THE DIGGERS

"You can taste the Guinness in their music!"

BILL MISIUK, JOHN L. SULLIVAN and LEN WALLACE are The DIGGERS, a trio of singing and playing the best of Irish and Scottish folk music with tight performances, sweet harmonies and tunes that steal your breath away.

Based in the Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario areas, they've made a name for themselves in a nexus that stretches from southwestern Ontario to northern Michigan, Chicago, Illinois to Ohio and they have become favorites in many Irish and Scottish communities.

Their delivery is powerful and passionate. Bill is the steady and innovative bass guitar player providing the group's heartbeat and drive and can be seen on stage early devising new arrangements and revising old licks. John, on acoustic guitar, is the group's centre with clear, ringing vocal leads giving his all be it a raucous pub song or the softer ballad. Len the accordionist (and a national Canadian champion) gearing himself to rev up the audience while preparing a set of pyrotechnical reels to take your breath away.

The ten years have passed quickly they say. They've worked to bring their vast personal experiences together into a tight and powerful stage presence. Two recordings havde been produced - The DIGGERS and THE DIGGERS LIVE. They are currently in the process of putting together a third.

Len Wallace has three recordings of his own (Open The Doors, Winds of Change and Midnight Shift. He also appears on three compilation albums and his hot squeezebox stylings can be heard on the recordings of many other musicians. His fourth recording, CULTURE SHOCKed will be released in 2007.

A Diggers performance poster tells one that there is No nonsense. No gimmicks. No Compromise." John L. admits The closest we ever came to a gimmick was when Len painted his face blue a la Braveheart style for our mainstage appearance at Windsor, Ontario's Celtic Festival". Their performance was given a standing ovation.

It's very true. There are no tricks here to sell themselves with the latest fads. "We don't need to jump around the stage and scream out lyrics," says John L. "The music speaks for itself."

What makes The Diggers different from other groups?

"Harmonies," says John L. "It's not very often you find groups treating Irish songs in three way harmony. And we pay a lot of attention to that and maintaining the integrity of the music, the way it was meant to be played."

Bill adds, It's often been commented that we have a very broad repertoire. We perform a whole range of Celtic music from the traditional to the contemporary."

They have performed in a broad range of venues from Irish pubs to concert stages, folk clubs to Celtic music festivals - well known pub songs, songs of Irish rebellion and Ireland’s historical struggles, Scottish Jacobite war songs, the Canadian east coast tradition, songs of the past century emigration, turn of the century Tin Pan Alley, ballads, and reels, jigs, hornpipes, set dances. They know the book and they know it well.

"Yes, we like the rebel tunes of Ireland and Scotland," says Bill. "They're a part of history, often an unwritten history about the fight for freedom you won't find in many textbooks. That's important to us."

Notes John L., "Today we tend to forget that even the pub songs are about real people's lives, about real events. The songs detail everyday occurences, people's hopes and dreams. It's a part of the collective consciousness of ordinary people."

Len states that musicians have a responsibility to the audience. "We're serious about the quality of the music we perform. It's too easy these days to appeal to the lowest common denominator with noise, hype and bravado. The art of Celtic music is the art of nuance."

He adds, "In a world where people no longer relate to live music we have the responsibility to raise the quality of performance and to inform as we entertain."
Ten years have passed and they are going strong.

WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT THE DIGGERS:

"Powerful, passionate and high energy"
- Dan Armstrong, Pres., Detroit Gaelic League, Irish-American Club

"The Diggers? Definitely crowd pleasers!"
- Tommy Murray, Conor O'Neill's, Ann Arbor, Michigan

"The Diggers are simply the best...
They're great musicians and singers."
- Heath Chandler, The Kildare House, Windsor, Ontario

CONTACT THE DIGGERS:

John L. Sullivan
Tel: 519 848-6377
jlsullivan45@msn.com


Bill Misiuk
24539 W. Warren, Dearborn Heights Michigan 48127 USA
Tel: 313 277-1886
WMisiuk@aol.com


Len Wallace
346 Randolph Street Windsor Ontario N9B 2T6 Canada
Tel: 519 973-3981
lwallace@mnsi.net

The DIGGERS' RECORDINGS:

In 2001 The DIGGERS came out with their first CD, simply titled The DIGGERS
The recordings features 14 cuts which include: 1. Johnny Brown 2. Morning Glory
3. Dublin Jack of All Trades 4. From Clare to Here 5. Town of Ballybay
6. When I Was a Lad 7. Carrickfergus 8. The Crack was Ninety in the Isle of Man
9. Reels: New England Reel/Drowsy Maggie/Swallows Tail
10. The Ould Triangle 11. Look at the Coffin 12. Whiskey in the Jar 13. The Parting Glass
14. Levellers & Diggers / The World Turned Upside Down

It's a great collection of songs and instrumentals. Buy one for yourself. Buy one for a friend.
Better yet - Buy one for an enemy! Not only is it good music, the CD cases make great coasters for
your pint of HARP or GUINNESS!

U.S. orders send $15.00 + $2.00 postage and handling to Bill Misiuk (address above)
make check payable to Bill Misiuk
Canadian orders send $20 (postage included) to Len Wallace (address above).




The DIGGERS LIVE! -
Recorded live for a packed house at The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Hall in Warren, Michigan
Includes: 1. On The One Road 2. The Merry Ploughboy 3. Come Out Ye Black and Tans 4. Boys of Wexford 5. Streets of New York 6. I'll Tell My Ma 7. The Mermaid 8. Sergeant William Bailey 9. Old King Cole 10. Spancil Hill 11. Reels: Tam Lin/Jackson's/The Four Stroke Reel/Martin O'Connor's Flying Cog 12. Connaught Rangers 13. Boys of the Old Brigade 14. The Broad Black Brimmer 15. Celtic Symphony

DIGGERS PERFORMANCE DATES

For The DIGGERS performance dates, CLICK HERE

Visit the web pages of Diggers Accordionist/Singer LEN WALLACE by clicking HERE

And Len Wallace's Recordings HERE



For a great web site to find Irish, Scottish, English, Welsh song lyrics visit:
Irish Song Search
Celtic Music on the Internet

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