Castlebay: Music of the Maine Coast

Since 1986, Castlebay has celebrated Maine’s maritime heritage and environment, blending history, legend and experience into their performances. Julia Lane and Fred Gosbee support fine, expressive vocals with Celtic harp, guitar, fiddle, and woodwinds, treating the audience to a musical journey through time and across the Atlantic.

This special Maritime Month Coffeehouse Concert will take place on Tuesday, April 1, at 6:00 p.m. in the Picker Room. Refreshments will be provided! Free and open to all.

Maritime ballads tell stories of triumph and tragedy, history and humor, romance and revenge. Years of deep research have resulted in their book, Songs of Ships & Sailors, which was published in 2022 by Loomis House Press and featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered”, and “Morning Edition.” Castlebay’s many recordings also feature these songs as well as their original music inspired by the shipwrights, sailor and fisherfolk who have established Maine as a maritime legend.

Castlebay has presented at various festivals and institutions including the Mystic Seaport, the Portsmouth (NH) maritime festival,  the International Festival of the Sea in Portsmouth (England), and most recently in Canada at the Campobello Fog Festival and the St. Martins Sea Shanty Festival.

The Camden Public Library carries on its Maritime Month tradition this April by once again featuring a month-long exhibit from the Penobscot Marine Museum and hosting a series of themed programs. Join us in celebrating our maritime heritage!