The Eastport Oyster Boys bring their maritime goodtime music to The Mainstay for the start of the boating season in Rock Hall, MD on Saturday May 6, 2017 at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Information and advance ticket sales are available at the Mainstay’s website https://www.mainstayrockhall.org. Reservations to pay at the door can be made by calling 410-639-9133.
In the Spring, when the sailors have burned their socks, boats are newly varnished and painted and the snowbirds have returned to put a new coat of paint on the deck chairs, it’s time for the maritime music of The Eastport Oyster Boys, the Goodwill Ambassadors for the City of Annapolis, the Maritime Republic of Eastport and the Chesapeake.
The Eastport Oyster Boys sing songs about the Bay region and the Eastern Shore from Conowingo to Ocean City. Their sound is a blend of original folk tunes, island rhythms, salsa, boogie, dixie-swing, waltzes, chanteys and some classic rock-and-roll, all with a maritime theme and an abundant sense of humor. Their songs feature deadrise workboats, oysters, good dogs, blue crabs, and other themes unique to the Chesapeake celebrating the rich maritime life and heritage of the area. Now into their third decade as a band, they may invite you to “Rock Around the Docks,” go “Downy Ocean Hon” or lament just being “Aground Again.”
Spinsheet Magazine said “The Boys’ style is fun and easy, while their lyrics sing true to the beauties and realities of living on the Bay.” Though calling the watermen’s village of the Maritime Republic of Eastport home, their songs and stories ring true in any of the Chesapeake’s harbor towns, dockyard bars, along its tributaries and in the quiet coves. Their music has been appreciated as far away as the shores of Nova Scotia, Ireland, Europe and Australia. The Boys’ spirit and music has also been featured in numerous national and international radio, television, print and film productions.
The band includes some of Eastport’s finest musicians (and boat bums): Kevin Brooks on guitar and six string banjo, the versatile Tom Guay on hammer dulcimer, fiddle and guitar, Andy Fegley on trombone and percussion, and Mike Lange on keyboards, uke and melodica.
Their concerts are a musical celebration of life on the shores of the Chesapeake and its many scenic rivers. For more than two decades they have educated, amused and delighted thousands with their wit, wisdom and special message of stewardship and appreciation for the Bay and its unique maritime culture and history. Anyone who loves being on or near the water will find they have a lot in common with The Eastport Oyster Boys whose simple philosophy can be summed up in their list of the three basic necessities of life: “a good hat, a good dog and a good boat!”
The Washington Post said, “If you’ve lost sight of why you live here, it’s time you heard The Eastport Oyster Boys. With tongues planted firmly in their cheeks, they write and sing songs about laid-back life on the Bay. They mix droll wit and a veritable cornucopia of musical styles – from Cuban jazz to Dixie swing to rockabilly to waltzes to calypso to country weepers to tangos….and they do it all with a joie de vivre that fuels good times like high octane gasoline.”
The Mainstay (Home of Musical Magic) is the friendly informal storefront performing arts center on Rock Hall’s old time Main Street. It is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit dedicated to the arts, serving Rock Hall, MD and the surrounding region. It is committed to presenting local, regional and national level talent, at a reasonable price, in an almost perfect acoustic setting. Wine, beer, sodas and snacks are available at the bar.
The Mainstay is supported by ticket sales, fundraising including donations from friends and audience members and an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts Council.
The Mainstay sells advance tickets online through Instant Seats. Information and advance ticket sales are available on the Mainstay’s website https://www.mainstayrockhall.org. Follow the Buy Tickets link to buy tickets at the advance price. If you would rather pay at the door, you can make a reservation by calling 410-639-9133 and paying by cash or check at the door.
Upcoming Mainstay performances include:
May 8 Mainstay Monday: Joe Holt welcomes Barbara Ferris & Bob Colligan
May 13 Le Vent du Nord
May 15 Mainstay Monday: Joe Holt welcomes Meredith Hadaway
May 20 A Tribute to Dick Morgan with Tadataka Unno on piano
May 22 Mainstay Monday: Joe Holt welcomes Elisabeth Engle, vocals
May 27 Caitlin Canty
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