching the Mariners is the result.

Not yet of age to be truly accepted as a Mariner, I was still allowed to perform on the snareline in Basel, Switzerland. It was there that I began to realize just how much the Mariners transcend the music. We have even gone so far as surpassing an ocean. If you are a regular to this blog you have surely read the phrase “We are the Mariners.” And we are, all of us fortunate enough to share a moment in Mariner history. This includes all that we do, musically, socially, and otherwise.

Once in Switzerland, I could no sooner finish my first Feldschlosschen, than I had made a few dozen life-long friends, relationships that will build long after I am capable of gripping my drum sticks. I am truly thankful for all that has been shared in giving meaning to the music and creating memories to be triggered every time I sing a song. Perhaps someday that song will have just as much significance for you, as well. And for now, for those who are listening, farewell to you.

A video of the Mariners singing Mingulay Boat Song, that appears in a later post, was taken at dinner one night of the trip. Mingulay Boat Song is not simply a song any more.

Ok, maybe the Mariners were never radio stars. But, I do wonder if YouTube will kill the MTV star. We saw the first Mariner video’s cropping up on YouTube in July. Since then, there have been a plethora and I expect that we will see more and more. Here is what I found from this summers activities:

Deep River - Union Jack


Augst, Switzerland - Street Beat


Augst, Switzerland - Entering the Amphitheater


Augst, Switzerland - Union Jack


Augst, Switzerland - Joe & Greg’s Fife Solo


Augst, Switzerland - The Rights of Man


Westbrook Muster - Soldiers of France


Westbrook Muster - Eagle and the Anchor


Westbrook Muster - Ruben Ranzo/Clapboard Hill


Marlborough Muster - Oyster River


Marlborough Muster - Katie Hill 6/8 - 2/4


Marlborough Muster - Southern Cross


Sudbury Muster - Sailor’s Hornpipe

Yeah, I think we’re ready for Letterman.