Dear Friends
We now have confirmation from the Ellesmere Port Museum that the festival can go ahead there next Easter. The dates will be 29,30, and 31 March. Because the event falls early this year we have arranged that all the performance spaces are indoors. We can take them outside if we are lucky with the weather. For those who have been before you will be pleased to know we have found an alternative to the Porters Row space and won’t be using that this time.
We plan performances during the day over the weekend. These will start from Friday lunch time around the museum site with ticketed events in the evening on Saturday and Sunday. There will be a gathering for Artistes, volunteers and weekend ticket holders on the Friday night in the real ale bar on the museum site, details to follow. People will be welcome on site on Monday if they want to carry on informally but we know many of you will need to travel home on that day so we are not organising anything official . There will as in the past be free spaces for camper vans for the whole weekend on site.
As many of you will know the festival does not attract any significant funding. It is very much a gathering of like minded friends who want to come together at the start of the season, to keep the music alive and to and have the opportunity to perform. We are gradually building small sustainable funding streams for the event and hope this will grow, but cash remains limited. Following a successful event last year we will be able to offer a small contribution towards petrol costs. Amount will be dependant on days of attendance and number of artists attending. We have considered running the event with just a few artists and paying more, but feel that would detract from the purpose and feel of the event. What little money we have will be shared out equally among the artists who are kind enough to want to be part of the gathering and give their time.
Please let us know If you would like to perform at the event on this basis. We are trying to get confirmation of artists now so we can get some early publicity out.
Best Wishes
Julia and Derek
Shanty UK

The Maritime Art of Kenneth D Shoesmith

Kenneth Denton Shoesmith was a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours and of the British Society of Poster Designers. He exhibited at the Royal Academy, the Paris Salon and at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool in addition to one-man shows in Belfast and Liverpool. His work today is known and appreciated by only a few, yet his maritime art perfectly captures the romance and adventure of ocean liner travel in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Much of his work was for Royal Mail Lines although other shipping companies of the day employed his skills, including Canadian Pacific Railways, Blue Funnel, Union Castle and Anchor Line. The pinnacle of his career was the collection of murals for Cunard White Star‘s “Queen Mary” whose maiden voyage was in 1936. Thankfully, both the ship and the murals have survived to this day at Long Beach, California.

A new book, celebrating this artist, has just be produced by Glyn Evans and it includes many of Shoesmith's paintings. For further information, visit: www.shoesmith-art.com

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"Shanties on the Radio"

There are regular programmes on various radio stations available via "web links" to download programmes of sea music. For further information, visit:
RADIO SCUTTLEBUTT

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Accommodation

If you are visiting a shanty or maritime festival and looking for somewhere to stay, why not give a try.

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Links

Some interesting shanty related sites:

Hosted at Bitter End

Bitter End

Des Newton Ships in Bottles - Sadly, Des passed away on 31st January 2009, but we are retaining the site in his memory

G & T - Gaye Anthony & Trish Norman

Johnny Collins Sadly, Johnny passed away on 6th July 2009, but we are retaining the site in his memory.

Monkey's Orphan

The Portsmouth Shanty Men

Shanty Jack

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United Kingdom

Andy Kenna

Baggyrinkle Swansea, Wales

The Ballina Whalers

Bernie Davis Liverpool

Brew House Music

Chantey Cabin The premier site for CD supplies

Cyril Tawney

Dave Webber & Anni Fentiman

Derek Gifford

Dick Miles

Exmouth Shantymen

Four 'n' Aft

Hanging Johnny

Harry Browns of Bristol

Inner State Theatre Lancaster

Joe Stead

The Keelers

Keith Kendrick

Kimber's Men

Lichfield Lighthouse Company

LocTup Together

Maritima Woodcarving No shanty festival is complete without Andy Peters and his superb wood carving.

Monkey's Fist

Nine Tenths Below

The Shanty Crew

Shep Woolley

The Sheringham Shantymen

Short Drag Roger