Genre-Bending Quintet Boy Named Banjo Drops New EP, ‘Circles’

Boy Named Banjo is not your typical on the rise country act out of Music City. In fact, the men that make up the country-folk-rock quintet – Barton Davies, William Reames, Willard Logan, Sam McCullough, and Ford Garrard – are introducing the honky-tonk town to a fresh new sound with the release of their seven-track collection, Circles.

In 2016, the five-piece band stepped into the mainstream music scene with their debut EP, Lost On Main. Their original songs quickly received praise, and the group even earned a spot on the star-studded 2015 Bonnaroo lineup alongside artists such as Billy Joel and Kendrick Lamar.

Finding themselves under the fan-favorite festival spotlight was a long time coming for founding members William Reames and Willard Logan. Their love for bluegrass and folk sparked an unbreakable bond between the two in grade school. The aspiring musicians knew they had to pursue their extraordinary talents. Therefore, like a puzzle – the rest of the band fell into place throughout the years.

Our new EP “Circles” is finally here! We have been looking forward to this day for a long, long time.

We spent years working on this music and are so thrilled that it’s out in the world for y’all. Thank you for your support. We hope you love it. ⚡️https://t.co/QvlQClQb80 pic.twitter.com/gyAZvW6dTY

— Boy Named Banjo (@BoyNamedBanjo) August 27, 2021

“We started out in high school as a string band…just writing songs and everything. Time went on, and we went to college, and that’s when we met Sam. That’s when he started drumming for us… We just kept building our sound more and more to the point where Willard grabbed an electric guitar instead of a mandolin,” shares Reames about the origin of the group during an exclusive Country Now interview.

“Our sound slowly got louder and more alternative country over the years. Then we added Ford to the band, who also happened to be our first bass player. So, we have been a band for about ten years now,” he adds.

Coming from a similar musical upbringing in Nashville, Tennessee – the group has become an unstoppable force and developed captivating energy that is portrayed through their stacked and clean harmonies. “We have this special kind of comradery magic since we have been together for so long,” says the band. “We all know what each other is thinking most of the time. I think that’s really what makes us stand out, is that we’re just so tight-knit.” 

Although they were raised in the hub of country music, the five took it amongst themselves to dabble in other genres to broaden their musical palate. Today, they pulled from Darrell Scott, The Eagles, and hall-of-fame banjo player John Hartford to form their rare sound and well-thought-out EP, Circles.  

“We’re not essentially trying to reverse engineer a country hit; we are just taking all the music that we like and trying to do something that we think is cool and hope the world likes it,” says the rising stars.

“Our sound is totally different and unique than what you might hear on country radio. People are always looking for fresh music, and I think just the combination of putting a banjo in a setting that is not totally traditional is super cool and fresh,” they add.

The group’s main priority was cultivating an intimate vibe when fans listen to their EP, Circles. Therefore, the track list that Oscar Charles produced was recorded in a make-shift garage studio. “I want people to feel like they are almost in the room with us and kind of feel the vibe that we felt when we recorded it,” shares bandmate McCullough.

To go along with the release of the EP, Boy Named Banjo dropped a live performance video for “Feel For You” recorded at Mercy Lounge. The Nashville concert venue holds sentential value, as it was the first place the group sold out back in the day.

Now, the members of Boy Named Banjo are hitting the road to headline their Where The Night Goes Tour to share their love for music and to showcase their long-time-coming tracks. The hitmakers will be joining Country Now for a virtual live concert on Tuesday, August 31, airing exclusively on  CTRL_MUSIC_, a brand new country music channel on the popular interactive live streaming service Twitch. 

Fans can RSVP to the FREE Country Now Live with Boy Named Banjo livestream by clicking HERE.