The John Byrne Band is led by former Patrick's Head front man and Dublin native John Byrne. Their debut album, After the Wake, was released to critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic in 2010. With influences ranging from The Chieftains to Planxty to Bob Dylan, John’s songwriting honors and expands upon the musical and lyrical traditions of his native and adopted homes. John and the band followed up After the Wake in early 2013 with an album of Celtic and American traditional tunes. The album, Celtic/Folk, released on March 5th 2013, has already gotten attention from NPR/WXPN’s Gene Shay and is receiving regular airplay on his nationally syndicated Folk Show. 

John and the band promoted the albums with a series of sold out shows at World Café Live in Philadelphia and spent the past two years touring both nationally and internationally. 

The John Byrne Band, however, is as much at home in a traditional session at a corner bar as it is in larger venues/festivals and opening for national acts. John has toured with and opened up for acts as diverse as The Hothouse Flowers, The Young Dubliners, Ian Gillan (of Deep Purple), Patti Smyth, Gaelic Storm, Finbar Furey, Luka Bloom, Lunasa, Dervish, The Saw Doctors, The Screaming Orphans, The Greencards and Enter the Haggis. He has also been frequently featured on WXPN, NBC 10 WSTW and local College Radio. In Fall, 2012, John and the Band performed with The Irish Tenors for the Liberty Medal Presentation at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia before President Bill Clinton and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.