Northern Irish bluegrass band Cup O’ Joe joined Midday Music host Evan Miller this week ahead of their performance at Holland Theatre in Bellefontaine. The band features Tabitha Agnew on banjo and vocals, Benjamin Agnew on bass and vocals, Ruben Agnew on guitar and vocals, and David Benedict on mandolin. Together, they performed four original songs live on the program, including their latest single, “Weathered and Worn.”
In the interview, the band members talked about starting Cup O’ Joe in 2012. The group was originally composed of the three Agnew siblings, Benjamin, Ruben, and Tabitha; David, Tabitha’s husband, joined in 2018. Tabitha explained how the siblings were introduced to bluegrass by their parents, who are also musicians.
“Bluegrass in Northern Ireland is not the biggest genre. But we got into it through an amazing bluegrass festival called the Omagh Bluegrass Festival. The three of us siblings have been going since we were just a couple of years old… We all knew what bluegrass was.”
Growing up, Tabitha, Benjamin, and Ruben performed with their parents at small gigs at churches and retirement homes. Eventually, the siblings won a busking competition together under the name “Cup O’ Joe.” The prize money from the competition afforded them a new electric bass for Benjamin, and they decided to take the band more seriously.
The siblings were also exposed to traditional Irish music; bagpipes are a favored instrument in their home city of Armagh, which hosts the William Kennedy Piping Festival each year. While bluegrass is historically less popular in Northern Ireland than traditional Irish music, the Agnew siblings said they have seen the two styles have collide somewhat in recent years, with bluegrass and traditional Irish bands sharing bills at Folk festivals.
Cup O’ Joe performed on Tuesday, August 8th, at the Holland Theatre in Bellefontaine. A full list of tour dates is available on their website, cupojoemusic.com. The band plans to release a new album next month.
