New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Emmy-nominated TV writer-producer, novelist, and singer-songwriter
James Kahn announces the release of his latest album, By the Risin' of the Sea - a powerful collection of traditional sea shanties confronting modern environmental struggles.
Inspired by the environmental movement that was born in his hometown of
Santa Barbara - center of the first Earth Day in 1970 - Kahn has crafted an exquisite blend of shanty harmonies with the stark realities of climate change, and all its costs.
James Kahn is the author of numerous novels and novelizations - including Return of the Jedi, The Goonies, and
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - as well as having been writer-producer on such iconic television series as Star Trek: Voyager and
Melrose Place (full resume at https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0434851/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1).
But in recent years he's turned his prodigious talents to creating Americana/Folk music. With this latest contribution he hopes to promote social change by engaging people on the deeper, more spiritual and emotional level of song - rather than the debates we're all used to.
The title track of the album, Risin' of the Sea, was a Finalist in the International Americana
Music Awards, and the music video of that song has won several film festival awards, including the Accolade Global Film Competition, and Best
Music Video at the Global Film and
Music Festival.
Just as sailors once sang their a cappella work songs while grappling with stormy seas and the elements that threatened them - so do these shanties sing to the rising seas of global warming, and the other elemental storms that rattle our own time - like Covid-19, refugee crises, global pollution, and personal meaning.
Alternately moving, funny, angry, yet hopeful, this collection builds on the recent revival of interest in sea shanties - bringing them into the modern age, addressing contemporary themes with classic folksong strains, in a unique blend of words and music.
The album is available now in both physical and digital format - on Spotify, Amazon, and all the major music platforms.
You can see more of his stories and songs, including three music videos from the new album, at https://www.youtube.com/c/JamesKahnEntertainments