This coming Monday will the 14th – and that will be the 225th anniversary of the public storming of the prison La Bastille.  While it is indeed a French national holiday and celebrated by most Francophones around the world, it is also an event commemorating the freeing of those oppressed from those who abuse their power.  Vive la Liberté!  Come drink down some of the Gris’ wine selection… Even if we prefer beer and ale!

And today – the 11th of July, is the 216 anniversary of the REAL birthday for the United States Marine Corps by act of Congress and signed by then President John Adams, in order to man the newly built and launched ships for the new US Navy (1794 for the commencement of the ship building) to fight the French in what was to be known as the Quasi-War, and to fight the problems with the Barbary Pirates of the north coast of Africa; in both cases, our ships, men, and cargo were adversely affected until the brave and stout men of the US Navy and US Marine Corps handled the job!  The earlier Marines were Continental and individual states’ Marines, all of which had been disbanded at the conclusion of our War for Independence.

Well! I guess we’re older than we thought! Cliff must have put us together in 1651!

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From recent requests, we’ve put up the lyrics and a little background to three more of our songs…

• The Mermaid
• My Jolly Sailor Bold
• Three Drunken Maidens

Come check them out and leave your thoughts.

From Salem, Mass.  Great town to wander in, had fun and had been well received at the Peabody-Essex Museum, and we hope to go back again.  We’ll see you on Monday!

Photo by Dawn

What a tremendous Survivor’s Night!  What an incredible lineup of talent and you the audience were so attentive and engaged!  Photos are beginning to make their way to me and I’m posting them… We’re all tired but the evening was brilliant and I’m humming still.  Thank you all!

Don’t forget that we’ll be in Salem on Thursday evening at the Peabody Essex Museum.  Come check out our schedule and follow for details – pass the word!

Every year, on the Monday after the second weekend of June, we host an assortment of friends who have survived the Mystic Sea Music Festival and/or are local friends all of who stagger on down to enjoy each other’s company at the Griswold Inn’s fine establishment – and to get you to join them in song.  This coming Monday – the 16th – will be the event for 2014; we’ll start at our usual time (8p) but in the “covered bridge” room.  You may wish to make reservations for dinner, but after dinner the room generally opens up for non-dinner crowd persons to fill in.  You will hear professional and amateur performers alike and you will find it worth your while to come, enjoy, join in.  Last year was tremendous and come help us make this year better still!

So this coming month will be a busy one for us and we hope that you’ll enjoy the time with us, too!  The second weekend of the month will be the annual Sea Music Festival in Mystic, and the Monday immediately afterwards (the 16th) is OUR annual “Survivor’s Night” in which musicians who are still around and kicking after days of activity in Mystic would make their way over to Essex and join us in the back room for an evening of sampling various songs and tunes by performers aside from us.  We have been encouraging local folk/acoustic acts to join us in the same vein, largely because coming to us on a Monday evening can be difficult for the tired acts in Mystic, and you will catch some of our actual followers getting up to shine!

Rick will be away on Monday the 9th, he performing at the New Canaan Historical Society for their annual meeting.  But he’ll be back for Survivor’s Night.  And then we’ve a performance up in Salem, Massachusetts for the Peabody Essex Museum’s British Pub Night on Thursday, the 19th.

We’ve a couple of private parties, too… As you know, we’re quite available for those!

This is also the start of the fife and drum muster season which usually brings over our family and friends from Europe who make it a point to stop in and join all of you in singing with us; so an opportunity to make new friends!

So, keep us on your calendar and spread the word!

Happy Birthday to our Facebook correspondent Kari Muzer… On Monday the 26th I just know you’ll all come down to fete our girl in style!

The Jovial Crew will be performing at O’Rourke’s in Warwick, Rhode Island on Saturday, the 24th, from 2 to 5p.   For those of you who travel from the east to see us, here is a chance to catch us closer to your home!

Tomorrow – the 12th of May – will be our Dan’s last day with us.  He is getting married to his very lovely Chrissy and will be relocating to NYC for another job, still in the music and stage line.  He has dazzled us with not only his musical prowess on the keyboard and the speed at which he has become such a performer on the anglo-style concertina, but that he has held onto his humble, one-of-the guys, pleased to just hang with ya approach that makes you want him to sit at your table as much as you cannot wait for his next performance!  While he may run on up once or twice if time permits, this is the passing of another era and you really should come down to celebrate this wonderful guy and our luck at having him around while we did!

Dan Pardo and Jos Morneault – concertinas in duet – 3 May 2014