SOCIAL MEDIA can often be a toxic, abusive, and ugly space, but with the coronavirus lockdown, artists, writers, and especially musicians, have shown that social media can, at it's best, be a positive and uplifting space.
In terms of Irish musicians, the Galway International success story that is We Banjo 3 are among the most proactive in this regard, with their imaginative events and interactions across different social media platforms.
'We wanted to keep in touch and bring some light hearted fun to social media, to counter some of the fear and worry out there' - Enda Scahill
Each event focuses on a different member of the band, presents concert footage, or involves conversation. The schedule is Mando Mondays (12pm CST/5pm GMT ) on Instagram with Martin Howley; Tuesday Coffee Chat with David Howley (12pm CST/5pm GMT ); WENDA'sDay Live (12pm CST/5pm GMT ) on YouTube and Facebook with Enda Scahill; Throwback Thursdays, where the band posts archive footage; Fiddle Friday with fiddle player Fergal Scahill (12pm CST/5pm GMT ); and the Saturday Dance Party From The Vault (8pm CST, 1am GMT ) on Facebook.
"This is to keep our banjo community together, engaged, and entertained as best we can in these difficult times," says Enda. "We have a very tight knit banjo family and the best fans in the world, many of whom, like us, were greatly disappointed when we were forced to cut our recent US tour short. Most folks are now locked down at home for a few weeks. We wanted to keep in touch and bring some light hearted fun to social media, to counter some of the fear and worry out there."
