The five-string banjo is often associated with Appalachian music, but its reach has always extended beyond one place. In Ireland, the banjo is traditionally heard as the four-string tenor banjo, a cornerstone of Irish folk music. This playlist celebrates the banjo in Ireland and Northern Ireland, but focuses instead on five-string banjo players, highlighting Irish and Northern Irish artists who are bringing bluegrass banjo into folk, Americana, and contemporary acoustic settings. The tracks here feature musicians working across traditions and genres, using the banjo as a bridge rather than a boundary.
For us, The Foreign Landers, this playlist is closely tied to our own story. Our songs, woven throughout the playlist, reflect life lived between Northern Ireland and the U.S., and the relationships, faith, and sense of distance that shape that experience. In a small way, that mirrors the five-string banjo’s own journey across time and place. Our new album, Made to Wonder, is our expression of these ideas; including our music alongside these other innovative artists helps frame our transatlantic sound within a much larger conversation.
Alongside our music, you’ll hear boundary-pushing banjo work from artists like Flook, JigJam, Damien O’Kane, Ron Block, I Draw Slow, Brian Finnegan, and NÁVA, each offering a different answer to the same question: What does bluegrass banjo become when it’s rooted in Irish soil?
The result is a playlist that honors tradition while continuing to move forward. We hope you enjoy. – The Foreign Landers
“Made to Wonder” – The Foreign Landers
The title track from our new album, this banjo-centric song is about stepping away from noise and busy-ness to find true rest and belonging in Christ, whose yoke is easy and burden light. Featuring Tristan Clarridge (Crooked Still) on cello, adding depth and resonance.
“Road to Errogie” – Flook
There’s something infectious about Flook’s craftsmanship and energy – especially when five-string banjo enters the mix, played by the incredible Leon Hunt of the UK. A major influence on our sound.
“Gold Mine” – I Draw Slow
Irish-based and deeply rooted in both Appalachian and Irish traditions, this clawhammer-driven track blends heritage with heart.
“Johnny’s Peacock / The Red-Tailed Hawk” – The Foreign Landers
Two original tunes deeply informed by Tabitha’s heritage, joined by John Doyle, Brian Finnegan, and Cathal Murphy, bringing Irish tradition and bluegrass energy together.
“John D. McGurk’s (The Heartbeat of St. Louis)” – JigJam
JigJam seamlessly bridge U.S. and Irish folk scenes. Irish banjoist Daithí Melia delivers powerful five-string work on this fun, high-energy track.
“Mario Kart Rides Again” – Ron Block & Damien O’Kane
Two banjos – five-string and four-string – done right. Ron Block of Alison Krauss & Union Station and Damien O’Kane of the Kate Rusby band make for an unxpected delightful pairing. Here is a playful, virtuosic track from their album Banjovial that’s near to Mario Kart-loving hearts.
“Pictures” – The Foreign Landers
Led vocally by David with Tabitha on banjo, this original song draws on our own experience of long-distance dating. “Pictures” captures the quiet weight of distance – and how old photographs can briefly collapse time and place. The unconventional role of banjo on this track is one of our favorite sounds on the new album.
“Marga’s” – Brian Finnegan
A must-include from the County Armagh master himself, featuring Crooked Still with Greg Lizst on five-string banjo. Both four-string and five-string banjo shine in this expansive, genre-blurring piece.
“The Thrifty Wife” – Ron Block & Damien O’Kane
Another Ron and Damien double-banjo banger. Their three collaboration albums are essential listening when talking about banjo in Irish music. Bonus mando moments from Sierra Hull seal the deal.
“Traveler”–The Foreign Landers
Narrated from the perspective of Tabitha’s parents back in Northern Ireland, “Traveler” reflects on growing older, separation, and the tenderness of loving someone from afar. Another unconventional banjo track that we loved making.
“Magic Box” – Nava
Irish Americana and folk meet Persian influences, led by Ireland’s Paddy Kiernan on five-string banjo. A rich example of cross-cultural musical exploration.
