Boy Named Banjo

In the decade since their stripped-down 2012 debut, The Tanglewood Sessions, brought them to Bonnaroo, Boy Named Banjo have taken Nashville and beyond by storm with a series of critically acclaimed, genre-bending releases that have earned performances everywhere from the Ryman to the Grand Ole Opry alongside dates supporting the likes of Kip Moore, Hank Williams, Jr., Old Crow Medicine Show, and the Cadillac Three.

On their latest album, Dusk, Boy Named Banjo explored the full sonic and emotional spectrum of their rich, eclectic sound, from late-night, feel-good anthems to stripped-down, introspective meditations on loneliness, loss, and letting go.

While the band explored genres and flexed their range on Dusk, they have been working on a new body of music that marks a full-circle return to their Americana and bluegrass roots. “In the ten-plus years we’ve been together, we’ve explored many different sounds,” says banjoist and vocalist Barton Davies, “but the one we keep coming back to is that folky, acoustic sound that inspired us to pick up our instruments in the first place.” The group’s new music is slated for release in 2024.

What was started in a crowded beach house in 2006 has since morphed and grown, and morphed and grown, and morphed and grown some more…and a decade an a half into it, Pressing Strings is as active as ever. Writing, recording, releasing and touring. Singer/bandleader Jordan Sokel reflects on the process “Music is an extension of who I am, what I’m going through, what I’m feeling, who I’m close to–It’s my vent to release and connect to people. It’s always been comforting to me in the best and worst of times and I just want to be able to provide some of that same comfort to others”

Sokel found comfort relatively late in the creative musical process, at age 20, locked into a college major that was longer making sense. His grades were tanking but songs were being written and the choice was made to change course a focus on a life dedicated to making music.

Which at first meant waiting tables, and stocking shelves to make it work—Sokel along with longtime bassist Nick Welker and former drummer Brandon Bartlett played every type of gig, payed their dues and solidified Pressing Strings as a household name in nearby Annapolis, Baltimore, DC, and Maryland’s eastern shore selling burnt cd’s out of an old Samsonite suitcase.

Local radio took notice and began spinning the band’s music and eventually national AAA and non-com stations across the US where the band has consistently landed on top 100 charts. They have been featured on WTMD’s “Top 89 Songs of the Year” 5 times, WRNR’s “Top 103” 4 times and have played major festivals like Firefly, FloydFest, PeachFest and have toured and opened for many acts including Rachel Yamagata, Sam Roberts Band, Rayland Baxter, Jerry Douglas, The Beach Boys etc…

The band’s current lineup features Jordan Sokel (Vocals, Guitar), Nick Welker (Bass, Vocals), and Justin Kruger (Drums, Vocals). They are currently touring and working on new music to be released in Spring/Summer of 2022.