WeBanjo3

New Group of the Year– We Banjo 3
We Banjo 3 will sweep the boards in 2013 as the hottest thing in the tradition. Get on board early, as they are a stunning example of current brilliance in trad. The addition of Fegal Scahill to the group, along with his brother, Enda, plus Martin and David Howey means that they will continue to reach across all tastes in Irish music. Every few years there is a massive explosion of a new group on to the scene. Get ready and put on your sunglasses. This one is occurring right now. Fantastic stuff from young, master musicians.

Concert of the Year –We Banjo 3 – IrishFest Milwaukee
We saw so many performances this year that we found ourselves debating, how to choose, since they were all fantastic Let’s consider the most impactful—that would be We Banjo 3’s run at IrishFest in Milwaukee. IrishFest has a mini preview night on Thursday evening before their annual August weekend begins. We Banjo 3 performed at that Thursday night event and the word went out on the jungle drums. Holy mackerel, you’ve gotta see this! Not yet familiar with this brand new group, IrishFest had scheduled them in what everyone calls the “pub tent”-a lovely little venue on the end of the grounds that seats about 100 people comfortably. By Friday night, the crowd was standing 2-3 deep, to catch the lads. On Saturday and Sunday, the crowds were standing 6-7 deep with even more turning away because they couldn’t get close enough to even hear. We were supposed to introduce them, but got there a half hour early and already it was so packed that we could not get through the crowd to the stage! From what we can see, essentially every concert of theirs since has been sold out. This group, like other iconic ensembles before them, seems to bridge the gap from the pure Irish traditionalist, to the more modern lover of the sound. Outstanding vocals from David Howey round out the picture that he, Enda Scahill, Martin Howey, and Fegal Scahill all create. That’s right. Two sets of brothers in perfect musical harmony. In all our years, we have never seen a stunning opening like this by a traditional group. The current talk of the business, and rightly so.
- www.liveireland.com

We Banjo 3. For openers: They were absolutely the hottest show at this year’s Irish Fest in Milwaukee. The group’s album is Roots of the Banjo Tree. Audiences kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger for the band as the weekend featured the birth of a new force in Irish music, and boy!!, did everyone know it! The legendary Enda Scahill left the iconic Brock-McGuire Group to found this, and has hit a stunner.

Joined by brother Fergal on every instrument but banjo, the lads are then joined by the Howey brothers, Martin and David. We WERE a bit trepidatious about the group, thinking that three banjos, even in the hands of masters, could be a bit wearing. Add in mandolins, guitars and Fergal’s All-Ireland fiddle and bodhran work, plus David’s spectacular voice, and then you have it. VERY special.

The whole album is wonderful They are equal to it in the live performance, as well. New Group of the Year. No doubt. As usual, you are hearing about this here first. Mark it well. Holy moley!! - Irish American News

Considering the place that the banjo holds in old time and bluegrass music it would seem the most natural thing for someone to mix it in with traditional Irish. We Banjo 3 have done just that. The result is an invigorating and magical exploration. It mixes North Carolina with North Sligo and southwards to the home of the Flanagan brothers and their seminal 1920's recording Tunes We Like To Play on Paddy's Day. Inspired by this and the songs of Ole Bella Reed, Virginia fiddler Ed Haley, Uncle Bunt Stevens and a whole range of other characters we take a journey with We Banjo 3 and their fellow musicians for what is an original themed album that works on many levels.

It works because the musicianship and production is of the highest order. The songs and tunes, be they American or Irish, dove tale well together to present a very coherent album. There is a strong unifying theme that runs through the music and songs of both nations with the songs in particular holding a strong resonance for Irish ears. We Banjo 3 also excel in the way they marry together the tunes with sophisticated rhythm changes and shifts in phrasing. Bill Cheatum/Kitchen Girl/The Donegal Lass is a perfect example of this with Tennessee fiddle tunes from 1899 flowing into a 1966 Virginia tune and on into a jig composed by Armagh whistle player Brian Finnegan.

The music being produced in this country has come of age and We Banjo 3 which consists of Enda Scahill, Martin Howley and David Howley exemplify this. Together with special guests Fergal Scahill, Lousie Holden, Gerry O'Connor, Leon Hunt and James Blennerhassett they have created something special. A banjo inspired album has never sounded so good, so pleasing to the ear or so inventive in its approach. It's a thoroughly enjoyable affair, and the mix of styles work. Irish musicians are taking big strides of late and are getting bolder in what they are willing to take on. A new creative swagger seems to have washed over them and whether its recording straight traditional or mixing it with other styles or genres they are newly inspired. For creative spirit you will not be left wanting and Roots of The Banjo Tree has this in abundance. Get it, and then get a banjo, cause "we need more banjos in this world". - Tradconnect.com

Having enjoyed the album Roots of The Banjo Tree by We Banjo 3 the opportunity to see them live could not be passed up. It won The Irish Times album of 2012 award and set them on course for a tour of live shows. Could their stage shows live up to their studio album and be as entertaining? Their makeup consists of brothers Martin and David Howley on, well, banjo and brothers Enda and Fergal Scahill on banjo and fiddle. In truth they mix it up quite a bit with at times two banjo's supplemented with David on guitar and Fergal on fiddle/guitar and bodhrán. This needs to be stated because the numerically challenged We Banjo 3 are in fact 4. Another fact that needs to be dispelled to anyone unaware of their music, and who may be potentially put off by the sheer thought of 3 banjos on one stage is that what these boys have concocted with their mixture of Irish traditional, Old-Time and Bluegrass is nothing short of exceptional. Whether by fault or design they have stumbled into a mix that is the basis for a fabulously entertaining show as they mix these styles into a seamless tapestry of sound. The challenge of mixing other genres into our tradition is significant. Many acts do it with maybe a couple of sets dedicated to European music to satisfy their creative desires. Too much and the audience may lose focus and the natural flow of the show can dip. This is not the case here.

