Dervish at Diana Wortham Theatre

Dervish, one of Ireland's most exciting tradition-rooted bands, comes to Asheville on Saturday March 31st for a 8pm show at Diana Wortham Theatre.

“In Irish music, there are three elements: goltraí, so sad it brings tears; geantrí, so lively it makes you want to dance; suantrá, so soothing you want to sleep. At a Dervish concert, you experience all three and it leaves you exhilarated!”

Widely hailed as the 90's successors to Irish traditional legends Planxty and the Bothy Band, Dervish unite fire with finesse, poise with passion, in music of sparkling, new minted freshness, that nonetheless holds proud and fast to its time-honored roots. Their exhilarating live shows have captivated audiences world-wide where their energy shines through every storming reel and each delicately winsome ballad.
Dervish in their original form were five musicians from the North West of Ireland who came together in 1989 to record an album of music, primarily, by local players. The album was released under the title `The Boys of Sligo' after a reel from the recording. The five musicians involved -Liam Kelly, Shane Mitchell, Martin McGinley, Brian McDonagh and Michael Holmes- were inspired by the project and decided to develop the informal gathering into a working band. The name Dervish was chosen as it related to any group of poor but spiritual people who become enraptured by music.

Mandola-player Brian McDonagh saw a documentary about Whirling Dervishes and found the parallels between the devotional art form and Irish musicians similar. “ Dervishes are usually a group of poor but spiritual people enraptured by music,” explains Jordan. “They spin around and become entranced by the music. As the spinning progresses, the Dervishes reach a higher level of being. Similarly, in a traditional Irish session, people may meet for the first time through the common bond of music. As the night progresses, a euphoria builds and lifelong friendships ensue.” The name Dervish was meant to be an album, but it stuck as the band’s name.

The Sligo County band’s sound is characterized by Jordan’s distinctive voice combining with the compelling contrasts of the low-range bouzouki and high-range mandola and their powerful rhythmical backing of accordion and guitar. Fiddles, whistles, flute, bodhrán, and harmonica round the band out for its full effect.

Dervish searches high and low for new material, old melodies, and lesser-known lyrics. “It comes to us in different ways,” explains Jordan. “Sometimes at a session an old man sings a tune we’ve never heard. We have a great rapport with the Irish Traditional Music Archive in Dublin, where there are vast collections of the old manuscripts and the earliest recordings of Irish music. Sometimes we find things on TV, on the radio, or on records.” The search for material is simultaneously part of preserving history and making traditional music relevant to today.

“It’s a funny thing, but Irish music is one of the oldest forms of music, yet it is influenced an awful lot by other things,” explains Jordan. “It evolves and evolves. Our sound is very recognizable because of the bouzouki and mandola. And though we have a modern style within the Irish context, you might not say it’s really modern because it blends in so well. But in actual fact there are a lot of modern influences in there."