INTRODUCTION:

When most Minnesotans think of modern-day rural Minnesota, they probably picture the reserved Scandinavian townsfolk and quiet lifestyle of Lake Woebegone. But in the logging boom years of the late 1800s, Minnesota was overrun with a much rowdier bunch: Lumberjacks—many of them Irish—and they brought with them their penchant for revelry and their rich musical tradition.
Brian Miller, a Bemidji-born Irish singer and guitar player, is now breathing new life into those long-forgotten logging camp songs, providing a glimpse of what life was like up north during the late 19th century. 

Many of the songs have traditional Irish melodies, but the lumberjacks added new lyrics about the hard life working in the north woods. There are songs about tragedies and drownings, but also more playful tunes, like “The Shantyboy and the Farmer’s Son,” which pits the heroic woodsman against the mild-mannered farmer. Other adaptations recast traditional Irish love stories on the rivers of Wisconsin. 

In arranging these songs for voice and guitar (and fiddle, when joined by Two Tap Trio fiddler Nathan Gourley) Miller employs a colorful approach inspired by modern Irish musicians such as Paul Brady and Andy Irvine. By musically connecting the songs to Ireland with a modern touch, Miller brings the lumberjacks to life as more than comical Paul Bunyans. His performances portray them as hard working immigrants who carried on a rich tradition of singing that had deep international roots as well as a character specifically linked to their experience in Minnesota.