The Duhks

I wish I could relive Easter Sunday…

Not so I could spend more quality time with my little cousins, who are growing up way too quickly. Not so I could revisit my grandmother’s house and have flashbacks of warm and fuzzy childhood memories. And not so I could eat a whole basket of candy and not feel guilty because it’s a holiday.

No, while all of those things would be nice, I wish I could be warped back in time a week so I could relive the Duhks’ live performance at World Café Live this past Easter Sunday.

At first I was bored to death by the opening act folk singer-songwriter Joshua James. Acoustic folk (as opposed to folk rock) is generally not my favorite type of music, although there are current soulful folk artists like Ray LaMontagne and Amos Lee who I think are absolutely fantastic. The kind of folk I do not like – and which is exactly the kind of folk which Joshua James performed -- is the ultra-slow, slit-your-wrist, self-absorbed tales of clichéd tragedies and failed relationships. And above that, I do not feel like listening to the same two chords over. And over. And over.



I realize I am coming across as super-bitchy by deriding a relatively unknown independent artist (if I deride anyone, I try to keep it the famous people who are fair game), but Joshua James even said of himself, and I quote, "I am boring. But I am not a rocker…thank God."

No, more like, thank God you said that before your second- to-last song and I only had to suffer through five more minutes of your egocentric ramblings about your catastrophic life.

So when the Duhks took the stage, their energy and enthusiasm was just all that much more gripping by contrast.

The five-piece band opened with their most mainstream song "You Don’t See It." I wouldn’t exactly classify this song as country, but it definitely has potential to be a hit on commercial radio, and because of the use of banjos and fiddles it is closer to the country radio format than anything else.

After that, the band dove right into "Mighty Storm," which lead singer Sarah Dugas belted out in a gospel roar. I thought her voice was amazing on their album Fast Paced World, but to hear the power of her vocal ability live sent shivers down my spine. This girl has phenomenal chops, and the audience busted out in applause after we were amazed by her first soulful roar.

The third song The Duhks performed was the title name of their latest album, "Fast Paced World" and everyone in the crowd was absolutely in a trance by this point. The Duhks have an eclectic sound like no other group I’ve ever heard. Usually people describe bands as "X Band" meets "Y Band," but really, the Duhks are so original that they do not have any direct and obvious predecessors. Yes, they have elements of bluegrass, and roots, and soul, but if we weren’t captivated by Sarah’s voice, or by the energy of the entire band, then it was because each song had a unique sound and our interest was continually piqued.

During the middle of the set, Sarah performed a song in French, which is her first language. I do not know any French at all, except for the words "manage et trois," "moi," and "oui." Actually, my limited knowledge of the language is pretty fitting. Because there is nothing sexier than hearing the French speak in their native tongue. So if Sarah invited me into a "manage et trois," and if she nodded in affirmation after I asked, "Moi?," then I would have nothing else to do but accept with a "Oui!"

Sarah’s brother Christian Dugas, the band’s percussionist, whose first language is also sexy French, took the lead for one song. Toward the end of set, the banjoist Leonard Podolak also took lead for the ultra-catchy "95 South."

The other two members of the band, the acoustic guitarist Jordan McConnell and the fiddlist/mandolinist Tania Elizabeth provided backup vocals on a few of the songs. It is easy in a band for the lead singer, especially with one as talented as Sarah Dugas, to outshine the other members. But with the Duhks everyone provided her or his integral role with gusto, while at the same time each person remained a team member in supporting the other band mates.

The night ended all too quickly, but not before we were treated with an encore of the Brazillian samba "Magalenha." The audience was blown away. But how could we NOT be blown away by a band that can perform not just bluegrass, not just soul, and not just roots, but who can also tickle our ear buds with sounds from around the world?

My only complaint about the Duhks is that they have a tour schedule listed on their MySpace that goes through November, but they don’t have another Philadelphia date on that list. No matter how "fast paced" this world is, it will never be fast enough if I have to wait some odd months to see the Duhks perform again. - Examiner.com

The Duhks opened up in Raleigh, North Carolina’s humble Berkeley Cafe with an unexpected cover of Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Right Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)”. Freshly inked onto the night’s set-list, they explained their rendition would soon appear on a compilation with the likes of Amos Lee and Lucinda Williams also covering 1960s/70s songwriters of their choosing. Nothing like an exciting morsel to whet your appetite for the rest of the set and just like The Duhks to help you lose your footing right off the bat.

