Marching to beat of a different strum
Irish quartet We Banjo 3’s influences combine for ‘Celtgrass’
The first thing to notice about We Banjo 3 is of course the banjos: They indeed have three, and manage to use them all in many of their songs. But the Irish acoustic quartet stands most of all on its songwriting, which is enhanced by the unusual arrangements.
”It’s true that some of our songs could sound like rock songs if we arranged them that way,” said David Howley, banjo/guitar player and lead singer. ”But the magic comes from ignoring the idea of what a song should be. We’ve toured with a choir, we’ve had a drummer, we’ve played with a full brass section. We’ve tried out different versions of what the band could be.
”But because it’s usually just the four of us, we don’t have the backline to lean on the bass player or the drummer. We have to create the music with the instrumentation we have, and with that dynamic we can’t take the easy road.”
The band plays Sunday at the Somerville Theatre.
The band was formed in Galway by two pairs of brothers, David and Martin Howley and Enda and Fergal
Scahill. All switch off on different string instruments, and most have been playing together since childhood. Their sound has often been dubbed ”Celtgrass,” for its fusion of Irish and traditional American elements.
”I think that American music is influenced by the Irish music that travelled over with the immigrants, so those roots are connected underground. They’re like family members with different accents.
”We all originally grew up in the culture of Irish music, but our dad was also a big country and folk fan, so old songs like ‘Long
Black Veil’ were very much part of our upbringing, People in this band seem to be like sponges, we pick music up wherever we go.
”When we first started the band, we had our blinkers on in some ways,” Howley said. ”We went from playing very casual settings in Ireland to touring all over America, it really accelerated at a rapid speed.
”We noticed in America there were a lot of traditional bands and then a lot of Celtic rock bands, but there was a gap in between where something was missing. So maybe we could be traditional, but also add some other elements.
”And being two sets of brothers means that the arrangements come pretty naturally. There’s no musical director in this band.”
Yet the band’s lyrical slant can be highly nontraditional. Though uplifting in tone they’ve written numerous songs about overcoming depression, and have partnered with a handful of mental health organizations to raise awareness.
”I’d say those songs came from conversations I was having with myself at the time,” Howley said. ”If they became uplifting songs, that was more of a happy accident. When you write about a specific feeling in your life, you risk this incredible exposure, so that’s been an interesting journey.
”And since then, so many people have reached out to us and said ‘I feel like you wrote this song for me.’ Initially that was terrifying, but then we realized there was a responsibility there. If people were coming to our shows and singing along, then they were opening themselves up in a vulnerable way.
”That’s why we brought those organizations to set up tables, to make sure that the right tools were there.”