We Banjo 3
A Winter Wonderful
Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 7:30 PM at South Orange Performing Arts Center
A spirited “Celt-grass” family band from Galway, Ireland, We Banjo 3 delivers a crowd-pleasing fusion of traditional Irish music, Celtic Bluegrass and Americana that continues to reach freshly dizzying heights.
“It’s as if the Punch Brothers, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and the Chieftans all got together for a battle of the bands but decided to pool their resources instead. The future of World music has arrived. –Elmore Magazine
One of the best live acts to come out of Ireland in recent years, the multi-award winning We Banjo 3 combine supergroup credentials with a breath-taking command of the emotive power of fiddle, guitar, mandolin and banjo. Any single member of this group could a electrify a venue with a solo performance, but together, in the joyous musical alchemy of We Banjo 3, the result is truly unforgettable. Simply put, the gold standard of Irish and American Roots music.
We Banjo 3
Debuting in the US in 2012, We Banjo 3 has since emerged as fast-rising touring darlings in the country that two of the members now call home. The Galway, Ireland, and Nashville-based quartet––comprised of two sets of brothers, Enda & Fergal Scahill and Martin & David Howley––continually push musical boundaries while maintaining an unwavering devotion to the essential audience experience. WB3 seamlessly converge the shared and varied traditions of Americana, Bluegrass, and Celtic music with pop-sensible songcraft to create a truly unique and gratifying signature sound. Brilliantly commanded instruments––banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and percussion––effortlessly elevate lead singer David Howley’s propulsive voice. Live on stage, their songs carry the listener along until, at the perfect moment, the band crescendos into catchy choruses with pitch perfect harmonies. We Banjo 3 deliver their music with such palpable rapport, stunning precision, and infectious energy, it’s impossible to pigeonhole what kind of listener might suddenly consider themselves a WB3 fan. With recent stunning performances at such broad ranging festivals Merlefest, BottleRock, Summercamp, ROMP, Wintergrass and others, enthusiasts of almost every genre of music are taking notice.
Actor, comedian and musician Steve Martin says of the band, “We Banjo 3…are making waves…here in America. They are playing the banjo in a style that I didn’t even know could be played like that.” Northwest Cultural Blog said, “There are few adjectives left to describe the authenticity and the electrifying experience
you get when you first see/hear We Banjo 3 live on stage…It’s the incorporation of each and every one of its members, their individual charisma, their energy, their passion and their very soul, that makes them one of the greatest live musical acts the world has to offer today.”
We Banjo 3 released their 6th CD, Roots To Rise Live, in July of 2019 in conjunction of the band’s summer and fall 2019 US tours. Recorded at The Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the CD features a mix of original material, traditional compositions, select cover songs, and two previously unreleased tunes. The CD
debuted at the beginning of August at # 1 on Billboard’s Bluegrass Albums Chart spending 4 weeks in the peak position. The band’s 2018 studio recording, Haven, spent 3 weeks at # 1 on that chart, marking the first time an Irish band held the # 1 position on this chart. When Haven re-entered the chart at # 5 in August 2019, joining Roots To Rise Live at the #1 position, WB3 made history again as the only Irish band to hold two top-5 chart positions simultaneously. Of Roots To Rise Live, Songlines Magazine reviewed “…this album by Celtgrass pioneers We Banjo 3 scorches its way through a rollercoaster set colliding their native Galway heritage with liberal helpings of blistering bluegrass and a telling nod to pop music.”
We Banjo 3 is committed to giving back to the community, and raising awareness around the issue of mental health which is a cause that is dear to their hearts. Toward this effort, We Banjo 3 donate $2.00 for every t-shirt and CD sold on their US tours to organizations that work to provide mental health resources. In
2019, WB3 raised $7500.00 for Mental Health America, the nation’s leading community-based nonprofit dedicated to addressing the needs of those living with mental illness and to promoting the mental health of all Americans. For 2020, We Banjo 3 was pleased to partner with start-up not-for-profit Backline. Backline
works to support the mental health of music industry professionals and their families by providing streamlined access to mental health and wellness services and educational resources specific to the work and lifestyle of the music industry community. For more information on Backline, visit www.backline.care.