Letras de canciones de Boat

Taking cues from punk rock, 80's alternative bands like the Replacements, and some of their fellow Pacific Northwest bands like the Young Fresh Fellows, BOAT's happy-go-lucky everydude approach led to them making records that resonated with indie rockers who didn't mind some silliness mixed in with their noisy guitars. Starting in the mid-2000s, the band issued a string of records that were reliably fun and witty while still kicking up some rock & roll dust. Their 2020 album, Tread Lightly, showed that while the band couldn't help but grow up a little, they were still as rambunctious and fun as when they started.


The group's story began when budding songwriter D. Crane moved back to Seattle after teaching junior high classes for a year in Chicago. He had already been coming up with ideas for songs, but the life change inspired him to make an album. Eventually he finished a lo-fi recording he called Comic Book Rock and sent it to a few friends thinking that would be the end of the undertaking. Instead, after receiving encouragement, he formed a band with bassist/guitarist M. McKenzie, and drummer/multi-instrumentalist J. Goodman; they soon played live. Crane got a better recorder, resulting in the band's debut album 2005's Life Is a Shipwreck, We Must Remember to Sing in the Life Boats (the title a Voltaire reference).
Sean Tollefson from Tullycraft had seen BOAT play and gave a copy of the record to Magic Marker. After an EP titled After All, they signed on with Magic Marker and released Songs That You Might Not Like in July 2006. After a three-year layoff, the band (now featuring drummer J. Long) returned with the equally entertaining Setting the Paces in October of 2009. The band's next album, Dress Like Your Idols, surfaced in the spring of 2011. Their next album, 2013's Pretend to Be Brave, featured a new drummer (J. Angle) and guest appearances from vocalist Shelley Short and Scott McCaughey of the Young Fresh Fellows.
After releasing the album, the group looked to other musical pursuits to keep them busy. Goodman with his band Brackets, McKenzie working at KEXP, and Crane with Unlikely Friends, who issued albums in 2015 (Solid Gold Cowboys) and 2018 (Crooked Numbers.)
Both McKenzie and former BOAT drummer J. Long played on the albums. When BOAT reconvened to make more music, Long was back on board. Many of the songs for their 2020 album Tread Lightly began as loops Long sent to Crane, who then filled in the chords and melodies. Once they began recording, the group was joined by guest vocalists Shelley Short and former Presidents of the United States member Chris Ballew. The album was released by long-time label Magic Marker, which restarted just for the occasion. ~ Kenyon Hopkin & Tim Sendra