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Beans!
Beans! Who arrrr you...
Michael Beans...he's
part musician, part showman, part sailor and pure
entertain~arrr. He's made a life out of pirate lore,
sailor's tales and songs of the islands. Who is this guy? His name
is Michael "Beans" Gardner, and he's one-of-a-kind. His unique and
lively show is aptly named "Happy Arrr"...a two-hour performance that
turns an ordinary happy hour into a social gathering, complete with
stories, jokes, sing-a-longs, audience interaction and musical
participation, and his uniquely famous "pirate toasts."
Born in Grand Haven,
Michigan in 1956, Michael Beans is a high-energy entertainer
who
 cut
his musical teeth on the port towns and islands of the Great Lakes. He
was raised to the sound of jug band music and spent countless hours
absorbing the magic that is found at spontaneous jam sessions with
family and friends during hunting and fishing camps. With an
ever-growing love for the old timer's stories, he grew especially fond
of backwoods lore and the seafaring songs from the early days of sail.
Inspired by the music of Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Gordon
Lightfoot and Donovan, he began writing his own songs in the mid-70's.
In 1977 he began his musical career playing the nightclub and festival
circuit throughout Michigan in the summer and touring the Florida Keys
in the winter. In 1980 he recorded his first album "Driftin'" under the
Pro Am label. For the next decade he continued to follow the north/south
trail while expanding his horizons. In 1987, with four albums to his
credit, he purchased his first boat, "Esperanza," and took his music to
the Caribbean Sea. For the next thirteen years he lived aboard
Esperanza, working between the United States and British Virgin Islands,
during which time he recorded two more albums with his traveling bands "The Hornswagglers"
and "The Seafarin' Turd Whirlers."
At present time he is the last
jollymon (singing/sailing songwriter)
 in
the Lesser Antilles. Working as a solo artist, Beans' music is best
described as authentic American folk fusion with a West Indian twist.
His show is genuine, dynamic, and visually entertaining. He is a one-man
band with no artificial or pre-recorded gadgets. He plays acoustic
guitar along with a harmonica on a rack, all while singing and adding
vocal percussions to the beat of a stomp box that he plays with his
feet. You really have to see it to believe it! His show is a
crowd-pleasing, uplifting medley of original, seafaring, and classic
island tunes. With a large repertoire of cover songs and original
music, Beans enjoys working a crowd, exuding an energy that creates a
rapport with his audience that is truly captivating.
Michael's touring schedule of Michigan summers and Caribbean winters
continues to keep him actively performing for both worlds. He spends
his winters at Marina Cay in the British Virgin Islands
where he leads the lifestyle that best suits his nomad nature, living on board his 47-ft. sailboat
"Mangele" and performing his popular show "Happy Arrrrr". His latest recording,
"Happy Arrr Round
2," just released in May 2007, was recorded live at Ivan's
Stress Free Bar on Jost Van Dyke. He is actively working on his next
release, "Pyrate Songs of the Caribbean," a compilation of seafarin'
tunes
written and performed by Michael and other artists from around the
Caribbean....watch for this one -- it's sure to be a hot sell-arrrrr!!!
Michael Beans: "In 2006 I signed with Island Sound Works (ISW)
Studio, based in
St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, and am happy to announce my latest
releases under the ISW label: Pines to Palms (released 2006) and
"HAPPY ARRR ROUND 2'' (released 2007).....Watch for my new release coming in 2008: "Pyrate Songs of the
Caribbean".....Arrr,
shipmates, this one's gonna be a real treas-arrrr!!!!" |
