"This CD includes one of the most beautiful versions of 'Sailors' Prayer' that I have ever heard.  I also loved 'Mingulay Boat Song,' 'Fiddler's Green,' 'Pay Me, You Owe Me,' and 'Leave Her Johnnie.' If you love music of the sea this is a must-have CD."

- from our valued CDBaby listener Eileen Conner on our CD Maiden Voyage

"Your CD arrived yesterday and I just listened to it today. My first impressions - the songs and shanties are sung with great feeling, gusto and imaginative accompaniments and harmonies. In other words - great stuff! It is interesting how you have given a number of the items a modern spin. I must confess to have been a little sexist in not being absolutely sure that women should be in a shanty group. There weren't too many women sailors in the days of sail! But still, you blokes have pulled this off and you are to be commended.

I checked out your web site and must admit to be overwhelmed by the amount of material you have there. A very well put together site - full of interesting info."

- from our friend Rudy Sunde from The Maritime Crew of New Zealand

"We've hosted many of the folk "greats" (for those of you who follow such things - if you don't, then think national labels and large concert halls . . .) over the last ten years, but Bounding Main was right up there with the most entertaining groups."

"Hi Dean, guys and gals, absolutely brilliant — so glad to have found you.   Lovin' the music going on here; great songs, great voices and good fun."

- from our friend Ian on MySpace

"Your website is a good shanty find."

- from our friend Rob Townshend, The Stormy Weather Boys of England

"It was great to see you guys this weekend. I have to say that we liked your work on CD but it is even better in person."

- Joe "Captain No Beard" Siefker, who brought his kids with the expeditionary crew from Indiana to check our work and to enjoy the Chicago Maritime Festival.

"I got to see you play once and I thought it was so cool and fun. My friend has your CD and he listens to it all the time and we just sit there singing along. Its just so fun and I think its just so cool that you use only your voices and stuff.  So I'm just writing to say I love your music."

- Kalyn; a letter from our new MySpace friend.

"Hi Dean - your music is brilliant . . . by far the best pirate music on the site!  The vocals are great and the production is spot on - keep up the great work.

- Quinn Coleman, our rep from AudioSparx.  Our music is now available for commercial use (film, TV) or as ring-tones from their web site, www.AudioSparx.com.

"Pintel is a fun part to play to be sure. And it's an honor when other actors get that little twinge 'cause of my performances. A great compliment indeed.

I must admit a twinge myself — your group sounds like a big-time hoot . . .  I love a great sea shanty and am sure you have many styles at your beck and call.  Looking forward to hitting your page and catching your work."

- Lee Arenberg played the pirate Pintel in the three "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies.  He spent time in Chicago theater in the late '80s, but he and Dean never actually crossed paths.

"I am so glad I bought your CD when you were docked at The Maritime Museum, Manitowoc, WI. I just can't enough. I LOVED the show and thanks for signing my CD. Health to the Crew!!! "

- from our friends Dale Olson & Family

"I recently bought your CD at the Oshkosh Public Museum! I had never heard your music before and just bought it because the cover looked good and I recognized some of the song titles.  What a pleasant surprise, your songs and harmony are great!!

- from our friend Donna Pollack

" Bought this album on Labor Day and have listened to it at least twice a day since. A great mix of funny and serious songs. Many I cant get out of my head especially Little Boy Billie a crazy but infectious song. Bounding Main has a incredibly rich sounding harmony and sometimes I forget that its all a cappela. I for one cant wait for their next CD."

kariuss, on the Rolling Stone Magazine web site writing about Lost at Sea

"My friend and I were going over videos I took at King Richard's Faire in [Carver, MA] last year, and we were particularly fond of the Mingulay Boat Song. In searching online for a few days, I found your version of the song and fell in love. In fact, I wound up playing your music (via Rhapsody) at the store on campus I work at for at least an hour, and I was able to pass your name off to at least one customer."

- from our new friend from MySpace, pirate_chick69

"A friend of mine discovered your music on the net, I'm not quite sure how she found you, but she knew I'd love your music (which I do) so she sent me your MySpace link. I bought "Lost At Sea" and "Maiden Voyage" via iTunes and I love both albums. I was in advanced show choir and musical theatre at my high school so I have a high respect for such art as this everyone in Bounding Main has a beautiful voice, be sure to tell them that. This makes me wish I still lived in Oklahoma I'd be close enough to see you live. I do promise however to come see you live if I'm ever out that way.

PS I really love everything I've heard thus far; my particular favorites are: 'Northwest Passage,' 'Bully In The Alley,' 'All For Me Grog,' & 'Marching Inland' just to name a few."

- from our new friend D.J., via MySpace

"Saw your show twice at St. Louis Pirate Fest...LOVED it... Harmonies were wonderful and your love and enthusiasm for performing was infectious. Looking forward to seeing you again; meantime we are playing the Dickens out of your CD. Thanks for an enjoyable day!" 

- from our new friends Michelle, Julia and Kara

"Met you out at WI Ren Fest yesterday! Great show, and you've got a bunch of new fans in me and my mates! We listened to your CDs all the way back to Minneapolis! Hopefully we can get you out to MN Ren Fest some day! "

Josh from Mound, MN

"My husband and I saw you for the first time this past weekend at the St. Louis Ren Fest and you were GREAT!!! We bought your CD's and when I got home this afternoon I started playing them. We are here in South Florida and wish you had a chance to come down this way. Good Luck to you all — you were a fun show to watch!"

Bobbie

"I have to tell you - my 5-year-old son loves your music. I was playing your CD as I drove him to day care today and the only sound he made for the entire car ride was to sing the chorus of "Herzogin Cecile" over and over again. Ever seen a preschool boy try to do wrap dance moves to a pirate song? Good times, my friend! :D

That's all for now. Best of the day to you and yours!"

