Final Reflections

Our trip to Germany and our visit with the troops are now in the past. It seems like just yesterday that we received the invitation to sing at the Festival Maritim and began plotting our trip overseas. We had no idea the amount of support we would receive from friends and strangers alike, and we still find ourselves amazed at the outpouring of goodwill received from people who love us, and from those we are still waiting to meet. We then added plans to our voyage to visit the military hospital to entertain our wounded warriors, as well as those in service at airbases in Germany, and our friends and fans came through again to support Operation Share the Shanties. We find ourselves humbled by everyone, everywhere, who supported our journey and continues to support our music. We thank each of you, with full hearts, for all you have done for us. We consider it an honor to spend time with you, whether chatting, blogging, or singing a song or two.

We thought we would close the trip blog by sharing some personal thoughts with you all. Each one of us in Bounding Main, and of course John Wohlers too, have jotted down a few reflections about the journey for you to read. We hope that you enjoy them. Once you have finished reading about our final thoughts and feelings, we would like you to share your reflections with us as well. Add your closing comments to this final trip blog and share your memories and comments about the trip with us. We carried your good thoughts and well-wishes with us the entire trip and we would very much like you each to share your final reflections with us now.

Without further ado, here are our reflections…

Christie:

When people ask me how the trip was, I reply that it was incredible. I stammer a bit as there does not seem to be a way to truly articulate how amazing this journey has been. At the Festival Maritim we were treated like rock stars and the camaraderie between the other performers and Bounding Main was warm and genuine. Our experience at the military hospital and on the air bases will stay with me forever. There were several moments in the hospital that touched me deeply. One such moment was when we were singing to an older gentleman in his hospital room. His eyes were closed and he seemed to suffer from some sort of cognitive disorder. The girls began to sing Blow the Wind Southerly and Maggie quietly asked the nurse if she could hold the patient’s hand. The nurse said that she could and once she took his hand, with his eyes still closed, he began to quietly sing along with us. He knew the song and joined his voice with ours. It was a poignant moment for all of us and it seemed that we brought him a moment of comfort and peace. What is even more amazing is that it was the support of our friends and fans, both here and abroad, that made this trip not only possible but the grand adventure that it was. We can’t possibly thank you enough for your generosity. You have given us each an incredible gift that we will treasure always.

David:

From main-stage shows for thousands of shanty fans to private performances for injured troops, from searching for Ausfart to friend-guided tours of amazing, centuries-old Dutch and German towns, this was an experience I don’t think any of us could ever forget. We had an incredibly successful trip due mainly to (a) all the overwhelming support of our fans, friends, and family in getting us over there and (b) all the equally overwhelming support we received upon and even before arrival from some extraordinary folks across the pond. The event organizers and our fellow performers at Festival Maritim were so welcoming and friendly that we felt right at home while thousands of miles away. We were able to sing with fantastic groups from all over Europe including our new friends from Banana Boat (Poland), Four N’ Aft (Great Britain), and Les Pirates (France); and of course some old friends from De Boekaneirs and from Paddy’s Passion (Holland). We were treated to new songs, new foods, and a new outlook on shantydom. It’s also important that all the people who so generously contributed to Operation Share the Shanties know how deeply affected the military personnel who received the CDs and thank-you notes really were. A great many of them had the impression that people back home either disliked them or had forgotten about them outright, but finding out how many people had sponsored CDs and written notes of thanks touched them quite deeply and seemed to brighten their day considerably. To all our supporters who made this trip possible, and to all our new friends in Europe, Thank you.

Dean:

I knew we could do it. I knew it. When we assembled this cabal of musical mutineers I had a gut feeling about what we could achieve. In a time that groups are struggling for work we have more than we can fit in our schedule. In a time that some musicians are circling their wagons in hard times we’re growing our audience in Europe. Greater than the sum of our parts is what Bounding Main is. I am so amazed and so proud of all that we’ve been able to do, and this trip to Europe is my personal vindication that I am not merely an idle dreamer and schemer. We continue to reach audiences with our sound and our frank fun on stage and our genuine desire to make our listeners happy. And the ship is in the trade winds and moving fast; this is only the beginning of more amazing times together, mark my words. There will be more international festivals, there will be music videos, we will reach a national audience. Years ago a friend of mine was working at a hotel in downtown Chicago. A group of longhaired young men checked into the hotel and my friend asked them what they were doing in town. The fellow said, “We’re musicians. You’ve never heard of us but you will: we’re going to be famous.” That was Roger Taylor of Queen. Now, I’m not saying we’ll ever be as big as Queen, but I firmly believe that if I continue to work hard on our marketing and we continue to generate a buzz at the level we are, I know we have a shot at wild success. Keep with us fans and friends, and bless you all for your continuing love and support. I am not a religious man by any means, but I feel so blessed to be a part of this company of players.

