Schimmel Center At Pace University Presents WE BANJO 3

Schimmel Center at Pace University continues its 2018-19 Folk Series with an evening of Irish "Celtgrass" music featuring We Banjo 3 on Sunday, March 24, 2019 at 7:30pm. Tickets start at $29 and can be purchased at SchimmelCenter.org, by phone at 212-346-1715, or by visiting the Schimmel Center Box Office at 3 Spruce Street, Manhattan. Box office hours are Tuesday-Saturday, Noon-5pm, and then beginning three hours prior to each performance, through intermission.

We Banjo 3is one of the most prolific and exciting bands to emerge from Ireland in recent years. Featuring banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, percussion and beautiful harmonies, this Galway and Nashville based quartet comprises two sets of brothers, Enda & Fergal Scahill and Martin & David Howley, who collectively hold over a dozen "All Ireland" titles and are among the most revered musicians in Ireland today.

The March 24 concert is the final stop on the band's Roots to Risetour, which opened January 22 in New Philadelphia, OH and has played almost 40 cities. Upcoming concerts include BottleRock 2019 in Napa Valley, the Strawberry Music Festival, Oban Live in Scotland (June), and a fall tour of Ireland.

We Banjo 3 released their fourth studio recording, Haven, on July 27, 2018, as the follow up to their highly-acclaimed 2016 release, String Theory, which went to # 1 on Billboard's World Music Chart. Havenreached # 1 on Billboard's Bluegrass Chart the week of August 13th, as well as making many other charts, and was # 1 again the week of November 4th (over Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers, Punch Brothers and Old Crow Medicine Show). The video for the first single "Light In The Sky" premiered on CMT.com on August 30thand is receiving airplay on outlets around the U.S. Haven has received rave reviews including 4 STARS from Irish Times. AXS.com said, "Their blend of Celtic and bluegrass with dashes of folk-pop, and country is perfectly suited for the Americana scene. Their songs fall comfortably into The Lumineers style of earnest folk pop anthems.

For this tour, the band partnered with Mental Health America to raise funds and awareness. The band is donating $2.00 from the sale of every t-shirt to MHA. Additionally, the band has placed a link on their website (www.webanjo3.com) for the free, confidential mental health screening on the MHA website. The band will present a check from the proceeds raised to Mental Health America, which is based in NYC, at the show.

Mental health is an issue near and dear to the band. We Banjo 3's David Howley comments, "The roots of the band still lie in the power and drive of Irish music, roots that support the cross-pollination of Irish folk and American bluegrass. We want to pay homage to the pain in growth. We live in uneasy times, but music gives us the roots to support and grow towards better days. We're excited to work with Mental Health America on this tour to continue the conversation around mental health and suicide prevention.

Made up of two sets of siblings-brothers Enda Scahill (tenor banjo, vocals) and Fergal Scahill (fiddle, viola, dobro, percussion, guitar, mandolin, vocals) and brothers Martin Howley (tenor banjo, mandolin, vocals) and David Howley (lead vocals, guitar)-the Irish quartet We Banjo 3finds a natural symmetry as well as a cohesive chemistry that's been imbued in the band ever since they were initially drawn to one another by their common creative interests. Inspired by the traditional Irish and Americana music they heard growing up, they placed three banjo players in the mix in the beginning, eventually diversifying their sound to an innovative fusion that they dub "Celtgrass."

Variously described as "transcending even the best superlatives" (The Huffington Post), "absolutely virtuosic" (Irish Echo), and "the Irish version of Chris Thile and Punch Brothers" (NPR), they have claimed the # 1 position on Billboard's World Music charts, top honors from the Irish Music Rights Organization, and the distinction of entertaining an American president, an Irish Prime Minister, and members of the U.S. Congress at the annual "Friends of Ireland" luncheon on Capitol Hill.

The individual band members brought a credence that extended well beyond their family connections. Martin Howley is a seven-time all-Ireland banjo champion and the first Irish musician to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. Enda Scahill has recorded with Ricky Skaggs, the Chieftains, and many others, aside from being considered as one of the world's leading authors and authorities on Irish banjo techniques. Fergal Scahill has performed with dozens of artists at home and abroad, and is widely recognized as an Irish champion of both fiddle and bodhran.

The evolution of the group's sound followed a natural progression. Their 2012 debut album, Roots of the Banjo Tree, leaned entirely on banjo music and the various styles implied by that instrumental arsenal. Their critically acclaimed sophomore set, Gather the Good (2014), furthered that vantage point, an aural summation of the impressions and experiences gained while touring the U.S. and their initial introduction to Nashville. That was followed by the release of 2015's Live in Galway, recorded in the same small hometown pub where the band performed their very first gig. Their 2016 album, String Theory, appears to be a change in their tack, but only slightly. Half traditional covers, half original material, it finds the band's reverence for their roots given a contemporary twist, further solidifying the common bonds between the two styles.

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