Damien O’Kane & Ron Block – Banjophonics

When you look at their backgrounds, Ron and Damien have followed similar trajectories. Both began playing at a young age, Ron in Southern California and Damien in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. And they’ve both played fundamental roles in top bands. Ron’s big gig came when he joined the mighty force of Alison Krauss’ band, for whom Grammy and Bluegrass Awards have rained down plentifully over the years. Damien played with Irish/Anglo supergroup Flook, before joining Kate Rusby’s band in 2008. He’s also been nominated twice at BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and hailed by none other than Jo Whiley as a ‘sonic architect.’ So, what’s the appeal of a duet that’s basically one bloke from someone else’s band and another bloke from someone else’s band playing some music together? That’s an easy one…