Track Listing
1. Mermaids
2. A Night on the Piss
3. Inner City Pirate Rock Chick
4. 'Mutiny' She Cried
5. The Party Starts When We Get There
6. Deep in the Sea
7. At Least We're Not the U.S.A.
8. Pass Me a Rum
9. Dancing the Hempen Jig
10. Two Sisters
11. Scurvy Sea Dogs
12. A Pirate Song
13. Too Much Fun
14. The Pirate Orchestra
15. Fanatacism
16. I was Born on a Pirate Ship |
HIDEOUS SEA CREATURES Cat# SV0362 
The Mongrel Bastard Pirate Orchestra… On all good
pirate ships there existed a pirate orchestra. It was the orchestra's
responsibility to chronicle in song the adventures of the pirates. Sforzando
are a 6-piece pirate orchestra who blend ferocious punk, Western European
folk melodies and classic sea shanties to create a soundscape for the
ocean. They sing of sailors that can't swim, ships that won't sail,
dangerous mermaids and sirens ravishing the waves, mutineers, the vengeance
of the sea Gods, the fury of the ocean, the destruction of the shoreline,
the poetry of waves and of course, pirates. Especially pirates.
Band members:
Quincy Hall: (Vocals) Established Melbourne playwright and performer,
currently working on a series of pirate tales for teenagers..
Raju Sharma: (Percussion) Indian pirate who has played with such luminaries
as Sting and Peter Gabriel in South-East Asia, and locally, with Howlin'
Wind and Eden.
Scott Jansen: (Violin) Melbourne pirate artist and violin master whose
paintings adorn the walls of hundreds of the city's cafes and attractions
(most notably, the Children's Hospital foyer).
Paul Tierney: (Drums) The only pirate drummer with a masters degree
in Engineering.
Dave O'Reilly: (Guitar) Pirate, rugby coach and guitarist.
Karen O'Reilly: (Bass) Piratewoman herself.
Major Festivals / Regular Venues Played:
Queenscliff Festival, 1998, 1999 (festival, and 'best of the fest'),
2000 (media launch). · Mallacoota Arts Festival, 1999, 2001 (plus
official invitation by council leading to performance at the 2000 New
Year's Eve celebration). · Port Fairy Folk Festival, 1999. ·
St Kilda Festival, 1999. · Moomba, 1999 · Melbourne Festival
/ Melbourne Fringe Festival, 1999, 2000, 2001. · Punters Club,
regulars from 1997 onwards. · The Empress Of India, regulars
from 1999 onwards. · Dan O'Connell Hotel, ten month residency
in 1998. · Plus regular appearances at: Esplanade Hotel, Ninth
Ward, Corner Hotel.
Releases:
We Sail Away on Mabuhay Records, 1997
Midnight at the Lighthouse on pR8, 1999, live at Port Fairy.
Hideous Sea Creatures (release date TBC)
Recognition:
"…Had they been playing Latvian goat-herding tunes I'm sure
we would have all been just as mesmerised, such was the enormous visual
and sonic impact of their set…the depth and scope of Sforzando
was immense, giving this punter a new perspective on modern folk…there
were plenty of points in their performance where words would inadequately
capture the brilliance of this urban pirate music" Darrell Bassett,
InPress
"…lyrically Hall writes with a romantic eloquent charm - it
seems borne from the contemporary atmosphere which the Melbourne group
create… (they) flow with an often frantic punk urgency while at
other times it's as cool as a summer breeze" Louise Williams, Beat
Magazine
"…along with the on-stage antics and theatrics the music has
helped capture the attention of some demographically mismatched punters…the
diversity of followers is a reflection of the seven members who all
contribute to the creative process…in an age where ska, punk and
pop are cool, this band could be deemed as daggy but the fisherman's
basket of celtic/folk/rock ditties Sforzando serve up are easy to swallow…the
album is a must" Tracy Morfit, Forte
"At a time when many Australian bands seem merely to imitate the
sounds of their American counterparts, local band Sforzando offer a
breath of fresh innovative air". The Melbourne Times
"Folk that bleeds" - The music from this 7 piece Melbourne
band, dubbed pirate folk by film director Sandra Long, leans heavily
on traditional peasant folk sounds but lays down for good measure a
strong sense of urban grunge and inner-city madness. The result is a
speed-soaked pirate festival. The band plays mostly originals, using
the sea (and pirates) as a metaphor for modern-day isolation and euphoria,
however, Sforzando sporadically grab a traditional piece by the throat
(such as Drunken Sailor) and load it with their distinctive narrative
of adrenaline and rock-fuel. Mabuhay, 1998
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