Saturday morning concluded with a parade and pirate battle. This is a shot of Team Edward facing off against Team Jacob. It was messy.

While the St. Augustine Pirate Gathering is itself a two day festival held in a park just off-side from the historic district, things began semi-officially on Friday evening with a pub crawl through the taverns of the Spanish Quarter. I arrived just in time, but neglected to grab my camera and therefore don’t have pictures of the hordes of pirate-garbed crawlers. It’s a shame, too, because the sheer mass of pirates defies words, and indeed seemed to go on forever – a couple of hundred scoundrels, I would venture. I tagged along to the first bar, which was woefully unprepared for such an influx of pirates, although they did their level best. So too did the bar’s distinctly non-pirate singer, who made every effort to start throwing some “yarrrs” into his songs, much to the delight of his new, heavily armed audience. It was shaping up to be a fine start to the weekend, but being as I’d only just arrived I opted to cut my own participation short and call it a night.

Saturday morning saw the festival grounds fully decorated, and vendors making their last minute preparations. As the Festival DJ, I was stationed near the entrance so as to keep the pirate tunes flowing throughout the day. I did, however, manage to sneak away now and then (otherwise, how could I talk about the festival, eh?) The grounds were primarily taken up by vendors. A few were friends I’ve known from other festivals – No Quarter Given was there, promoting their new book The Book of Pirates. Tiger Lee of Hot Pirate Babes and Pirate Fashions N Fotos was selling garb and calendars, along with his lovely associate Caribbean Pearl. And then we had Robin St. Graves of “Acts of Piracy” selling his own swords, belt buckles, and other piratey bronzework. There were also many other vendors, with goods ranging from tropical signage to pirate and colonial miscellany (telescopes, keys, dining ware, etc.) The shopping was actually quite decent, and whether you were looking to get a start on a properly historical pirate ensemble, or to acquire a new leather cat-o-nine tails, there was plenty to choose from.

Before you criticize these nuns for smoking cigarettes, bear in mind it's only because they'd run out of cigars.

The far end of the festival held the beer tent, with entertainment throughout the day by The Brigands, Rusty Cutlass, and Nun for the Road (that’s right, a comedy group of singing nuns.) Nuns don’t often come to mind when I think of likely pirate entertainment, but in a town with such strong Spanish-Catholic roots as St. Augustine they seemed remarkably appropriate. The beer tent was also the location of the festival’s costume contests, raffles, and other goings on. However, entertainment could also be found elsewhere on the grounds, with Faire Wynds wowing the crowd with everything from magic to “singing” wine glasses, and For Love or Money bringing their sea music to any and every corner of the festival now and again. There were also performers from Pirates Dinner Adventure, who not only brought their skills at entertaining crowds, but also their own mobile pirate ship (actually, several folks brought their own ships to this festival. Why don’t *I* have a pirate ship on wheels to take with me? Oh yeah, I’m in Wisconsin ) And I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention the festival’s “surprise” entertainer, Skip Henderson, who popped in unexpectedly, ready to share his classic sea shanties everywhere from the No Quarter Given booth to my own DJ booth – definitely an unexpected treat.

The crew from Pirates Dinner Adventure strut their stuff from the deck of their mobile pirate ship. Yeah, most ships are mobile, but this one travels on land. Like a land boat. Yar.

Saturday’s crowds started slowly, but quickly picked up numbers as noon rolled around, and the festival spent the better part of the day truly bustling. Saturday evening, however, saw the public depart and make way for the Buccaneer’s Bash, thus allowing us pirates to be amongst our own. Dinner was catered, and although some last-minute difficulties saw it be a little later than expected, the meal of pork, corn, and potatoes seemed quite appropriate for a bunch of hungry pirates. Entertainment was again provided by The Brigands, who were finally able to let loose some of their ‘A’ material (meaning not family appropriate), along with Nun For the Road. Also in attendance was the St. Augustine Royal Family who, as I understand it, can indeed trace their roots to Spanish nobility. They were scheduled to give out Letters of Marque that night, but I somehow missed this part of the festivities – maybe I was too deep in my cups at that point, or maybe it happened before I arrived. Either way, I missed it, and therefore can assure my dear readers that I have NOT been granted a letter of Marque, and am indeed still a free and independent pirate

The Bash concluded with more music from the Brigands, and some increasingly raucous dancing amongst the brethren. At the Bash’s conclusion, several of us swung by Tiger Lee’s Pirate Fashons Shop/Studio for a quick tour (a definite MUST SEE if you’re in the area), and then on to the pirate encampment a short walk away where the debauchery continued ’til the wee hours.

