Blogging again after a few years! Wow!

      Hard to believe I have found this old blog. And on this old computer we use for VOBB radio, my old email and password still exists. Imagine that!!! Thanks to Trevor Lloyd for his encouragement! He runs a great blog called Boat in a Bag! Check it out! A Boat in a Bag – An Inflatable Adventure

    Well this year my trio The Sharecroppers of Newfoundland, took a break for the summer after 32 years of doing coach tour and cruise ship shows. Of course that was unintended  - taking a break, I mean.  Covid 19 held all those cruise ships and coach tours captive. We didn't do any shows at all. If you go to our web site at  www.thesharecroppers.net  you'll see all the shows that were lined up for us! Sure we would have well passed the 120K cds sold over these 32 years. Sounds like a lot, but if you do the math and ever play on board a cruise ship where they line up after the show, it all makes sense. We're pleased although lately with the people on coach tours, they say to us, "Well, I would but my new car doesn't have a cd player!"

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     So summer 2020 I put my attention into our radio show on VOBB radio out of Bonne Bay Gros Morne Nat Park Newfoundland!

     Kathy, my darling wife, and I have been volunteer Wednesday hosts for about the last 6 years. VOBB radio at  www.vobb.org is a 24 hr station, and from Monday to Friday, the flagship show on VOBB  called "Bonne Bay Morning with (put in volunteers name here like Anita Best, Gary Noel, Wayne Parsons, Steve Galliot and Charlie Payne, Gene Bellows, Mike & Kathy Madigan and many more....!)" is the main show from 9-11am.

    I try to get interviews - or chats, as we call them, with authors, musicians and just about everyone else! From Lawrence Hill to Buddy Wassiname's Wayne Chaulk, Kathy and I enjoy chatting and discovering all sorts of neat radio stuff. 

   And we have gone international!  I mean VOBB radio is always heard around the world through the internet, but we have a 'sister station' in Cape May NJ. WCFA Radio 101.5FM  picks up our Wednesday morning show and airs it "LIVE" but at their time of 7:30am-9:30am.  www.capemayradio.org 

   Kathy and I normally "winter" in beautiful Cape May New Jersey and about 3 years ago I bumped into a man on the Cape May promenade who stopped to say hello to our Golden girl and dog SCOUT. When he said he detected an accent in my voice, I told him we were from Newfoundland. The man said he had been to Newfoundland but only once in his life! And he shocked me to say he was the 3rd JUMBO JET to land in Gander during the infamous 9/11 when 9000+ passengers descended on the small town of Gander.

       As you know many planes were diverted to Newfoundland airports and he was on one of them. But "BobBass", as he is called on facebook, proceeded to tell me he was treated ROYALLY and so many of the stories he told me were like right out of the musical COME FROM AWAY! And when I asked Bob if he had seen the musical on Broadway NY, he said, "What musical?"

   So I knew there was a story to be told and I approached the good people of WCFA radio and asked if I could interview Bob.  David Mackenzie and Hope Gaines were pleased about this and so we all went into studio and had a wonderful chat with Bob about his amazing experience in Gander Newfoundland and about Newfoundland itself.

   The rest is history. Now WCFA radio airs our Wed morning show as we at VOBB air a Thursday night show from them. Yes, international radio!!!

     So I have been putting my creative juices in radio land! It's fun but hard work too preparing for each two hour show. The music I play has more of a Newfoundland or Celtic flavour which many people enjoy! We have lots of listeners each week and it's almost like interactive radio as we have an OPEN PAGE on facebook at: Mike Kathy Madigan. Like I said, it's an open page so you can say what you want to us, put a photo there, or just tell us you are LISTENING!!!!  It all helps us be more creative during our live broadcast!!!

