After coming together to finally make a baby, husband and wife, Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, decided that perhaps it was time to team up for an album, so their little family could tour together for a while. Their new EP, Banjo Banjo, was reportedly produced to keep the happy couple from having to tour separately with either the Flecktones or, in Washburns case, solo. While it's hardly the same as paid family leave, the 23-date tour behind the new EP will keep the Béla, Abigail and their baby boy Juno happily together through June.
While their musical partnership would seem like a natural one, Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn seem to have made a habit of performing one-on-one together as little as possible, until the birth of their son Juno caused all that to change.
Although their bluegrass sensibilities play perfectly off one another, Washburn told The Bulletin that the decision to make their new 6-track Banjo Banjo EP stemmed from her becoming a mother -- not a musician:
"I think both of us didn't know what to expect when we started playing as a duo.
"We hoped that it would work because we want to stay together and be with our little boy, Juno, who's been growing up on the road traveling with us as a touring duo -- we like to call ourselves a trio.
"And so we were hoping that it would feel good, and it has."
Dates for Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn's Banjo Banjo Tour are as Follows:
Feb 8 - Boise, ID. Egyptian Theatre
Feb 9 - Portland, OR. Portland Center for the Performing Arts
Feb 10 - Eugene, OR. Shedd Institute for the Arts
Feb 11 - Bend, OR. Tower Theatre
Feb 13 - Seattle, WA. Meany Hall for the Performing Arts
Feb 18 - Hutchinson, KS. Hutchinson's Historic Fox Theatre
Feb 19 - Fayetteville, AR . Walton Arts Center
Feb 20 - Knoxville, TN. The Bijou Theatre
Feb 27 - Buffalo, NY. Buffalo State PAC
Feb 29 - Orono, ME. Collins Center for the Arts
March 1 - New York, NY. 92nd Street Y
March 3 - Fairfield, CT. The Warehouse
March 4 - Burlington, VT. Flynn Center for the Performing Arts
March 5 - Albany, NY Massry Center for the Arts
March 6 - Easton, MD Avalon Theatre
March 22 - Athens, GA University of Georgia Performing Arts Center
May 13 - Juneau, AK Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall
May 14 - Fairbanks, AK Hering Auditorium
May 15 - Anchorage, AK Alaska Center for the Performing Arts
June 21 - Indianapolis, IN Global Musician Workshop
July 30 - Lyons, CO RockyGrass
For more information about Abigail Washburn or her Banjo Banjo Tour with Béla Fleck be sure to head over to her official website.
