Four lovely sirens serenaded locals last night along the shores of Back Creek beneath the fading pink sky of a warm July evening. Their beautiful voices and folk music drew in quite a crowd to the grassy pavilion called Cap’n Herbie Sadler Park outside Eastport’s Maritime Museum as part of the establishment’s summertime concert series. These ladies, clad in sea-foam green skirts adorned with shimmering, mermaid-esque sequence, make up a Celtic band called the OCEAN Quartette. Their music, which is both traditional and contemporary, focused on the water, whether through the adventures of a sailor out at sea or the woes of his lover who waits for him to return. Some of their songs were poems or ballads written as far back as the 1700’s and later put to music; others were a combination of English, French, and Gaelic. It was a perfect place to be playing with a backdrop of the mouth of the harbor and the Wednesday night sailboat races in full swing further out in the Bay.
The spunky Jennifer Cutting, who played a Kurzweil keyboard (apparently the closest thing to a piano without actually being one) and a button accordion (what she referred to as her “squeezebox”), arranged most of the tunes, and even wrote a couple herself. A charming Lisa Moscatiello enthusiastically played guitar and sang; an enchanting Grace Griffith carried the crowd away with her soaring vocals; and an elegant Rosie Shipley showed off her talent on the fiddle. Each of these women have been recognized with various awards and national recognition.
The OCEAN Quartette not only drew land-lovers—there were also a number of seafarers who could not help but drift up in the water behind the group, whether in a kayak or a run-about, drawn in by the melodies carried over the creek. On-shore, hamburgers, hotdogs, and snacks were sold, and a bar with beer and wine was set up in an old, wooden deadrise oyster boat. A number of people brought their own provisions and set up picnics on the grassy bank.
The crowd responded enthusiastically to the music, clapping to keep the beat with the songs and dancing to the lively jigs. On a gorgeous evening in such an Annapolitan setting, one couldn’t help but take part in the show. As Ms. Cutting said herself, it was an “inspiring, energizing setting to be playing music”—and for that matter, to be listening.
The Maritime Museum has a number of concerts scheduled through the rest of the summer, including Tom Wisner on July 9, Bob Zentz on July 16, and Them Eastport Oyster Boys & Scurvy Crew on July 23. Don’t miss out on this wonderful, and
free opportunity to see some of Annapolis’ local musical talent in a beautiful location. For more information, visit the museum’s event listing online at
http://www.annapolismaritimemuseum.org/events.html -Katie Dodd