The Return of the Sea Chantey

Travel Blog  •  Michael Yessis  •  08.14.07 | 10:31 AM ET

imagePhoto by Kevitivity, via Flickr (Creative Commons).

On the first Tuesday night of every month at the Royal Mile Pub in Wheaton, Maryland, a group of “maritime historians, Civil War reenactors, Renaissance fair regulars and those who would just love to put ‘pirate’ on their résumés come together to sing about living on the sea,” World Hum contributor—and my wife—Sarah Schmelling writes in Sunday’s Washington Post. The songs they sing, she writes, are “like early road songs—about heading for the Rio Grande, Maui or Sacramento—and there’s a lot of leaving and missing of homes.” Gathering in public places to sing them isn’t just a Royal Mile phenomenon. Groups like the Chanteymen and The Pyrates Royale are known to gather throughout the Washington D.C. and Baltimore metro areas, as well as across the country in San Francisco. Throw in three “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies and the popularity of sea-friendly band like The Decemberists, and we’ve got the beginnings of a trend.

Why is a phenomenon that had its heyday in the mid-1800s having a moment?

“You could say it’s the popularity of the ‘Pirates’ movies, or pirates in general,” Schmelling says. “You could say it has a connection to some new music. But really, I think it’s just amazingly fun to sing songs like this—while drinking beer, of course—in a room full of people who really love it and feel like it connects them to seafarers from the past.”

Don’t discount the “double-take-worthy sideburns and goatees, whiskers that arch over mouths and curl up toward eyes” and other amazing facial hair that many chantey singers sport. Check out the story and the accompanying video for a look.

 

Tags: Music, Pop Culture Travel, Sailor Music, News and Briefs


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