The Brigands formed in 2001, when Al Mueller was approached by the Hampton Virginia Blackbeard Festival about performing at the event’s 3rd year. Both Brett and Erik Mueller had been playing music with their father for some time before that and were very familiar with Al’s fiddle tunes and original music (living with a musician will do that to you). It was an easy step to teach the boys the shanties and sea ballads Al knew, and so The Brigands started, with guitarist Joe Davis as a later addition. That first year, The Brigands only performed at two events, but were immediately asked to come back for the next year, with The Blackbeard Festival inviting the band back every subsequent year thereafter. Since their beginning, The Brigands have performed at Faires and Festivals up and down the Eastern seaboard, from Maine to Florida, bringing their unique sound to the delight of faire-goers and faire-staff alike.

A typical show would include some music from the Golden Age of Piracy (1650-1750), be it a shanty or ballad or fiddle tune. We try to select music that has actually survived to this day, and you will be surprised when you realize that you know some of it already! The performance will also have some of Al’s original fiddle or concertina tunes. The Brigands are known for their emotive fiddle tunes, whether lively and sprightly or haunting and even sad. There is emotional content in all The Brigands music.

The Celtic and Scottish influences are heard, from Al’s love of pipe music and some tunes they perform are bagpipe melodies transposed for the fiddle and concertina. The Brigands also include music from more modern sources and will sneak in a song from “Muppet Treasure Island” (one of the great pirate movies) if given a chance! Modern sources might also include music from the Age of Sail, the age of the mighty windjammers and clipper ships just before steam took over. The bulk of shanties that survive are from that era, and people associate those closest with the sea. The Brigands shows would not be complete without plenty of songs about life ashore for sailors, be they traditional tunes or more modern additions.

The Brigands instrumentation is a bit different than the usual ‘pirate’ band. Fiddle –this is a traditional sea-going instrument and the fiddle was the companion of many a crew at the capstan, or hauling a yard aloft, keeping the hands in time. During the GAoP, and after, a fiddler was a captive that was welcomed aboard any pirate vessel and was one of the few crewmen who actually had Sundays off! The Brigands use a ships drum, not a bodhran, in their music. The bodhran was only made popular in the early 1900′s. The ships drum however, existed on board sailing vessels to call the ship’s company in times of immediate need (beat to Quarters, etc.). What is more natural then the drummer joining in during the times when the hands would dance and sing on the fo’c’sle! Brett’s unique style of following the melodic phrasing of the tune along with the rhythm adds bounce and energy to the music. The guitar –primarily a Spanish instrument at the time of the Golden Age, by the Age of Sail, it had become common place on board ship, as sailors took advantage of its accompaniment to the songs of home and hearth. Joe’s guitar is usually used as accompaniment to a more primal type of song and his Aarrrggh-rated ballads about, you guessed it, women and drinking are some of the funniest salty tunes ever heard. Bass –The Brigands use of a bass is perhaps controversial, but the English tea-chest bass, made with, yes –an empty tea chest, is an incontrovertible fact. Erik’s playing style emulates what would be available on such an instrument and drives the sound of The Brigands like a brisk topsail breeze, tying all together.