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Concert Review
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Alamogordo Daily News, Concert Review >>
'Dervish' a new and different kind of sound
Review by Michelle Scharmack
Dervish, a seven-person traditional Irish group, performed Tuesday night to a near packed Flickinger Center. The music draws the listener into a new and different understanding of culture. One word to describe the performance last night is "Wow!"
Dervish has been together as a group for 10 years touring here in the States and around the world, according to Cathy Jordan, lead singer. They've had few changes in the group during that period, but are still going strong and are doing what they do best.
The group is composed of seven people: Brian McDonagh on mandola, Liam Kelly on flute and whistles, Tom Morrow on fiddle, Rick Epping on concertina and harmonica, Cathy Jordan on vocals, bodhran and bones, Michael Holmes on bouzouki, and Seamus O'Dowd, who was not present due to the birth of his first child.
I normally wouldn't listen to this type of music. I was never a big fan of traditional folk music. I'm usually listening to the newer catchy songs played on the radio. But having sat through Dervish on Tuesday night, I felt as if I was exposed to a new world and a new culture.
From the very first song, "O'Reily's Grave," I was hooked. It was slow-paced, featuring a solo by Kelly. It was very soft, relaxing and full of imagery to make a mind float off a different world. As the rest of the group slowly played their way into the song, it built into a fast toe-tapper. I was expecting the audience to get up and start dancing in the aisles.
Every song at Tuesday night's performance started off with a solo, duet or vocals from each group member and built up to all of them combining their different talents to each song. Not only did they perform for us, we (the audience) were asked to help out and sing with them. The audience got to participate in singing the choruses of two different songs, one in English and one in Irish.
From the slow instrumentals, to the ballads to the fast-paced instrumentals with vocals, each song was so vivid and full of imagery that you could have closed your eyes and imagined you were in Ireland. Each song tells a story and that story is different and unique to each person.
The group was so well received they garnered a curtain call, performing two more songs. After a quick breather, they appeared in the lobby for questions and autographs.
Overall, I enjoyed the whole show. The music, vocals, the stories that went with each song were entertaining and the group was a great sight to watch. From Jordan's vocals and dancing to Morrow's fiddle work, it was all fun to watch. The only problem I had with the performance was the few times that the music overpowered the vocals.
I've always been a big fan of the words to a song. The words help express what a person is feeling and the music is supposed to compliment it not over power it to where you can't understand the words.
"I enjoy touring in the West. I love the culture and the weather here. I love it because of all the diversity and it's so much fun. I wouldn't mind coming back here in the future," said Jordan after the performance.
Tuesday night was Dervish's first ever performance in Alamogordo and I hope to see them here again next year. 11/16/06
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