Jon Pontrello’s Website

I am excited to share “Roll On Kalakala” to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of the demolition of the Kalakala. Lots of show details, articles, videos, and radio appearance info in this post! In addition to the song being available on all streaming platforms, I also made a collage/lyric video at the youtube link above that tells the story visually, lyrically and musically. If you want to throw a coin in my guitar case you can do it at bandcamp, and it is greatly appreciated in keeping this boat afloat! Many musicians were a part of this recording, as well as mixing, mastering, travel, website, art, digital distribution, etc. https://jonpontrello.bandcamp.com/track/roll-on-kalakala

I’m gearing up for next week’s Sunday Matinee (1/19/25) at the Rabbit Box theatre for the release of “Roll On Kalakala and other Seaworthy Tunes”. I am really excited to be sharing the bill with Al Hirsch. He is a great storyteller and folk musician who will be singing some regional maritime tunes, including some of the old songs Ivar Haglund used to sing. Here is a link with info about the show and how to buy tickets in advance -> https://givebutter.com/1-19-RollonKalakala

Tune into SPACE 101.1FM tomorrow (1/12/25) at 8pm for “Cascade of History” to get a sneak peak of next weeks show. I’ll be joined by Jack Broom, the author of “Roll On Kalakala” to talk about the tune he originally wrote back in 1998 when the Kalakala arrived back in Seattle. You can tune in online if you click here -> https://www.space101fm.org/listen-live/

It has been a lot of fun releasing this tune into the world, and it especially a thrill to see the write up in the Pacific NW Magazine section of the Seattle Times in the Sunday edition printed on 12/22/24. I met up with Clay Eals at Salty’s in West Seattle on a beautiful November day where a few pieces of the Kalakala still exist! You can read the full article here: https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/the-wa-ferry-kalakalas-rise-and-demise-roll-on-for-this-maritime-musician/

You can also view the article at Seattle Now & Then’s blog, which includes a ton of extra photos, video and other resources -> https://pauldorpat.com/2024/12/21/seattle-now-then-postscript-on-jon-pontrello-and-roll-on-kalakala-from-harbor-avenue-late-1950s/

Last year I worked together with “50 Feet of Song” to record a video for “The Bellwether Sheep of the Mosquito Fleet” but due to some technical problems, all the super 8 film didn’t turn out, but fortunately at one of the sessions Anna Markle shot some digital footage. On January 8th, 2025 I released a lyric video for the 121 anniversary to tell the story of the shipwreck of the S.S. Clallam.

I usually like to keep these blog posts short and sweet, but this is a huge download in one post. So thank you for taking the time to read, and thanks for listening! I hope you’ll join me next Sunday to celebrate the release of these songs at the Rabbit Box Theatre. Click the poster below for details!

https://www.therabbitboxseattle.com/events/roll-on-kalakala-and-other-seaworthy-tunes-album-release-show