Saturday, February 18th, 2023 – The Foreign Landers, 7:30 pm
“I see the shining stars. I wonder if you see them too wherever you are.” ~ from “Foreign Lander”
The Madison County Arts Council is presenting the exciting new group, The Foreign Landers, on Saturday, February 18 at 7:30 pm at the Madison County Arts Center. “I have been listening to this group for about a year. Beautiful evocative singing and stunning instrumentals are just some of the stand-outs from this ensemble,” remarked Laura Boosinger, Executive Director, Madison County Arts
Council.
This line of the traditional song from which The Foreign Landers take their name captures something of what makes this Transatlantic folk duo’s story so compelling. Mandolinist David Benedict grew up in South Carolina while Tabitha Agnew Benedict started playing 5-string banjo at a young age in her
homeland of Northern Ireland. They spent their early years playing the same music, gazing at the same stars, yet still so far away from each other. But today Tabitha and David are carving their own path in the acoustic music world together, drawing on their unique international heritage to create something new. With the 2022 release of their album Travelers Rest, they share their own story in a way that is beautifully honest and moving. Although it is their story, listeners will find much that resonates within themselves—fears in the face of uncertainties and change, a commitment to cling to hope, and a longing for home/a familiar place to rest—all presented in a unique musical experience that sparks curiosity
and joy, and showcases a love that unites across borders.
Individually these two are no foreigners to music. Before forming their duo, Tabitha performed with BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award finalists Cup O’Joe from Northern Ireland. While in Nashville, David toured with Grammy-nominated, 10-time International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Bass
Player of the Year Award recipient Missy Raines, and later, in Boston, with 2020 IBMA New Artist of the Year Award recipient Mile Twelve. These opportunities led to both Tabitha and David receiving Instrumentalists of Year Momentum Awards from the IBMA as well.
Their paths first crossed with a chance meeting at the 2017 IBMA Convention in Raleigh, NC. There was an immediate spark between the two upon realizing they had so many personal and musical similarities in spite of being from distant places. The result of this first encounter led to thousands of skymiles earned and culminated with an international wedding in 2019, when Tabitha and David tied the knot near Tabitha’s home in County Armagh, Northern Ireland.
In the retrospective words of award-winning mandolinist Sierra Hull, “Tabitha and David simply sound like two people who are meant to make music together.” Yet it took a while for that to happen. With touring commitments in different bands on opposite sides of the Atlantic, and green card red tape, Tabitha and David spent much of their first year of marriage apart, longing for the day when they could live in the same country and finally make music together. Making matters even more difficult, the known world changed at the horizon of a global pandemic. Facing immigration paperwork delays, canceled gigs, and unemployment, as well as general uncertainty about the future, the two isolated in place in Northern Ireland for 6 months at the beginning of 2020. However, the silver lining of their situation was that they were finally together with the time and space to start focusing on their own music.
Named after their new hometown, The Foreign Landers debut full-length album Travelers Rest is an artistic rendering of this personal story—moving across the Atlantic in the face of many challenges to find a place of their own. Throughout this album, David and Tabitha’s musical story unfolds with the
support of a host of talented guest musicians including: John Doyle, Brian Finnegan, Brittany Haas, Ethan Ballinger, and more. The current quartet features Asheville’s Julian Pinelli on fiddle and Nate Sabat on bass. To quote Bluegrass Unlimited, “…be forewarned… The Foreign Landers have arrived. Listening to their music is like reuniting with an old friend. So, open up your door, welcome them in and put their music on. You will be glad you did.” For more information and for tickets, visit:
