We Banjo 3

Celtic. $25.

press release: We Banjo 3 is pleased to announce that they will partner with Mental Health America on their Roots To Rise winter/spring tour of the U.S. to raise funds and awareness. The band will donate $2.00 from the sale of every t-shirt to MHA from now until the conclusion of the tour on March 24 at Schimmel Center at Pace University in New York City. Additionally, the band has placed a link to the free, confidential mental health screening on the MHA website.

 We Banjo 3 is one of the most prolific and exciting bands to emerge from Ireland in recent years. Featuring banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, percussion and beautiful harmonies, this Galway and Nashville based quartet comprises two sets of brothers, Enda & Fergal Scahill and Martin & David Howley, who collectively hold over a dozen “All Ireland” titles and are among the most revered musicians in Ireland today. Their latest release, Haven, spent 3 weeks at # 1 on Billboard's Bluegrass chart and received rave reviews.

Mental healthcare is an issue near and dear to the band. We Banjo 3’s David Howley comments, “The roots of the band still lie in the power and drive of Irish music, roots that support the cross-pollination of Irish folk and American bluegrass. We want to pay homage to the pain in growth. We live in uneasy times, but music gives us the roots to support and grow towards better days. We're excited to work with Mental Health America on this tour to continue the conversation around mental health and Suicide prevention."

Mental Health America (MHA) - founded in 1909 - is the nation’s leading community-based nonprofit dedicated to addressing the needs of those living with mental illness and to promoting the overall mental health of all Americans. Their work is driven by their commitment to promote mental health as a critical part of overall wellness, including prevention services for all; early identification and intervention for those at risk; integrated care, services, and supports for those who need it; with recovery as the goal.

Mental Health America’s work is guided by the Before Stage 4 (B4Stage4) philosophy – that mental health conditions should be treated long before they reach the most critical points in the disease process. When people think about diseases like cancer or heart disease, they don’t wait years to treat them. They start before Stage 4—MHA begins with prevention, identify symptoms, and develop a plan of action to reverse and hopefully stop the progression of the disease. So why don’t we do the same for individuals who are dealing with potentially serious mental illness? Like other diseases, address these symptoms early, identify the underlying disease, and plan an appropriate course of action on a path towards overall health. MHA is committed to addressing mental health Before Stage 4.

“We know the power that music has in connecting individuals,” said America Paredes, MHA Associate Vice President of Partnerships and Community Outreach. “MHA values the opportunity and looks forward to working alongside We Banjo 3 in creating conversations around mental health around the country.”