“Hope” – Cup O’Joe
Featuring Tabitha’s two brothers (alongside David and Tabitha), this title track from Why Live Without blends Northern Irish roots with progressive Americana.
You Gotta Hear This! We’ve got bluegrass, Americana, folk, and so much more for you in our weekly roundup of new music and premieres.
Kicking us off, Western North Carolina bluegrass greats Balsam Range dust off an old track, “Virginia Girl,” from member Caleb Smith’s archive solo album for their own rendition – with a special “vintage” banjo solo added in. From just down the mountains in upstate South Carolina, bluegrass and roots duo the Foreign Landers share their lovely new song, “Smell the Rose,” which reflects on the good, simple gifts we all receive while walking through life (if we’re open to receiving them!).
Elsewhere in our collection, another folk-Americana duo, Oliver the Crow, return with new music for the first time in a few years, offering a new video for “Burn It Down,” a song about finding redemption in starting over, starting fresh. And Rachel McIntyre Smith – who has been sharing a mini-series of cover song performance video collaborations on BGS over the past few weeks – unveils an impeccable cover of Kacey Musgraves’ “Slow Burn” with fellow artist Sammi Accola joining in.
Don’t miss Natalie Del Carmen singing “El Cortez,” an energetic country-folk song about spending time with her father and the rarity of still enjoying first-time experiences as an adult, when such firsts are much more common as a child. You’ll also hear singer-songwriter Jared Dustin Griffin fingerpicking and growling through “Shovel,” a new track that meditates on sacrifices and all you can gain from the labor of putting yourself aside.
Bringing us vibey indie roots rock, Liam Kazar contemplates “The Word The War” on his new single from his upcoming album, Pilot Light. You can watch the video for this musical exploration of loneliness and the journey (rather than the destination) below. And finally, from all the way across the globe, the High Street Drifters of Melbourne, Australia, introduce their down-under bluegrass to BGS with “Words for Leaving,” a song about distance, longing, and goodbyes – sweet and bittersweet.
It’s a stout collection this week and we’re excited for you to get to it. You know what we say every time– You Gotta Hear This!
Balsam Range, “Virginia Girl”
Artist:Balsam Range Hometown: Haywood County, North Carolina Song: “Virginia Girl” Release Date: September 5, 2025
In Their Words: “In 2013, I was putting together some tunes for a solo album. Patton Wages was my first call to help me with his killer banjo playing. I first met Patton at Everett’s Music Barn in Suwanee, Georgia, around 2005 and I immediately was a fan. We became friends and stayed in touch. He became Balsam Range’s first call if Marc Pruett ever needed to miss a gig and Patton always filled Marc’s great picking with greatness of his own.
