Damien O’Kane & Ron Block – Banjophonics

*CANCELLED*

Damien O'Kane (Kate Rusby band) & Ron Block (Alison Krauss band).
A night of banjo & Irish music.

Get Ready For A Banjo Party!!

“I was utterly blown away by these guys. Exquisite musicianship. My gig of the year.”
Ralph McTell

Damien O’Kane is regularly seen playing banjo & guitar alongside his wife Kate Rusby in her acclaimed band. Similarly, Ron Block is the ever-present stalwart of US country superstar Alison Krauss’s band.

When you look at their backgrounds, they’ve followed similar trajectories. Both began playing at a young age, immersed in their local scenes: Ron in Southern California and Damien in Coleraine, Northern Ireland.

Damien has been nominated twice at BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and hailed by none other than Jo Whiley as a ‘sonic architect.’

Damien and Ron started working on their new record Banjophonics in April 2019. They release Banjophonics in 2022. A real treat for banjo lovers worldwide, they will tour the UK and Ireland in the summer and autumn, with a full band, to showcase another masterclass on tenor and bluegrass banjos and how their respective traditions meet and unite in perfect and thrilling harmony.

‘I really like this project a lot. It’s incredibly well played and recorded, nice surprises with the guests!! Anyone that likes Irish and American roots music will love this record.’ – Ricky Skaggs

“I challenge banjo non-believers not to be moved by this transatlantic banjo union.” – Lynette Fay, BBC Radio Ulster

“Beautiful and wild, there are no boundaries here. Something I have never heard before.”
Jerry Douglas

The full band is:
Ron Block on banjo, guitar and vocals.
Damien O’Kane on tenor banjo, tenor guitar and vocals.
Duncan Lyall on double bass and moog.
Ali Hutton on guitar and stomp