Some bands are bigger than words. Larger than life, they jump off the page, exceed the parameters of their descriptors. We Banjo 3 is one such band. And thankfully, the four men of We Banjo 3 are soon returning to the U. Sign up today to get daily, up-to-date news and views from Irish America. By now, most Irish festival goers know We Banjo 3, so an introduction may seem superfluous. We Banjo 3 are two sets of brothers: Enda banjo and Fergal fiddle, bodhran Scahill, and Martin banjo and mandolin and David vocals, guitar Howley.
The band also played one of the U. In Boston, the other Irish stronghold of the Northeast U. This impressive rise to fame in the U. The answer comes down to a simple recipe of music mixology. Each of the four band members has a background in traditional Irish music, and collectively they hold a number of All-Ireland titles.
But as We Banjo 3, their music takes a different shape: their harmonies and arrangements dance between trad and American bluegrass. By mixing, they dilute the tradition while still maintaining its core ingredients, creating something new that can contain the foundations of both traditions without the restrictions of classical form.
It allows the tunes to open up, become more accessible internationally. For Enda and his three band members, this kind of synthesis is inherently freeing - a freedom that is palpable in the energy they release onstage.
There is simply no pretension about them, despite their accolades. They break down the distance between stage and audience, so that no barrier - real or imagined - can be felt during their performance. You can hear the crowds responding with cheers to each tune change and singing along with the words to a song. It is just the four of them - four instruments, one lead vocalist - but the energy of their sound nevertheless triples the might of each note and harmony.