“I wrote ‘Virginia Girl’ in March of 2013 and it was slated to be on my solo album along with “God Knows,” “The Touch,” a few more originals, and a few standards. Patton, Aaron Ramsey, Adam Steffey, and Nicky Sanders helped me create the album. I’ve sat on the tune and the album since 2013, frequently revisiting it when Balsam Range needed a tune to add to one of our albums, but ‘Virginia Girl’ has remained unused for 12 years… until now! Balsam Range recut the tune and I had an idea to see if we could fly Patton’s original banjo cut from 2013 to our new 2025 cut and it worked flawlessly, as if it were meant to be. Our engineer Clay Miller at Crossroads Studios in Asheville, North Carolina, worked his magic and did such an awesome job! Patton, I’m honored that you agreed to this and I’m honored to be your friend! We hope you enjoy ‘Virginia Girl.'” – Caleb Smith
Track Credits: Caleb Smith – Acoustic guitar, lead vocal Tim Surrett – Upright bass, harmony vocal Patton Wages – Banjo Marc Pruett – Banjo Don Rigsby – Fiddle, harmony vocal Alan Bibey – Mandolin
Natalie Del Carmen, “El Cortez”
Artist:Natalie Del Carmen Hometown: Los Angeles, California Song: “El Cortez” Album: Pastures Release Date: September 12, 2025 (song); January 30, 2026 (album) Label: Torrez Music Group
In Their Words: ‘”El Cortez’ was written for my dad, so I knew early on that I had to get it right. Last holiday, I gambled with him in Vegas for the first time at the El Cortez Hotel. It was such a fun time together. When you’re young, your first experiences go over your head because everything is a first. But then you become an adult and the pool of opportunity to have first experienced memories gets smaller. I have more respect for my parents now than I ever could have understood as a kid. It’s about getting familiar with all the ways you feel rich in life that really don’t involve money.” – Natalie Del Carmen
Track Credits: Natalie Del Carmen – Vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo Nick Antonelli – Bass Amelia Eisenhaeur – Fiddle Jordan Ezquerro – Organ Tanir Morrison – Drums, percussion Amelia Eisenhauer – Percussion
The Foreign Landers, “Smell the Rose”
Artist:The Foreign Landers Hometown: Travelers Rest, South Carolina Song: “Smell the Rose” Release Date: September 12, 2025
In Their Words: “‘Smell the Rose’ was written with our good friend Danielle Yother as a reflection on the good gifts we’re given in this life – things like music shared with friends, laughter around a campfire, sunsets, or driving down a beautiful highway with the windows down. Those moments are full of beauty, but they also slip away with time. In writing this song, we wanted to capture both the joy and the ache of that truth. For us, it points to something deeper: a reminder that while all good things here fade, they’re signposts that lead us to the one source of lasting love and beauty – God himself. Our hope is that this song encourages listeners to savor those fleeting gifts while also looking beyond them to the greater hope we have in him.” – The Foreign Landers
Artist:Jared Dustin Griffin Hometown: San Francisco, California Song: “Shovel” Album:The Perseverance of Sisyphus Release Date: September 26, 2025 Label: First City Artists
In Their Words: “‘Shovel’ was born in the heat of July 2020, my hands fumbling through unfamiliar fingerpicking patterns until the song unearthed itself. The melody came slow, like digging through hard earth, and the lyrics followed in a single, fevered afternoon. It’s a meditation on sacrifice – how we bury parts of ourselves for something greater and the toll that takes. In the shadow of calvary this song wields its own blade, turning over the soil of belief and what it costs.” – Jared Dustin Griffin
Track Credits: Jared Dustin Griffin – Guitar, harmonica Heather Little – Harmonies Fergal Scahill – Fiddle, mandolin Nathan Alef – Piano Matt Greco – Piano, organ Dave Campbell – Banjo Frank Swart – Bass Derrick Phillips – Drums
The High Street Drifters, “Words For Leaving”
Artist:The High Street Drifters Hometown: Melbourne, Australia Song: “Words for Leaving” Release Date: September 3, 2025
In Their Words: “‘Words for Leaving’ began its life at a lonely bus station in between where I was headed and who I was saying goodbye to. We wanted the track to carry that bittersweet feeling, balancing lyrical tenderness with the bluegrass pulse moving you down the road. Every instrument is a part of the dialogue, echoing the goodbyes we say to loved ones knowing that loving someone always carries the possibility of losing them. Being in Australia, so far from much of the rest of the world and with so much distance between places and people, gives this track a weight I think a lot of people will connect with. The push and pull between heartache and hope.” – Justin Vilchez, mandolin
Liam Kazar, “The Word The War”
Artist:Liam Kazar Hometown: Chicago-raised, Brooklyn-based Song: “The Word The War” Album:Pilot Light Release Date: November 7, 2025 Label: Congrats Records
In Their Words: “I can’t say I know exactly what the word is, what the war is. Utter loneliness at the mountain top, perhaps? Not that I’ve ever been there. Something close to knowing and loving the path, not the destination. Poor sleepless queen and her sleepless nights alone, but whatever, that’s her problem. Get me to the riff!” – Liam Kazar
Video Credits:Directed, produced, and edited by Austin Vesely. Kevin Veselka – Director of photography Featuring Emily Neale.
