 |
|
|
|
| |
Musicians' Spotlight for April 16, 2008
11:00 PM - 11:30 PM
Today's Highlight: Brian Kopper hosts The Duhks
The most vital acoustic music being made today acknowledges its predecessors and lives in the here and now. For four years now, The Duhks, the band of five skilled, high-energy, tattooed twenty-somethings from Winnipeg, Manitoba, has been riveting audiences and winning staunch fans across North America and around the world with just that kind of music. Since the release of their self-titled, Bela Fleck-produced album in 2005, and the consequent re-release of their Canadian debut, Your Daughters and Your Sons, as well as this year’s Sugar Hill release Migrations, the band has won admirers as diverse as David Crosby, Dolly Parton, and Doc Watson. This is not surprising, given their Duhks-alone blend of soul, gospel, North American folk, Brazilian samba, old time country string band, zydeco, and Irish dance music, and the attack they bring to these interwoven acoustic styles—which might as well be called sheer rock and roll. Their unique sound has also earned them a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Country Vocal Performance by a Group or Duo category, one Juno Award, two additional Juno nominations, two Folk Alliance awards, and an Americana Music Association nomination for Best Emerging Artists. On the eve of their second major North American release- Migrations - the international acceptance and excitement generated by this band is still fresh enough to be something of a heady surprise for its young members. As Duhks founder Leonard Podolak puts it, “It still blows my mind that yeah, we made a record, and now 40,000 people have it., and many have seen that first video (“The Mists of Down Below” which went to #1 at Bravo Canada), and so a lot of times now we’ll go to a gig in a town where we’ve never been before, never played a festival, but they know what we do—and they’re pumped!” Fans have even recognized them walking in Times Square, and cheered them taking the stage at the huge Woodford Folk Festival near Brisbane, Australia. And so the title of their new, sophomore Sugar Hill release, Migrations, seems to speak for itself. The Canadian prairie band has toured relentlessly, played everything from rock halls to theatres to festivals, making the world their home. The title also marks just how far The Duhks (pronounced like the answer to the question, "Which ones up there are Daffy and Donald?") have traveled since their formation in 2001 and how much they’ve experienced in that short time frame. With Jessee Havey leaving the band in early 2007 to pursue other musical endeavors, the remaining members (Tania Elizabeth -Fiddle, Jordan McConnell – Guitar, Leonard Podolak – Banjo, Scott Senior – Percussion) were joined on the road by vocalist Sarah Dugas, a member of the Canadian folk band, Madrigaia. With her addition, The Duhks add even more diversity of sound to songs, old and new, during their energetic live performances. Migrations was produced in Nashville by bluegrass and folk veteran Tim O’Brien and co-produced, as was their last disc, by Grammy award winning engineer and producer Gary Paczosa, the disc’s eleven tracks flowed into place with new-found ease, strong evidence of this band’s growing sense of what a “Duhks’ song” sounds like. The band members are quick to agree that this album is both the strongest representation of their regularly electrifying live act yet—and a record that’s also more direct and tooled to hone in on the songs’ meanings and emotional core. All of this was picked up with ease on the road by Sarah who adds her own elements and influences to the songs. During the course of recording, whether it was Tania exploring Scott’s Latin collection and fascination with Brazilian and Cuban music while practicing classical violin licks, Jessee soaking up the live soul wallop of the legendary Betty LaVette the night before a recording session, or Jordan stretching to extend the reach of his bass-line defining guitar runs, the Duhks’ keep exploring new territory, searching—and sharing the results. Bringing a new vocalist on the road has only added more diversity to the Duhks truly unique sound. “Everyone in this band has learned from each other-- in every combination,” Leonard submits. Time can only tell which direction the Duhks will fly to next, but one thing’s for certain—they will bring with them a sound unlike any other.
Artist website & contact:http://www.duhks.com/
Contact information for producers: Brian Kopper | info@musiciansspotlight.orgJohn Floridis | info@musiciansspotlight.org
Shawn Colvin, Patty Larkin, and Leo Kottke have all stopped by the Montana Public Radio studios to play a little and talk with Brian Kopper and John Floridis. Performers talk about the inspiration behind their music and what it's like to both create and perform the music.
Montana artists like Zoe Wood and Wilson & McKee get equal time. Each week, hosts Brian Kopper and John Floridis, composers and performers themselves, give listeners a glimpse into the lives and art of the modern day troubadour.
|
|
|