Gina:

What a wondrous thing, this “Bounding Main”. I count myself a truly lucky individual as my first trip to Europe afforded me the luxury of performing with my dearest friends, singing gleefully into the night with other musicians, and of course, performing for our United States Armed Forces in service overseas. In Germany and in Amsterdam I was moved by the welcome we received at the festival and radio-show. The easy smiles and gentle correction of my attempts at German, as well as the whole-hearted welcome we received at Radio Ridderkerk, are treasured memories. The encounters we had at the military hospital were moving and very meaningful to me. We found that our troops still feel that they are not supported at home and some have even been spit on by their fellow Americans. Operation Share the Shanties helped demonstrate that we do indeed support our troops, and our friends, family, and fans back home sent that message of support loud and clear (and in six-part harmony!) to our troops. Thank you all for allowing us the honor of delivering your message of support to the troops. While we had little time to play tourist, I do feel that I connected strongly with the people and places we visited and I will never forget this trip or the families that took care of us and made us feel at home while we were so far away from our own. To my fellow mates in Bounding Main, you are the best. I could not imagine this trip without you and the tapestry of my memories are woven heavily with your smiles and laughter. I hope we all continue to have flashes of our memories of this trip that make us smile to ourselves or snort out loud with laughter at the most inopportune of moments.

Jon:

This trip was conceived without any real understanding of what it would eventually become. When it all started, we had hopes that MAYBE we’d get enough support to pay for the plane tickets alone. We designed a logo, set up a couple fundraisers, and let things develop. What happened in the following sixteen months is simply staggering. We had private concerts, had a private barbecue, recorded a personalized album, took a bunch of fans on a Land Cruise, held a silent auction… amazing. Everywhere we performed we saw fans wearing DEPORT buttons. Once we were walking along the pier and someone bellowed out “DEPORT BOUNDING MAIN!” When all is said and done, we had the trip of a lifetime. We had the opportunity to share our music with an enthusiastic crowd, we saw some of the coolest sites in Europe, and most importantly we spread some well-deserved appreciation to military personnel stationed far away from home. And it’s all thanks to you, our faithful Mainiacs. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Maggie:

It is difficult to put into words how wonderful this trip was for me. I am eternally grateful to be a part of this group, on levels that are honestly difficult to put into words. The fun and friendship and warmth between us (as well as the good-natured ribbing) are genuine, and I think this European adventure helped to solidify our bond. I am amazed at all the folks in Europe who came out of the woodwork to guide us through our journey. Bregite, Kirsten, Bert, Margret, Darin, Desiree, Craven, and Andy are only a few of the gentle souls who took us under their wing and made sure we were welcomed and comfortable in a foreign land. We are very grateful to you, our dear friends and fans, for your support, and we sincerely hope that you continue to deem us worthy of it.

And of course, John W.

For me this trip has been an incredible experience. Prior to this trip I had never before been out of the country, with the exception of visiting Canada as a small child. The trip afforded me the opportunity to experience new cultures, and to see the similarities between those cultures and our own. I feel that we were very fortunate to be visiting for a common shared interest, the Festival Maritim. This shared interest gave everyone a commonality to build friendships from. Nowhere were our shared interests more apparent than at the party Saturday night. I still find myself daydreaming back to that night, standing to the side of a tent filled to the overflow point with internationally renowned sea shanty singers. The whole crowd gathered together singing, not for an audience, not for any expectations of remuneration, simply for the love of the music. To stand there and listen to hundreds of people, all raising their voice together, in multiple languages, in multiple part harmonies, just for the sheer joy of the act of singing, was nothing short of heavenly. If there had been no other purpose to this trip, the ability to see that alone would have made it worth the time and effort put forward. This trip however, had an additional purpose; a purpose that managed to grab a hold upon my heartstrings and changed me irrevocably. After we returned to Germany from a side trip to the Netherlands, we visited a number of Military bases, including a U.S. Military Hospital. While there I personally experienced a wide range of emotions that I found incredibly difficult to process. Ultimately I came to a heart wrenching understanding that the men and women of our military have sacrificed some of the very freedoms they swore to protect and yet, there are many who feel wholly under appreciated, or in the worst of cases, hated by those they protect. Having the opportunity to try to make a difference, to try to combat those dark feelings, was nothing short of life altering. It was not until after I returned from the trip that I remembered a promise I made to a stranger. Once, while in character at a festival, a mother asked me if I would sail off to find her son in the Navy, and bring him home safe, I promised I would do my best, and if nothing else I would at least let him know he was loved. I will never know if we found that sailor while in Germany, but to me she was the face of the mother of every man and woman we spoke with, and for each CD given, each person spoken with, each life touched, that promise was kept. If just one person felt loved and cared for because of this trip, even for just a moment, then nothing else matters.

Thank you to everyone involved in making this experience possible.

Now it’s your turn to add a few parting words about the journey we took together. Thank you all, again and again and again, for your support of Bounding Main. Without you, we would have no reason to sing.

Fair winds and following seas,

Bounding Main

P.S. If you want to follow the whole trip from the beginning, click here and start paging through the mayhem!