There was plenty to drink aboard the Black Raven, but not much to eat. Caribbean Pearl remembered her zombie training though and feasted on Spike's BRAINS.

Sunday the festival began much like Saturday had, albeit with most pirates boasting a little less spring in their step. The sunny weather and fresh-faced patrons soon wiped away any option of napping the day away, though, and before long things were again in full swing. Sunday afternoon things wound down, with several of the vendors packing up a bit earlier than would seem proper, getting ready to bug out at the festival’s conclusion. However, thanks to Captain Mayhem of The Black Raven, hardcore pirate enthusiasts had the chance to make one last go of things with an evening pirate cruise. Mayhem, Blackbeard and company played host to the mostly pirate audience (with a few civilians who seemed unsure of being so wildly outnumbered), entertaining us with magic, jokes, songs, and frequent encouragement to visit the bar. It was an excellent way to conclude the weekend, and if they make the cruise an annual event I’d highly encourage any and all pirates to join in.

The St. Augustine Pirate Gathering definitely has a good thing going. They have incredibly support from local pirates, a great location, and some fine entertainment. I had a great time DJing the entrance, which was the first time I’d been used in such an ongoing, “background” sort of capacity, but thanks to frequent visitors from listeners the days really flew by. And the evenings – well, those are the parts of any festival that make it truly worthwhile for the diehard pirates, and the Gathering provided three very memorable evenings all in a row!

Mid-June has come and gone, and it was my great pleasure to attend the Northern California Pirate Festival in Vallejo. Having attended this festival each of its three years, I’d love to say that I’ve witnessed it grow into something fantastic, but in this rare case no growth was necessary – never have I seen an event so much hit the ground running as this. The 2009 season proved every bit as worthy an event as its two predecessors as the waterfront park was again converted into a full-on pirate festival for two days during Fathers’ Day weekend.

The first thing that stands out about NorCal is its curbside appeal. While this isn’t a feature many festivals boast, NorCal manages to set a new standard with two enormous ship’s masts that mark the festival entrance. Depending on when you arrive, there might even be a boisterous scalliwag yelling from the rigging. Upon entering the festival proper, the grounds are filled with what must be hundreds of piratey vendors – clothing, weapons, piratey arts and crafts as well as pirate-themed teas and T-shirts. Taking it all in required several passes, as did the food court, which always boasts a variety rarely seen. Maybe it’s a California thing, or maybe NorCal stands alone, but never before at a pirate festival have I seen artichoke hearts, duck and quail, or fried oysters (although the more usual turkey legs and chili dogs are of course available as well.)

Entertainment throughout the day consisted of music by The Pirates Charles )who I still maintain to be one of the best live pirate bands currently in the circuit), shanty legends Skip Henderson and the Starboard Watch, Queen Anne’s Revenge, Mr. Mac, The Roving Tars, and of course Bay Area natives The Seadogs. Non-musical acts included weapons demonstrations by The Brotherhood of Oceanic Mercenaries, and it was also a real treat to finally catch Captain Jack Spareribs’ show, which – get this – is actually really, really funny (Jack Sparrow lookalikes always make me uneasy – as do puppets.)

One of this festival’s other great (and fortunate) assets is the remarkable diversity of its attendees. Sure, there are the normal folk and pirate reenactors – but I’m talking about the vast number of people that find new and creative ways to merge the pirate genre with whatever strikes their fancy. This year alone I saw pirate punks, Pirate Elvis (the ONLY pirate king, imo), pirate zombies, pirate mermaids, pirate sailors, and even a gay pirate bunny. And yes, there were indeed airship pirates, which is rapidly becoming a gristle in my craw, so let me clarify for those of you that need it…

(begin soapbox)
At an event such as NorCal, Airship Pirates are fair game. But this does NOT mean all steampunk is piratey. Steampunk elephant hunters, bug exterminators, or undead railroad conductors have nothing to do with pirates – take that psuedo-victorian sci-fi lark elsewhere.
(end soapbox)

Oh, lest I forget, Saturday night included a new addition to the festival – an afterparty. Held at “The Cantina”, a local mexican restaurant, the first few hours featured music DJed by none other than myself, with The Pirates Charles taking the stage later on to close out the evening in a truly splendid fashion.

