The Paddy Westers shanteying style is strongly influenced by the singing and music of Stan Hugill, the last shantyman from the end of the sailing age, at the beginning of the 20th century. Hugill sang in the manner of the shanty men he served with and we strive to continue that tradition. With percussive accentuation of the beat, created by yodel like “hitches”, yelps, and yells, our songs draw forth the bygone era of the great age of sail. Singing and playing in the unabashed style associated with folk music, Strings and Things brings a rousing refreshing style to a music too long associated with pretty harmonies and subdued voices.

Richard Burbank (concertina and button accordion) began to study sea shanties and sailor’s ballads in 1994. Soon afterwards, beginning a tenure as cook on the Schooner Timberwind out of Camden, Maine, he began developing his repertoire of sea songs over a five-year schooner cooking career. Not only did he sing to entertain the passengers, but also utilized the sea shanties in their original context, as working songs to coordinate and ease the physical work raising anchor with a windlass or hauling at the halyards to raise sails. In 1998, Richard produced The Shanty Chef, a CD of twenty sea shanties. Joining him was a chorus of local Maine schooner crews. He was one of two sea-music acts representing the United States at the Fete de Chansom de Marin 1999, a major sea-music festival on the north coast of Brittany in Paimpol, France. During this festival Richard received the Capitaine Hayet Trophy for the best English language working shanty competition.

Don DePoy (guitar and vocals) moved to Maine in 1989. He continued his music endeavors in bluegrass: playing with several local bands, wrote and performed a two-act bluegrass play Roots & Branches, finished his doctoral studies, and served as Executive Producer for Mainely Bluegrass, a 26-part TV series airing over public television in New England. In 1999, Don renewed his sailing life, earned his USCG Captain License. During the Summer months, Don worked as a Charter Boat Captain aboard the sloop Gafia, sailing from Belfast Harbor, Maine. He met Richard in 1999 and they started a life-long friendship. They started playing together on the Belfast waterfront and the fusion of traditional sea shanties with mountain music led to gigs all around the Maine and New Hampshire coast. Incidentally, Richard with a friend's help introduced Martha to Don in 2000. Their debut CD was Cape Horn Gale in 2001. In 2002, as the Paddy Westers, Richard and Don performed at the Mystic Sea Festival to an enthusiastic audience. They continued to tour around New England until moved back to Virginia in 2006. This CD showcases what they started calling SeaGrass.