A storming new band, blending the drive of Irish traditional music and bluegrass with the heart and soul of folk and Appalachian music—spiced up with an Italian seasoning for extra flair!
Gadan is a fresh project created by seasoned Italian musicians from the Irish trad and European folk/rock scene, all with years of experience performing at major traditional and alternative music festivals across Europe and the US. The band originally featured four members, all Italian, bringing exceptional skill and passion to Irish traditional music and old-time American styles—a distinctive and remarkable combination. Among the founding members are Lorenzo Testa and Jacopo Ventura, both longtime performers on international stages.
In 2024, they were joined by Enda Scahill, a tenor banjo master, award-winner, All-Ireland champion, and founder of We Banjo 3. With Enda, Gadan expanded into a five-member band. Together, Gadan and Enda performed at all the major Irish festivals across the US during August 2024, marking the start of an exciting collaboration that is set to continue into the future.
Their high-energy repertoire has a powerful live appeal, reminiscent of new-trad acts, but with a unique identity. With three banjos—tenor and clawhammer—fiddle, mandolin, and guitar, they create a distinctive “strings-only” sound, enhanced by subtle electronics and driven by a powerful rhythmic pulse.
In 2025, the band completed its line-up with the addition of Eric Long, a gifted clawhammer banjoist and singer-songwriter originally from the mountainous heart of Pennsylvania—a region deeply rooted in Appalachian tradition—and now based in San Francisco. Eric brings a raw, authentic American folk soul to the group’s transatlantic sound, further expanding their dynamic and diverse musical identity.