  Check us out at www.vobb.org and check out our other hosts.......Bonne Bay Morning is a great station!!!  Cheers for now  ~  Mike Madigan

This Island by The Sharecroppers

The Sharecroppers Continue Anniversary Tour -summer 2013

www.thesharecroppers.net
Summer dates soon to be announced!
Promo for 25 years:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEOYr7LOQRM
 Song: Crowd From Up the Hill:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e4hrDImsLM

One Room School Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOoAEwEEuNY

Sharecroppers "25th Anniversary One Room School Tour" - Updates

     The Sharecroppers (of Newfoundland)'s 25th Anniversary One Room School Tour is taking place this April 2013 from April 15th-28th. Twelve shows are now booked! Hope to see you by the old potbelly stove with slate, rag and small water bottle. (No sleeves allowed). lol


25th Anniversary One Room School Tour

        Here's our short info ad and One Room School song that I put together! Enjoy. (Thanks to Nfld artist Lloyd Pretty who allowed us to use his wonderful one room school scene.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_IsG4mVfYA
 See you at the show!!

Where are the shows in April?
15th Pasadena St. David's
16th Twillingate St. Peter's Anglican Church
17th Bonavista The Garrick Theater
NOTE ADDED SHOW: 18th April, Lord's Cove Community Center
19th Marystown St. Gabriel's Hall
20th St. John's Gower Street United Lecture Hall
21st Clarenville Clarenville Events Center
22nd Gander St. Martin's Anglican
23rd Grand Falls-Windsor Holy Trinity Anglican Church
24th Kings Point The Firettes
25th Corner Brook All Saints Anglican
26th Norris Point Lions Club @ Norris Point Community Hall
27th Port aux Basques St. James Anglican Memorial Center


The Sharecroppers...Ed,Guy & Mike

Thanks to Sound and Lighting provided by HM Audio Corner Brook!

Sharecroppers Celebrate 25 years -my blog

(By trio member Mike Madigan)

    The Sharecroppers of Newfoundland celebrate 25 years a Newfoundland folk trio! (1988-2013) And by golly it's true too when I say: "it's been 25 years and nar fight betwix us!"  lol. The trio have remained friends, fellow teachers (now retired), and  two of us are even grandparents!

    Life has been good in so many ways and although we have remained  fairly humble in the public eye, our songs about Newfoundland have touched many. Just the other day someone from the Dept of Education asked that our One Room School song be submitted for a resource book to be used in the classroom. I love hearing that.
     Over the years many of our songs like "The Legionnnaires: Lest We Forget", "The Kyle" , "Grenfell", "One Room School" and "Viking Winds" and more have been used in the classroom for projects as well as in various museums/exhibitions etc.

   Who are the Sharecroppers personally? It pleases me to tell you about my trio buddies!

      Guy Romaine hails from Newman's Cove, Bonavista Bay. Guy's dad, Newman Romaine, went to the little one room school there and always spoke of interesting and mischievous times in that one roomer, now a small United Church. Guy's dad worked in construction but also had a fishing license, so Guy and "skipper" would often go out on the Bonavista Bay. Thus Guy loves to write about the simple things of outport life and does a great job. With songs like Yesterday's Fisherman", Life in the Outport, Freddy's Tune, My Cove and One Room School, Guy's poetry is simply beautiful. Here's a youtube example of Guy's excellent poetry with his song "This Island": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcUGK9e5Dwg
      By the way, Guy's dad passed away a few years ago and his funeral was in that very one room school he went to. Talk about full circle. Guy's mom Rita still lives in Newman's Cove and is the sweetest woman on earth.

     Ed Humber hails from Corner Brook and it's no wonder one of his many fine songs is "The Mill Whistle". Ed's dad, Harvey Humber, worked for more than 37 years at the Mill.

      Ed was the most recent to retire from the classroom and most of that time was spent as guidance counselor. The kids loved and respected him then and still do today, as Ed has helped  many find their way through sports as well as his personal guidance.
     Every summer for the past 17 summers Ed guides a tour bus (Executive Worldwide Travel) for a friend and they do a 14 day tour of Newfoundland. He does this just once a summer and because of his finely tuned tour of St Anthony and the Grenfell place, Ed wrote this amazing song about Grenfell which I think is the best ever written about this great English born Newfoundland icon. Have you seen the youtube of this? Beautful!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf9tL0R9Iqc