Artist:Rachel McIntyre Smith and Sammi Accola Hometown: Oliver Springs, Tennessee Song: “Slow Burn” Latest Album:Honeysuckle Friend (Deluxe) Release Date: September 10, 2025 (video); June 27, 2025 (deluxe EP)
In Their Words: “I have had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Sammi Accola at writers rounds over the years, but we had never hung out one-on-one until this recording. I truly felt like we became friends during this session. I think that’s evident in the video. We got lost in the groove of this Kacey Musgraves classic and had so much fun with it. This is the final video in the three-part series with BGS as part of You Gotta Hear This, but the Honeysuckle Friend Sessions continue on my YouTube channel!” – Rachel McIntyre Smith
“I love how naturally it came together – Rachel and I had a completely different song in mind, but the moment I saw the Kacey Musgraves vinyl on her living room wall and we started talking about the mutually loved album, the choice felt easy. ‘Slow Burn’ is just the best – gorgeous, full of harmonies, and somehow both light and grounding. In the middle of a hectic week, it was the perfect song to play. A reminder to slow down, appreciate the people in our life, and laugh at lines like, ‘Grandma cried when I pierced my nose,’ relishing our twenty-something years. I love collaborating with Rachel and celebrating the power and simplicity of a great lyric.” – Sammi Accola
Video Credits: Filmed and edited by Rachel McIntyre Smith.
Watch more Honeysuckle Friend Sessions on BGS here and here.
Oliver the Crow, “Burn It Down”
Artist:Oliver the Crow Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Song: “Burn it Down” Album:A Feather in a Hurricane Release Date: September 5, 2025 (single); November 28, 2025 (album)
In Their Words: “‘Burn it Down’ is a song about starting over – a song about building something great and how that sometimes means taking down whatever’s in its place. To illustrate this point, this is my fourth rewrite of a song using this same chorus. Over many years of scratching out verses and starting over, my life itself became a bunch of fresh starts. Maybe this is what led to the final version you hear today – one of the more stripped-back and bare songs from an album of mostly larger, fuller production.” – Ben Plotnick
Track Credits: Ben Plotnick – Fiddle, songwriter Kaitlyn Raitz – Cello Anthony da Costa – All other sounds, producer
Video Credit: Kaitlyn Raitz
Photo Credit: the Foreign Landers by Nicole Davis; Rachel McIntyre Smith and Sammi Accola courtesy of the artists.
Artist:The Foreign Landers (David and Tabitha Benedict) Hometown: Travelers Rest, South Carolina Latest Album:Travelers Rest Personal nicknames (or rejected band names): Tabs and Doodles
What’s the toughest time you ever had writing a song?
“Traveler,” the first track on our new album, is a song we wrote from the perspective of Tabitha’s family back in Northern Ireland. Since we moved to the States at the end of 2020, it’s been so difficult being so far away from family, a feeling I’m sure a lot of people are familiar with since the start of the pandemic. We wanted to find a way to capture that sentiment in this song, but it ended up being one of the most difficult writing experiences we’ve had. Not only was it hard to find the words to communicate these feelings, but it was also an emotional process. But after a couple months of challenging writing sessions, we came up with “Traveler” and it’s become a focal point for this new Travelers Rest album.
Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?
We’d have to say Alison Krauss has been one of our biggest inspirations. Tabitha first picked up the banjo in Northern Ireland after hearing Ron Block on Alison’s Every Time You Say Goodbye album. Hard to beat that title track, too! I once heard a 10-year-old kid in New Zealand play Adam Steffey’s mandolin kickoff on this song note for note. Just another testament to how far reaching bluegrass is and how much we owe to Alison and her music!
Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?
