Pirate Dreams came together in name in May of 2003, when two music store schmoes,

Jim Jowsey and Justin Kubiak decided to put together an acoustic project for the beach bars

up and down the Western New York coast of Lake Erie. The project featured the slacker

nation music of Jimmy Buffett as well as other stripped down versions of popular songs and

certain “blue” material. Jim called in a few favors from some booking agent friends and

before you knew it the boys had over 40 shows booked for that first summer, all before they

had their first rehearsal. They added Justin's old friend Johnny Panic on the congas and

were off, taking the beach bars by storm. It was a hell of a summer.

It was in that first off-season that Jim realized that a full band and sound might be in

order so when Justin took off to play some winter dates with another group, he went to work

building Pirate Dreams into the four piece phenomenon it is today. Starting off with local

country artist Jon Payne, Jim hooked up with bassist Dave Rennicks and an an old friend of

his, Dean O'keefe on the drums and the group was off for year #2, filled with more beach

bars, “parrot head” events, outdoor festivals and even a few private parties. A few personnel

changes here and there and the group settled into the lineup you see now, Jimmy on the

lead vocals and acoustic guitar, Dave on the bass guitar and backing vocals, Marty Peters

filling in the vast majority of the guitars and backing vocals and Buffalo music scene elder

statesman Bill Moore on the drums and taking care of auxillary percussion.

Going into their seventh year, the band has settled into a groove that is uniquely their

own in their home area, “Trop Rock”, a mish mash of Rock-n-Roll and Country sounds that

celebrate escapism, the getting lost on a tropical island variety. With local, regional and

national music festivals under their belt, a repertoire of summertime tunes diverse enough to

keep anybody dancing all night long under the stars and a disc of their own tropically

inspired creations helping to establish a name for themselves as songwriters, Pirate Dreams

is poised, locked and loaded to do what they do best. Take their tropical, laid back musical

vibe to the masses, mix up a boat drink or two and sail off into the sunset, with a few

thousand like minded friends trailing along for the ride.

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