In keeping with their tendency to invade humble seaport towns, the Pyrates Royale have set their sights on the hamlet of Galesville for an evening of musical mayhem. The rowdy group of nautical merrymakers will occupy the Galesville Memorial Hall on Saturday, August 6 from 8-10 p.m. for a Sea Dog Days concert of revelry, carousing and off-the-cuff pillaging—if one can consider a couple of hours of singing along to piratical songs “pillaging” in the historical sense. “Sure it is!” says the group’s erstwhile leader, Captain Fletcher T. Moone (aka Brad Howard). “We steal every sea song in the book and toss it overboard in wanton disregard for environmental codes. That’s kinda like pillaging. Sometimes people cover their ears when they hear it.” For the naughty bits, perhaps. Generally speaking, we have found the singing and carousing to be utterly charming in a roguish sort of way.
The Pyrates Royale do put on a good show, as evinced by the sell-out crowd at their last Galesville appearance in January (their third annual First Saturday Concert). Fans of maritime folk music are welcome to deck themselves out in their finest pirate gear (or not) and join in an evening of swashbuckling frivolity while the Pyrates regale them with songs and stories of the high seas in true sea dog style.
The Pyrates Royale, long-time favorites at the Maryland Renaissance Festival and Annapolis First Night, have been singing together in one form or another for more than two decades, entertaining their audiences with raucous renditions of classic maritime chanteys as well as what those in the nautical know call chantey neauveax. This isn’t your mother’s “Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum,” and parents should be advised that sexual innuendo is part of the act, as are frequent references to violence and periodic shakedowns of the audience (don’t wear your Rolex).
“We can’t remember the words to the yo ho ho song,” says Moone, “so we focus on devilishly clever lyrics, brazen instrumentals and fiendish harmonies. That’s fiendish in the good sense, of course.”
The Pyrates Royale’s special brand of “music and mayhem” has set the standard for singing pirate groups throughout the United States. The group has won multiple awards from The Renaissance Festival Podcast and earned several WAMMIE nominations from The Washington Area Music Association. For more information, visit the band’s web page (www.pyrates.com) and Facebook page.
Sea Dog Days is scheduled for Saturday, August 6 at the Galesville Memorial Hall on Main Street. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. To order, call 703-880-2652 or e-mail [email protected]. Beer, wine, soda, and goodies will be on sale. Proceeds benefit the West River Improvement Association, an organization dedicated to the principle that, by working together, residents of Galesville and the surrounding area can protect and improve the quality of life in the community, including the West River watershed.