To me, the NorCal Pirate Festival remains one of the best in the business. Even the editor of No Quarter Given, Jamaica Rose, who’s likely been to more pirate festivals than anyone on the planet, once told me she places it handily in the top three (alongside Gasparilla and Pirates in Paradise.) Non-pirate types will likely get their fill in one day, but those of us a bit more hopelessly addicted to the subject can flesh out the weekend by getting some one-on-one chat time with such pirate luminaries as Skip Henderson, the reenactors of Tales of the Seven Seas, the crew of Pirates Magazine, pirate artist Richard Becker, and many other folks you’ve likely read about. It’s definitely worth the trek to attend, regardless of where you’re hailing from – just be sure to pack lots of sunscreen.

Genre: Traditional and traditional inspired sea shanteys.
Rating: PG
Target Audience: Grown ups, mostly

Let’s be honest – when I reviewed Skip Henderson’s first pirate album, Billy Bones & Other Ditties, I wasn’t exactly charitable. Featuring about 3 decent pirate songs, 1 drop-dead brilliant one, and 13 or so ho-hum ditties, I actually expressed a level of frustration that the sheer genius of the title track, Billy Bones, wasn’t reflected throughout more of the album.

Well, I can assure you that it’s quite the load off my mind that I can this time write a much more enthusiastic review – and no charity needed. Poet & Pirate Overtures begins good and strong, ends somber and haunting, and makes for an enjoyable and varied journey between the two.

Poet & Pirate Overtures features many noteworthy tracks – some piratey, some not. But it begins entirely in a piratey manner… well, sort of. Port of Holy Peter doesn’t directly address pirates, but it does feature a dark tone and dark subject matter regarding slit throats, sea slime, criminals, and all sorts of other unpleasant business. Pirates will surely feel right at home. And what’s more, despite being based on a poem from 1918, it’s somehow eluded other pirate bands, and therefore isn’t a song that seasoned pirate music fans will have already heard a dozen times – old yet new, and a joy to hear.

Also a joy to hear are the album’s many other piratey tracks. Drake’s Drum begins with a march-like guitar strum while Skip’s distinctive salty voice supplies lyrics that provide a snapshot glimpse into Sir Francis Drake’s psychy. As was Holy Peter, this is based on an old poem, but one that’s been somehow overlooked by the scores of other piratically-inclined musicians out there, thus leaving it ripe for Skip Henderson to claim as his own. Drake’s Drum is slow and measured, with lyrics that require some deciphering to properly follow. But understandable or not, it conveys an enjoyably piratey demeanor throughout.

Henry Martin is again a song that’s been around for many a year, although unlike Holy Peter and Drake’s Drum, this one has been well covered by many a pirate band. But for all the times I’ve heard it, it’s never really grabbed my attention. Skip Henderson’s crew, however, has managed to add a unique quality. Through rustic, creepified, and slightly – but effectively – “off” sounding instrumentals, this rendition is something I could only describe as Burtonesqe – it’s easy to envision claymation skeletons playing this song (and yes, that is a compliment in this case.)

A Ballad of John Silver carries forward in this same instrumental quality as it tells the tale of shameless debauchery – splattered brains share center stage with hornpipes and dancing. It’s an odd song of sadistic humor in true pirate fashion.

Return of Billy Bones is the final pirate song of the album and – as one may expect – is something of a sequel to Billy Bones from the previous album. But where the orignal song was wry and sinister, this one is somewhat more worn and nostalgic. It’s the story of a pirate that’s outlived his time, with his mates and enemies long gone. Sad and somber, it’s also beautiful and likely to bring a tear to the eye of even the most jaded of brutes.

While the Poet & Pirate Overtures’ above mentioned pirate offerings are – to me – the album highlights, it also features many non-pirate – albeit certainly nautical – songs as well. Some even feature pirate-friendly subject matter, as in Will Watch the Bold Smuggler and Fineen O’Driscoll, the Rover. While the personalites of each seem a bit up-beat and friendly for pirate music, Will Watch does nicely feature booming cannons in accompaniment, while the distinctly non-piratey Cruise of the Calabar in contrast sings of disaster at sea. It’s enjoyably performed, and piratey or no, it has a nicely calloused sense of humor that makes it good company amongst the more overtly swashbuckling ilk.

