Undeniably the next big thing to happen to the 5-string banjo, and member of Grammy-nominated Punch Brothers, Noam Pikelny has helped to broaden the awareness of the banjo in the mainstream — with new album Beat The Devil and Carry A Rail debuting this week at the #27 slot on the Billboard Heat Seekers chart. Noam earned the first annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Music, and a coveted appearance on “Late Night with David Letterman” with Martin. Pikelny was also the first acoustic artist to ever be featured in a Funny Or Die spoof, with stars Ed Helms, Steve Martin and more — to hilarious and immensely popular response. Though the banjo, a uniquely American instrument, has been usually associated with musics of the folk, bluegrass and traditional genres of music it has begun to be used more and more in mainstream music. After the weekend premiere of the PBS special “Give Me The Banjo,” a documentary in which he carries a role, the 30-year-old Pikelny casts himself as an innovator and critical torchbearer for the banjo as a pop icon.
Download album artwork/bio, here.
Stream Beat The Devil and Carry A Rail, here.
Tour Dates
12.4 – Mountain Stage Radio – Charleston, WV
12.5 – WoodSongs – Lexington, KY
12.7 – Station Inn – Nashville, TN
12.8 – Barking Legs Theater – Chattanooga, TN
12.9 – Smith’s Olde Bar – Atlanta, GA
12.10 – The Evening Muse – Charlotte, NC
12.11 – IOTA Club & Cafe – Arlington, VA
12.13 – One Longfellow Square -Portland, ME
12.14 – Brighton Music Hall – Allston, MA
12.15 – Rockwood Music Hall – New York, NY
12.17 – Schubas – Chicago, IL