Mercury Nashville’s newest band, Boy Named Banjo, announced their new EP, Circles, today. Dropping August 27th, American Songwriter describes the project as, “Marrying a myriad of influences within the country/bluegrass/folk realm, Nashville-based quintet Boy Named Banjo sets an energetic pace for their forthcoming major-label debut…” Pre-save Circles HERE.
The seven-song EP, produced by Oscar Charles (Charlie Worsham, Carly Peace, Elvie Shane), illustrates their evolved, genre-defying sound. “Our Circles EP has been years in the making,” says the band. “With the unexpected time at home during the pandemic, we decided to dive back into this music and try to make it the very best that it could be. We feel the finished product both highlights and represents our band like nothing we have released before. We could not be more proud and grateful to present this EP to the world.”
Fans can catch a glimpse of Boy Named Banjo’s new EP with a live performance video of their song “Feel For You” and the EP’s title track, “Circles,” which MusicRow Magazine calls, “Packed with pep, this country rocker ramps up the energy with hearty vocals, relentless percussion and ripples of banjo notes beneath wafting electric guitar.”
Circles EP Track List:
- Only You Know (Barton Davies, Jon Sherwood, William Reames)
- Feel For You (Barton Davies, William Reames, Michael Whitworth, Dan Fernandez)
- Too Close (Barton Davies, William Reames, Tim Bruns, Jon Sherwood)
- Circles (William Reames, Oscar Charles, Jon Sherwood)
- Where The Night Goes (Barton Davies, William Reames, Benjamin Simonetti, Jon Sherwood)
- Keep Lying To Me (Barton Davies, William Reames, Benjamin Simonetti, Jon Sherwood)
- Go Out Dancing (Barton Davies, William Reames, Oscar Charles, Jon Sherwood)
Additionally, the road-tested band will embark on their headlining Where The Night Goes Tour kicking off late August in Atlanta, GA. Tickets are available for purchase HERE.
Where The Night Goes Tour
8/27/2021 Atlanta, GA Terminal West
9/15/2021 Birmingham, AL Saturn
9/16/2021 Athens GA, The Warehouse
9/17/2021 Columbia, SC The Senate
9/18/2021 Lexington, VA Chi Psi Lodge
9/19/2021 Richmond, VA The Broadberry
9/29/2021 Starkville, MS Rick’s Cafe
9/30/2021 Rome, GA Peaches
10/1/2021 Anderson, SC Wendells Dippin Branch
10/2/2021 Asheville, NC The Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall
10/5/2021 Greensboro, NC The Blind Tiger
10/6/2021 Knoxville, TN Bijou Theatre
10/7/2021 Charlottesville, VA Jefferson Theater
10/8/2021 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
10/9/2021 Ithaca, NY The Dock
10/13/2021 South Burlington, VT Higher Ground – Showcase Room
10/14/2021 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
10/15/2021 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Music Hall
10/16/2021 Wayne, PA 118 North
10/17/2021 State College, PA Stage West
10/19/2021 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon
10/20/2021 Columbus, OH The Basement
10/22/2021 Chicago, IL Carol’s Pub
10/23/2021 Milwaukee, WI The Rave II
10/24/2021 Louisville, KY Headliner’s Music Hall
10/28/2021 Oxford, MS The Lyric Oxford
11/1/2021 Columbia, MO The Blue Note
11/2/2021 Lawrence, KS The Bottleneck
11/3/2021 Oklahoma City, OK Ponyboy
11/4/2021 Fayetteville, AR George’s Majestic Lounge
11/5/2021 Little Rock, AR Stickyz
11/16/2021 Fort Collins, CO Aggie Theatre
11/17/2021 Boulder , CO Fox Theatre
11/18/2021 Denver, CO Globe Hall
11/19/2021 Frisco, CO 10 Mile Music Hall
11/20/2021 Aspen, CO Belly Up Aspen
12/23/2021 Nashville, TN Brooklyn Bowl
About Boy Named Banjo:
Long before Boy Named Banjo, two of the founding members of the genre-bending band grew up a mile down the road from each other in Nashville. William Reames and Willard Logan both picked up the guitar at an early age, took lessons from the same teacher in town, and played in the same middle school band together.
A shared love for bluegrass, folk, and singer/songwriter music sparked a new musical friendship between Reames and banjo player, Barton Davies. The two young musicians enthusiastically bounced songs off each other, discovering some of their favorite artists together, such as The Steeldrivers, John Hartford, and more. Before long, they were writing and performing songs of their own, and at the age of 16, they decided to form their own band. Only, they needed a mandolin player. That’s when they called Logan – and the two longtime friends, and now Davies, were bandmates once again. “We were still too young to step foot inside a bar when we first started to play,” Davies recalls, “so we’d set up shop on the sidewalk outside of Robert’s Western World in downtown Nashville and play our own songs for whomever would listen.” According to Davies – about halfway through one of their sets, a man came stumbling out of Robert’s, got in Barton’s face and yelled “play that thing, Banjo Boy! C’mon, Banjo!” Reames texted Davies later that night – “Boy Named Banjo.”
With a brand-new name and a handful of original songs, the trio recorded The Tanglewood Sessions, giving fans an inside look into the lives of the young outfit and receiving unexpected praise. In 2013, Boy Named Banjo invited drummer Sam McCullough to join the group, before recording their sophomore album, Long Story Short (2014). The band earned a spot in their first major music festival, performing at Bonnaroo in 2015. Shortly after releasing their Lost on Main EP in 2016, Boy Named Banjo found its missing piece, bass guitarist Ford Garrard. The group hit the road and haven’t stopped touring since. Boy Named Banjo has crafted a sound that incorporates an energetic blend of country, bluegrass, alt-rock, and folk-pop telling their stories through an honest, emotional, roots-driven perspective.