Hi all,

Just a very quick update today. Our campaign closes at the end of the week and THANK YOU again to everyone who's supported us.

We have just sent the first three tracks off to be mastered and will be sharing a sneak peek with all of our backers as soon as we get the first track back.

We are well on track to have the album fully mastered by mid-June at which point we'll pop everything off to be printed. We anticipate being able to share digital download codes and ship the CDs in July, with the LPs as a fast-follow (they just take longer to manufacture).

Only 6 days to go - please help us continue to spread the word!

Wow! And just like that we are funded!

Thank you all so much for your incredible support. We have the first three singles from the album being mastered now and will share them with you as soon as we can.

Stay tuned for more updates as we finalize the album! We will also be reaching out to everyone to confirm shipping details, t-shirt sizes etc. once the campaign closes.

Woohoo!

James, Richard, Stefan and Tim

Hi everyone,

Sad news this past week as the world’s last living REAL shantyman, George “Tall 12” Frederick, passed away at the age of 79.

Tall 12 was the real deal: A whaling gunman who would set out every morning from the town of Barrouallie in St. Vincent in a 6-person row boat with a harpoon gun mounted at the bow to hunt pilot whale. St. Vincent remains one of only two places in the world with an exemption to the International Whaling Convention and the people of Barrouallie still hunt and eat whale to this day - the continuation of a necessity of survival in what was historically a town accessible only by sea.

Our conversations with Tall 12 and the time we spent in studio with him was a huge influence on 'Departure' and opened our eyes to some of the core, vital aspects of shanties.

We had the unbelievable pleasure of meeting, listening to, and singing with Tall 12 in October of 2022. We travelled to Barrouallie and spent a week filming a documentary and album with him - both of which we will release after Departure is complete.

He was an absolute live wire - full of jokes (or “antics” as he called them), stories, and of course incredible songs. In fact, James learned our version of Seven Long Years from the big man himself.

Tall 12 was also the very tail end of a long tradition of Vincentian shanties.

We spoke with his friend Vincent Reid, filmmaker and producer Akley Olton, and musicologist and shantyman Dan Lanier - all of whom knew Tall 12 for years - about his life and legacy and you can check out that whole interview here. We’ll also get an audio version posted on all podcast platforms this week.

So pour yourself a nice glass of rum and settle in for some stories and songs in memory of a true shanty legend.

Hi everyone!

Check out this awesome interview we just did on CBC Radio One. We chatted all about 'Departure' and shanties with host Ismaila Alfa on Fresh Air.

We even debuted "Haul Away Joe"!  You can hear it all by clicking RIGHT HERE.

Also...we're now just under $1000 away from reaching our goal! Please help us spread the word and let's get this thing over the line!

Cheers,
James, Richard, Stefan, and Tim

Hi all,

Thanks so much to all who've supported. We're already half-way to our goal but need a big push to get all the way, so please do make your pledge today if you're able!

Wanted to share this little behind-the-scenes glimpse of what it's been like in the studio, recorded at Union Sound in Toronto where we recorded our very first album. You'll also notice a new face - Dave Finneran who joined us to help flesh out some high harmonies.

https://youtu.be/yrM2X2_E2TE

Who'd like a sneak peek of one of the tracks? We'll post that for backers only in the next few days...

Cheers!
James, Richard, Stefan and Tim