RUSSELL WELLNER SHARES THE TRUE STORY OF A RETIRED LOGGER ON “JAMES’ SONG”
Rousing frontier-folk single arrives October 8, 2026, telling the story of one man’s reckoning with the ancient forests he cut down
TORONTO, ON — September 2026 — Singer-songwriter and environmental activist Russell Wellner will release his new single “James’ Song” on October 8, 2026, introducing a new era for the Toronto-based folk artist with a vivid, character-driven story about Canada’s disappearing old-growth forests.
Part frontier folk ballad, part environmental anthem, “James’ Song” tells the true story of a retired British Columbia logger who approached Wellner during his time living on Vancouver Island and shared the story of his decades working in the forests of coastal B.C. What began as a chance conversation in Tofino became the unlikely inspiration for one of Wellner’s most ambitious songs to date.
Wellner was living on Vancouver Island, where he was actively involved with the Fairy Creek Blockades and the movement to protect old-growth forests in the province, when he met James. The former logger told Wellner about his career cutting down some of the enormous ancient trees that once dominated the region. Decades later, he carried deep regret over the damage he had witnessed and participated in.
Before they parted, James asked Wellner to do what he could to speak for the last ancient forests still standing.
Wellner did exactly that.
“I tried to capture the full arc of his story,” explains Wellner. “The first part of the song is James at 20 years old, starting a career that he thinks will be a wild adventure in Clayoquot Sound. Then he realizes the power that he wields — cutting down trees over a thousand years old — and how that begins to wear his morality thin. There are few instances where a single human being can have such a profound and devastating impact. An old-growth cedar can be brought down in a matter of minutes that took 1800 years to grow. In the second half, James looks back with remorse and shame, and the song shifts from frontier folk into an environmental anthem calling to save the last of the ancient forests. ”
The result is a gritty, cinematic song that moves through the eyes of a single character while confronting a much larger Canadian story.
Musically, Wellner describes “James’ Song” as “rousing frontier folk with a gritty industrial edge”, combining vivid storytelling with the raw energy of the landscapes and industries it depicts. The song draws inspiration from Canadian folk traditions, outlaw country, and Americana, while also incorporating influences from modern musical theatre.
Wellner, who studied theatre and has a background as an actor, approached the song almost like a dramatic scene. Inspired by the narrative structures of works such as Hamilton and Hadestown, “James’ Song” moves through a distinct character arc rather than remaining fixed in a static perspective. At moments, Wellner abandons traditional singing for a spoken, Johnny Cash-inspired delivery, reinforcing the feeling of an old story being recounted around a fire or along a dusty road.
The song is filled with details taken directly from James’ recollections.
One of the most striking lines — “The sight of when the fallen cedars’ blood began to pour” — comes from James recounting the moment his chainsaw entered a western red cedar. Because the trees are so rich in resin and water, James remembered the red liquid pouring from the cut and appearing like blood.
Another lyric recalls a moment when James was instructed to crawl beneath a logging machine and change its oil over a creek bed, ultimately pouring approximately 100 litres of oil directly into the water.
“These aren't metaphors I invented,” says Wellner. “Everything in ‘James’ Song’ is true.”
The song also examines the complicated relationship between workers, industry and environmental destruction. Wellner deliberately tells the story from the perspective of the worker. Rather than placing blame solely on individual loggers, he acknowledges the burden carried by people whose livelihoods are tied to the industry while pointing toward the larger role of governments and private logging companies in the loss of ancient forests.
For Wellner, that distinction is essential.
“I wanted to share a perspective that isn’t from the protesters’ side, that acknowledges the worker,” he says. “The worker is not responsible for the mass devastation of our forests. That is a burden for the logging companies and governments to bear.”
The urgency behind the song is personal, but it is also environmental. Wellner points to the dramatic decline of ancient forests across Canada as a reason the story needs to be heard now.
His connection to old-growth forests began long before Fairy Creek. Growing up in Toronto, Wellner was taken by his environmentalist parents to the redwoods of Northern California when he was eight years old. The scale of those ancient forests left a lasting impression. Years later, at 21, while living on Vancouver Island, he found himself participating in the Fairy Creek Blockades and became deeply immersed in the history of old-growth forests and their rapid disappearance.
It was during this period that Wellner began writing a collection of environmental and activist songs, including “When the Forest Calls for Help,” which became an anthem for the movement and gained significant traction on social media.
“James’ Song” is the first of that collection to receive a full studio recording and marks what Wellner considers the beginning of a new chapter in his career.
Recorded and produced by Sam Gleason, lead guitarist for Tim Baker, the single brings together a group of musicians whose performances complement its earthy, expansive sound. Elise Boeur contributes fiddle, Charles James plays double bass, while Gleason adds bouzouki and slide guitar. Wellner performs vocals and acoustic guitar, recorded on a 1963 Texan acoustic guitar. The track was mastered by João Carvalho Mastering.
For Wellner, working with Gleason was a natural fit. After becoming a fan of Gleason’s work through his performances with Tim Baker, the two developed a friendship in early 2026. When Wellner discovered that Gleason’s home studio had hosted artists including Charlotte Cornfield, he knew he had found the right environment to bring “James’ Song” to life.
Visually, the single’s artwork — created by Victoria, B.C.-based artist Hayden Roth — captures the visceral power at the centre of the song: a person standing atop the massive stump of a tree that took centuries, even millennia, to grow, confronted with the realization that it could be destroyed in minutes. The release campaign will extend the song’s story beyond the recording itself, with Wellner planning short-form content across TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, behind-the-scenes and studio material, live performance content, and a dedicated series of forest education and environmental activism segments.
A live version of “James’ Song,” recorded during Wellner’s headline performance at Burdock Music Hall, is planned for release in early 2027, followed by a six-song EP currently scheduled to enter production in early 2027. And somewhere out there is the man who started it all. Wellner never learned James’ last name and has not seen him since their conversation in Tofino. “If you’re out there, James — this one’s for you.”
“James’ Song” by Russell Wellner is available October 8, 2026.
About Russell Wellner
Russell Wellner is a rousing activist folk singer whose music combines vivid storytelling, raw acoustic energy and a deep love of nature. Equipped with voice, acoustic guitar, harmonica, and a stomping boot, he has grown from a kid busking on the streets of Toronto into a dynamic touring artist.
A trained actor, Wellner approaches songwriting as storytelling, bringing uniquely Canadian characters and histories to life with songs that can be revolutionary, humorous, and optimistic in equal measure. His years living on Vancouver Island inspired his environmental songwriting and activism, including music written during his involvement with the Fairy Creek Blockades and the fight to protect British Columbia’s old-growth forests.
“James’ Song” marks a new chapter for Wellner and the beginning of a more focused body of work exploring the relationship between people, industry and the natural world.
When he isn't writing, travelling or performing, Wellner can be found walking the streets of Toronto, searching for cracks in the concrete where nature is once again taking hold.
