Marooned are a U.S.-based ''
a cappella
Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
'' Irish folk/shanty band based in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
. They were formed in 1995.
History
Marooned first performed at the Las Vegas Age of Chivalry
Renaissance Festival
A Renaissance Festival (medieval fair or ren faire) is an outdoor gathering that aims to entertain its guests by recreating a historical setting, most often the English Renaissance.
Renaissance festivals generally include costumed entertainers ...
in 1995. Their influence was recognized by inclusion and citation of their version of "Look at the Coffin" in the Mallory & McCall's Irish Pub Songbook. They performed at a number of small festivals and local venues until the release of their self-titled debut CD. Their first CD, was recorded at Studio on the Hill in Poway,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
over the course of a weekend. The band began touring further, heading to Northern California. In 1999 Marooned (along with the Jackstraws) appeared at the final A&E Networks tall ship battle to promote the new Horatio Hornblower movies.
In 2006, Marooned was named one of the Top 5 Music groups by the Renaissance Festival Music Podcast.
After becoming regulars at
Gen Con
Gen Con is the largest tabletop game convention in North America by both attendance and number of events. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, live action role-playing ...
, Marooned released their second CD, Better Than Live, at Gen Con in 2007. The CD went on to be named the #2 Renaissance Festival album of 2007.
Of specific note, since their first year, Marooned has been part of five charity CD compilations to benefit the city of
New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
(Circle and Lafitte's Return Vol. 1-4) and continues to make limited appearances across the country. While the group only appears on volumes 1 & 3 of the Lafitte's Return series, member Bob Brinkman produced the CDs and appears as a backup vocalist on Dead Men Tell No Tales (vol. 2) and the Derelict (vol. 4). They have also appeared at the John Levique Pirate Days, a Florida Hurricane Awareness event.
In 2014, Marooned released "On the Scalding Sea: The Music of ElfWood", the soundtrack to the ElfWood setting of the Sixcess RPG by Harsh Realities.
On August 23, 2020, the band announced that former member Andrew Meyers had died from complications arising from COVID-19
Band members
Current members
*Bob Brinkman - Baritone
*Jen Brinkman - Soprano
*Jen Knighton - Alto
*Keenan Mills - Tenor
*Lenora Mills - Alto
*Melissa Richardson - Soprano
Former members
*Dani Aalbertsberg - Soprano
*Ryan Allred - Tenor
*Geneva Metz - Alto
*Andrew Meyers - Baritone (1975–2020)
Discography
*Marooned (2003, Marooned Music)
*''From the Bilge'' (2006, Marooned Music)
*Circle (compilation)(2006, Mage Records)
*Better Than Live (2007, Marooned Music)
*Renaissance Festival Music Podcast (compilation) (2008, Mage Records)
*Lafitte's Return Vol. 1 (compilation) (2008, Pirates for the Preservation of New Orleans Music)
*Lafitte's Return Vol. 3 (compilation) (2008, Pirates for the Preservation of New Orleans Music)
*Squawk (2011, Marooned Music)
*Dance Macaw (2012, Marooned Music)
*Lost at Sea (2014, Marooned Music)
*On the Scalding Sea (2014, Marooned Music)
["Review: On the Scalding Sea", by Gerard "Bilgemunkey" Heidgerken, Jan 26, 2015, Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20150128175500/http://www.bilgemunky.com/pirate-reviews/music/review-scalding-sea/]
See also
*
Sea shanty
A sea shanty, shanty, chantey, or chanty () is a genre of traditional Folk music, folk song that was once commonly sung as a work song to accompany rhythmical labor aboard large Merchant vessel, merchant Sailing ship, sailing vessels. The term ...
*
A Cappella
Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Official website
A cappella musical groups
Renaissance fair performers