Damien O’Kane & Ron Block

What do you get if you cross an American bluegrass banjo and an Irish tenor banjo? In the case of Coleraine’s Damien O’Kane and California’s Ron Block you get fireworks – and a spectacular debut duo album that confounds expectations. On either side of the Atlantic, O’Kane and Block decided to stop laughing at banjo jokes and concentrate instead on mastering the instrument. With two bold and acclaimed recent albums to his name, O’Kane thought it was high time to join forces with a musician he had long admired – Alison Krauss & Union Station’s banjo star and multiple award winner Ron Block (14 Grammy’s!) Widely regarded as two of the greatest exponents of the instrument they have collaborated to create what is arguably their own genre -‘Banjophony’. This means melding two different styles showcasing an instrument that proves incredibly versatile in the right hands.

Studio