AUDESHANTYMEN add to ENTENTE CORDIALE at GRUISSAN !

Sea Shanty Festival a Massive Success !

The AudeShantyMen delighted audiences throughout a day-long event at the port of Gruissan last Saturday. They sang in the company of the 40 strong choir AR-VAG, who were hosting on their own patch, and a 30 strong group of shanty singers from Prades. In warm sunshine the three groups mingled freely, singing from their own repertoire to each other and the growing crowd of holiday makers. After a musical apéro the singers enjoyed lunch at La Rose des Sables before re-assembling to sing out the afternoon onstage.  Highlights aplenty but surely the outstanding memory will be of the many new enthusiastic friends the AudeShantyMen have made on this, their first and long-awaited, visit to the Mediterranean coast.

AudeShantyMen make Donation of €500.00 to SNSM Gruissan

Barry (Greybeard) Barcock presents the cheque to SNSM's Louis Labattut

At the start of proceedings it was with enormous pleasure and pride that the AudeShantyMen handed over  a sizeable donation to the local lifeboat station to help their vital work. We should like to thank all those who have so generously contributed at our gigs - particularly in Ginestas, Alaigne and Léran -  for making this possible. In the months ahead our fund raising efforts will be directed towards the RNLI.

Snippets of recent  AudeShantyMen news

We recently bade a temporary farewell to Graham (Gangplank) Dale who is currently enjoying a holiday in South America before flying off to work a short-term contract in the Republic of Georgia. We shall miss his irreverent witticisms - on and off stage - and look forward to his safe return towards the end of the year. "Bon voyage", Gangplank!

Happily to report, Ron (Albatross) Young is back from his travels around the world and is roosting for a spell in Alaigne. His harmonies have helped us maintain our musical level. Our ranks have also been swelled by the arrival of a new shantyman, Phil (Columbus) Glasson, whose voice we have admired for some time. We are delighted that he has come aboard. It was grand that he was able to make his début at Gruissan and we wish him many more pleasant voyages as a member of the Crew!

 

A Dream Come True!

The AudeShantyMen invited to sing on the Med!!

Sea Shanty Festival at Gruissan on Saturday 2nd June

The Crew will be ashore at this pretty Mediterranean port for more or less the whole day thanks to an invitation from AR-VAG, the host shanty group of this gathering of musicians. After a musical lunch in one of the many restaurants around the marina they will be performing in a free open-air concert in the afternoon along with other singers and  Breton folk dancers. 

Watch this space for further details. Why not have a day out on the coast and come to hear us entertain you? For the AudeShantyMen it is the fulfilment of a long cherished objective. And it promises to be a memorable day!

Be there!

All aboard at le Calice des Muses!

Rose and José hosted the AudeShantyMen at their impressive Bar à Vins Culturel in Alzonne last Friday evening. In the intimate setting of what could easily pass for a "speakeasy" the Crew captivated their audience of new listeners, including all the native French speakers who were present. Rising energetically and jovially to the occasion, the AudeShantyMen caught the atmosphere of this remarkable venue and were called upon to sing several encores before being allowed to leave the stage. The thunder and lightning outside the Bar that night were as nothing compared to the fireworks inside!

FUN EVENING IN LIMOUX

It is good to report that our efforts last Friday night on Deirdre and John's behalf as they endeavour to get "Les Cars" up and running were fully appreciated. The Crew was in jovial mood and fine voice in front of a new audience which included some fascinated (and bemused!) French folk. It was a welcome opportunity to give an airing to several new shanties, including a couple in the native tongue.

First Landmark Contribution

While he was back in the UK in January, Greybeard contacted the RNLI and handed over a cheque for £50.00 to this vital organisation whose lifesaving work the AudeShantyMen are seeking to support, thanks to the generosity of the audiences they entertain. This will, we hope, be the first of many donations to the RNLI and its sister charity in France, the SNSM.

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER IN GINESTAS !

Crew in Fine Voice in the Minervois

Welcomed warmly by Joanne and Christopher at their superb restaurant L'Anais,  the AudeShantyMen rose to the magnificence of their surroundings to captivate the hearts of the sell-out audience of diners enjoying an exquisite supper served by a hard-working staff.

The hearty singing of the audience in their own version of "A Drop of Nelson's Blood" prefaced a most generous contribution on their part to the charities we support. Watch this space for upcoming details of a cheque presentation within the next few weeks as the AudeShantyMen anchor in Gruissan for a meeting of shanty groups.

Ahoy there! Two new ports of call for the AudeShantyMen.

Two fun evenings in prospect !

On Friday 27th April you can hear the Crew at Le Café des Cars in Limoux. Shanties from 20H30. No reservation necessary. Just turn up, buy a few drinks and enjoy! If you are local and have not heard us before this is the ideal opportunity to get hooked!

And on Friday 4th May we shall be the guests of Rose and José at their splendidly appointed Bar à Vins Culturel  Le Calice des Muses in Alzonne. To be sure of a table reserve on 06 18 68 33 93. Entry €10 per head to include a glass of wine. Tapas dishes also available to purchase during the evening. See you there! 

LATEST !

GINESTAS EVENING NOW SOLD OUT!!!

All those who have not yet reserved to hear the AudeShantyMen sing at Restaurant L'Anais on Friday 20th April will be disappointed. The last places were filled last week.

Who we are!

The AudeShantyMen to set sail for the Minervois !

The Crew will be anchoring in a new port when they tie up in Ginestas to sing at L'Anais.

That evening there will be great grub from Jo and Chris, grog to spare - and plenty of shanties to liven proceedings! Reservations on 04 68 40 64 47.

The all important date for your diaries is Friday 20th April 2012.

Make plans now and prepare your charts!!  Bon voyage à tous!

Magellan

Bringing you up to speed !

Since we sang at "Le Rendezvous" at the end of January things have been fairly quiet for the AudeShantyMen. Magellan was the first to succomb to the virulent bug doing the rounds - and subsequently passed it to Greybeard, Pirate Pete, Gangplank and Powder Monkey. He wasn't popular I can tell you! Only Albatross escaped unscathed : as usual he was in balmy foreign climes, lucky so-and-so!
Anyway, the coughing and spluttering are subsiding and our voices are slowly coming back to something like their best. We plan to re-start our rehearsals in a few days' time. It hasn't helped our cause that all but one member of the Crew have spent time in the UK in the past weeks, so we are looking forward to being re-united.
We did manage to fit in an interview with the charming Rupert, who has an input into a radio show broadcast weekly from Carcassonne. He much enjoyed our songs and recorded several. So far we haven't heard ourselves over the airwaves but we are due a studio session with him in the not too distant future.
We are also slowly putting together a demo disc to send out to potential new venues. Talking of which we very much hope to be singing in both the Minervois and the Corbieres in the weeks ahead. Our objective this summer is to sing down on the coast at some of the beautiful ports on the Med. Anyone with contacts, do let us know.
I'll be posting details of our next performance just as soon as details are finalised - so keep a sharp lookout!