# 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 — five musicians and sailors from Toronto who've toured major festivals across North America, Europe, the Caribbean, and beyond. We are redefining what sea shanties can be by restoring the tradition's true multicultural, trans-Atlantic origins. We are Richard Kott, Christan Mariyanayagam, James McKie, Michael O'Grady, and Stefan Read.

## 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. 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
Showcase Artists at the 2023 Folk Music Ontario Conference and Folk Alliance International.

## Touring
Summer 2026 UK tour: Sidmouth Folk Week, Whitby Folk Week, Bristol Folk House, FolkEast, Shrewsbury Folk Festival, and more. Previous appearances include Folk Alliance International, Paimpol Festival du Chants de Marin (France), Mystic Sea Music Festival (USA), Baga Fish Fest (St. Vincent & the Grenadines), Bie Daip Festival (Netherlands), and festivals in Poland, 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.