If you’ve been paying attention to this year’s A.V. Undercover series, then you almost certainly saw “The Final Countdown,” a dual-banjo version of Europe’s classic power ballad covered by Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn. Even though Fleck had never heard the song before, they did a remarkable job translating it to their chosen instruments. “‘The Final Countdown’ was a song that I had somehow missed,” Fleck told us. “I guess I was pretty busy in the ’80s! But it was brand new to me, and it seemed rather unlikely that anyone would get excited about us covering it. But Abby believed it would be a great thing for us to do, and as usual, she was right.”
“‘The Final Countdown’ is one of the most powerful earworms in the history of the universe,” Washburn told us. “Béla and I would find ourselves humming it before bed and when we woke up. And just when one finally wiped it from their mind, the other would hum it again! And then when you see Europe’s collective hair consciousness, the magnificence of the melody is only increased.”
And now the song will anchor an EP called Banjo Banjo, which also features a song sung in Mandarin, a composition by another Béla—Bartok—and more. The title track is an ode to Fleck and Washburn’s 2-year-old son, whom they’ve given the impossibly cute name Juno. Below you’ll find an exclusive look at the video for “Shotgun Blues,” and if that doesn’t satisfy your banjo craving, head right back to watch “The Final Countdown” again. The EP will be available digitally on August 21, and on vinyl in October. Below the “Shotgun Blues” video, some tour dates. Enjoy.
Aug 8 – Alta, WY Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival Aug 9 – Denver, CO Botanic Gardens Sept 9 – Milwaukee, WI The Pabst Theater Sept 10 – Madison, WI Union Theater Oct 6 – Goshen, IN Goshen College Oct 8 – Bethlehem, PA Artsquest Center at Steelstacks Oct 9 – Ridgefield, CT Ridgefield Playhouse Oct 10 – New London, CT Connecticut College Oct 11 – York, PA Strand-Capitol PAC Oct 22 – University Park, PA Penn State University Oct 23 – Carmel, IN Palladium at the Center for Performing Arts Oct 24 – S. Joseph, MN College of St. Benedict Oct 25 – Skokie, IL North Shore Center for the Performing Arts Nov 3 – Vienna, Austria Porgy & Bess Nov 4 – Sofia, Bulgaria Music Club Nov 5 – Bucharest, Romania Sala Radio Nov 7 – Prague, Czech Republic Palace Akropolis Nov 8 – Budapest, Hungary Palace of the Arts Nov 10 – Milan, Italy Blue Note Nov 11 – Barcelona, Spain Jazz Festival Nov 13 – Leeds, ENG Yorkshire Howard Assembly Room Nov 14 London, ENG EFG London Jazz Festival Nov 15 – Bristol, ENG St. Georges Nov 16 – Gateshead, ENG Sage Nov 18 – Dublin, Ireland Vicar Street