However, there are some songs on the album that just don’t make for pirate tunes, no matter how you cut them. Capitol Ship is spunky and folky, while The Water is Wide is just too poetic and heart-felt. A beautiful, lovely listen, certainly – but I doubt Blackbeard would take notice. Paddy Doyle’s Boots, however, sounds as though the entire band was smashed when they sang the thing – and nothing meshes better with pirates than drunken singing.

The Poet & Pirate Overtures is a fine album – much of it is decent shanties and folk songs, but it also features a fine offering of several truly unique pirate songs. That so many of them are derived from seldom visited pirate poems from the past hundred or so years only makes them all the more intriguing.

Genre: Traditional and traditional inspired sea shanteys.
Rating: PG
Target Audience: Grown ups, mostly

Skip Henderson’s “Billy Bones and Other Ditties” is one of the most aptly named albums of all time. Amongst the track listing is, as expected, the song “Billy Bones” – one of the greatest pirate songs I’ve ever heard. And the rest of the album is a bunch of ditties – some more entertaining than others, but few that really leave a mark.

The album begins with the instramental “The Quilty Hornpipe.” Jiggy yet subdued, it makes for a nice introductory track.

Next up is aforementioned “Billy Bones,” an absolutely brilliant piece that sounds both sinister and self-satisfied as an old pirate calously sings over the skeleton of an old adversary/partner. It has an old-timey sea shantey feel, but carries a drama and a catchiness rarely seen in such songs. Sounding as though it’s performed by genuine pirates, this track alone is very nearly worth the cost of the CD.

“General Taylor” sounds like a drinking song about a funeral. Carries a nice lively beat, but is otherwise unremarkable.

“Tarbaulin Jacket” follows. Also about funeral arrangements, one starts to notice a pattern in the subject matter. Also noticeable is that most of the songs from here an are, indeed, ditties – nice, fun, even catchy at times, but mostly forgetable.

“Ben Backstay” is a lively number with fun lyrics about sharks and humorously unfortunate death at sea. Sadly, the refrain drives my crazy (something along the lines of “with a chip chop cherry top polly rolly riddle rock, chip chop cherry top polly riddle rock”).

“Two Hornpipes” is another instrumental piece that would be nothing more than jiggy pub music, except this time there’s a twist. While the band plays the sounds of a bar room brawl grow increasingly noticeable, to the point that by the end of the song it’s a wonder the acordian player doesn’t get brained by a barstool. I can’t help but smile when I hear this one.

The next two songs are “The Mermaid” and “Bold Jack,” both of which are decent ditties, but unremarkable.

“Fifteen Men (Bottle o’Rum)” is likely a familiar song to most. Considering its brutally pirate roots, as well as the morbid gidiness with which Skip Henderson sang “Billy Bones,” I had high hopes for this song. Unfortunately, whatever brilliance he injected into “Billy Bones” isn’t apparent in this song. Skip clearly tried for that same genuinely-performed-by-pirates sound, but it comes across as a bit more tame and folky.

“Kerry Recuit” is an amusing ditty about a young soldier being given his GI materials and then sent off to war.

The next batch of songs – “We’re All Bound to Go”, “Two Waltzes”, “Sailor’s Consolation”, and “Porter”, are all nice little ditties, but once again unremarkable.

“Chivalrous Shark” is a nice change of pace. A bit naughty and very amusing, this song tells of a “maneating” shark that has no interest in the ladies. Cleverly done, and definitely funny.

“Oliver Martin (Whiskey Harbor)” is yet another little ditty.

Last on the agenda is “Song of a Ship,” which is a genuinely touching tribute ot the beauty and magic of ships.

It seems this album is about 80% “nice little ditties,” which might make for decent background music, but don’t really stand on their own (unless you’re really into ditties – I freely admit that I am not.) A few songs (“Two Hornpipes”, “Fifteen Men”, and “Chivalrous Shark”) are more worthy of note, but make up a minority of the total songs.

What really gets my goat about this album is “Billy Bones” – it’s so well done, so traditional yet piratey – it makes me want to cry that there aren’t more songs like this. With it Skip Henderson gives us a peek at how truly brilliant folksy pirate music can be, which makes the rest of the album seem that much more lackluster in comparison.