The Original Duhks Are Back -- Catch Them at Magnolia Fest

The Duhks today

Way back when in the early 2000s, a band of very young Canadians blew everybody's minds at a festival at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida. They were The Duhks, tattooed and quirky with a sound that featured a fresh blend of traditional folk, gospel and Celtic tunes -- some of them French Canadian -- set against Afro-Cuban rhythms. The soaring angel voices of fiddler Tania Elizabeth and vocalist Jessee Havey were something special to hear.

Right away, The Duhks got swept up by the Music Business. They got a record deal, an international tour, a Grammy nomination (2007,) and a video on Country Music TV. The constant touring turned out to be a challenge. Some members left the band, others came into the band, and then in 2010 they all took a break and went to pursue other projects.

The very talented Tania Elizabeth toured with alt-country singer Mary Gauthier, Jessee Havey did some solo work, banjo player Leonard Podolok formed a group called the TurtleDuhks (among other things), and guitarist Jordan McConnell went back to his life as a sought-after maker of fine guitars.  (Seth Avett, of the Avett Brothers, played one his guitars on the Grammys and has purchased a couple more from McConnell.)

I'm happy to tell you that original Duhks are back together and sounding super fine. They will grace the gorgeous ampitheater stage at Magnolia Fest on Saturday, Oct.19 at 5:45. I also predict they will do some sit-ins with other folks over the weekend.

Here's a nice video of the reunited Duhks absolutely nailing the haunting tune Annabel, which was recently featured on the Western TV series  Hell on Wheels, on the AMC network.