Tall Ships, Sea Shanties and Tall Tales

Tall Ships, Sea Shanties and Tall Tales is a program by Tom Kastle being presented at Muso Madison on Saturday, July 18, 2026.  There will be a workshop from 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm, with a concert following from 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm.

Long before sea shanties went viral on the internet, tall ships captain Tom Kastle was singing them around the world and living the tradition by crewing and captaining tall ships on the Great Lakes. Shanties are work songs of the sea that help the work go easier and more efficiently and help to document life at sea. They were a big part of the heyday of sail and are still used today. Whether you’re a novice singer or a grizzled shanty singer this 90 minute workshop is for you. A concert by Tom Kastle follows at 7:00 pm.

Suggested donation for the workshop: $20
Suggested donation for the concert: $10
Suggested donation for both: $25

“What do you say about a guy who can command a tall ship and all her crew, whose songs can make an Irishman cry tears of pure Tullamore Dew?” — Bryan Bowers