Schooner Fare
Encyclopedia
Schooner Fare is a local Maine
folk
band
, consisting of the late Tom Rowe
(vocals, bass guitar, tin whistle), Steve Romanoff (vocals, six and twelve-string guitar, five-string banjo), and Chuck Romanoff (vocals, twelve-string guitar, tenor banjo). Schooner Fare plays primarily original maritime, socially conscious, and traditional folk music. They play throughout Maine and North America, and their songs are played by radio
stations and satellite radio worldwide.
), and enjoyed it to such an extent they began contemplating doing this for a living. Six months later, they had a Sunday booking in Portland
for $150 USD. They then got a steady job at a place in Portland called The Holy Mackerel.
Schooner Fare continued to play, primarily in New England with occasional appearances in the Washington, D.C. area, for many years. Tom Rowe died in January 2004, and since then the Romanoff brothers have continued the band as a duo.
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, consisting of the late Tom Rowe
Tom Rowe
Thomas J. "Tom" Rowe was the bass player and a singer in the folk trios Schooner Fare and Turkey Hollow. He was noted for playing a five-string bass instead of the usual four-string. Born to Charles "Bud" Rowe, and his wife, Thoma, he had two brothers named Russ and Chuck and a sister named Shirley...
(vocals, bass guitar, tin whistle), Steve Romanoff (vocals, six and twelve-string guitar, five-string banjo), and Chuck Romanoff (vocals, twelve-string guitar, tenor banjo). Schooner Fare plays primarily original maritime, socially conscious, and traditional folk music. They play throughout Maine and North America, and their songs are played by radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
stations and satellite radio worldwide.
History
Schooner Fare was formed in 1975. Tom Rowe, Steve Romanoff, and Chuck Romanoff were sitting around in Tom's camper singing an old folk song (Fiddler's GreenFiddler's Green
Fiddler's Green is a legendary imagined afterlife, where there is perpetual mirth, a fiddle that never stops playing, and dancers who never tire...
), and enjoyed it to such an extent they began contemplating doing this for a living. Six months later, they had a Sunday booking in Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
for $150 USD. They then got a steady job at a place in Portland called The Holy Mackerel.
Schooner Fare continued to play, primarily in New England with occasional appearances in the Washington, D.C. area, for many years. Tom Rowe died in January 2004, and since then the Romanoff brothers have continued the band as a duo.
Albums
- Day of the Clipper - 1978
- Closer to the Wind - 1981
- Alive! - 1983
- We the People - 1985
- The First Ten Years - 1986
- Home for the Holidays - 1987
- Classic Schooner Fare - 1989
- Signs of Home - 1990
- For the Times - 1993
- Finnegan's Wake - 1995
- Schooner Kids - 1997
- A 20th Anniversary Party - 1999
- Our Maine Songs - 1999
- And Both Shall Row - 2005
- Roots and Wings - 2010