    As for myself, Mike Madigan, I've kept a rather low profile (lol) since my roots are actually Irish and French :) The father's side of the family comes from Askeaton,Co Limerick Ireland and he, Leo Wm Madigan, married a french girl from Quebec named Jocelyne Geoffroy. Dad, of course, quickly pronounced her name as  "Joyce Jeffrey" and I think my mom suddenly became Irish!! lol So I'm half Irish and French,  but most mostly Irish! 
     Perhaps you are familiar with the song  I wrote called "My Grandfather's Fiddle" ? It's about my french grandpapa, Jules Geoffroy, who was a town fiddler in St Felix-de-Valois, Quebec. And I believe some of that French and Irish mixture has  definitely rubbed off on me. Know how I know? Well, when I play on my mom's old fiddle the tune "The Saint Anne's Reel" ....or "La Reel de St Anne".... as they say in french, I do so in a very unique way here in Newfoundland. How? Well, I make the Irish and French harmonies blend in together. And come to think of it, maybe I play The St Anne's Reel the best in the world!!  Hmm...I wonder what's  "Blarney" in french? lol

Here however is my Grandfather's fiddle on Youtube that Jim Yetman from Bryant's Cove nicely illustrated for me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37H-ojP-_d8

                                     Where did the Sharecroppers start? And why the name Sharecroppers? We are asked that all the time.
     Well The Sharecroppers started when Ed, Guy and myself were all teaching at Pasadena Academy. Our students one April day in 1988 knocked on the staffroom door at recess. They wanted to know what the teachers were going to sing at an upcoming cabaret the school was preparing for.
     So the three of us got together and practiced two Newfoundland songs,... and something very different for a third song. That different song we decided to do was "Sharecroppers Dream" by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Notice the name??!! The name Sharecroppers stuck, and because the trio went over so well that night, we were asked to perform at countless churches, schools, Legion halls and concerts... and the rest, as they say, is history!

     All three of us are retired from the classroom but are still enjoying the music side and entertaining each summer. We give our Newfoundland Cultural Experience show to many coach tours and the occasional cruise ship during the summer, as well as  a number of Newfoundland festivals.......which can all be seen at our web site http://www.thesharecroppers.net/ 

    I also hope the crowd from CBC's Land and Sea read what I blog because I'd love to get a copy of our Bristol England trip we did for Newfoundland tourism in '96 at The International Festival of the Sea. Land and Sea followed us all over Bristol where we did 13 shows in 4 days. CBC did a nice segment on The Sharecroppers in that show.

     And I hope Mr Geoff Stirling reads this, for I'd like to thank him personally for listening in 1993 to our 1st cd (NATURAL) I sent him with the One Room School song. He phoned me at 5 am Newfoundland time from Arizona a couple of times. Imagine that!    Geoff, out of his love for Newfoundland, gave us $20,000 worth of free advertising on NTV and  then did a vignette of our song One Room School that played for 17 months straight - three times a day! He also did wonders with our song about the  KYLE, the  famous Newfoundland coastal boat that is still grounded in Harbour Grace.  Many folks in Newfoundland and all around the world have now seen these vignettes on NTV because the station's having gone satelite in the 90s. Congrats NTV!

    Yes, 1988 to 2013.... it's been 25 years a Newfoundland folk trio! We have also produced three cds as well: Natural (One Room School), This New Founde Lande, and "Home,Boys!" We feel we have truly been blessed in so many ways.
     Yes, may there be many more years to come in sharing our Newfoundland cultural experience with Newfoundlanders and tourists here and all around the world! Isn't Newfoundland just a wonderful place to be? God Guard Thee Newfoundland!