Tabitha loves to walk so much! We often take our crazy dog Finn to our favorite hiking haunt Paris Mountain State Park not too far from our home here in Travelers Rest, S.C. While we walk among the beautiful forests and lakes in that park, we talk about songs we want to write and make plans for future music projects. We love that spot so much that we commissioned artist Dealey Dansby to do a linocut interpretation of an iconic reservoir at the park. That same spot was an inspiration in part to another new song of ours called “Garden” — a song all about planting roots in the place you’re in, no matter what the circumstances.
Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?
We absolutely love the clawhammer banjo playing of the great Adam Hurt! His Earth Tones record in particular is played almost nonstop in our car journeys. And since he’s playing a gourd banjo on that record, we think the perfect meal and musician pairing would be stuffed and roasted acorn squash with Adam’s warm banjo tones! Check out one of our favorite tracks from that Earth Tones album, “Old Beech Leaves/Sheeps and Hogs Walking Through the Pasture.”
If you had to write a mission statement for your career, what would it be?
We love this quote from C.S. Lewis, who said, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. … I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and help others to do the same.”
Since Tabitha and I are both from different countries, we often feel like there’s no real place where we can both feel at home. And in a deeper sense, we know that there won’t ever be a place in this life that will fully satisfy our desire to belong somewhere. And I’m sure most people feel that way, too, no matter where you’re from. Our mission statement for our career would simply be to convey with our music that universal longing for something better, and point people to the truth and hope of this deeper reality as Lewis suggests. Nashville songwriter Andrew Peterson really captures that sense of longing for “another world” in his song “The Far Country.” Love his music!
Artist:The Foreign Landers Hometown: Travelers Rest, South Carolina Song: “Traveler” Album:Travelers Rest Release Date: Late 2022
In Their Words: “Having grown up on opposite sides of the Atlantic and having toured full-time in traveling bands for many years, the two of us have had to spend a lot of time in foreign lands and unfamiliar places far from home. Even since we got married three years ago, we’ve only recently been able to find a place of our own for the first time here in Travelers Rest, South Carolina. Now that idea of ‘Travelers Rest’ has become very dear to us — having a place to call home and a respite from the road, even though we inevitably feel pulled back to our far-off roots and former transient lives. We wrote this song to try and capture some of those bittersweet ideas. Narrated from the point of view of Tabitha’s parents back in Northern Ireland, ‘Traveler’ deals with the wistful feelings of growing older and being away from loved ones. And for this video we filmed some beautiful shots both in our new hometown in South Carolina as well as the North Shore of Northern Ireland near where Tabitha grew up. This song will be featured on our debut full-length album, Travelers Rest, to be released later this year.” — David Benedict, The Foreign Landers
Each of us having grown up on either side of the Atlantic, our common interests and musical influences could not have been more similar. All of these tracks hold sweet memories in our years of being a couple, and each artist has definitely influenced our sound as The Foreign Landers. David and I thought we’d share some of our transatlantic story together through a few of our favorite songs. — Tabitha Benedict, The Foreign Landers
Paul Brady – “The Lakes of Pontchartrain”
This is one of our favorite tracks of all time. This version of the popular ballad is from Paul’s album Nobody Knows: The Best of Paul Brady rereleased in 2002. With Paul’s flawless storytelling ability and tasteful guitar playing, it makes it a joy to come back for a re-listen.
Crooked Still – “It’ll End Too Soon”
David and I have been big Crooked Still fans for a long time and they will often be our first choice of car music on any long journeys. Here’s a beautiful song written by banjoist Greg Liszt for Aoife O’Donovan that is just so sweet to the ears. This was one of the last songs they recorded before the band stopped touring in 2012 and it appears on their EP Friends of Fall.
Tatiana Hargreaves – “Foreign Lander”
This is where the inspiration for our band name “The Foreign Landers” was drawn from. Aside from having more of a story behind our name than just that, we both love this old song and especially love this version from Tatiana Hargreaves debut album Started to Ramble released back in 2009.
