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Pirates tend to be the kinds of unwitting characters you see belching out tales of plundering and violent adventure on the fearsome and deadly high seas.The mouth of a pirate is one of the last outlets you’d probably expect to find dispensing whimsical tales of love, loss, and hopeful life perspectives. Even more so, I am almost certain you wouldn’t expect to see aforementioned tales laid gently over a soft bed of soothing acoustic guitars, reverb-laden vocal melodies, and capricious harmonica refrains.
Thankfully, such a combination, however unlikely it may seem, is a welcome one, as The Mighty Pirate’s debut EP, “The Calm That Never Came” plays out like a well-organized path to buried treasures and infinite riches.
The pirate persona and theme actually come off less as a heavy concept and more of a clever and translucent backdrop, which The Mighty Pirate’s Shannon Ginbey utilizes well to his advantage, fashioning some solidly polished gems of indie/acoustic rock genius.
None of the tracks are necessarily inherently complex, but they are surely damn catchy. Ginbey’s vocals are incredibly well-produced, and seem to ring of a softer Billy Jo Armstrong with a slightly better ear for actually being “good.” Thank goodness for that much.
The best tracks are those which start softly and bring the listener into a flurry of instrumentation, such as “Somewhere Bluebirds Fly (A Good Letter)” and “Novocaine Dreams.” The latter is actually tacked on the EP as a bonus track, but seems so well-placed that it hardly seems right to refer to it as such.
One of the great things about an EP is that there is rarely space for any filler, allowing just about every track to shine on its own merits. Such is the case with this album, which contains absolutely no material that is un-listenable, and furthermore, no material that is even worthy of a “meh.” This is solid stuff all across the board.
In addition to the brigand persona, The Mighty Pirate is a project that extends beyond the music, simultaneously being both a musical endeavor and an opportunity for Ginbey to display pieces from his other artistically creative outlet: tattoo design. The works are available for public viewing on the official The Mighty Pirate website, and are truly inspiring to behold.
Any fan of one-man acoustic rock would be doing themselves a disservice by not at least checking this project out. Hell, he has it up for free download on his website! He couldn’t have made this easier for you! Although, it would behoove me to mention that throwing a few bucks his way certainly wouldn’t hurt! - Alex Pauken
Discover the musical talents of the band, The Mighty Pirate, and their excellent acoustic Rock album, "The Calm That Never Came EP." This group has comprised an album with songs that offer poetic lyrics and wonderful melodies. The opening track, "The Ravine," reels you in with its sweet and charming vocals that swirl around the warm and inviting acoustic guitar. This song captures a relaxed ambiance and has a nice melodic appeal. Another song, "Taking A Drive," is slightly edgier as you will hear bouncy rhythmic beats, buzzing guitars, and strong and solid vocals. "Animosity (Bonus Track)" and Novocaine (Bonus Track)" are intoxicating songs that groove with an easy flowing vibe that impresses with an interesting and harmonious style. Fans of acoustic Rock music will really enjoy the delectable songs on the superb CD, "The Calm That Never Came EP." - Radio Indy
The Mighty Pirate - The Calm That Never Came EP (Independent)
Over the centuries, pirates have experienced a mixed rep. The romanticised 17th and 18th century rogues got to be played by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Burt Lancaster, and were decent swashbuckling sorts who got off on a good pillage, and always got the girl. These days things are a little different and I don’t see George Clooney liberating his inner Othello for the role of Chief Somalian Pirate.
Musical brigands tend to fare better; Johnny Kidd and the Pirates made some great early British rock ‘n’ roll, and sans Johnny, reinvented themselves as premier pub rockers. Singer-songwriter-tattooist The Mighty Pirate seems cut from the same cloth. Not a traditional rock ‘n’ roller or a pub-rocker, but I imagine he goes down as well as a cold beverage in the bars of his hometown, wherever that maybe. You see, The Mighty Pirate is something of an enigma; a riddle wrapped tightly within a mystery. I don’t know where he is now or what his real name is; it’s just the music we hear and the tattoo art we see, everything else is just a distraction.
As far as I can ascertain “The Calm That Never Came” is the debut release, a six-track EP of contemporary singer-songwriter fare, which doesn’t in any way overplay the image, and is decidedly easy to get along with. It does however show several sides to his writing and style. Slower, gentler songs like “The Ravine” and “Somewhere Bluebirds Fly (a Good Letter)” often give way to rockier, grungier tracks, like the emotionally forceful “Taking a Drive” or the jangly, rhythmic “Novocaine Dreams”. Fans of literate acoustic rock will find much hear to enjoy, and if body-art floats your frigate, then be sure to check out his website.
http://themightypirate.com/
Rob F. - Rob F.
Discography
The Calm That Never Came EP
Released 14th of March 2012
1. The Ravine
2. Somewhere Bluebirds Fly (A Good Letter)
3. Taking A Drive
4. Chasing Grils (Feat. SuperBecks)
Bonus Tracks
5. Animosity
6. Novocaine Dreams
Can be found on iTunes, Bandcamp, Soundcloud & TheMightyPirate.com
Photos
Bio
An Australian Singer Songwriter, Tattooer currently traveling abroad in the US and free to take him to any shores that will have him.
Still in the early beginnings of his musical pursuits TMP has maintained a solid full steam ahead pace. Having independently released his own EP The Calm That Never Came in the Australian Autumn of 2012. All songs were originally structured with a Maton Acoustic backbone.
This young Tattooing lad spends hours listening to his idols daily; Billy Talent, The Gaslight Anthem, Frank Turner, Firekills, The Menzingers, Chuck Ragan, Dashboard Confessionals, The Horrible Crowes.
“Reels you in with it’s sweet and charming vocals that swirl around the warm and inviting acoustic guitar”
“Fans of acoustic Rock music will really enjoy the delectable songs on the superb CD, The Calm That Never Came”
Radio Indy Blog – April 9, 2012
“One of the great things about an EP is that there is rarely space for any filler, allowing just about every track to shine on its own merits. Such is the case with this album, which contains absolutely no material that is un-listenable, and furthermore, no material that is even worthy of a “meh.” This is solid stuff all across the board.”
Alex Pauken’s Cosmic Rockets – June 1, 2012
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