NY folk singers return to Mayo

‘WHISKEY WALLOP’ Boo Reiners and Elena Skye of the Demolition String Band.

Elena Skye and Boo Reiners, better known as the Demolition String Band from New York, are returning to Ireland and indeed Mayo for the fifth time. Their nationwide tour will include no less than three Mayo gigs – two in Matt Molloy’s, Westport, and one at the Bridge Street Bar in Castlebar – and all of them free.
Fueled by a shared passion for classic country, rock ’n’ roll, bluegrass and mountain music, singer-songwriter and mandolinist Skye and multi-instrumentalist Reiners have led the Demolition String Band for almost two decades, marking their journey with numerous albums and countless miles on the road in the US and Europe. They both started playing as kids, taking lessons, slowing down classic recordings, jamming with anyone and everyone and performing in bluegrass bands. Their paths first crossed at an independent bookstore in Hoboken, New Jersey co-owned and managed by Elena. Their after-hours jams at Blackwater Books inspired them to form a band.
They soon found themselves part of an emerging bluegrass, country and roots music scene on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Since then, they’ve shared bills with an eclectic range of artists including The Avett Brothers, Ryan Adams, Joan Osborne, Ricky Skaggs, Southern Culture On The Skids (with whom they’ve done several tours), Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Patti Smith, and Roger McGuinn and many others.
As an indication of the esteem in which they are held, Woody Guthrie’s daughter gave Skye some of her father’s lyrics to put to music, and the resulting song ‘Go Coney Island, Roll On The Sand’ (words by Woody Guthrie/music by Elena Skye) was featured on the 2014 Grammy nominated album ‘My Name Is New York: Ramblin’ Around Woody Guthrie’s Town’, which featured song collaborations with Billy Bragg, Wilco and Del McCoury.
As for their sound, as the Santa Monica Mirror puts it: “They don’t file down the rough edges and their music has a whisky wallop to it.”

Catch the Demolition String Band at Matt Molloy’s, Westport on Thursday, August 23, and again on Thursday, August 30, or in the Bridge Street Bar, Castlebar, on Wednesday, August 30. All gigs are session types, taking place from 7pm to 9pm, and admission is free.