THE STORY OF US
LOCHTUNE started on a dare. Laura & Will were musically goofing off at the Chart House in Lakeville, MN, way past close, when management told them, in no uncertain terms, to a.) GTFO, and b.) don't come back without having put a band together.
The audition that followed covered power ballads, Tim Minchin, and a good deal of territory in-between, and by the end the answer was obvious: what the two of us loved to play together the most were the songs of Scotland, Ireland, and the sea. We brought in our karaoke-host friend Alicia, named the thing Lochtune (after the Loch Toun we call home), and hit the open mic circuit hard. We found Andy at Eagan Arms and Douglas at The Grand in Northfield, and that was that.
We believe that folk music isn't a set of notes you're obliged to reproduce in a particular way with the correct ornaments and phrasing. That sort of thing is for a repertoire that's finished; ours isn't. We play the old songs, we write some new ones, and we count Karine Polwart and The Proclaimers as firmly in the category of Scottish music as Robert Tannahill.
To make art is the goal, but so is to have fun. It's no small part of why folks sang these songs in the first place.
Find us at our monthly gig at Merlins Rest, or any of the spots around town we turn up regularly, including-but-not-limited-to: The Dubliner in St. Paul, Chart House in Lakeville, and The Grand Event Center in Northfield. We've played what's now called the Twin Cities Irish Fest, the Minnesota Viking Festival, and headlined the Heathen's Den Stage at the Minnesota Scottish Fair & Highland Games. This year, we're also making music at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival!
We've even gotten on the radio, having enjoyed spots on KCHK's Live Music Friday, and Minnesota Homebrew on Pioneer 90.1. Our album, By the Loch, came out in 2025.
WHO WE ARE
Will Armstrong -- vocals, mandolin, fiddle, whistles. Frontman by default, being the most extraverted of a band of introverts. Came up playing classical Viola with the Mississippi Valley Orchestra before deciding his music-making should be freer and looser than that. He's the one who digs up the old songs and the stories behind them, and he's the band's shantyman, though he does considerably more shanty-singing than actual sailing; he's pretty much who Gordon Lightfoot meant when he said "the islands and bays are for sportsmen." Degree in mathematics, which explains much of his personality.
Laura Rakiewicz -- vocals, guitar. Married to Will, which she handles with grace. The band's pub song authority: seventies revival through last year, Clancy Brothers to Flogging Molly. Architectural designer by day and the band's visual artist -- posters, album art, all of it. Knows just enough chords to be dangerous and plays them straight, while singing like a lifelong Jim Steinman fan.
Andy Frizzell -- vocals, octave mandolin, cajón, bodhrán. The musician's musician of the group, from a family that's been playing old-time, bluegrass, and Celtic music since before he turned up. Piano technician by trade. Can play any song in any key, a claim the rest of us test regularly and have yet to disprove.
Douglas Hamilton -- vocals, bass. Joined in 2026. A songwriter in his own right, with a track that made it on to Dr. Demento. He spent years in the West Country in England playing American roots music with Appalachia (check them out!), now he's back on this side of the pond playing the music of those islands with us. Commutes from a hobby farm in Nerstrand, MN, so he holds the record for longest haul to a gig.
Alicia Lowe -- founding member, and now the band's manager and social media department. Stepped back from the stage to spend more time with her family, but she remains the finest singer this band has ever had. If she's at a show with a camera in hand, there's a decent chance she comes up for one.