Coleraine native Damien O’Kane and California’s Ron Block brought their love of Irish tenor banjo and American bluegrass banjo together for the first time in 2018 with their incredibly captivating and uplifting album Banjophony. That union of transatlantic cultures melding two styles and two approaches worked so well that they returned in 2022 with Banjophonics, further honing the style they began developing on their first album. The list of musicians on that album was impressive, with Duncan Lyall, David Kosky, and Steve Byrnes joined by Barry Bales, Josh Clark and Jay Bellerose, not to mention appearances from Sierra Hull, Michael McGoldrick and Damien’s wife, Kate Rusby.
The duo are on the road again with their band, kicking off at Cork Folk Festival at the end of this month before a long string of UK dates in October, when they’ll perform tracks from their latest album, Banjophonics, alongside older tracks from their hugely popular first album – showcasing another masterclass in innovation and moulding of two traditions to ground-breaking effect.
With a full band line-up, the banjo maestros are joined on stage by Scotland’s leading ‘Bass Man’ Duncan Lyall on bass and Moog and Ireland’s Stevie Byrnes on guitars and stomp. They will also be joined by guests, master whistle, flute and pipes player Michael McGoldrick and Irish singer Aoife Scott for a one-off show at Hammersmith Irish & Cultural Centre on October 14th! One not to miss…
In his review of Banjophonics, Glenn Kimpton declared, “…this music has energy, emotion and a huge heart”, which they bring to the live stage in bucketloads.
In an earlier interview with the duo, Ron Block told Folk Radio, “The idea has always been to meld the two traditions together. It’s not that Damien brings Irish tunes and I bring bluegrass tunes; instead, we write music with the other person in mind.” As Damien explained, this was taken further on Banjophonics, “… there’s almost an equal amount of compositions from us both, whereas Banjophony was mainly me. As Ron and I grew this music, we both gained so much from each other.”
The two banjos played are as different as Ron and Damien’s musical styles, with Damien playing a four-string tenor banjo and Ron using a five-string instrument with a longer scale. Again, it gives the music more depth and variety:
“I always think Damien’s sound is more ‘banjoey’, Ron says with a laugh. “It has more mid-range and top-end, while mine has more lower end, so the tones just fit together, which is another reason why it works. Also, I play with fingerpicks in an arpeggiated style, whereas Damien plays with a flat pick. He can arpeggiate too, and we both at times lean into each other’s styles, but I’d say that he mainly plays in that flat-picking style of using single note lines. Really though, all of the music we are playing has really stretched me as a musician and made me think of different ways of playing” he pauses a moment. “And all at a greatly advanced age,” he grins.
It may come as a surprise to hear that the idea for this project began in 2012.
“We were talking about doing this in 2012 weren’t we?” asks Ron. “Yeah, Kate [Rusby], her brother Joe and I went to see Ron play with Alison Krauss at Manchester Apollo in I think 2011,” Damien answers. “In 2012 Kate asked Ron to play on her 20 album, and in the evening we would sit with a glass of wine and I’d say, ‘so, you play bluegrass banjo and I play Irish banjo… I’ve always loved the sound of two banjos…’ So we started talking properly back then.” Damien pauses a moment. “I’ve never forgiven Ron for this one though; I play banjo, right, and my wife invites him over from America to play banjo on her album!” It was a fortuitous decision, and Damien and Ron’s music is a wonderful result of this transatlantic back and forthing. There is a depth of emotion in their sound that feels rich and vital. “I think some joy is a good thing to give people, especially now,” Ron points out. “And the banjo can cover a lot of ground, but I do think it communicates joy and fun very well. Also, I think generally I have an optimistic view; when I go to work, it’s because I have hope and that’s one of the reasons why I make this music.” “There’s a lot of emotion there,” Damien adds. “There’s been a lot going on and sometimes when I’ve felt a bit sombre, I’ve sat down with the banjo and this happy tune will come out and I’d wonder why the music isn’t sad. But I want to write happy music; Ron and I talk about family a lot and I know that ninety percent of the time when I’m making music, I have my family at the back of my mind, so I want it to be a happy thing.”
So, what to expect from this tour? It’s going to be a banjo party!
Damien O’Kane & Ron Block Band Tour
29 Sep – Cork Folk Festival, Cork
03 Oct – Alnwick Playhouse, Alnwick, Northumberland
04 Oct – Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal
05 Oct – Selby Town Hall, Selby
06 Oct – Ropetackle Arts Centre, Shoreham-by-Sea
07 Oct – Tradition Now, NCH, Dublin
08 Oct – Kelly’s Complex, Portrush
10 Oct – The Haymarket, Basingstoke
11 Oct – Acapela Studio, Cardiff
12 Oct – Hangar Farm Arts Centre, Southampton
13 Oct – Chapel Arts Centre, Bath
14 Oct – Hammersmith Cultural Irish Centre, London
15 Oct – Hutton Rudby Village Hall, Hutton Rudby, North Yorkshire
Ticket Links: https://damienokane.co.uk/gigs/