You know your sea shanties from your maritime songs -- right?
If 21st century life in the Inland Northwest didn’t educate you in that respect, there’s hope yet. Bigger Boat, a Moscow-based acapella group, will be performing both at the Cordelia Summer Music Series at 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 8.
A maritime song is more generally a song about the sea that is sung in leisure.
A sea shanty, on the other hand, is a work song. It would’ve been sung by the crew aboard a sailing vessel during the 1800s while they were hoisting sails and pulling up anchors. They might bemoan the cold, or complain of the captain or speak of the attractive nature of the women in various ports.
“It’s just people hollering,” said Rob Ely, a group member.
The shanty has a call and response structure comprised of verses, which are sung by one leader, and a simple chorus, which is sung by a large group. The chorus was used to keep time, not only for the song, but for the work being done as they synchronized efforts pushing or pulling. Since machines now do the work once done by collective, coordinated human muscle, sea shanties no longer serve a practical function -- but they do serve an entertainment one.
That’s because sea shanties aren’t just fun songs to listen to -- they’re fun songs to sing. And because the choruses are simple, rhythmic and “holler-y” in nature, when Bigger Boat performs, the audience often joins in.
“We’ve found that people like to sing together, but there are not many occasions to sing unless they go to church,” Ely said.
And these sea shanties are not church songs. Sailors, not saints, were doing the singing, so the language is as salty as you might expect and unwavering in its appreciation for whiskey and women -- though the latter tends to be more coded in nature.
“You want to do something that’s historically accurate, but some of the songs, they make your hair stand on end,” Ely said. “We have to strike a balance. We keep things fun and not offensive.”
Still, all of the songs have a gruff tone and “fit our lack of refinement,” said Ely.
The group is comprised of friends who knew each other through their work at the University of Idaho. Ely is a math professor, Ben James teaches film and screenwriting, Rochelle Smith works as a research librarian and Dylan Champagne is a musician and composer. Around four years ago, they indulged a curiosity in what it would be like to sing these types of songs and eventually did a show.
“It turns out people liked it,” Ely said.
The group practices once a month and performs sporadically, given the various members’ tendency to be gone for year-long periods at a time. They’ve perform at various places in the region, including The Attic and One World Cafe, both in Moscow, and have been at the FolkLife Music Festival in Seattle, which features a full afternoon of sea shanty singing on one of its stages.
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: Bigger Boat at the Cordelia Summer Music Series
WHERE: 2 p.m. Sunday, July 8
WHEN: Cordelia Church, 1501 Danielson Road, Genesee
COST: Free
A shanty sampler:
A verse from “South Australia”: As you go wallopin’ around Cape Horn Heave Away! Haul Away! You'll wish to God you’d never been born We’re bound to South Australia!
A verse from “Haul Away, Joe” King Louis was the king of France before the revolution Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! And then he got his head chopped off - it spoiled his constitution Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe!
A verse from “Leave Her, Johnny” It’s rotten beef and weev’ly bread Leave her, Johnny, leave her! It’s pump or drown, the old man said For it’s time for us to leave her.
