It was all of his anxieties and his fears of jumping in, which culminated in a deeply personal and stripped-down musical adaptation of the experience. As a founding member of Billboard No. 1 Irish “celtgrass” band We Banjo 3, Howley’s solo ventures have been built on just that: peeling away the extraneous to present music in a raw way.
David Howley will soon bring his acoustic show to Dayton. The performance is on March 13 at the Sears Recital Hall, 300 College Park. Fiddler Kiana June Weber (of Gaelic Storm) and Caitlin Leahy will also be performing.
Tickets are available now.
Howley has played the Dayton Celtic Festival with We Banjo 3 in the past, but this upcoming show will be his first solo performance in Dayton.
Originally from Galway, Ireland, Howley is an award-winning folk artist who blends his traditional Irish heritage with modern folk music. Both Howley and his band We Banjo 3, currently on hiatus, have played a significant role in popularizing Irish traditional music internationally.
He’s also performed with legendary musicians like the Chieftains, Mumford & Sons, Billy Strings and Bela Fleck.
His first solo album, “For Venus” (2023), showcases his versatility and depth as a musician. His most recent three releases, under the banner of an EP also called “Chapter 1,” are slated to be part of a full-length album in the near future.
But the reason Howley calls the song “Chapter 1” the most terrifying release of his life, despite his career success, is because he did the opposite of what he was supposed to do, he said.
One night, with his studio mics on, he recorded a demo of the song. There were pops, clicks and scratches on the tape. Whiskey may have been involved in that process, too. Then, for five or six days, Howley went into the studio to figure out how to get the most out of the song—like what instruments to overdub—but a friend suggested that he just release the demo.
“The idea was so foreign to me,” Howley said. “The song could be all these other things, but I hadn’t been able to capture it in any other way. I think what I’ve learned from it, and maybe in this moment, what I’m trying to concrete into my mind, is that most people just want to hear a song that moves them. That’s it. There’s lots of ways to do that. And sometimes it’s just a song.”
Haunting and vocally forward, “Chapter 1” is just a song that came out of David Howley and his guitar at 3 a.m.
We Banjo 3 was still on the road when Howley released his first solo album. On it, he mixed EDM elements with folk, solidifying the “mythic Irish folk” he’s been described as playing. He wanted to disregard the need to impress, to bring in other musicians and to just rely on the songs themselves.
“My first album is very much a reflection, like the underworld version of what I was doing with We Banjo 3,” he said. “This album now, this is the only thing I’m writing at the moment. The second album is a lot more full-spectrum to the sound that I’m going for. It brings in a lot more of myself.”
Howley grew up in a non-bordered musical family. He and his brother, Martin, also of We Banjo 3, learned to appreciate myriad styles of music from their father. They were told to find three things they liked about a song before they could say anything bad about it. That household rule made the brothers diversify their tastes and continues to leak into their current works.
The music of David Howley and We Banjo 3 has not only entertained but also fostered a strong sense of community among fans, particularly through their support of mental health initiatives.
Sometimes a song is just a song. Sometimes it’s more than that.
“I truly believe that music is this fundamental part of being human,” Howley said. “It’s creating something that is meaningful for us, but also for other people. Being able to reach out and connect and be a conduit… you have a laugh, you sing, you dance and then you go home feeling just this little bit lighter. That is the goal.”
Brandon Berry writes about the Dayton and Southwest Ohio music scene. Have a story idea for him? Email branberry100@gmail.com.
HOW TO GO
What: David Howley / Kiana June Weber / Caitlin Leahy
When: 7:30 p.m., March 13
Where: Jesse Philips Humanities Center, Sears Recital Hall, 300 College Park, Dayton
Cost: $25 in advance, $30 at the door
Tickets: ticketleap.events/tickets/sunnyskiesmusic/davidhowley
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