    Now please enjoy this little anniversary you tube video I produced using one of our original Celtic sounding instrumentals called Caplin Run. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEOYr7LOQRM

Take care and  please feel free to write me with any comments or suggestions for this summer!
Cheers,
     Mike Madigan (mike_madigan@yahoo.com)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRriwelHRjw

The Stray Birds -a trio worth hearing

     Every now and then you come across a trio that just amazes and wows you!
     Just recently (at the great coffee house Burlap and Bean) I heard a threesome named The Stray Birds that I wish could come to the Writer's Festival in Woody Point, Newfoundland. I would say this trio is just as talented as The Once, another wonderful trio I heard for the first time last summer.
      After The Stray Birds' performance, I bought their two cds and told one of the members that I thought the sound and performance was really "cd perfect!" And of course what I mean here is that every instrument and sung harmony note was played perfectly. And it was all acoustic. They had this one rectangle shaped microphone in front, and the trio leaned in when the harmonies were needed. There were smaller mics for the banjo and fiddle, but it was a pleasure to hear this great natural sound coming from the instruments.
       The girl in the trio, Maya de Vitry, is very gentile looking when she talks and plays her fiddle and claw hammer-style banjo at the side. But when she leads a song from the middle of the trio, her entire face and body take on a deep expression of desire to create musical poetry, and her voice is a real surprise. It's powerful and comes from deep within. She's fascinating to watch, but she's not in any way distracting or contorted. She is just 'singing perfection'!!
       I wish I could play bass like Charles Muench. He plays it with perfection. It's a pleasure to watch him both pluck and bow this old friend. I like the way he finds every possible note to add to the music, but he's not showy. And his vocal harmonies are awesome as he leans in. He has real stage presence.
     Oilver Craven, the lead singer, is a genius on guitar, fiddle and vocals. He plays his guitar with great expertise and it's a joy to watch his strum or finger picking. A master at work.
      The trio played many of their original songs, and the lyrics and instrumentation all blended in wonderfully. Every now and then they would play a song like No Part of Nothin' that really stirred up the room with amusing lyrics and a great beat. You can't ask for a better show with something for everyone. Even their rendition of The Saint Anne's Reel with two fiddles competing as well as the big bass taking a turn at it, was a fascinating show of musicianship.
     My wish? I would really love others to see this trio and experience the wonderful evening they offer. Let me know if you do.

      One final mention concerns the venue Burlap and Bean. Not only is the coffee wonderful, but the place knows how to present a great atmosphere. No bar scene here! The audience is here to listen and enjoy! Wish there were more places like it.

     Now folks,... I am going to do something here that I almost hate to do because it's never like being there. But if you promise to USE EARPHONES or at least have GOOD speakers, then listen to this. Do NOT use LAP TOP speakers....don't ruin this experience with this little camcorder. Yes, PLEASE use earphones because this is actually a good you tube capture of this trio! The song is one of theirs called "I dream in Blue".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RxMn8OvYvY

     Hope you enjoy it. Let me know if you can at   mike_madigan@yahoo.com

Cheers,

   MikeMadigan of The Sharecroppers of Newfoundland

PS. As for the trio mentioned above called  The Once, here's a youtube with Newfoundland photos that captures this group's ability to deliver a great song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TZRXMqbLII

      

Our "One Room School" song gets a facelift!

Our popular One Room School song from our 1st cd NATURAL (1993) got a facelift from a friend who is really talented in making those you tube videos. Jim Yetman, from Newfoundland, captured the theme of our nostalgic song in this worth-the-watch video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOoAEwEEuNY
     The days of the one room schools in Newfoundland still seem to attract attention, and if you visit you tube you'll see a lot of clips of one room school stories and documentation. From the cod liver oil and cocomalt thoughts, to  remembering the old outhouse, the one room school remains engraved in our memories.

     The Sharecroppers of Newfoundland, my trio that's celebrating its 25th Anniversary as a Newfoundland folk trio this 2013, invites you to stay tuned for an announcement on our web site that will mention where in Newfoundland we are performing our anniversary shows. Hope to see you then!
     Drop into www.thesharecroppers.net in the new year to catch where those shows are. Cheers~Mike Madigan ( mike_madigan@yahoo.com )

(PS....

For other excellent videos of our songs and lyrics,... and many of Jim Yetmans's,... drop into the great Newfoundland music site called GEST and explore our music and thousands more at http://www.wtv-zone.com/phyrst/audio/nfld/ashare.htm Thanks again!~Mike)