By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Don Sineti: A YANKEE SHIP SAILED DOWN THE RIVER
You and 300 others: BLOW, BOYS, BLOW
Sineti: OUR MAST AND YARDS THEY SHAKE AND SHIVER
You and 300 others: BLOW, ME BULLY BOYS, BLOW.
The Maritime Grind, a Sitka WhaleFest tradition, will start in its own traditional way Saturday, with chanteyman Sineti leading a call-and-response “double-pull halyard chantey.”
“Used for raising sails on square riggers of the 1800s and before ... And this is kind of a fun one,” he says.
Sineti, a familiar figure at Whalefest for many years, will take part this time from his home in Connecticut since the event – and the popular Grind – are virtual.
The 40-minute Maritime Grind on Saturday will feature seven pre-recorded acts. Those who register by 5 p.m. Friday can watch it as early as 7 p.m. Saturday, and a link will be provided later for those who don’t sign up in advance.
The Sitka Monthly Grind is a show of homegrown performing talent that’s held live throughout the year. But this one will be the seventh that’ll be in virtual format since the start of the pandemic. Past virtual Grinds have drawn an average of 250 online visitors, about the same as the turnout for a live Grind event.
In a normal year the Maritime Grind would be held in Harrigan Centennial Hall, attended by a combination of Whalefest attendees and other Sitkans of all ages.
Producer Jeff Budd started the Grind in Sitka, after taking part in a similar event when he lived in Ketchikan. It’s now celebrating its 27th season here.
“It’s nonpolitical family-oriented entertainment – free online,” Budd said. “I always love the Maritime Grind – just everything: I like it when there’s new people who’ve never been in a Grind, and I like it when a variety of people get together and produce something everyone in the community can watch. And if you don’t like something it’s over in 10 minutes.”
Connecticut chantyman and WhaleFest regular Don Sineti sings and plays banjo at the BEAK restaurant in 2019. Sineti will be part of a virtual WhaleFest Grind this year. (Sentinel file Photo)
The Maritime Grind often features Whalefest personalities, like Sineti, a chanteyman at the Mystic Seaport Museum. He’s in fine form on the video, at home on the couch with Mary Dansinghani, who taps out the beat on Sineti’s hand as he calls out the chantey.
Video and sound editor Jeanne Stolberg spliced in nautical theme video and photographs, with changes to old film clips of sailors working the rigging of tall ships.
Sitkans Cindy Bea Edwards and Jami Guinn-Osborne perform Ma Muse’s “Glorious” at the base of the Whale Park stairway off Sawmill Creek Road. Osborne is on mandolin and Edwards guitar, sitting on a rock on a “ridiculously hot day” three weeks ago.
The two have been singing together for some 12 or 14 years, and get together regularly to sing, although, Edwards added, “we end up talking more than singing sometimes.”
The “Saucy Sailor” is an English folk song from the early part of the 20th century, and sung in modern times by the Wailin’ Jennys.
“We hadn’t sung that song for a while,” Edwards said. She said its tricky guitar part had her wondering how it would work out, but “(Osborne) nailed it,” Edwards said.
One of the Grind acts is an underwater video of Nancy Neel exploring the intertidal area by snorkel, set to Barbra Streisand and Seth MacFarlane’s “Pure Imagination.” The footage was shot at No Thorofare Bay by Cyndy Gibson, who appears briefly in the video with her husband Keith.
Cyndy said they shot the video during the summer, inspired by the beauty of the undersea world in that bay, and a desire to do something fun together.
Other pieces in the Grind are by Sitka Studio of Dance, a graceful marine-inspired performance choreographed by Melinda McAdams, called “Waves;” Summerfall (Jim Shepard and Debby LeVeck), a composition with ocean sounds and Sitka Sound as a backdrop; The Polymerase Chain Reaction Trio performing old timey fiddle tunes with nautical themes; and Zak Kirkpatrick accompanying himself on guitar singing a new song he wrote, “This Old Boat,”
To view the show, go to sitkawhalefest.org and click on “Maritime Grind” for an Access Pass, and register by 5 p.m. Friday. You can also access the registration link on Sitka Monthly Grind’s Facebook page. The Maritime Grind is co-hosted by Sitka Whalefest and Greater Sitka Arts Council. Call Stolberg at 907-738-8083 with questions.
