“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 with a hypnotic roots-rock track ‘Circles.’” – American Songwriter
“Packed with pep, this country rocker ramps up the energy with hearty vocals, relentless percussion and ripples of banjo notes beneath wafting electric guitar. Very zesty indeed. This quintet is going places.” – MusicRow
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (August 27, 2021) – Mercury Nashville’s Boy Named Banjo released their debut major label project, Circles, today – listen HERE. Produced by Oscar Charles (Charlie Worsham, Carly Peace, Elvie Shane), the EP consists of seven songs all co-written by members of the band, invoking elements of country, bluegrass, folk-rock, and more. Additionally, the talented quintet shared their performance video of their lead track “Only You Know” today – watch HERE.
Boy Named Banjo teased the new EP with a live performance video of their song “Feel For You” and dropped the EP’s title track, “Circles” earlier last month. The road-tested band kicks off their headlining Where The Night Goes Tour tonight in Atlanta, GA, performing across the country on the 37-city tour. For a full list of Boy Named Banjo’s upcoming tour dates, click HERE.
Circles EP Track Listing:
1. Only You Know (Barton Davies, Jon Sherwood, William Reames)
2. Feel For You (Barton Davies, William Reames, Michael Whitworth, Dan Fernandez)
3. Too Close (Barton Davies, William Reames, Tim Bruns, Jon Sherwood)
4. Circles (William Reames, Oscar Charles, Jon Sherwood)
5. Where The Night Goes (Barton Davies, William Reames, Benjamin Simonetti, Jon Sherwood)
6. Keep Lying To Me (Barton Davies, William Reames, Benjamin Simonetti, Jon Sherwood)
7. Go Out Dancing (Barton Davies, William Reames, Oscar Charles, Jon Sherwood)
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.