Although listening to The Duhks’ severely eclectic albums (particularly their recent Fast Paced World) requires quick shifting of the genre-gears and can put you feeling like you’re standing on shifting sand, their live performances are known for their ability to truly seamlessly fuse zydeco, jazz, blues, bluegrass, French, Canadian, Latin, (are we diverse enough yet?), traditional, modern roots style. In this category, Sunday night’s show was true to form.

Sarah Dugas’ sultry, granular alto and brazen stage presence could easily centralize the audience to her performance, but the stellar musicianship of the other Duhks prevent this travesty (we’ll get to them later). Dugas led us through the swampy spiritual “Death Came A Knockin’” and the Fela Kuti inspired title track of their last album, Fast Paced World. Her crowning moment of the evening was the burlesquely veneered, yet lovelorn “This Fall”. Dugas’ powerful vocals commandeered the room; it’s hard to sing that loud and powerfully in a tiny, non-acoustically designed space and sound damn good. She did.

Founding father and banjo player, Leonard Podolak, and his feral coiffure continuously read the crowd and genuinely got excited to see the pocketed outbursts of frenzied jig. True, this venue was no Bonnaroo (they played there last week) and some stifled their dancing in favor of studying the musicianship of the band. He led the distinctly creole “Down to the River” (no, not the same one Alison Kraus and co. made famous), saying it’s “…his most favorite song to play ever”. Fittingly, albeit expectantly in the North Cackalack state, he took lead mic again for “95 South” and the crowd ate up the local comfort food like they would vinegar based bbq at a family reunion.

Percussionist Christian Dugas, (Sarah’s brother) provided some harmonies throughout but took the mic for a cover of fellow Canadian Luke Doucet’s “Blood’s Too Rich”. Likely new to the ears of most, it left the crowd wanting as his vocals were lost in the sound mix. The brother Dugas did a stellar job of his main task: keeping time for the vaudevillian mix of musicians.

No doubt one of those most grateful for his skills is Tania Elizabeth who sent horsehair (or whatever synthetic material they use these days) flying with her fiddling. An intuitive player, she shifts between dramatic pedal distortion, classical bowing and chopping. There are moments she’s completely engaged with the crowd or the band and many more where we lose her as she ascends to another place — completely consumed by her craft. It’s a joy to behold. Her harmonies complement Dugas and add another layer to the already teeming spectrum.

Guitarist Jordan McConnell seemed more distant than in past shows, not playing into interactions with band mates. We won’t linger long at wondering if there is an offstage undercurrent carrying some chilled waters on the stage, and move on to the more likely theory which sends “Behind the Music” running, but gets guitar players strumming: he was completely concentrated on maintaining the bass line while simultaneously playing the lead guitar. McConnell, a luthier, plays with two pick-ups in his self-constructed guitar; the second for the extra heavy fifth and sixth strings where he maintains the bass line. Guitar students in the crowd picked up on his in-human (and sometimes inhumane) hand contortions. He hones his craft and maintains a custom shop, McConnell Guitars, back in Canada.

The band began the wrap up with “Toujours Voulouir” and kindly translated the French crooned hope for the crowd: “But one day that love reigns/And that money loses its value”. Before moving into the soulful song about a hundred-plus year old hurricane “A Mighty Storm” and letting the crowd get their final shakes out to the Portuguese rhythms of “Magalenha”.

The show was an absolute blast in the unobtrusive venue. When a band is uninhibited, the band has fun, so the crowd has fun. Then the band has more fun…and so, on and so on. The Duhks are completely in their element being a non-definable element of the Americana/Folk/Roots scene. This creative freedom and expression echoes through their music and into the crowd so that even those with deep roots (or cement shoes, whichever the case) find a way to sing and dance along.

Set List
It’s All Right Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) (Bob Dylan cover)
Death Came a Knockin’
Down to the River
Fast Paced World
Jig
llume (New Song)
This Fall
Dance Hall Girls
95 South
True Religion
Blood’s Too Rich (Luke Doucet cover)
Toujours Vouloir
Mighty Storm
Ship High in Transit
Magalenha
Encore
Whole Lotta Love (Led Zepplin cover) - ConsequenceOfSound.net