First off, congratulations all around to everyone who took part in last weekend’s Mid-Atlantic Fleadh! Social media was abuzz and framed it as a roaring success. Congrats to Ann Marie Acosta who put yeoman’s work into its organization as well as to the regional Hall of Fame inductees Tom Dunne and James Early, who were excellent choices. The music and fellowship in abundance spoke to the deep spirit and enduring enthusiasm folks in the region have for traditional music. And to those who placed, best of luck in Belfast!
In the media yoke this week I’ve got “Northern Shores” by Danny Diamond and Brian Miller. Diamond, a fiddle player, and Miller, a singer and bouzouki player/guitarist, are both superb musicians and what they’ve given us here is an album that explores traditional tunes, many from Northern Ireland, as well as Irish-American folksongs, largely from the Upper Midwest. This scope makes complete sense, given the direction Diamond and Miller’s musical journeys have taken, but what makes this project special is their marvelous chemistry. It’s a real treat for traditional music fans!
Diamond and Miller both have very distinguished resumés. From Belfast, originally, but now living in Minneapolis, Diamond has released a couple of brilliant solo albums in “Fiddle Music” (2014) and “Elbow Room” (2017). He’s also done a couple of fine duo albums, “NORTH,” with Conor Caldwell (2016) and “Let Fly,” his first release with Brian Miller (2021). In addition, he co-founded the Irish-Nordic indie folk band Slow Moving Clouds, with whom he played from 2014-2018 and from 2007-2016 was in the band Mórga.
But Diamond has also done many other fascinating and noteworthy things, especially in the world of theater. For example, he was the music director and co-creator of the score for the award-winning theatre show “Swan Lake / Loch na hEala” for the West Kerry based company Teaċ Daṁsa. In 2018, he was also a part of “Open Room,” a theatre piece that included poet Vincent Woods and dancer Edwina Guckian. He also worked with Macdara Yeates, Sheila Friel and the writer Dermot Bolger in a show called “My Father’s Kind” (2019, 2023). Then, there’s the fun fact that Diamond recorded Lankum’s brilliant first album “Cold Old Fire,, back when they were still known as “Lynched!”
Miller, who was a recipient of the Irish Echo's Community Champion Award in 2024, is based in Minnesota. He done some outstanding work in the bands Bua, the Lost Forty, and Two Tap Trio, but some of his finest albums are his solo efforts about the songs of lumberjacks in Minnesota and the upper midwest. In addition, Miller co-founded the Traditional Singers Club of the Twin Cities (http://www.singclub.org/), is director of the Eoin McKiernan Library at Celtic Junction Arts Center in St. Paul, Minn., teaches at Center for Irish Music, also in St. Paul, and is a 2014 recipient of a Parsons Award from the Library of Congress’s American Folklife.
Finally, Miller is the host of the excellent radio show “The Shamrock Shore.” It broadcasts in Minnesota on Saturdays 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Central Time on 88.5 FM / Jazz88, but you can access his shows online at http://jazz88.fm whenever you like. The show is well worth following, because Miller has great good taste and always plays interesting stuff.
With “Northern Shores,” there’s a lot to love. Most of the album’s tracks are instrumental and show strong variety. It opens with “The Piper on Horseback,” a trio of driving reels from the north of Ireland. Diamond’s lift is apparent from the outset and Miller’s backing is both sensitive and bold. They make a great pair, and the instrumental tracks maintain a consistently high standard throughout.
A couple of other instrumentals that stand out are “Ryan’s Rant” and “East of Galway.” For me, it’s the tune selection and the way each set is shaped that sets them apart. “Ryan’s Rant” comprises five tunes, three jigs and two reels, that were drawn from a range of sources. The choice of individual tunes and their thoughtful arrangement give the track a real sense of character. “East of Galway” is similarly well constructed, with each tune complementing the next and creating a cohesive whole.
The album also includes four vocal tracks. Miller’s fine, rich voice in in excellent form which enhances his intriguing song selection. There were a couple of tracks that drew my ear in particular. A concatenation of versions collected from a pair of sources, one of whom lived in Michigan and was born in Donegal and the other with Maine/Nova Scotia roots, Miller’s version of “Cupid’s Garden” has a distinct “local” flavor that I think he does a lovely job with. Then, there’s “Gallagher Boys,” a song that commemorates an 1873 Lake Michigan ship sinking. Again, Miller is here singing a fascinating, uncommon song with strong conviction, but it’s the arrangement that combines guitar and fiddle backing with a harmonium drone that gives this track’s its compelling character.
“Northern Shores” is a fabulous collection that will appeal to traditional music lovers. Although Diamond is the clear leader on the instrumental tracks, Miller’s playing enhances things greatly. Fans of traditional song will be particularly interested in Miller’s vocal tracks, not only because of the way Miller sings, but because he’s mining the richness of traditional song in America, which seems very much in line with how young people in Ireland seem to be approaching song collection these days. Great stuff all around, definitely one to check out! To learn more and to purchase, visit here.
