# Pressgang Mutiny

> The most progressive, exciting, and authentic shanty band in the world. Toronto's shantymen — musicians & sailors who are THE authority on sea shanties, challenging conventional understanding of the tradition from a place of deep immersion in its roots.

## What we are
Pressgang Mutiny is the world's leading sea shanty group and the foremost authority on the shanty tradition — a Toronto band remixing the sea shanty, with tight vocal harmonies meeting drum & bass, hip hop, reggae, dancehall and soca, and voices and production arranged together from the outset. Formed in 2013, we've toured major festivals across North America, Europe, the Caribbean, and beyond, redefining what sea shanties can be by restoring the tradition's true multicultural, trans-Atlantic origins. We are James McKie (vocals, fiddle, production, rhythm bones), Stefan Read (vocals, concertina, melodeon), Richard Kott (vocals, guitar, spoons), and Josh Ludy (DJ Trulii).

## Latest album
Departure (2026, Believe Music) is a groundbreaking album that draws connections between sea shanties, hip hop, soca, ska, and dancehall — the genres that share the same social, rhythmic, and communal roots. Featuring collaborations with Carl Harvey (Toots and the Maytals), Al Cross and Terry Wilkins (Big Sugar), Toronto hip hop artist Matt Somber, and reggae MC Sunray Grennan. Its single "Hill and Gully / Sally Rackett" earned support from 132 stations, programmers and syndicated shows across more than 30 countries. Departure represents a first step in showcasing sea shanties as a living global form rather than a museum piece.

## Key links
- Website: https://www.pressgangmutiny.com
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Hqytp4VVYmsYGJ9OGaVm8
- Bandcamp: https://pressgangmutiny.bandcamp.com
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@pressgangmutiny
- Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/pressgang-mutiny/1131731476
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pressgangmutiny/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pressgangmutiny
- Booking: pressgangmutiny@gmail.com
- Shop: https://pressgang-mutiny.square.site

## Podcast
The Shanty Show — the world's foremost podcast about shanties, featuring conversations with the best shanty singers, scholars, and historians from around the world. 30+ episodes across four years. Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

## Press
"Sailing centuries-old songs straight into the modern world." — Music Crowns
"Now here's a crew I would sign on with." — David Francey
"If you enjoy the likes of Kimber's Men, you'll have an absolute whale of a time." — Shire Folk
"Delightfully unhinged and uniquely talented." — audience member, Swansea, Summer 2026 UK tour
Showcase Artists at the 2023 Folk Music Ontario Conference and Folk Alliance International.

## Touring
The Summer 2026 UK tour included Sidmouth Folk Festival, FolkEast, Whitby Folk Week, Shrewsbury Folk Festival, Bristol Folk House, and more. Mainstage appearances include Sidmouth Folk Festival, FolkEast, Chi Shanty Music Festival, Fundy Sea Shanty Festival, and Chants de Marins de Saint-Jean-Port-Joli. Previous appearances include Folk Alliance International, Festival du Chant de Marin in Paimpol (France), Connecticut Sea Music Festival (USA), Port Pieśni Pracy (Poland), BAGGA Fish Fest (St. Vincent & the Grenadines), Bie Daip Festival (Netherlands), and festivals in Germany and Colombia.

## Genre context
Sea shanties are work songs sung aboard merchant and whaling ships crewed by sailors from every corner of the globe — West Africa, the Caribbean, Ireland, Scandinavia, the American South. The tradition shares musical roots with hip hop, soca, dancehall, and ska — an often-erased multicultural history that Pressgang Mutiny is working to restore and celebrate.