WE BANJO 3 will kick off their “Earth & Sky” tour in the U.S. on February 9th
in Kent, Washington, culminating with a two night stint at The Ark in Ann Arbor in late March. Beginning March 8th, We Banjo 3 will be joined by Scottish band TALISK, who were recently named “Folk Band Of The Year 2017” at the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards.
We Banjo 3 is one of most innovative and highly respected bands in Ireland today and includes two sets of brothers, Enda & Fergal Scahill and Martin & David Howley. Featuring banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, percussion and vocals, their sound is an infectious blend of traditional Irish Music with Americana, bluegrass, and a hint of pop, affectionately described as “Celtgrass.”
The crossover appeal of We Banjo 3 to fans of many genres of music and the intensity of the their live show have made them a staple headlining act at some of the biggest Irish and music festivals around the world. Barry Stapleton of the Milwaukee Irish Fest comments, “We Banjo 3 hit the sweet spot of where Irish, Celtic, bluegrass and Americana meet. A WB3 show is always ‘in the moment’ and each show brings a surprise or two…they are musically creative, spontaneous and fun, and always engage their audience.”
With simply too many awards and accolades to list, the band continues to draw attention from music journalists as well as from their peers. 2016 found the band performing for President Barack Obama and Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny and their 4th album, String Theory, going to # 1 on the Billboard World Albums Chart. Galway Advertiser named them “Galway Band Of The Year 2016.” In December of 2017, Songlines, a highly regarded world music magazine based in the U.K., included the band’s 2014 release, Gather The Good, in their list of “Top 10 Essential Irish Albums”.
We Banjo 3’s “Light In The Western Sky” U.S. tour in 2017 took the band from coast to coast and was dedicated to spreading the word about suicide prevention and mental health issues. The band wrote and performed a song, “Don’t Let Me Down”, dedicated to this, and spoke to audiences about the importance of acknowledging those who suffer. Proceeds from the sales of a special t-shirt raised funds for Pieta House West in Galway. Subsequently, the band was awarded the “Musician’s Humanitarian Award” by the Irish American News.
The focus of the “Earth & Sky” tour is for the band to bring as much joy and happiness to their audiences in the turbulent times in which we live. Martin Howley comments, “Every human, regardless of status, creed or color, lives between the earth & sky. More than ever we need some joy and harmony, so hopefully we’re coming to a venue near you and we can spread a little banjo happiness! And we’re delighted to welcome Scottish super group Talisk to the tour.”
The itinerary for We Banjo 3 is as follows (with all dates subject to change):
Fri, Feb 9 — Kent, WA – Kent Meridian High Schoolt,
Sat, Feb 10 — Bellingham, WA – Mount Baker Theatre
Sun, Feb 11 — Portland, OR – Aladdin Theatre
Mon, Feb 12 — Sisters, OR – Sisters High School
Wed, Feb 14 — Tucson, AZ – Berger Performing Arts Center
Thurs, Feb 15 — Flagstaff, AZ – Sinagua Middle School
Fri, Feb 16 — Phoenix, AZ – Musical Instrument Museum
Sat-Sun, Feb 17-18 — Pleasanton, CA – Firehouse Arts Center
Sun, Feb 18 — Mill Valley, CA – Sweetwater Music Hall
Thurs, Mar 1 — Old Saybrook, CT – Katharine Hepburn Arts Center
Fri, Mar 2 — Boothbay Harbor, ME – Opera House
Sat, Mar 3 — Brownfield, ME – Stone Mountain Arts Center
Sun, Mar 4 — Somerville, MA – The Rockwell
Tues, Mar 6 — Washington, DC – The Hamilton
Wed, Mar 7 — Frederick, MD – Weinberg Center for the Arts
Thurs, Mar 8 — Peninsula, OH – G.A.R Hall*
Fri, Mar 9 — Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theatre*
Sat, Mar 10 — Madison, WI – Wisconsin Union Theatre*
Sun, Mar 11— Green Bay, WI – Meyer Theatre*
Tues, Mar 13 — Stevens Point, WI – UW at Stevens Point*
Wed, Mar 14 — Chicago, IL – City Winery*
Thurs, Mar 15 — Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center*
Fri-Sat, Mar 16-17 — St Cloud, MN – Paramount Theatre*
Sun, Mar 18 — Nashville, TN – Music City Irish Festival*
Wed, Mar 21 — Port Clinton, OH – The Listening Room*
Thurs, Mar 22 — Muncie, IN – Ball State University*
Fri, Mar 23 — Cincinnati, OH – Live at Ludlow Garage*
Sat-Sun, Mar 24-25 — Ann Arbor, MI –The Ark*
*with TALISK
