"Dear shantyfriends, Omroep Vlaardingen broadcasts a shantyprogram every Saturday from 09.00 o’clock (local time). Repeated on Tuesday at 20.00 h and Thursday (with reservations) at 20.00 h. This Saturday we have a shanty by your choir in the program and if you like you can listen in at www.omroepvlaardingen.nl and click 'luisteren' (top left). If you wish, feel free to make a link to our program on your website. We hope you will keep us informed about any news regarding your choir at shantiesbijdevleet@omroepvlaardingen.nl. Kind regards."
Mail like this I found in Sasiedzi's mailbox some days ago. I wanted to learn more about so I wrote back to this radio.
The Omroep Vlaardingen is a local station, started in 1986. People, who work there thought about a shanty-program since 2009. At last, three shantylovers, technician Bart Zandstra (on the left), presetnation Chiel Harte (on the right), presetnation and editor Max Thurmer (sitting) joined forces and started "Shanties bij de Vleet" (SbdV) in September 2011. Eerybody who is involved in the program have been working in the station for many years.
- It's amazing to know that we get reactions to the program from all over the world, e.g. USA, Canada, Australia, UK, Germany and now Poland - mailed Max Thurmer, one of the team.
- The biggest success of the program is - I think - the music itself, taking shanties and seasongs as a sort of relief for all the modern types of music you can hear nowadays like hardrock, metal etc... Furthermore I think the variation in the songs and the music, not only in Dutch, English and German, but also in Polish, French, Spanish etc... Of course the majority of shanties and seasongs are the same worldwide, but there are some differences and from the reactions we understand that listeners appreciate listening to e.g. "Rolling home" in another language than English - explain Max.
That is the main reason the producers try to find contact with choirs from all over the world and try to get them interested in cooperation.
- For the program I use my own collection of approx. 200 CD's, three of them are Polish. As I remember I received them from Iwe van Beek of ISSA Netherlands. Of your group I have "Broceliande", we play a track quite frequently, and other from Poland are: "Rolling Home" by Pat Sheridan & Brasy and "Swiatecznie" of Banana Boat - Max answered my question about Polish CD's in his collection.
As I learned, Chiel and Max are shantymen. Chiel is a member of a choir called “Stuurloos”, Max sing shanties with "De Vlaardingse Muiters". You can find them both in action on Youtube, just type “Stuurloos Schiedam” or "De Vlaardingse Muiters".
So that's the story. If you want to listen to the shanties in different languages please join to Max, Chiel and Bart every Saturday from 09:00 or Tuesday or Thursday at 20:00 and if you want them to play music from CD of your group, contact with team by mail.
PS. If you know broadcast, listen to any other shantyradio please let us know via redakcja@szanty24.pl
"Shanties bij de Vleet", every Saturday, Tuesday, Thursday at www.omroepvlaardingen.nl