Alison Brown – “Fair Weather”
This title track of Alison Brown’s album Fair Weather released back in 2000 is a common favorite of ours. Vince Gill features on lead vocals and guitar, Alison on banjo, Stuart Duncan on fiddle, mandolin, and vocals and Gene Libbea on Bass and vocals.
Ron Block – “Ivy”
Well, we knew we had to involve some of Ron’s writing and performing in this mixtape. We love this track, “Ivy,” off his album Walking Song. This is a perfect album for all year round, with guest appearances from a host of our favorite players.
The Weepies – “I Was Made for Sunny Days”
I first was introduced to The Weepies through hearing them on the radio back in Northern Ireland many years ago. My family instantly fell in love with their songs and sound, so I was so delighted to introduce David to their catalog when we were dating. Another favorite for long drives and singing along in the car. Here’s a real feel good song of theirs called “I Was Made for Sunny Days” from their album Be My Thrill released back in 2010.
The Boxcars – “You Took All the Ramblin’ Out of Me”
We just had to stick some good bluegrass in this mix of songs, and we’re so glad we chose this one. When David and I started dating, we would sing this to each other, and it has to be one of our favorites from the Boxcars album It’s Just a Road released in 2013.
Hot Rize – “You Were on My Mind This Morning”
At one of our first-ever performances about three years ago at the well-loved Cantab Lounge in Cambridge, Massachussetts, David sang lead vocals on this track written by Hot Rize. They recorded this on their 2014 release When I’m Free.
Dori Freeman – “If I Could Make You My Own”
We are big fans of Virginia-based singer-songwriter Dori Freeman, and especially love this track of hers from her 2017 release Letters Never Read. We recorded a cover of this song on our honeymoon on the Isle of Skye about two years ago now, so it holds a sweet spot in our relationship!
John Reischman – “Little Pine Siskin”
One of our favorite tunes off John’s album Walk Along John! John had been touring with the wonderful Greg Blake in Ireland back in January/February 2018, right when David took his first visit to Northern Ireland, and right when we started dating. We went to see them at a wonderful show at the Red Room in Cookstown. It was just a couple of days prior to making things “official.” I remember David playing this tune on that visit and it brings back happy memories!
The Foreign Landers – “I’m Not Sayin’”
We discovered this Gordon Lightfoot song from the late great Tony Rice on his album Tony Rice Sings Gordon Lightfoot. We have both loved this song for many years, and knew that when he would start a duo we would definitely be covering this one. We recorded this version on our EP Put All Your Troubles Away that we released in May 2021. We’re so thankful we did and hope you enjoy it!
David Benedict – “Colonna & Smalls”
David released this tune on his solo project The Golden Angle in 2018, named after the specialty coffee shop in Bath, England, back when we were dating. He has the amazing David Grier and Mike Barnett playing on this track with him.
Cup O’Joe – “Till I Met You”
David and I also tour and record with my two brothers in Cup O’Joe, our band based out of Northern Ireland. I wrote this song back in 2018, and recorded it on Cup O’Joe’s most recent album, In the Parting. I wrote this one with David in mind, not thinking that he would be playing mandolin on it a few months later!
Artist:The Foreign Landers Hometown: Split between Co. Armagh in Northern Ireland and South Carolina at the moment. Single: “Put All Your Troubles Away” Release Date: August 24, 2020
In Their Words: “Since we’ve known each other, Tabitha and I have had a foot in two different worlds — Tabitha being from Northern Ireland and myself having grown up in the States. During the past five months we’ve finally had the time and space to make some music together and to try to combine our backgrounds to create something different. The result is a new project that we’re calling The Foreign Landers. This is a song with a very timely message from John Hartford, and it will be the title track from our forthcoming EP to be released later this year. Be on the lookout for more singles soon.” — Tabitha and David Benedict, The Foreign Landers
Photo credit: Tabitha and David Benedict
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