Dance Music for the Open-Minded
By Rebecca Carter
August 2005 - Over the past few years, the East Coast music scene
has been expanding its horizons. Bands like Incus, Tainted Quill and Rasputina
have gained their followings by mixing genres and contributing individual
sounds that are entirely unique. Now there is a new band to add to that
list: Ghorar Deem Express.
Ghorar Deem Express was started in Amsterdam by former expatriates Rachel
Koppelman and Andrew Bergmann. While living in Europe, they hooked up
with Nader Sobhan to form the first incarnation of Ghorar Deem and today
the band features ten members: Bergmann as the composer and bassist, Koppelman
on accordion, Sobhan on vocals, Nikolai Onken on guitar, Steve Mitchell
and Stephan Verchin on percussion, Tyler Wood on keys, and Lars Dietrich,
Natalio Sued and Jay McMahon filling out the sax section.
Ghorar Deem combines this wide variety of instruments and cultural aesthetics
to create a sound that is fresh to the scene, but, despite its eclectic
feeling, the founding members do not classify the band as “world
music.”
The vibe of Ghorar Deem Express comes from the atmosphere in which it
was born. “Although the band is rooted in rock and blues, we drew
heavily from the people around us,” explains Andrew. “Amsterdam
is full of people from all over the world, from many different cultures.
All of these influences are what give Ghorar Deem Express an exotic texture.”
Last fall, Andrew and Rachel returned to the U.S. with Ghorar Deem and
hope that the band will find a new audience in America. Floating Opera
Records will be releasing their debut album on August 10th, and, although
Ghorar Deem Express is quite the opposite of popular American music (fortunately!),
they believe they will be better received here than in Europe. “There’s
not a big rock scene, they’re really lacking in jam and improv,”
notes Andrew. “We’re not necessarily comparable to bands like
Phish, String Cheese Incident or moe, but we think that fans of those
bands could easily get into Ghorar Deem.”
The “un-categorizable” quality of Ghorar Deem Express is what
gives them their edge, but without making them inaccessibleto listeners.
If there is any band to which they are willing to compare themselves,
it’s the Balkan cabaret Reverend Glass Eye and His Wooden Leg.
A little bit jazz, a little bit hip-hop, a little bit Balkan gypsy rock;
Ghorar Deem has the room to take things where they want. “Our first
album has more of a Latin jazz feel,” says Andrew. “But now
we’re heading in a heavier direction, a more punk direction,”
explains Rachel. “We’re dance music for the open minded, but
our intention is always to rock, and that’s what you can expect
at the Lucky Dog show. That, and that we’ll always try to freak
you out.”
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