We Banjo 3
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We Banjo 3 was a band from
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
, Ireland that played a blend of traditional Irish, old time, and
bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Bluegrass has roots in African America ...
they called Celtgrass. The band was composed of two sets of brothers,
Enda Scahill Enda Scahill is an Irish banjo player from Corofin, County Galway. He is a four-time All-Ireland Champion and has performed with The Fureys, Frankie Gavin and The Chieftains. He is an ex-member of The Brock McGuire Band. In 2006, he released ...
and Fergal Scahill and Martin and David Howley. Earle Hitchner, music writer for ''
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'', described their playing as a "freshness and finesse bordering on the magical," and LiveIreland proclaiming them "the hottest group in Irish music." Their debut album ''Roots of the Banjo Tree'' was released in 2012 and was named "Traditional Music Album of the Year" by ''
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''. This was followed by the release of ''Gather the Good'' in 2014. Siobhan Long, music critic for the ''Irish Times'', wrote "We Banjo 3 are a musical Betty Ford Clinic, almost singlehandedly rehabilitating the much maligned banjo in 4 short years." In 2016 the band released their fourth album ''String Theory'' which debuted at Number One on the
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.


The band

The band's line-up is; *
Enda Scahill Enda Scahill is an Irish banjo player from Corofin, County Galway. He is a four-time All-Ireland Champion and has performed with The Fureys, Frankie Gavin and The Chieftains. He is an ex-member of The Brock McGuire Band. In 2006, he released ...
– Banjo, Mandolin, Tenor Guitar *Martin Howley – Banjo, Mandolin, Tenor Guitar *David Howley – Banjo, Vocals, Guitar *Fergal Scahill – Fiddle, Guitar, Bodhrán The members of the band have been highly successful in the competitive music field with Martin winning seven All Ireland titles on the banjo and Enda capturing the award four times. Fergal and David have likewise been honoured earning All Ireland titles on the banjo, fiddle, bodhrán and guitar. They are often joined on stage by Martin's wife Kiana June Weber. In 2016 the band was selected to play for President
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and
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Enda Kenny Enda Kenny (born 24 April 1951) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, Leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017, Minister for Defence (Ireland), Minister for Defence from May to July 2014 and 2016 to 201 ...
at the annual "Friends of Ireland" luncheon held in Washington, DC around Saint Patrick's Day. President Obama praised the band's show calling it, "Great music. Incredible performance." In 2017 Fergal embarked on a challenge to record a tune a day for the entire year. His recordings, posted Facebook,
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(@fergalscahillmusic) and YouTube have become popular worldwide with some videos obtaining over 100,000 views.


Discography

''Roots of the Banjo Tree'' (2012) – Tony Lawless of ''Tradconnect'' writes, "A banjo inspired album has never sounded so good, so pleasing to the ear or so inventive in its approach." ''Gather the Good'' (2014) – Awarded the ''Irish American News'' Vocal/Instrumental Album of the Year, "Their blend of Irish and Americana is perfection, cutting edge, and educational at the same time. Marvelous stuff from a group that still stops us dead in our tracks." ''Live in Galway'' (2015) – The ''Irish Times'' writes, “When you've forged such a great reputation on the back of your live performances, it makes sense to try to capture that elusive zeitgeist in full flight. We Banjo 3 have done just that with this recording” adding that "the richness of (David's) tone and sophistication of his phrasing are still show-stoppers". ''String Theory'' (2016) – In a review by the ''Irish Times'', "their fourth album, sees them hurtle into the wide blue yonder with a kit bag of exceptional tunes and a propulsive wit that tickles at the perimeter of many of their sets." The album was ranked Number One on the Billboard World Charts when it was released. ''Haven'' (2018) –Kathy Stockbridge, music writer for ''NYS Music'', describes ''Haven'' as “Celtgrass music that brings heartfelt message to listeners.” In August 2018 the album reached the top of the
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charts for bluegrass music.


References


External links


We Banjo 3 (Official Website)

Enda Scahill (Official Website)

Fergal Scahill Music (Official Website)
{{Authority control Irish Celtic music groups Irish folk musical groups Musical groups from County Galway