Neo-Folk Music in A Fast-Paced World: The Duhks

Canadian Group Merges Roots Country, Bluegrass and World Music

Jan 12, 2009

Deciding how to classify the music of Canada's The Duhks is challenging, thanks to its players' ability to seamlessly mix bluegrass, folk, roots country and world music.

The award-winning neo-folk group The Duhks—pronounced "the ducks"—is difficult to pigeonhole, interesting to dissect and always refreshing to take in, because of its seemingly effortless ability to mix 'n' match, merge 'n' blend a variety of genres that are anchored in traditional roots music.

Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, The Duhks achieved both critical and fan support from the get-go, beginning with the group’s 2005 album, Your Daughters and Your Sons, which was nominated for Canada’s Juno award. The act’s self-titled, follow-up CD garnered The Duhks its first Juno in the “Best Roots & Traditional Album by a Group” category.

Following these successes, the song titled Heaven's My Home, from the players’ 2006 Migrations album, was nominated for a 2007 Grammy Award for “Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal.” That album also captured a Canadian Folk Music Award for "Best Album—Contemporary" in 2007.

Making Bluegrass & Roots-Inspired New Folk Music in Nashville

For their past few albums, the Canadian musicians—including original members fiddler Tania Elizabeth, guitarist Jordan McConnell and founder/banjo player Leonard Podolak—have sojourned to Nashville, Tenn., the undisputed home of country music, to record. The quintet's latest and fourth album, the 12-song Fast Paced World, was no exception.

When it came time to record the disc, "We traveled from Winnipeg, locked ourselves in a Nashville basement, pooled our ideas together and invented a new sound," said the group’s soul-inspired new frontwoman, Sarah Dugas.

Released Aug. 19, 2008, on the Sugar Hill label, the new record is the group's first disc to feature French-Canadians Sarah and Christian Dugas. Sarah replaced original member Jessee Harvey in July 2007 and Christian took over for percussionist Scott Senior in January 2008. (Harvey left to pursue outside interests and Senior departed the band to spend more time with family.)

The Duhks' New CD Reflects Enhanced World Music, Jazz Influences

Although the band has always taken a no-boundaries approach to its music, critics and followers of The Duhks have noted that with the 2007 addition of siblings Christian and Sarah, the quintet’s music has evolved yet and now reflects renewed confidence, including within the song selection on Fast Paced World, which features five tracks penned by Sarah.

Dubbed “wunderkinds” by many, Christian and Sarah have said they grew up immersed in music, thanks to their parents.

"We had a family band that toured across Canada when I was 7 and Christian was 9,” Sarah reported. "My father had a recording studio in the house, so I grew up hearing a variety of musicians playing everything from rap to rock to world beat. I grew up in a fun and creative environment."

As for the soulful contributions from the pair that have been credited with helping The Duhks’ sound progress, from the jaunty pop of You Don't See it to the jazz-waltz of This Fall, both contained on the current CD, fans seem to have taken to the expansion.

Music Fans Embrace New Musicians & Neo-Folk Group's Evolving Sound

"The reaction has been really positive," Sarah recently said. "We've been able to keep the old fans and gotten some new ones as well."

Indeed, "There's a more liberal attitude in the band when it comes to songwriting approaches," agreed clawhammer banjoist Podolak, referring to the band’s new blood.

Among the discernible changes in the act’s sound on Fast Paced World is new drummer Christian’s use of a full kit, an evolution that contrasts from the band’s prior percussive sound.

"My musical tastes have broadened immensely since we first started,” Podolak confirmed. “I think we've evolved musically, while maintaining our roots, but everybody in the band listens to so many different things, it was bound to happen."

Fast Paced World was recorded in the basement of Nashville-based producer Jay Joyce’s home. He’s worked on projects by the likes of Patty Griffin and John Hiatt, to name but two. He comes to The Duhks' latest record as the most recent visionary in a growing list of impressive producers, including Bela Fleck and Tim O'Brien, who worked on the lineup’s past albums.

"Jay's basement studio was like something out of the Star Trek Enterprise," said Podolak, who described Joyce as "very open to our ideas and very easy to work with.

Additionally, he added, “I also think (Joyce) learned as much from us as we did from him about combining the acoustic and electric elements of our songs in a studio setting."

Grammy-Nominated Duhks Augment Acoustic Sound

Since the band’s inception some five years ago, The Duhks have been drawn to traditional roots-based sounds, but these days, the neo-folk-hearted players are more diverse than ever, with Fast Paced World illustrating newfound artistry and a move from an acoustic-based soundscape to a fuller palette of electrified sound

As for what the musical growth indicates, Podolak summed it up succinctly, stating that in the big picture, The Duhks “just want to play music that speaks to everybody."

Personal communication, Donica Christensen of Sugar Hill Records, Dec. 12, 2008.

The copyright of the article Neo-Folk Music in A Fast-Paced World: The Duhks in Folk Music is owned by Lisa L. Rollins. Permission to republish Neo-Folk Music in A Fast-Paced World: The Duhks in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.