Immigrant Songs – Wolf Loescher

Coming soon!
Engineered, mixed, and mastered by Scooter Muse at Saddell Abbey Studio
Produced by Wolf Loescher and Scooter Muse
Graphic design by Tony Horning

Musicians

Wolf Loescher – Lead Vocals, Bouzar, Irish Bouzouki, Tenor Guitar, Baritone Ukulele, Drums, Percussion
Beth Paxton – Bass Guitar, Harmony Vocals
Scooter Muse – Acoustic Guitar, Banjo
Kendall Rodgers – Piano, Accordion
Rich Brotherton – Electric Guitar
Tim Britton – Whistle, Uillean Pipes
EJ Jones – Highland Pipes
Brian McNeill – Fiddle

Dance Called America

Starting in the mid-18th century, many of the inhabitants of the Highlands and western islands of Scotland were evicted during what was known as “The Clearances”. And on the Isle of Skye, a new dance was created to memorialize the loss, anger, and hope engendered by this forced journey to the New World.

Words and Music by Rory Macdonald / Calum Macdonald
© Chrysalis-Music-Ltd and BMG Monarch

Hills of Killedmond

I had the great good fortune to meet and befriend Pat Byrne in Houston, Texas at the mighty McGonigel’s Mucky Duck (where I also met my wife). He was born and raised in the tiny town of Borris in County Carlow, and after winning the Irish version of “The Voice” in 2012, he came to Austin, Texas to record an album, and never went back! This is the first song he wrote after “crossing the pond”.

Words and Music by Patrick Byrne
© Pat Byrne Publishing c/o Have We Got Music for You

City of Immigrants

I first played this song with The Hounds of Finn in Minneapolis, where we were all immigrants of one type or another. Music has always had the ability to bring people together depsite our differences, and create something new and special…an alloy that is stronger than its component parts.

Words and Music by Steve Earle
© Wc Music Corp. o/b/o Exile on Jones Street Music

Mariano

People immigrate to the United States for many reasons, most of which boil down to a search for either security or opportunity. In this wonderful little short story of a song, we hear a very common story of a simple man looking for honest work so he can send money to his family back home in central Mexico.

Words and Music by Robert Earl Keen
© BMG Bumblebee o/b/o Keen Edge Music

At Home with the Exiles

Ed Miller inspired me to pursue my love for Scottish folk music, and I’m honored to share this song about his personal experiences as an immigrant from Edinburgh to the wilds of Central Texas.

Words and Music by Edwin Miller
© Grian Music (Uk)

Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears

In response to the COVID lockdown in May of 2020, I began a regular online Facebook livestream called “The Howl”…and it continues to this day, every Saturday night. One of the early “Howlers” (Joseph Cooper) introduced me to Seán Keane’s performance of this wonderful song, and I’m so glad he did.

Words and Music by Brendan Graham
© Peermusic III Ltd

Sutter’s Mill

When I first started collecting songs for this album, our very good friend Alison (with one “L”) Madson suggested this one. I have a personal connection to the California Gold Rush, since my anscestors on my mother’s side – Robert Lawlor – came from County Laois in Ireland to Chicago to escape The Famine, and then moved on to Sacramento to find his fortune. I refer to him affectionately as “Stumpy Bob”, because according to family history his left leg was one inch shorter than the his right.

Words and Music by Dan Fogelberg
© EMI April Music Inc.

American Wake

Imagine a time before Google Maps, before MapQuest, before even the super-sized road atlas you could get in any Walmart…a time when “America” was as unknown as the dark side of the moon…more myth and legend than reality. By the end of The Famine in 1850, nearly one third of the entire population of Ireland had left the country in “coffin ships” for the New World. The odds of surviving the trip and returning home again was so low that families often held a “wake”, a party celebrating the life of the those they were unlikely to see ever again.

Words and Music by Brent Hoad
© Elderspub Music

The Rovin’ Dies Hard

Some were forced to leave, some chose to leave…but all were looking for something better, something more. This seminal song of Scottish immigration was recorded by the Battlefield Band in 1987 for their “Celtic Hotel” album, and is one of my favorite songs of all time in any genre. It as an honor and pleasure to be joined on this track by the song’s composer, master musician and noted author Brian McNeill.

Words and Music by Brian McNeill
© Budde Music Inc.

American Tune

You don’t have to cross an ocean to be an immigrant…sometimes all you have to do is move from one part of the country to another. Growing up, I moved every 3-4 years due to my father’s job, so home has never been a specific place but wherever my family happened to be. And wherever we were, we always had music to share. This is a song about resilience, waking up every morning, putting one foot in front of the other, and moving on down the road to a “better place”.

’39

How many times do you get the opportunity to put a song written by a guitar deity and noted astrophysicist about Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity on a folky album about immigration, and feature a champion banjo player to boot? Exactly once.

Living in the Promiseland

Having just celebrated his 90th birthday, Willie Nelson looms large in my musical pantheon. This seemed like the perfect song to wrap up the album…a song of hope, and a song about the “real America” where we can all live together in peace, harmony, safety, and security…regardless of race, religion, sexuality, or position on gun ownership.

BONUS TRACK: Immigrant Song

When I started work on this album in November, 2020, “Immigrant Songs” was just a place holder title. I had almost three years to come up with something better, and just never did. So I deemed it imperative to include my own modest version of one of the ultimate rock and roll songs ever written…a tribute to all who have come before.

Thanks to…

Christina – without whom none of this would be possible, Kristie Loescher, the Quillin quorum, the Piper Jones Band, Alex Stewart, Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, North Texas Irish Festival, Herb Taylor (aka “The Maker”), Alison Madson, Kyle, Giacco, The Rigae, The Higgae, Kevin & Jes Kennedy, John Timeus, Dr. Alison Davidow, La-La Hilburn, Doc & Kimberly Grauzer, Brenda Bentle Warren, The Howlers, all my Kickstarter backers, and all the talented musicians and recording engineers who contributed to this project.

Dedicated to ???