We're Under Way with Our New Live Album 'And the Band Played On!'

A Time Capsule from the Storm...

Before “ShantyTok.”

Before the 2021 sea shanty craze.

Before we had any idea how much the world would change—Shipwrecked Shanty was already singing.

We started before the storm. And we sang through it.

So it begins! 2020, porch, Quinn's Lighthouse

What began as a porch project turned into something much more: a lifeline during lockdowns, a soundtrack to uncertainty, and a musical family for anyone who felt adrift. Today, we’re proud to share the next chapter of that story.

Our debut live album, And the Band Played On, is now available worldwide on:

Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio…and wherever shanties dare to be streamed.

🎧

A Sound from the Streets — Not the Studio

This is not a polished studio production.

This is a living, breathing time capsule.

Recorded live outside Sláinte Irish Pub in Jack London Square, Oakland, And the Band Played On captures a moment—rough edges and all. You’ll hear passing buses, clinking glasses, the low hum of trains, the occasional dog, and the joyful, unfiltered voices of our audience singing with us.

This ship ain't driving without the AUDIENCE! ...and 'SHANTYOKE' was born!

There are pitchy spots. Unexpected guests. Street noise in place of studio silence.And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

These imperfections mirror the moment we came from—a world in flux, frayed at the edges, but bound together by grit, heart, and song. This album is a testament to how we kept showing up. How we kept the music going. How we played on.

Meet the Crew

James Dean Nelson – Banjo & lead vocals - The Cap'n! The heart of the band and our steadfast storyteller. His voice is the anchor that holds it all together. Quintessential part of no less than 4 bands, Jim is the wind in the sails (luckily not the wind from behind!)

Micha Sweeney– Whistle, melodeon, bodhrán, frog & vibes - Our Bosun Mate and rhythmic compass. His long-lost grandpa actually died in a bar fight over who tied the best sailor knots! Micha steers the audience and the spirit of the set with melody, mischief, and momentum.

John Palme – Guitar & vocals - With a guitar licks that grounds the crew, John adds depth and soul to every shanty, and will typically sing out a lick or two with some recognizable, sea-related song.

Steven Strauss – Upright bass & vocals - Steven’s bass doesn’t just hold the rhythm—it dances with it. His harmony work ties us all together like rigging to a mast. He teaches and enjoys random pontifications.

Amanda Lewis - We would be remiss for not mentioning this Miss! The reason we started holding up lyrics is because of her. Let's not forget creating our logo, making business cards, running the livestream, grabbing refreshments, and generally anything the band needs that we don't think of - she's on top of it! Former Coast Guard employee, it's only natural that she keeps sailors safe and cared for.

Together, we are Shipwrecked Shanty.

What started as a gathering of sea-song enthusiasts became a voice for an era.

This One’s for the Ones Who Kept Singing

And the Band Played On is more than just a title.

It’s a message. A mood. A memory.

To the porch singers.

To the pub-goers.

To the lonely hearts who found connection in old songs.

To the communities that formed in the spaces between lockdowns.

This is for you.

Go listen. Share it. Let it be rough. Let it be real.

Let it remind you of the joy that survived the storm.

Listen now on the Spotify | Apple Music | Amazon | iHeartRadio links above,

And if you’ve ever clapped along, hoisted a pint, or hummed a verse in the night—you’re part of this band, too.

#ShipwreckedShanty #AndTheBandPlayedOn #LiveAlbumRelease #SeaShantyRevival #OaklandMusicScene #SlainteSessions #TimeCapsuleAlbum #FolkTradition #ShantiesThroughTheStorm

…and the Band Played On!

In the beginning, there was Quinn’s Lighthouse!

If you are new to sea shanties, then the name "Quinn’s" might not mean anything to you. But if you’ve been around for a while, you’ll know it as an institution started by Skip Henderson and the Starboard Watch. Skip kept watch over shanties in the Bay Area for over 35 years and authored “Billy Bones,” a shanty sung by many groups that sing the tradition. Additionally, he wrote a hornpipe used in the second installment of “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Arguably, Skip and his band put the little-known Quinn’s Lighthouse on the map.

Skip at the helm of his boat, Aida

Display Still inside Quinn’s Lighthouse in 2024

Skip passed in 2020 from complications arising from Covid, leaving a sizable hole in the traditional sea music scene here in the Bay Area. His band had many musicians come through, but one of his anchors over the years was a man named James Dean Nelson. “Jim” was one of Skip's best friends and is a stalwart in the shanty scene now. His “pipes” (vocals) are unmistakable, and his banjo licks are synonymous with surly sea music!

When Covid hit, Quinn’s was shuttered, and along with it, the house band, the Starboard Watch. A budding Irish folk musician, entertainer, and intermittent member of both the band and the audience, Micha, came together with Jim and the remaining members and began playing in front of Quinn’s on the patio, masked and distanced, and began streaming the music to the community to keep hope alive as the proverbial ship was sinking. With each monthly stream, Micha joked that the crew was “Shipwrecked,” and the name just began to stick.

A talented and adoring fan of the shanties (and now Micha’s fiancée), Amanda Lewis, collaborated with Micha on a logo of the world’s most famous shipwreck hitting a Covid virus, and the rest is history! In 2021, sea shanties blew up with Nathan Evan's TikTok rendition of “Wellerman,” and when the Covid restrictions eased, we began to pack the room at Slainte. It turns out new and enthusiastic audiences could now resonate with centuries of being locked away in a ship’s hold for long periods of time.

"Shipwrecked" on Quinn's Patio

Jim is our fearless frontman, and he is backed by guitarist John Palme, bassist Steven Strauss, and whistle (and “bosun mate”) Micha, who navigates the shows with his infectious enthusiasm. Behind the scenes, Amanda helps navigate our promotion and has been instrumental in bringing the stream to a worldwide audience. When she began writing lyrics on a dry erase board, magic happened in the room, and we quickly realized that this was bigger than “performing”; it was a “collaborative” endeavor with our audiences.

We view the “Shipwrecked Shanty” as singing WITH the people as opposed to AT them. While audiences have intuitively done that in the past, now we gave the tools to new audiences to become infected with the shanties themselves. With Jim’s performance prowess, Micha’s bouncy enthusiasm, John’s guitar licks, and Steve’s standup bass keeping the heartbeat, the Shipwrecked Shanty is unlike anything you’ve experienced. It is an experiential, anachronistic, musical voyage through maritime history that Shanghai’s an audience away from modern-day divisiveness and brings everyone together with a common theme: we’re all in this boat together.

...and as the Titanic sank, the band played on!

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