Beach Glass
by Frank Gotwals
Islander
by Cindy Lawson Coombs
Frank Gotwals is a busy man. Lobsterman by day and folksinger by night, he writes his own songs about love and life and the sea both back when and now, and accompanies himself on guitar. An excellent musician, in his second CD, Beach Glass, he also uses backup singers to good effect with nice, tight harmony, and employs a wide range of instruments. Depending on the mood he wants to set, he arranges his music for various guitars and other plucked instruments, wind instruments and percussion. No matter what choices he makes, he’s got an impressive array of talent behind him and a wide variety of sounds.
As for his songs, in Almost Blue and a couple of others Gotwals brings a sense of Lyle Lovett to mind. His lyrics are from the heart whether he’s singing Wolf of The Wind, a tale of a 1933 winter gale; When Cod Was King; a look further back in time; Steel on Steel, on Stonington’s granite industry; or Isle au Haut Mountain, a sad spelling out of changes to his island.
As if he weren’t busy enough, Gotwals has also helped fellow Stonington resident Cindy Lawson Coombs with her first CD, Islander, a tribute to her family and others who have lived for generations on the islands. Among her heartfelt songs is Night Winds, which she dedicates to her mother, her grandmothers generations back, and all fishermen’s wives. I’ll Sail On is a eulogy for her father. Other songs include The Sea is Blue and The Dory, about childhood summers spent on Swans Island.
Both Gotwals and Coombs have generational Island ties to Deer Isle and to Swan’s. Gotwals’s mother is a Joyce. Her grandfather’s grandfather moved to Stonington from Swan’s around 1850. Gotwals, who lives in the family house, still has relatives on Swan’s and more than he can count on Deer Isle. Coombs grew up in both places, moving back and forth seasonally between the two islands. Her father, Capt. Cal Lawson, fished for most of his life, then in later years captained the Isle au Haut mail boat. She has lived on Deer Isle most of her life.
Beach Glass can be ordered by calling 207-367-2259 or through