PRESSGANG MUTINY SEA SHANTIES

We're Pressgang Mutiny and we've been belting out sea shanties from our home port of Toronto to festivals and stages across Canada, the US, the UK, Europe, the Caribbean and beyond. 

We've sung with and learned from the best shanty singers performing today - legends like Jim Mageean and Tom Lewis, new stars like The Longest Johns and Seán Dagher, and even the world's last living real shantyman George "Tall 12" Frederick.

That, coupled with countless hours spent discussing shanties with singers and academics on our podcast The Shanty Show, has given us a rare insight into the forgotten and often overlooked roots of shanties - as well as a clear vision for their future.


Departure is our third, and most ambitious album. It synthesizes what we've learned and explores connections between shanties and other musical genres, reframing the genre in a modern context, and presenting an entirely new take on what shanties can be in the 21st century. 

 

We invited a who's-who of incredible musicians from across the musical spectrum - legendary songwriter Tom Lewis on vocals and ukulele, Sunray Grennan on drums and lyrical improv, Carl Harvey of Toots and The Maytals fame on electric guitar, Al Cross on drums, Terry Wilkins and Kenny Neal Jr. on electric bass, world beat juggling champion DJ Jasper Gahunia, Toronto rapper and emcee Matt Somber, and a host of other friends - to collaborate and give their own spin on things. We dug up and integrated historical shanty samples overtop freshly made beats, came up with new lyrics, and (as all true shanty singers must) improvised and played around to create something original, personal, and unique. 

 

Departure breathes new life and vibrancy into sea shanties - while staying completely true to the tradition itself.