3hattrio

Just as Yat-Kha or Huun-Huur-Tu will transport you to the Eurasian Steppe and Tinariwen to the Sahara, with pure, elemental traces of place, the music of 3hattrio could only have emerged from one source – the landscape around them.

Too often we hear something described as unique when, plainly it’s not. Where 3hatrrio and the extraordinarily evocative music they play is concerned, it’s undeniable

Just as the Mississipi Delta has its blues or Appalachia its mountain music, in the case of the 3hattrio, inspiration comes from the desert terrain of southern Utah.

As those who have experienced the spine-tingling beauty of the performance know, they make music that has variously been described as “fascinating,” “original and addictive,” “enchanting”…and, yes, “unique.”

3hattrio became the talk of the town when they first flew in for their own headline show – and UK debut – at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections festival in 2017. That performance and the buzz generated, brought an invitation to return to Europe in 2018 to appear at Denmark’s Tønder festival.

They ended that year on a high being named a “Best Band of 2018” in the annual AmericanaUK Readers’ Poll and winning an Album of The Year accolade from music writer Marc Higgins.

After appearing at Whitstable Sessions, they achieved something that had never happened before when the end-of-the-year awards were presented, carrying off successes in all three categories – Session of The Year, Magic Moment and Soundman’s Choice.

Banjo, guitar, double bass, foot percussion, lush vocals and violin combine to provide and exhilarating experience. They create something that responds to the natural world of their sacred homeland near Zion National Park, and acknowledge the cultural traditions of generations of people who have worked and lived on the deserts of the great southwest.

Now, widely admired, they count members of Penguin Café Orchestra as fans, and in America, they have continued to grow in stature, being chosen by respected filmmaker Phil Tuckett to compose and record the soundtrack to his latest production, Tomb of Joseph.