What exactly is The Pyrates Royale? An award-winning music group? A group of interactive comedians? A gang of consenting adults who dress funny?

After more than 21 years of noise pollution, money-grubbing and general delinquency masquerading as entertainment, nobody has managed to answer this question to anyone's satisfaction. What the group has done is carry on in its own inimitable style: combining seafaring history, music, comedy and reenacting.

The Pyrates Royale began as an improv comedy act in late 1986. Founder Brad Howard, with three other character actors at the Maryland Renaissance Festival, decided to raise havoc as a merry crew of pirates. Surprisingly, nobody tried to stop them.

The act -- if one can call a quartet of strangely-dressed fellows having fun at each others' expense an "act," quickly won over an enthusiastic audience. Flush with victory (or drink), our intrepid crewmembers returned to the Maryland Festival. For no particular reason, they chose to indulge their fondness for drinking songs of the seafaring, Irish and rugby variety. The response was again tremendous (who knew?) and the group decided to expand the act to include music. After a few seasons of being known simply as "The Pyrates," Brad Howard established the name The Pyrates Royale.

The Pyrates Royale has since evolved into a musical comedy act and one of the most popular groups to ever sully taverns and stages at music festivals up and down the East coast. The crew has played a variety of venues including renaissance, maritime, celtic, folk music and pirate festivals; ship excursions, private and corporate parties -- even weddings. (who knew?) Their recordings have been enjoyed by fans all over the world.

Now armed with guitar, hammered dulcimer, bodhran, fiddle and (unfortunately) concertina, as well as a hearty chorus of hale and harmonious voices, the group has expanded its repertoire to include instrumental tunes, Gaelic, Tom Lewis and even a madrigal or two. However, the crew has never strayed too far from its original purpose: to make people laugh. Now they also sing along. Maybe someday they'll stop throwing things. We keep hoping.

In the fine tradition of many renaissance festival performers, members develop their music, characters and costumes by drawing from history and their own overactive imaginations. The crew has played a variety of venues including renaissance, maritime, celtic, folk music and pirate festivals; ship excursions, private and corporate parties -- even weddings. (who knew?) The Pyrates Royale is proud to offer five full-length recordings -- Hello, Sailor, Lyve Behind Bars, Love at Fyrst Nyte, Tales of the Brigantine, and Black Jack.