ARGH SPOTLIGHTS

PIRATE JENNY SCUTTLES 'EM AT BITTER END

Portland's favourite pirate band played to an ecstatic crowd October 27 at a popular Westside pub. Pirate Jenny, a crew whose voice had been muted following the success of spinoff Captain Bogg & Salty, reboarded the musical decks wi' a vengeance, blasting out old favourite songs along with pepper-shots of new tuneage, all with the energy and skill that have made them a portside crowd pleaser.
Our staff photographer, sailor Jules, was able to snap some pics of crowd an' crew...

 --SB

 ARGH SPOTLIGHTS

Typhus Tom and the Landlubbers at Bermuda Bill's 

Typhus Tom is a tsunami-speed guitarist and songwriter whose music runs the gamut from sea chanty to heavy metal and back again (his fevered rendition of What Shall We Do with a Drunken Sailor is still on the charts). The Landlubbers, a trio consisting of keyboard, percussion and hornpipe, are often called "the grandpappies o' P-funk". This all-star lineup is sure to pack that floating funhouse known as Bermuda Bill's, so get there early on Friday nights.

Note: Bill's secret location varies, so ask a friend where to find it next. I could tell, but then I'd have to kill ye. --Shaiibeard

 ARGH SPOTLIGHTS

Belowdecks (Hierro, Canary Isles) 

The first thing you notice at Belowdecks is the atmosphere. Recent remodeling has imbued this crusty hideaway with a sense of rough-hewn history, from torchlight, flickering against blackened ceiling beams, to the grimy rushes on the floor.

Belowdecks, now under the command of executive chef Cap'n "Cutlass" Bob, seeks to carry this age-old philosophy into its new menu as well. A glance at the offerings reveals neither quiche nor tiramisu; instead, simple standard fare is the order of the day.

Appetizers are few in number but well done indeed: the Bits o' Crab in Grog Batter are crisply fried, Goatwater (A traditional Carib specialty) is watery &delectable, and the Bilgewater Corncakes, dripping wth grease, are a must.

But save room for for the main course! Seafood and steak, two of a pirate's two favourite food groups, are well represented here, freshly killed and sizzling with wood-seared goodness. In fact, you can't go wrong with any main dish - save the Mainmast Mutton. Smothered in stale breadcrumbs and wilted parsley, it should be a sailor's delight, but the whiskey sauce is too thin, with the unmistakeable tang of Worcestershire sauce grabbing the glory.

Skip the uneventful Plantain Pudding for dessert, too, and stave off scurvy with any of the Belowdecks' signature citrus drinks. Each one smuggles a heavy cargo of rum beneath its freshly-squeezed juices and tiny umbrellas. Three or five of these will finish your meal in proper fashion, blowing yer ballast and reducing you to a proper slummety sot.

Expensive. Major credit cards accepted. --Shaiibeard

 PYRATE-LIKE LINKS

EDITOR'S CHOICE! "A resource to all Mariners who have faced the eternal tribulation of entering a strange port, and not known where to go for a proper pint of beer." 
http://users.erols.com/upstate/

 How to order a beer in 46 different languages
http://www.esperanto-usa.org/beer.html

 So ye want to talk like a Pyrate, arr? Steer fer this tutorial! 
http://www.waferbaby.com/howto/talklikeapirate/

 NO QUARTER GIVEN   -These mateys have been around so long that they'd be a cliché .. if they weren't still so fantastically hep.
http://www.noquartergiven.net/

 Want to sing like a Pyrate? 
http://www.contemplator.com/sea/index.html

 Describe yer Dream Pirate (then come back an'advertise for him/her in our Classifargs)
http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/services/treasure/projects/design.htm

 The Amazing Lego^TM Pirate Ship! 
http://www-public.tu-bs.de:8080/~rbeneke/lego/pirates/pirates.html