Into the Fire: Video Tribute to Wildland Firefighters Hutch Brown

Hutch Brown is a writer/editor for the USDA  Forest Service, Chief’s Office, Washington,DC Patrick Michael Karnahan is one talented individual. As a professional artist and performer, he not only paints some great scenes—including dramatic depictions of firefighting (see Fire Management Today 59[4]: 4–7)—but also writes some great songs performed by his California-based Black Irish Band.   A former firefighter with the USDA Forest Service, Karnahan likes to write songs about natural resource issues, particularly firefighting. In 2005, the Black Irish Band released an entire album of conservation-related songs—some traditional, some original—called Into the Forest. The band was chosen to perform along with many other talented singers, songwriters, and performers (mostly Forest Service employees) at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington,DC, commemorating the Forest Service’s centennial in June/July 2005.   The band turned one of Karnahan’s original songs, called “Into the Fire,” into a stirring video tribute to wildland firefighters. Featuring a full array of firefighting scenes, the video—like the song—captures the toil and sacrifice of firefighters in a way that is both skillful and inspiring. Both the song and the video quickly became favorites in my household, especially with my 6-year-old son, reflecting their potential to instill future generations with respect for the land—and for the firefighters who serve us so well.

 

John O'Regan Brodcaster * Freelance Journalist

32, Singland Crescent Garryowen Limerick Ireland Tel: 061-417302 Int. Tel: 353-61-417302

Up in Sonora in the mountains of Northern California exists the Black Irish Band. Their material mixes historical songs and tunes based on the stories of the Gold Rush and the building of the railroads through California. "Hooligans United" features music of Ireland, America and Italy covering the eclecticism of the ethnic minorities thrown together in their new land of opportunity. "Men of Iron" tells of the building of the Central Pacific Railroad and "Ciela Luna Mezzo Marie" and "Garryowen" reflect the traditions of the Italian and Irish immigrants. Patrick Michael Karnahan's songs are articulate narrative ballads of which "Underneath Montana Skies" stands out while "Rocky Road to Reno" mixes Celtic folk with Spanish brass. "16" sounds vaguely like the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and "Men of Iron" has bluegrass affinities. "Hooligans United" has the Black Irish Band delivering a unique musical history lesson along with some knockout performances.

California Story Review

John O'Regan   Brodcaster * Freelance Journalist

32, Singland Crescent Garryowen Limerick Ireland Tel: 061-417302 Int. Tel: 353-61-417302

Black Irish Band - "California Story" - Black Irish Music Bimcd06

The Black Irish Band is based in Sonora, California and "California Story" is their sixth album. Playing a mixture of traditional and original material they have proven popular and influential in their home area and beyond. this new album is all original with fourteen songs based on historical occurrences, places, and people in California. Musically it ranges from the ballad styles of "Captain Jack" to the more cotemporary folk of "In the High Sierra". Some Mexican inflections emerge on "Sweet Thursday" with its mariachi/Cuban rhythm; and the use of trumpet and melodeon. "The Wreck of Brother Jonathan" tells of a steamship bound for the Pacific Northwest. Patrick Michael Karnahan's songs are strong and distinctive. "California Story" continues the Black Irish Band's odyssey of chronicling local and national history in song admirably. A work of maturity and accomplishment. Lend "California Story" an ear, you won't regret it.

ALBUM RELEASE
Hear The Lonesome Whistle Blow

The Black Irish Band has just released their 11th album entitled Hear The Lonesome Whistle Blow. The album is a celebration of American railroading and features 14 tracks of traditional and original music. For over 13 years, the band has been entertaining people with historical railroad songs and stories. What makes this band and album unique is that most of the songs and the instruments used to play them date back to the 1800's.
     Songwriter Patrick Michael Karnahan has just penned his latest work, Dreams of the Yukon. This story/song tells of the construction of the famous White Pass & Yukon Railroad. The Black Irish Band was hired to perform for the railroad's 100th anniversary last year in the Yukon. Member Michael Lee has also written a new ballad called That Train. This original song is about the decline of passenger train service in the latter part of the 20th Century. Michael's words paint a sad picture to the end of a glorious past.
     Hear The Lonesome Whistle Blow is a celebration of the workers who built the railroads. The opening number, John Henry is the classic story of the African-American steel driver who must prove that man is greater than machine. Men of Iron is an original ballad about the hardships faced by the Chinese workers who blasted down the granite walls of the Sierra Nevada. Another original song, Mick and Paddy tells of the great discrimination faced by the Irish while building the Union Pacific. Mixed in among the original music are many of the traditional favorites and standards that the band have done so well for so many years.
     The Black Irish keep true folk traditions alive on this album by performing such classics as The Wabash Cannonball, Drill Ye Tarriers Drill, Paddy Worked on the Railway, 900 Miles, The Wreck of the Old 97, and The Ballad of Jesse James. The new album also features contemporary songs about today's railroading. The Last Train to Utah is about working long miles on a freight train. The Sierra is an original story/song about California's oldest operating short-line railroad.

If you are interested in great story/songs full of life and alive with history, you will love Hear The Lonesome Whistle Blow! With historic instrumentation and real-life folk spirit, The Black Irish Band will take you back to a time forgotten. Sit back, give it a listen and you will hear the whistle blow.