The way that We Banjo 3 have integrated this American music into their show has to be admired. As a listener you start to forget where the Irish traditional ends and the Old-Time or Bluegrass begins such is the dovetailing of the tunes. You also start to forget that this is a banjo show, which may seem like an odd statement. Add in David Howley with some great guitar work and a number of great songs and you have a very appealing mix. This takes them into other areas that mix folk with Americana or near Pop and it all fits very well indeed. This makes for a potent show that has the ability to entertain and is the creative hub that makes this group tick. They cover a lot of material from their debut album with some news songs and tunes added. Fergal Scahill gives a tremendous bodhrán solo in a fun and entertaining way and their general onstage chemistry and interaction perfectly reflects the ebb and flow of the music. We Banjo 3 are one of the best new acts to emerge in the last decade or so. They have merged and moulded their music into a show that has infinite room for development and a second album must surely follow. Can they build on this and reach new creative peaks? We would hope so. There would seem to be a lot more creative juice left in the tank. They are a breath of fresh musical air on our traditional landscape and will remain so for some time to come. Their music and stage performance is simply outstanding. Their tour continues and if you get a chance to see them, take it. - Tradconnect.com

THIS CD WILL HOPEFULLY ONE DAY BE CONSIDERED ON A PAR (IN FOLK MUSIC TERMS) WITH SAY THE FIRST TIME YOU HEARD STEELEYE SPAN OR FAIRPORT CONVENTION - UKFolkMusic.co.uk

ROOTS OF THE BANJO TREE IS FILLED WITH ABSOLUTELY VIRTUOSIC BANJO PLAYING. SCAHILL AND THE HOWLEYS ARE TECHNICALLY SOPHISTICATED AND STYLISTICALLY ADVENTURESOME IN A WAY RARELY HEARD IN IRISH MUSIC........THE FINAL TUNE BURSTS IN WITH AN INTRICATE NEOTRAD ARRANGEMENT THAT FEATURES SOME SERIOUSLY PYROTECHNIC PLAYING - The Irish Echo

THE IRISH-AMERICAN CROSSOVER HAS BEEN ATTEMPTED BEFORE, BUT NEVER SO GLORIOUSLY OTT AND WITH SUCH PANACHE....MUSICALLY VIRTUOSIC, WE BANJO 3 HIT THEIR BULLS-EYES WITH PRECISION AND MAXIMUM EFFECT - STAGGERING - fRoots

THE WONDROUS WEAVE OF ENDA SCAHILL’S BANJO WITH THOSE OF BROTHERS MARTIN AND DAVID HOWLEY, ALONG WITH THE TRIO’S OTHER TIGHT-KNIT INSTRUMENTATION AND DAVID’S UNIQUELY EXPRESSIVE VOCALS, MAKES WE BANJO 3’S ROOTS OF THE BANJO TREE ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE DEBUT RECORDINGS IN SEVERAL YEARS. THESE ULTRA-TALENTED IRISH PERFORMERS DELIVER HALLOWED MUSICAL TRADITIONS FROM IRELAND AND AMERICA WITH A FRESHNESS AND FINESSE BORDERING ON MAGICAL - Earle Hitchner

Roots of the Banjo Tree, Independent Release ****
It’s a rehabilitation that Betty Ford would be proud of. The banjo, that much-maligned instrument of torture, sometimes wielded by players on more intimate terms with volume than musicianship, is stepping back into the limelight with chutzpah and panache.
Enda Scahill, the fulcrum of this awkwardly named trio (soon to become a foursome with the impending arrival of Enda’s brother Feargal on fiddle), had already raised the bar with his 2000 spitfire solo debut, Pick It Up. A dozen years on and We Banjo 3 sees him united with two of former students: brothers Martin and David Howley.
The band’s chosen title is somewhat misleading, as other instruments abound on this thoughtful, spacious collection. Mandolin and guitar play strong roles in the foundation of WB3’s sound, and just three tune sets feature solely banjos. Of these, Over the Waterfall/ Liberty Polka, a Virginian/ Québécois pairing, rattles and hums with such intricacy that one suspects it might be impossible to sunder musicians from tunes in a live setting.
Roots of the Banjo Tree traces the circuitous route taken by the banjo on its slave-ship journey from Africa to the southern US and onwards into Irish traditional music. The rich store of songs and tunes criss-cross the Mason-Dixon Line and continental shelves with remarkable fluency.
Old-timey Americana, bluegrass and Irish threads interweave, with David Howley’s charismatic vocals effortlessly hammocking the entire affair. His reading of Ola Bella Reed’s Gonna Write Me a Letter (with additional vocals from I Draw Slow’s Louise Holden) sets the tone of muscular interpretation, suggesting a musician with more road miles than his age might suggest.
Instrumentally, We Banjo 3’s attention to detail is a joy to unfurl with each successive listen, and their invitation to Gerry ‘Banjo’ O’Connor to lead on his own air, Time to Time, is an apt cap-doffing to one of the central roots of the banjo tree of the album’s title.
At times, the rich mix of banjo, guitar, mandolin, double bass and fiddle whispers of a kinship to double bassist Charlie Haden’s Rambling Boy, with an ear firmly cocked to the crossroads where past and present coalesce. webanjo3.com - Irish Times