Sea Shanty Singers and Balladeers - Bounding Main is a crew of veteran environmental theater performers with the love of music and the sea in their blood. Performing together since 2003, they preserve the Elizabethan Sea Dog look in their costumes and gear, singing sea shanties and maritime ballads from 400 years ago through today. Bounding Main shows are filled with spirit, humor and harmony; their arrangements of traditional nautical music bring the listener into the world of pirates, adventure and romance.
Bounding Main's home port lies in the Western Great Lakes region (Chicago and Milwaukee), and they regularly perform for maritime and tall ship events, cultural and music festivals, pirate-themed gatherings, at museums, aboard tall ships and at corporate functions. Give them a listen, and you, too, will join the ranks of the Bounding Maniacs.
It’s a ship song. But sadly, the ship does not sink. The song does however contain mysterious lyrics that sound like, “on the Gulliby Isles where the pooh-poo smiles and the anagazanders roar.” Spend some time figuring that one out. Mixed Vocals, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
A drinkin’ song and a church song. Well ok, it’s only a church song at the end but we do what we can. Mixed Vocals, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
This is an amazingly sweet tune that our girls have down to a science of harmony. Maggie's heartfelt performance speaks for the wives of the men who work at sea. Gina and Christie's beautiful accompaniment makes this song a treasure. It is not to be missed. Female Vocal, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
A love song, sort of. Roughly translated it’s a song about a boy and a girl and someone being blind drunk and stumblin’ in an alley. We do that too but without the alcohol. We just like being in blind alleys. Mixed Vocals, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
A “girls blame the guys” song. The ladies are in desperate circumstances, just take a look at with whom they sail, and they are forced to turn to a life of crime. They only steal from the audience though, just like Robin Hood. Kinda. Maybe. Female Vocal, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
A capstan or pump shanty, also known to us as a “shanty-shanty”. This one tells you all you would ever need to know about the girls, kids, cats, and shoes that inhabit Cape Cod. Mixed Vocals, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
Everyone loves pirates, and what better song than Derelict to give an audience all of the expected "Yo-ho-ho's" that they long to hear? David Yondorf's amazing voice carries all of us through this piece. Heather Lewin's fiddle helps us turn this song into an appropriately spooky piece. Mixed Vocals, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
A soulful, end of the voyage, end of days song written by John Conolly.
Dean sings to the concertina accompaniment of our friend David HB Drake. Mixed Vocals, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
A tack and sheet shanty. That’s right, a tack and sheet shanty. Say that fast a few times (Bounding Main is not responsible for the filth that may pour from your lips while saying “a tack and sheet shanty”). A Capella, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
This is a ship song. The ship sinks. We love it when that happens! We had a hard time keeping to the traditional sea-faring style of music that this piece deserves. Christie’s lyrical storytelling about the ship makes us all want to snap our fingers, turn the lights down low, and do a little jazz. Mixed Vocals, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
Rollicking sea battle between a frigate and a pirate ship - includes excellent vocal harmonies with battle and sea sounds, A Capella, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
This traditional Irish Tune is a ship song. And yes, gloriously, it sinks! Not only does it sink, it takes the crew and their mangy, flea-bitten, poop-machine of a dog with them. Boy we miss that dog . . . Mixed Vocals, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
Leave Her, Johnnie is homeward-bound shanty and is normally sung by the men preparatory to landing. It is an opportunity for the crew to complain about the officers, the food, the ship, the pay and fellow sailors. We arranged Leave Her, Johnnie to be the voice of the women waiting for their men. Mixed Vocals, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
A few of the boys die song. Tragedy? We think not. In fact, they get what’s coming to ‘em. Adventure and cannibalism on the high seas! Male Vocal, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
A powerfully emotional sea song. Husbands and wives calling to each other over the waves, the men coming home. Mixed Vocals, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
An explorer song. Ahhh…exploring. Something that we do every time we get into a car and try to get to a gig. This is a beautiful piece about explorers trying to find the Northwest Passage to the Orient, or philosophically, the answer to one's life journey. Mixed Vocals, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
Another manly tune sung by David Yondorf. His amazing voice propels you along on this journey between icy north waters and the bliss of the tropics. Jon's arrangements for the accompaniment are very beautiful. Mixed Vocals, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
Jon goes wild on this piece! We had so much fun recording this song, adding voices and percussion to the background. David HB Drake stepped in and gave us a hand with the background rhythm. Mixed Vocals, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
Filled with double-entendres the song is fun on all levels, and the rhythm gives you a feeling for the nature of the work aboard a tall ship. Mixed Vocals, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
This is a capstan shanty. You can really hear the crew working and complaining on this song. Dean leads us kicking and screaming into this one but it all works out in the end. Mostly. Mixed Vocals, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
This is a ballad of strength and unity with a marvelous chorus. We really enjoyed this arrangement and we hope you do, too! Mixed Vocals, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
A ship song. Gina thinks this song is long and insists that it makes her butt look big. She also thinks the held note near the end of the piece is pretentious but we know she could have held it longer. Mixed Vocals, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
This is another favorite around the Renaissance Faire crowd. It has an audience participation piece in the chorus for "Ocean Waves Do Roll" and "Stormy Winds Do Blow." Let the Bounding Mainiacs, our stalwart fans, show you how! Mixed Vocals, Folk Music, Sea Shanties | Pirate Songs
Genres for This Artist
Score: 5.00
Score: 4.50
Score: 4.00
Score: 3.67