Wednesday, July 16th, 2008
A trip to Harrison Hot Springs is one of the greatest events of our summer. We go every year to the Harrison Festival of the Arts, soak up some music, culture, and rays, and generally have a great time introducing the bands. In addition to the big shows at the Memorial Hall (we saw Ndidi Onukwulu — who was FINE!) they hold free shows beside the beach. The stage is set up right in front of a huge willow tree, and everyone comes with their chairs and enjoys an afternoon of terrific music.
Here’s a shot of the audience, with Cal getting ready to go onstage:
We saw some terrific shows, but I want to single out Delhi 2 Dublin. We saw them at the Alcan Rio Tinto Dragon Boat Festival last month, and they have an ability to really reach across ethnic lines with their music. Here’s a review of their first album:
n traffic or in contemporary global music, all the action happens at the intersections. Fortunately, in music, the results are dynamic rather than dangerous. Delhi 2 Dublin is a cultural collision between east and west; between tradition and experimentation. The five members of this Vancouver collective came together in 2006 for one impromptu festival performance, and the combination worked so well that they’ve had to catch up with their own success ever since. Their debut album has finally hit the streets. The road from Delhi to Dublin is long, but musically, Ireland and India may be closer than you might think. Historians now believe that the Celts originated in Central Asia near modern day Kazakhstan and migrated west into Europe and South into Persia and India. More connections between Celtic and Vedic cultures are being drawn all the time. For the players, there has never been any doubt of a connection between us all. Their project began on stage as a way to blast away the borders that stand between us and a universal party. That energy comes through on disc which is always challenging to accomplish. But, while the Afro Celt Sound System to whom they credit much influence, accomplish the cultural meld seamlessly, Delhi 2 Dublin still show the stitch-work of a design in progress, hardwiring obvious bhangra and Celtic flavors. With such a wind at their backs, I’m sure time will only refine the mix.
Key Tracks: Dil Nachde, Apples