RON Block, celebrated banjo star for Alison Krauss & Union Station, jokingly describes his American bluegrass instrument as the “high school chick repellent”.

Nevertheless, Californian Block has 14 Grammy Awards and six International Bluegrass Music Awards to his name, and now he has made an album with Coleraine musician Damien O’Kane, a devotee of the Irish tenor banjo.

O’Kane can be seen playing his banjo in the reel interludes that have become a staple of Barnsley folk singer Kate Rusby’s concerts, but neither on wife Kate’s albums nor his own albums, Areas Of High Traffic and Avenging And Bright, does the banjo feature prominently.

Step forward the Transatlantic union of O’Kane and Block on their 15-track July 20 album Banjophony and accompanying tour that began at Rusby’s Underneath The Stars festival last Saturday and visits The Crescent in York tonight (July 25) en route to the Cambridge Folk Festival.

“We coined the phrase ‘Banjophony’, meaning the wondrous sounds of the banjo, and decided that described the album well,” says Damien, who will be joined on stage by Block, guitarist Steven Byrnes and double bass player Duncan Lyall.

“Ron and I played the Banjophony material together for the first time at Underneath The Stars and people loved it. I started by saying there are three banjos on stage, not so much as a warning as just to let them what they were in for, and that was partly what the album was about too,” says Damien.

“We wanted to show that though people think of ‘duelling banjos’ when you mention the banjo, it’s not just about playing fast; it can be different from that, and for me and Ron this album was a unique chance to marry the American bluegrass and Irish tenor styles.

“Ron plays the finger-picked five-stringed bluegrass banjo, whereas I play with a plectrum, so they’re two different approaches to playing.”

York Press:

The album artwork for Damien O'Kane and Ron Block's Banjophony

O’Kane, who first played the banjo at the age of ten, had first met Block when he came over to play on Kate Rusby’s 20th anniversary album, 20. “He then returned to do some of the bigger shows with us as a guest on the 20 tour, and we got on straightaway, which always helps,” recalls Damien. “It wasn’t long before we got round to talking about making an album and we recorded the first track in 2014.”

O’Kane and Block met up again in 2016 when Block was touring with mandolin player Sierra Hull and they reunited once more in January when they played with Rusby at Celtic Connections in Glasgow.

“We recorded the album live at our studio in South Yorkshire, me and Ron, and Sierra joining for six or seven tracks,” says Damien.

Had he felt overawed to be playing with such a banjo master? “Ron’s a legend in the bluegrass scene and recognised as one of the best players in the world, and I remember being quite star struck at first but he’s such a calming, genuine guy; seriously one of the nicest musicians I’ve ever played with,” says Damien.

“There was mutual respect and we both gained so much from it; we both came away saying we’re better players for this experience, and that was special for me coming from Ron.

“I’ve always loved a challenge, as you can see from my last two solo albums, and this time I’ve ventured into the bluegrass world, which was quite scary because I’m not a true bluegrass player, just as Ron ventured into my world of the Irish tenor banjo, so it was a challenge for him too, and we both loved it.”

Damien O’Kane and Ron Block play The Crescent, York, tonight (July 25) at 7.30pm. Tickets are available from the venue, Earworm Records, online at seetickets.com or on the door.