We Banjo 3: a natural blend

Music | January 18th, 2017

This weekend, We Banjo 3 will be performing at the Top Hat Theater in Ulen MN. Combining the sounds of modern folk and traditional Irish music, the band promises an evening of fun and laughter for all ages.

We Banjo 3 incorporates banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, vocals, and percussion to achieve their unique sound. The band is headed by two sets of brothers: Enda Scahill, Fergal Scahill, Martin Howley, and David Howley. The group grew up in Galway, Ireland, developing their skills and experiencing aspects of both old and new musical traditions.

For the Howley brothers, the incorporation of music into their early lives led to the realization that Irish and American sounds make for an easy pairing. “From a very early age,” said David, “I spent a lot of my childhood listening to my dad singing a mixture of Irish songs and American songs. It built this amazing connection between the two--they were not independent of each other. We listened to both Irish and American music, almost at the same time, and what that did for us as kids was really break down the distinction between the two.”

Irish music is distinguished by its aural quality and its roots in the rural Celtic society that inhabited Ireland for years. England’s attempts to suppress the music only helped to strengthen it, and it remains popular among both older and younger people.

“The English invaded 800 years ago and started to subjugate the Irish,” said Martin, “and in that regime they banned Irish music. It became an underground cultural movement. Through banning it, they strengthened it. That’s kind of the paradox that we’ve seen through historic music cultures, once they become an underground, subjugated things, they tend to grow all the stronger for it. The Irish would play it, and people would dance to it. It’s lively, very instrumental, and as a sound it’s very unique. It’s a really ancient music that has a haunting sound that’s different from pop music or the modern forms.”

Historically, Irish music has also helped to shape the identity of American folk and country songs, contributing to the meld of the two genres that We Banjo 3 utilizes. As Irish musicians settled in the Appalachian foothills, they joined with other musicians from other backgrounds to create what would eventually evolve into modern bluegrass.

“There’s a deep connection there,” said Martin. “We as a band became interested in exploring the idea of connecting bluegrass and Irish music, not in a superficial way, but by delving into it in a fusion environment. That’s the result, the sonic sound of We Banjo 3 is a melding of those two.”

As well as blending two musical traditions, We Banjo 3 seeks to breath new life into how certain instruments are played, seen in their revitalization of the banjo.

“We took the banjo in Ireland,” said David, “which was probably an underrated instrument, probably as they say much maligned at the time, and we created a soundscape with it. Instead of playing the banjo in this harsh, aggressive style, the almost machine gun style that was previously played, it ended up that we wanted to explore the different sounds that it could create. That kind of led to a lot of the creation of a lot of the music we played, because it allowed us to open the door to the sweeter melodic playing, and also it opened itself up for the lyrical side of the instrument.”

We Banjo 3 released their fourth album, “String Theory” in the summer of last year. The culmination of six years of touring and playing, they hoped the album would act as a refuge of positivity in the midst of the hatred that the world could foster. This philosophy carries over in their live performance as well.

“Love is something that’s built into all of us when we were born,” said David, “but hatred is a learned reaction. We have to learn to protect ourselves against that. We want to open the door for people to come into our show, to leave their troubles outside, have a great time, and have a great time with people who are very different than they might be. You might have a different opinion politically, and you might have a different opinion religiously, but in that moment it doesn’t matter. In that moment, you’re just two human beings, having a great time, having a laugh, dancing, listening to terrible jokes, and listening to music. For us, I think that’s our mission statement. We want to be remembered as a band that did a lot to spread kindness and love and happiness.”

This weekend, stop by the Top Hat Theatre and discover happiness just around the corner with We Banjo 3.

IF YOU GO

We Banjo 3

Saturday, January 21, doors 6:30pm, show 7:30

Top Hat Theatre, 27 2nd Street NW, Ulen, Minn.

All ages, Adults $15, students $10

http://www.thetophattheatre.com/