Touring with Abigail Washburn

What can I say about my wife Abby, except that the first time I listened to a CD of her music, I started driving so fast that I got pulled over for speeding and was made to walk the line by the men in blue! She’s a beautiful singer/songwriter who builds her material around her distinctive claw-hammer banjo style. This results in very rooted and soulful, yet original music of the first order. Our first musical collaboration together resulted in an unconventional string quartet comprised of two banjos, cello and violin and called The Sparrow Quartet. Ben Sollee and Casey Driessen completed the group, and we did a lot of traveling together over the course of a year or so. We were fortunate to be one of the first american groups to perform in Tibet, sponsored by the Chinese and US governments in tandem. That was a trip! Abby and I have played as a duo since we first met, trying impromptu duets at picking parties, doing a few tunes at benefits, and occasional radio shows together, but we never took our act on the road – til now. With the birth of our little boy Juno, we decided that the best way to stay together more would be to play together more. So starting soon, we are touring together whenever possible, and developing our duo as a real touring act. Eventually we’ll record a record, but for now we’ll let the duo discover its identity out on the road, So far Juno plans to stay backstage!

If you are curious about Abby and want to get a quick sense of what she’s about, do check out her TedTalk at: ted.com