It's finally here!! After performing for over a decade on the Ren Faire circuit/Bars/Pubs/Concert Venues/Etc., and releasing 7 CD's, everyone's most favorite and lovable privateers return with a vengeance!!! Our first new CD release in three years! Captain Patch, Chuey, Saxton, Saucy Jack, Zulu, Pappy and Sven - the 7 members of the irresistible force known as 'Musical Blades' Our 2013 release, "UP THE ANTE", has taken the classic Blades sound and attitude and turned it up to '11'! You'll find mug bangers and foot stompers, epic macho 'take no prisoners' songs, funny and whimsical stories, drinking anthems, our takes on traditional songs and sad and moving ballads, all wrapped up in a big treasure chest of AWESOME! _____________________________________________________________ Renaissance Magazine Review (Dec/Jan Vol. 18 #6 Issue #94) - Musical Blades, a pirate band from the Midwest that’s been around since the turn of the century, was originally a comedy/swordfight act that added music to the mix in 2005. They’ve been performing at ren faires, pubs, bars and concert venues all through the Midwest for years, but they also have seven CDs, including such titles as “Full Frontal Piracy” and “Piratically Incorrect.” Their newest is a collection of seventeen songs, most of them written by Musical Blades, called “Up the Ante.” Their first in three years, the CD captures the magic of their act, starting with the first selection, “Bang Your Mug,” which invites you to have a rollicking good time drinking with the band. The songs are bawdy, raucous, infectious, and impressively performed, from the vocal harmonies to the musical accompaniment. From several of the songs, notably “Drunken Harpy,” “Brave and Mighty Captain” and “The Ren Faire Song,” it’s clear Musical Blades is originally a comedy team. The banter and repartee are side-splitting. (“I like big boats!” Chuey declares in “Drunken Harpy,” unaware of the double entendre.) The seven members of the band all adopt personae. The band’s original member, Albert Hall, performs the character of the ship’s captain, Captain Patch. Taking on the already mentioned role of Chuey the first mate, band member David Levin is particularly hilarious, reminiscent of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong with his dopey sort of deadpan delivery. Other characters include Saxton, Saucy Jack Tar, Sven Helgrim, Pappy Beard and Paddy “Zulu” O’Shea. Not all the songs are rapscallion tunes of women and alcohol (“Liquor and Women” is a great representation of these, though, with a clever line in the chorus that goes “Liquor and woman and liquor some more” that could easily be “Liquor and women and lick her some more,” to hear it). The song “One by One” is almost a tearjerker, and “The One That I Love” is tender and unironic in depicting the loneliness of the sailor at sea. “Chemical Workers Song” could be an anthem the EPA might adopt. But essentially Musical Blades guarantees a good time, and this CD captures that so well. It's time for rowdy dancin, It's time to pound the beer, It's time for quick romancin, Because the Blades are here!"