Before the Mast (left to right in photo above) consists of
Bruce Noble, Greg Marquis, Rick Clark (with bodhran), Gary Caines, Dale Peters, Bob Burgess (front), Bryce Neill, Roland D'Abadie and Paul-Emile Chiasson .
In a recent article in the Telegraph-Journal, Gerry Taylor wrote:
... the Saint John area's premier folk act Before the Mast makes shanties and other sea songs an art form. An a cappella group that varies the lead and harmony voices, Before the Mast pays homage to our maritime heritage. Don't miss this talented, very comedic ensemble.
To listen to a sampling of our songs go to the bottom of this page or visit our Facebook and myspace sites.
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Schedule of Events
(a) Before the Mast performed as part of the Charter Day Concert at Harbour Station on May 18th to help kick-off Saint John 225 celebrations.
(b) On May 30th, the group sang at a Refugee Benefit Concert at Lancaster Baptist Church.
(c) Before the Mast sang to an energetic and appreciative audience as part of the Martello Tower Music Series 2010 on Saturday, June 26th.
(d) Before the Mast performed a Canada Day Concert at Fundy National Park on July 1st to a great audience of all ages.
(e) Before the Mast performed at Culture Fest on July 3rd at Fisher Lakes in Rockwood Park, as part of Saint John's 225 Celebrations.
(f) Before the Mast sang in the Town of Grand Bay-Westfield, at Unity Park on Wednesday, July 7th, from 7-8pm.
(g) The group sang to a wonderfully appreciative audience at the Swallowtail Lighthouse Fundraiser held on Saturday, July 10th at the Grand Manan Curling Club, Grand Manan, NB.
(h) On Tuesday, August 3rd., Before the Mast performed twice to very appreciative audiences at the 53rd Miramichi Folksong Festival, Canada's longest standing folksong festival.
(i) On August 21st, Before the Mast performed at the the 21st Annual Conference of the Canadian Association of Police Boards in Saint John.
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Formed in 2007, Before the Mast sings "a cappella" (no instruments) and is dedicated to preserving and promoting songs of the sea. Many of these, such as short or long haul shanties, were working songs, designed to help sailors perform repetitive and arduous tasks. Others were ballads or ‘nonsense’ songs, performed by sailors when they were off duty, either onboard vessel or ashore. Most of the songs come from the merchant sailor tradition but a number deal with the navy. The group’s repertoire also includes songs by modern composers such as Tom Lewis. Before the Mast is based in the Saint John area, once home to one of the largest ocean-going sailing fleets in the British Empire, and a major ship-building centre.
I thought I heard the Old Man say,
John Kanaka-naka too lie ay,
Today, today is a holiday,
John Kanaka-naka too lie ay,
Too lie ay, oh too lie ay,
John Kanaka-naka too lie ay.
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