We Were Pirates is the musical brainchild of Mike Boggs, a multi-instrumentalist who writes and records songs in his home studio in the DC area. To date, Boggs has released three We Were Pirates albums and a film score for ‘Dear Mr. Watterson’ in 2013.
‘Dear Mr. Watterson’ is a documentary film about the impact of the comic strip, Calvin & Hobbes. We Were Pirates’ original score includes fourteen instrumental songs that range from jangly, upbeat pop, to darker, more introspective tracks. The score features Boggs on guitar, drums, keys, and some bass, while contributor Kate Rears Burgman (The Mean Ideas) lends her cello and bass skills to several songs. The score was co-mixed by Boggs and TJ Lipple (Aloha), who also mastered the album.
2012 marked the release of We Were Pirates’ second full-length record, Change. Lyrically and musically, Change is slightly more mature and aggressive than Boggs’ previous works, yet has the same trademark WWP catchiness that causes listeners to curse the band while humming the infectious melodies over and over. Thematically, the question of whether people are truly capable of change is explored, which allows for a new, welcomed depth to We Were Pirates.
Wired Magazine featured We Were Pirates in their March 2012 issue, saying: “You heard this band’s public radio-friendly pop on This American Life and you heard its tracks on MTV’s: The Real World: DC. So don’t miss ‘Better Off Without You’ from the new album. Catchy synths will have your crew dancing a jig.”
Boggs’ 2009 debut LP, ‘Cutting Ties,’ features a version of “The Three of Us,” a cover song that Boggs recorded which was featured on the Chicago Public Radio show, This American Life. As a result, Chicago Tribune rock critic and co-host of Sound Opinions, Greg Kot, heard We Were Pirates’ version of the song and described it thusly: “Pure pop. This should be the next Fountains of Wayne single…genius.” We Were Pirates reached #41 on the CMJ Top 200 chart for ‘Cutting Ties,’ as well as being mentioned on NPR, Geekdad, and more. Since then, We Were Pirates’ music has continued to be utilized on multiple television programs on both MTV and E!.
At the moment, We Were Pirates live shows feature Gabe Fry (The NRIs) on guitar, Kate Rears Burgman on cello and bass and Pat Frank (The Mean Ideas) on percussion.
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