About Us

       Facebook – Shanties Musician/Band

The Shanties “New Irish” music is filled with rocked-up Irish favorites, old, new and originals. We have a common love for the Irish melody.

Though there is nothing sweeter than an Irish ballad played by 4 singers - 2 guys and 2 girls, the focus is the up-tempo rowdier melodies with pop Irish influence from Solas, Gaelic Storm, Great Big Sea and Flogging Molly to name a few.

The blended singing and instrument sounds of fiddle, mandolin, whistle, guitar, and the Irish (drum) bodhran create the unique acoustic rock sound of The Shanties.

"Their efforts seemingly can’t get better…yet they continue to do just that." -Allerton Irish Fest
 

 OUR CROWDS and LOYAL FOLLOWERS ~! 

Striving for a full CD of original Irish-style music, The Shanties Fear Not CD 

was completed about 2 years ago. Thank YOU ALL.

The CD has been a wonderful collaboration and quite fruitful for the band’s reputation.  It’s being played from Canada to the Ukraine and from Australia to Japan. It is available at ITunes, CDBaby, Amazon and most other online music locations.  

Best IRISH BAND OF 2007 -  Pantagraph Newspaper, Bloomington IL  

THE SHANTIES IS -They are the blended singing and instrument sounds of Chrissy Bock on fiddle, John Parkhurst on mandolin and guitar, whistle, Butch Alton Angus on bodhran and Kris Lewis-Parkhurst on guitar and mandolin. Although most of the members are classically trained, our intention in the past 15 years is to get loose and create an atmosphere reminiscent of the party below deck as in the movie Titanic. This act does not sink however. Girls skilled in Irish Folk Dancing are sometimes known to show up and display their talents along with the band.  

Mandolin/Guitar/Button Accordion/Whistle: John Parkhurst has a wide background in music and bands. He is a rock and roll/jazz guy who has settled down over the years to become a riot on Mandolin. John is prolific in the studio when it comes to his original songs and has been instrumental (no pun) in writing The Shanties original tunes for our Fear Not CD released in August 2010. He and Chrissy play wonderful duets together and fly across the strings. He rocks too!

Guitar: Kris Lewis-Parkhurst. Kris studied Music and Art at Southern Illinois University. The Shanties New Irish Music group has inspired Kris to write more original songs along with John Parkhurst. These songs have taken on a life of their own with the band members lending their talent quirks and are performed as a regular part of the Shanties repertoire. Her talent led her to Michael Stewart (producer of Billy Joel –Piano Man album), who together in their collaboration, recorded 6 of his original songs and including one by Michael Patrick Murphy.

Fiddle: Chrissy Bock has grown up in the classical world but runs wild in the Celtic neighborhoods. Her Shanties affiliation has created a lot of attention for the band. 

Over the years, Chris has held principal positions in numerous orchestras such as Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Millikin-Decatur Symphony, Peoria Symphony, Missouri Symphony Society, and South Bend Symphony. Along with her accomplishments as an orchestral musician Chris has had a long career as a chamber player and as a soloist with orchestra and in recital on both the violin and viola
She is enjoying teaching privately at the 

Music Shoppe in Normal, IL.
She has played fiddle in a local rock band and she is on several high profile local CD's; Journeys, Celtic Rose, and Book of Lament.

Bodhran - vocals in the Irish tradition and then not so . . . Butch Angus Alton, member of The Shanties, is a former member of the wide spread and popular BLOOMSDAY Irish band from Bloomington, IL.
He stands up and plays the drum with great energy and full dimension of entertainment. His beautiful voice is quite the sound.

The 'other Bodhran guy' - Jayson Griffith is also a member of the Shanties upon occasion. Stumbled upon (and almost over) playing in a local Irish pub he Shantie'd himself. He has been a musician for quite a few years. His love of out-of-the-ordinary instruments, Irish music, and Guinness led him straight to the Bodhran several years ago and he still enjoys playing as often as he can with us and in St. Louis, Mo.