OVADYA

The music of O*VAD*YA is complex and multi-layered stuff, with strands of different genres confidently woven together into a psychedelic-jazz-rock kind of thing that's usually found on the jam-band circuit. Led by M Hurley...on DRIFTLESS she showcases a band of musicians skilled enough to carry the genre changes and unusual time signatures and still produce tight songs that have energy. - Marcy Dodds

"OVADYA is the name of an American band in the Chicago area which blends Frank Zappa rock beats, Middle Eastern electric guitars, Eastern European violins, Celtic percussion and lightly flavored jazz lines into a World Music sound. The band’s vocal weight is carried by M Hurley and Deanne Ebner, two women whose voices range from growl to Joni Mitchell.

...

‘Driftless’ combines many eclectic styles. The instrumental work is professionally done, with interesting drums and percussion and occasional flashes of electric guitar work. My favorite cut is Driftless’ version of ‘Horeni’, which (if you close your eyes) could sound like an early outtake from Kaveret." [Israeli band] - Kivun

By
SHERYL DEVORE
ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR

Reverent as well as irreverent, hard-core rock-'n'-rollers with a passion for folk music, and decidedly Jewish, Ovadya blends contemporary sound with tradition.

The band is a unique complement of powerful female voices, saxophones, electric guitars, electric bass, electric violin, rain sticks and other assorted percussive accouterments.

They've performed at the Elbo Room and Abbey Pub in Chicago and recently returned from a gig at Midpoint Music Festival in Cincinnati.

Lately they've been playing at local Borders stores, including a concert Friday at the Wilmette Borders. The acoustics and space limitations, they complain, don't allow them the full use of their electronic gewgaws and heart-pounding drums. Still, they were able to belt out their inimitable style at the Deerfield Borders, with adroit guitar strumming: raw, but refined emotion and female folk harmonies in tunes such as a tribute to the leader of the band's mother called Kaddish, a Jewish mourner's prayer. At times the music inspired two strangers to organize a percussive give-and-take clapping.

Band leader, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter M. Hurley once led a band called Advocate, which received rave reviews in publications such as Guitar World. After a hiatus, which included mourning the death of her mother, and a brief time living in Israel, Hurley is back writing songs with Ovadya and performing what she calls "uneasily categorizable, seriously unique music."

Still, she does try to categorize, saying Ovadya is a blend of Celtic, jazz, Middle Eastern music and psychedelic rock, as well what she calls "four-part wack Balkanesque harmonies."

Hurley says Deanne Ebner, who plays guitar with the band, "has added her luscious vocals and all-over passion to the band."

Deanne's husband, Roger, plays alto sax and has performed with blues bands in Texas. They live just over the border in Wisconsin. The band, which rehearses in Gurnee, calls Jordan Lemon of Zion, "Pi" because of the intricate rhythms and time signature he plays on the drums. Linda Wolf of Chicago sings or plays alto sax or electric violin.

And there's the newcomer, Marc Cygnus of Mundelein on bass and vocals. "I just love playing bass," said Cygnus. And you can tell by watching him smile as his brown, blond and indigo hair hangs nearly to his waist. Cygnus has an eclectic interest in music, which he says really fits in with Ovadya's "uncategorizable" style. - Pioneer Press/Chicago + 53 Suburbs

MOLLY HURLEY WAS five when she discovered harmony. "They taught us a song in kindergarten," says the guitarist/singer/songwriter. "It sounded so good to me." As she walked home from school that day, humming the tune in her head, she thought, "Hey, why don't I do this?" And so she "figured out" what harmony was.

Years later, Hurley, who is adopted, learned that her maternal and paternal grandmothers were both music teachers. "There is something to be said for genetics," she says. "Music was just in me at an early age."

The first time she strummed a guitar, she says, it was "immediately beautiful" to her. After some intense pestering; Hurley's mother bought her an acoustic-a K-Mart special. Mom was duly rewarded.

"I drove my mother insane;' Hurley admits." For many years I didn't know-you were supposed to tune a guitar." That didn't prevent her from mastering her instrument." I just made tunes on some weird tunings and memorized them. My mother thought I was insane."

The upshot of this was that, aside from learning how to play in 11 different tunings (she also worked out the chords by ear), Hurley became an incredibly intuitive player. "My best stuff," she declares, "have been my mistakes, which I've incorporated into my playing. When I play electric I do some things you'll never see. They're blasphemous. I play with a capo --- and a thumb pick. I do open tunings, and a --- Nashville tuning on electric. That's the plus side of being self-taught."

Molly's use of open tunings has led people to compare her playing to that of Leo Kottke and Michael Hedges. Eric Johnson, Joe Satriani, Django Reinhardt and sitarist Ravi Shankar are among her favorite players. Her style is a melange of raunchy blues licks, jazzy chordings, and folksy fingerpicking... - Guitar World Magazine

This might not entirely possible, but O*VAD*YA's main inspiration could be the kaleidoscope. The band is very similar to the toy; each new twist reveals a vibrant blossom of unexpected potency. Classic Rock rubs elbows with Celtic harmonies. Jazz welcomes back Medieval lyres. Arabic flutes duel with electric guitars. A World music education in one night.

Dig it: WorldBeat Cranberries, Rusted Root, smoking hookahs - Jacob Richardson

"Wow... Your music (O*VAD*YA's) took us on a journey!" - Elbo Room Live Event

"An kaleidoscopic aural experience!" (Nevin's)

"Had the opportunity to catch Ovadya from Chicago... very, very cool!"

(Neon's) - Fans f/Illinois & Ohio

The band describes themselves as a neo-psychedelic world fusion band. It's different, exciting, eclectic and fun. I love this CD!

Hit Picks: "Oasis" and "Memories Buried" - Madalyn Sklar

From Richard Milne's Local Anesthetic Show (Thanks, Richard):

"Seven piece band from Chicago's way north side today, who sound a lot like a musical commune come to life. There's an
English-hippie-meets-summer-of-love vibe to the music of Ovadya, on their recently released disc, Driftless.

Now, usually, any song about an abusive alcoholic parent isn't the most obvious choice to play on the Local Anaesthetic Capsule, but this is so powerful and so well done that it is today's Local Anaesthetic Capsule on 93 XRT - the band is called Ovadya: O-V-A-D-Y-A and this is their tune, Memories Buried.

<Song is played>

Ovadya is the name of the band - depending upon when you hear this, you can see them this weekend at The Note, March 19th their giggin' over there.

Ovadya -- check triple-W dot O-V-A-D-Y-A dot NET for more on the band and their compact disc called Driftless. The tune [called] Memories Buried was today's Local Anesthetic Capsule on 93 XRT. - WXRT, Chicago

http://www.incard.com

O*VAD*YA: Transcendently powerful, delectable, irresistable tunes.

O*VAD*YA’s new CD "Driftless" is a clear representation of their unique musical style. Their music is original, intense, acoustic, and electric neo-psychedelic rock, flavored with distinct middle eastern and celtic influence, with a dash of jazz.

"Driftless" begins with the song Oasis, which is about finding "water in the burning sand." The best song on the album, by far is Blue Tubes, a psychedelic journey at the end of the world, looking back.

One of my personal favorites on the album is Kaddish, a song that the lead singer and vocalist M wrote about her mother’s death (Don’t worry, it’s encouraging!) In addition, the track Pulp Schiksa is just the band having fun and jamming, which is awesome.

Check them out at http://www.ovadya.net or download their music on the Apple iTunes Store - Mark Moskowitz ass't music editor