Here's a registry-in-progress of pirate-themed
bands and recordings from around the world. To add your own
pirate core band or recording click the link at the bottom.
Captain Bogg & Salty
Portland, Oregon
Known as the "band for buccaneers of all ages," the group
has released two CDs and tours incessantly, giving equal
time to children's venues as well as rock clubs. The secret
to their success? They play the same material in both
venues and it is appreciated by both audiences. Recordings:
Bedtime Stories for Pirates (1999), Pegleg Tango (2005)
Pirate Jenny
Portland, Oregon
The first pirate band to storm the seas of rock, Pirate
Jenny's music tells stories of lonely sailors and
shipwrecked souls copping styles from Brit rock to Ska.
Their influential music remains popular even though the
group rarely performs. Started by Kevin Hendrickson in
1994, Pirate Jenny released two CDs as well as various
other recordings. Recordings: Never-Sea Land (1996) and Once Upon A Wave (1999)
Broadside Johnnie
Portland, Oregon
The solo balladeer has been playing his concertina and
singing chanteys and other folk songs in the area for
years. Contact the webmaster for a referral.
Sunken Chest
Portland, Oregon
These guys really rock pirate style. Not sure exactly how
long they've been around, but you can't go wrong with songs
that reference Dokken and knife fights between monkeys.
Ben Gunn Society
Los Angeles
Take a classic pirate story, turn it on its head, add wit,
humor and catchy tunes, and behold The Ben Gunn Society.
More fun than a barrel of monkeys, their totally unique CD
celebrates the adventures of a cheese-crazy pirate marooned
on Treasure Island. The band performed at Festival de
Piratas V in 2004. Be sure and check out their 2007
release, Sovereignty. It's about "a search for
freedom..." and is "darker and more rocking..." than
their first album.
The Toucan Pirates
Seattle
These sea-farin' lads play traditional tunes from Ireland,
Scotland, England, Wales and the Shetland Isles using
concertina, button accordion, Irish bouzouki, tenor banjo,
penny whistle and West Indian steel drum. They have
recorded three scurvy albums since 1999, each containing a
pirate's haul of traditional tunes and soundscapes of
pirate adventure on the high seas.
Billy Bones
Captain Billy is an actual descendant of Merchant Marine
Captain Charles Fangman, master of tall ships from 1860 to
1881. As a Merchant Marine captain with over 25 years in
the charter trade in the Pacific Northwest and the
Caribbean, Bones is now almost making a living on Maui,
writing and performing his unique style of maritime music.
Recording: The Captain's Collection (2003)
Surfin' Turnips
Here's a band from the maritime district of SW England who
sing in their pirate dialect. Not strictly pirates - but
very scurvy and interesting for those who have never heard
the old Bristol dialect–A place where they really say
ARRR not Aye! According to their website they sound like
"Wurzels, Ramones,
Real Mackenzies, Tossers, Flogging Molly, Grimple, McFly
said they wanner be us and George Michael said we are da
dirtiest bazderdz on the high seas."
The Budd Bay Buccaneers
Their recording, "GOT BOOTY?" is a collection of
traditional and "near-traditional" pirate songs and tunes
that exploit the myth and romance of piracy, but seldom the
reality!
Sforzando
The Mongrel Bastard Pirate Orchestra? On all good pirate
ships there existed a pirate orchestra. It was the
orchestra's responsibility to chronicle in song the
adventures of the pirates. Sforzando are a 6-piece pirate
orchestra who blend ferocious punk, Western European folk
melodies and classic sea shanties to create a soundscape
for the ocean. They sing of sailors that can't swim, ships
that won't sail, dangerous mermaids and sirens ravishing
the waves, mutineers, the vengeance of the sea Gods, the
fury of the ocean, the destruction of the shoreline, the
poetry of waves and of course, pirates. Especially pirates.
The Alaskan Pirate and His Salty
Seamen
Hailing from Tallahassee, Florida for over a decade, this
high-spirited pirate crew with a bold Captain have brought
the ancient and debaucherous music of pirates triumphantly
into the 21st century. "Come Aboard", their first album,
was heralded as a giant leap for piratekind. With musical
roots planted firmly in punk as well as classical training,
these pirates stand true as oak. They are fun-loving
sea-artists who will hoist a stein and belt out a shanty at
the drop of a three-pionted hat. With friends and fans
recruited out of whiskey bars and punk rock clubs across
the east, the Alaskan Pirate and his Salty Seamen stand
ready to unleash "Villiany Rewarded", their second album.
Scuurvy
Scuurvy are Australia's mightiest pirate metal band, Based
in Brisbane, Queensland. Soon to be releasing an EP
entitled "across the seven seas" videos are viewable via
their website.
Davy Jones
A brandnew german piratecore-band. Inspired by Australia's
mightiest pirate metal band "scurvy" they're trying to
board germany with hardcore riffs and scurvy "sing- along"
lyrics! Yarrrrr!!!
Captain Darby O'Bill and His Matees
3
They be a nine-piece pirate band from Anchorage, Alaska.
Their shanties and ballads are the epitome of pirate-core
music, with choral-operatic vocals and powerful
sailing-melodies, you'll be jig-dancing and saying "arg!" a
lot. After listening to their cd, you may also find
yourself pillaging random strangers on the street.
Salt Sea Pirates
The Salt Sea Pirates have existed since 1987, formed by
Cap'n Lightnin' Jack who began his piratical music career
performing live sea shanty sing-outs at Pirates Cove in
Josephine, Alabama. The band's first CD, "Grog
n'Gunpowder," generally leans toward the traditional side
of seafaring oriented music. Now in the studio recording
their next cd, Salt Sea Pirates has a new, true
"pirate-core" sound. Prior to airing a special sneak
preview track from the new cd on Bilgemunky Radio and with absolutely no
threats of broiled lips or disembowelment from the
group, Bilge said, and we quote,"What I think is the
greatest version of Deadman's Chest ever."
Add Your Own Band or Recording