- Becca Shaffer is a member of the talented jazz ensemble, Wrapped in Satin, and first met us at the 2006 Wisconsin Renaissance Faire when we dragged her on stage with us for "A Rovin'."  Listen to their music samples on their MySpace page.

"We saw you at the Port Pirate Festival in Port Washington this weekend and we are now HUGE fans!! My son love's the photo that he had taken with Christie and Gina!

The CD that we purchased is AWESOME, but it really does no justice to actually seeing you perform live! The animation and personality's of each and everyone of you is amazing!

Thank you for making our first trip to the Pirate Festival ever so memorable!! We will definitely have to keep tabs on your schedule so we can see you guys perform again!

AMAZING job to all of you!"

- Amy and her family are new friends from Green Bay, WI - welcome aboard, Mates!!

"I just wanted to tell you all how much I love your CD's. I have both of them and play them on my iPod pretty much every day. My friend (who also has the CD's) and I will go down the road blasting the music and singing at the top of our lungs (in harmony) and we have a lot of fun! I have a love for the sea, ships, and all things nautical.  I love to sing, so sea shanties make me happy! You guys are great! I hope there will be a new CD soon!"

- Sarah Miller is a new fan from Raleigh, North Carolina - welcome aboard, Sarah!

"Lost at Sea came in the mail today, and I've listened to it five million times already (or maybe five?). I really like the absolute a cappella on it. It's like sitting at one of your shows with my eyes closed. Sometimes I even forget it's a cappella, since your voices fill the seconds of each track better than most bands can with instruments."

- Lindsay in Florida, via MySpace

"This CD will put you in a great mood the moment you start listening to it. The group members sound like they are having fun, and if you read the blurbs that go with each song you can tell they have a great time together! Thanks, Bounding Main for giving your Mainiacs a great CD!"

Wendy Lutzke is the Museum Educator at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, she is writing about Bounding Main's CD, "Lost at Sea."

". . . you guys are AWESOME, and have a sound unlike any other a capella group I can think of (my group Marooned being one of them). Perhaps it is because there are so many a capella groups in the Chicago area (Blind Man's Bluff for example) but it seems like you folks REALLY have a lock on that sound.  You should be really proud of yourselves, you guys are something special."

Bob Brinkman, Modern Bard Website

"I first saw Bounding Main at the Greater St. Louis Area Renaissance Festival and was floored by their stunning harmonies and wonderfully sweet personalities. I bought my copy of this CD from them directly that weekend, and since then I've near worn it out. The songs selected for this CD showcase their talent wonderfully, and there's honestly not a song on it that I dislike. Between the fabulous vocal talent and the almost delicately-applied accompaniment, this CD is the perfect addition to any Rennie or folksong lover's album collection."

Elizabeth via CDBaby.com

"Vocally, they’re wonderful.  Just wonderful. I’ve been listening to them since October (their CDs can be purchased off iTunes or at www.BoundingMain.com) and they’re even more wonderful live.  They sing some very old stuff, some new stuff, and even some original stuff — all of it great.  Great voices, great harmonies.   And for me, it was really gratifying to look down the row and see members of our group singing along with them during the evening concert."

Christine Schaefer of KidsPlay's Pirate Fest in Greenfield, Indiana.  This letter was in response to her visit to the 2007 Chicago Maritime Festival.

"Wow! I knew to expect a good time, but you really outdid yourselves and the only ones who did not have a good time were those who were not at the BBQ. My wife and I truly enjoyed the festivities, the entertainment, and meeting some new friends. It really was enjoyable, and sharing it with my friends from Milwaukee was just another plus.

We'll certainly be keeping an eye on the web sites and supporting the deportation campaign. I know you could not share details, as not everything is finalized, but we are sure that the next activities will be a blast.

Thanks to all of you for all of the hard work you put in to making yesterday special, it really was."

- Al Kempf, Jr., his wife and friends joined us for the first of our "Deport Bounding Main" campaign events!  Learn more here!

"I was listening to your CD in the car with my husband and we got through the first song when he hijacked the CD player and said, " I want to hear it again!"  (and again and again . . .)  Just thought you'd like to know.

"Someday I'll play the second song for him!"

— Jessica Don
Lead singer for Seelie Court regarding our first CD, Maiden Voyage

"Ahoy, Bounding Main ! have just discovered your website and have been enjoying listening to your version of my song 'Fiddler's Green' . . ."

- John Connolly
Legendary Folk Musician
CDs available from The Chantey Cabin

"When Bounding Main sang "Leave Her, Johnnie" it darn near brought me to tears — and the rest of the set was just as good."

— Doug Keith
Bristol Renaissance Faire Patron

"With their second album, "Lost at Sea," Bounding Main continues in the fine tradition of the first. While remaining firmly rooted in a-cappella maritime songs, they never-the-less span a wide range of emotions and styles. From the catchy drinking shanties like "Haul Away Joe," "Marching Inland," and (naturally) "All for Me Grog" and on to more haunting and even soulful pieces such as "Northwest Passage" and "Dreadnaught," the entire crew of Bounding Main put their voices to maximum impact, accompanied only by occasional claps and the selective use of sound effects. An excellent CD that hoists the bar for sea shanties everywhere."

Read the full review here.

— Gerard Heidgerken, early review of "Lost at Sea."
Bilgemunky.com, © 2006

"Actually, I think the harmonies - and the slight departures from the original melody - were very inventive and attractive, and the variation of pace is good 'ear candy.'"

— Tom Lewis
World famous shanty performer and author of "Marching Inland," which we recorded on "Lost at Sea."