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CONNECTING IN A DEEP WAY

We Banjo 3 brings revamped show to Arizona

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski in the room leads to the magic of live For We Banjo 3 lead singer/ guitarist David Howley, he spent the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine in New Hampshire and his home shows. We Banjo 3 — which also includes David’s brother, Martin, on tenor banjo, mandolin and vocals; Fergal Scahill on fiddle, viola, dobro, percussion, guitar, mandolin and vocals; and Enda Scahill country of Ireland. on tenor banjo and vocals — has several

Unable to hit the stage nightly, upcoming Arizona shows. Howley created new music and changed The gigs are at the Flagstaff’s the quartet’s show. He needed to. When Orpheum on Wednesday, February 2; the pandemic hit in March 2020, he had Yavapai College in Prescott on Thursday, a feeling of extreme emptiness. He was February 3; Del E. Webb Center for terrified, never thinking he would have the Performing Arts in Wickenburg on to contend with his identity if he was not Friday, February 4; the Chandler Center a touring musician. for the Arts on Saturday, February 5;

“We couldn’t use the main muscles we and the Rialto in Tucson on Sunday, use to play shows,” says Howley from the February 6. New Hampshire home he shares with his New material that We Banjo 3 wrote partner, Siobhán. during the pandemic will be featured in

“As a result, the music and shows are the set. more dynamic and more free flowing. I “‘Hummingbird Love’ is a new song noticed since the quarantine there’s an we’ve been playing,” Howley says. intimacy with audiences now. People “It’s a love song that, I suppose, want to be seen, felt and heard. Bands speaks to my own experience of love. like us, when we walk on stage, connect Sometimes those with bold hearts scare in a very, very deep way.” people away a little bit.

We Banjo 3 played livestreams for two “I tend to be that type myself. It’s a years and enjoyed it. But interacting with real lovely song.” a live audience and feeling its energy The gigs will share We Banjo 3’s revamped shows, which pivot and change throughout the set.

“I don’t think we’ve ever played a show all the way through without changing it,” Howley says. “Sometimes the song on the setlist isn’t the right song. The whole room becomes its own feeling.

“Everybody in that room — our band and the audience — becomes a shared emotion. You just have to go with it. If you’re too strict then it’s rehearsed and it’s a ‘show.’ It’s fine, but that’s not what we do. The magic of We Banjo 3 is we’re two sets of brothers. I don’t have to tell them what’s next.”

Howley is looking forward to visiting Arizona. The first time the quartet visited the Grand Canyon State it rained the entire time. Fans or folks they ran into had the same comment about the Irishmen coming to town.

“They always ask, ‘Did you bring the weather?’” he says with a laugh. “We heard that joke at least 800 times. Every time was as charming as the last.

“We love Arizona, though. It’s so different from the landscape we’re used to. It feels very foreign. But there’s something in the people. There’s an openness and an openness to us there. We’ve felt very welcome over the years. We try to put Arizona at the end of tours. Some of the lads in the band may end up staying for a couple of days after.”

Each performance day has multiple stages, he says. The first is the morning coffee ritual during which they seek out the best, old and hallowed coffee spots.

Step two is Howley’s favorite stage.

“We had a rule early in the band that we always eat good food,” he says. “There are so many bands who go on tour and eat terrible food for six weeks and come home with scurvy. We’ve had the best sushi—outside of Japan — in Phoenix, Arizona. The sound engineer and I had a meal that meant we needed to tour for six more weeks afterward to pay it off.”

He also enjoys the state’s Mexican food.

“We’re a strange Irish band,” he says with a laugh. “We’re not big, massive drinkers. We’re more coffee and food centered. We just get coffee and have mild palpitations until dinner.”

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE JANUARY 2022

15 STANDING HIS TRUTH

Craig Winberry honors George Michael with new show

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

Growing up in the MTV era, Craig Winberry was inspired by George Michael’s looks, moves, attitude and music.

“He was not afraid to take risks and had an air of confidence and left a legacy,” Winberry says.

The Piggott, Arkansas native is now starring as the late singer in “The Life and Music of George Michael,” which comes to the Mesa Arts Center’s Ikeda Theater on Sunday, January 23.

“Now that people are venturing out to concerts and shows, I wanted to be a part of that,” Winberry says, giving an additional reason for joining the show.

“I wanted to be a part of that. It’s a great opportunity to get back out. I’m happy to hit the road and share his legacy across America.”

The concert-style show follows Michael’s career through his hits, including those from Wham! and his solo career.

“When I was presented this wonderful opportunity, I was prepared,” he says. “Over the years as a singer, I had been singing some of George’s tracks like ‘Careless Whisper’ and his own spin on Queen’s ‘Somebody to Love,’ which was hugely popular.

“What I have found challenging was the overall lyrical content—the emotions and where George was in his life. It’s been so fascinating. Through the beginning of his career, the middle and up to his unfortunate death, to see the growth of a gay man coming out of the closet and standing in his truth was amazing.”

Singing “Jesus to a Child” and learning of the backstory brought Winberry to tears. The song is a tribute to Michael’s Brazilian lover Anselmo Feleppa, whom the singer met while performing in Rio de Janeiro in 1991. Two years later, Feleppa died from an AIDS-related brain hemorrhage. During his grieving, Michael penned “Jesus to a Child” in about an hour.

“It’s sad understanding Anselmo’s tragic death from HIV/AIDS and George taking his pain and sorrow and channeling it into art,” he says. “When you understand what the song was about and what he was going through, it’s tragic. It’s a very intimate story that George was sharing with us.”

Winberry’s love affair with performing began at an early age when he took part in his hometown school’s production of “South Pacific.”

From that point on, he knew there would always be a Broadway stage in his future. He expanded on that as actor, singer and songwriter, and in television, film and live theater after moving to NYC eight years ago.

“When I made that choice, I was becoming an entertainer later in life,” he says about the move in his 30s. “I did it differently. I got married and raised kids then when we moved to New York, I decided to jump headfirst into the arts and storytelling. I’m so happy that I did.

“It was scary at first, but I’ve had an amazing support system around me. I looked at people like George and he was literally the only one of his generation who was out and open. He was closeted at the beginning of his career. I see his life and legacy as a guiding light to standing your truth.”

Before the pandemic in 2019, Winberry was performing with Abby Payne presents “Christmas Spirits: Neat Edition” at Feinstein’s 54/Below on 54th Street in New York City. He held “random TV jobs,” but was mostly focusing on live entertainment.

“New York City is the holy grail of comedy cellars and cabarets,” he says. “Broadway and off-Broadway, that’s where my life has been.”

The Life and Music of George Michael

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Sunday, January 23 WHERE: Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main Street, Mesa COST: $38 INFO: 480-644-6500, mesaartscenter.com