Wellington Sea Shanty Society - New Album/Tour

Wellington Sea Shanty Society - New Album/Tour

The Wellington Sea Shanty Society, New Zealand's Most 'Sea Worthy' Shanty Group™, have been belting out traditional sea songs from Aotearoa, France, Spain, the UK, and more, since 2012. Sailors and landlubbers alike have been battered by the rousing chorus of this two-man tempest of pure shanty.

In 2013 the W.S.S.S made waves with their first album - the Sunday Star Times called it "probably the best dance album of the year". Now, on June 29, 2015 the group will release a new collection of spume-filled anthems: NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL SEA SHANTIES Vol II.

Vol II sees the band exploring their NZ heritage and showcases the salty songwriting talent of Vorn and Lake. The album features 5 original songs that ‘shantify’ the stories of NZ historical figures such as Sam Parnell (credited with establishing the 8 hour working day in NZ), ‘Young Nick’ (supposedly awarded 5 gallons of rum by James Cook for sighting the promontory that would be named after him), and early European Pākehā Māori Jacky Marmon (‘Cannibal Jack’) and George White (aka Barnett Burns).

With the translation of French classic ‘Le Corsaire Le Grand Coureur’, the South Pacific remix of ‘All For Me Grog’, and the reworking of sealing classic ‘Blood Red Roses’, NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL SEA SHANTIES Vol II is truly a meaningful addition to sea song canon.

The album will be available on CD ($20 + postage) or digital download (Free/Pay As You Like) from the group’s bandcamp on Monday June 29 from: www.wellingtonseashantysociety.bandcamp.com.

The W.S.S.S comprise Vorn Dont le Père Etait Marin, from the indie pop band Vorn (vorn.co.nz), and Lake Davineer, from the electro pop band Urbantramper (urbantramper.com) and Lake South (lake-south.com). Vorn is on squeeze box duties, while Lake strums the git-fiddle. Rousing harmonies and raucous foot-stomping abound!

The group will tour the album from July 3 so come grab a shandy & a shanty sheet and sing along to a whole new swag of original sea songs about NZ's past - plus all your old favourites! Following the NZ tour the group is off to tour France in August. They will play Paimpol Festival - one of the biggest sea shanty festivals in the world.

TOUR DATES:

Fri July 3 EAST BY WEST FERRY, Wellington, 8pm (Limited tickets here: http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/2015/wellington-sea-shanty-society/wellington)

Sun July 5 FREIDA MARGOLIS, Auckland (Limited tickets: http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/2015/wellington-sea-shanty-society/auckland/grey-lynn)

Wed Jul 8 INTERISLANDER FERRY, Cook Strait (Free)

Wed Jul 8 MOUTERE INN, Nelson (Free/Koha)

Thu Jul 9 PORT HOLE BAR, Lyttleton (Free/Koha)

Fri Jul 10 HILLTOP TAVERN, Hilltop/Banks Peninsula (Free)

Sat Jul 11 DOG WITH TWO TAILS, Dunedin (Free/Koha)

Sun Jul 12 THE SHERWOOD, Queenstown

Tue Jul 14 INTERISLANDER FERRY, Cook Strait (Free)

ENDS

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