Although Dayton arguably contains more lepers than leprechauns, most Gem City citizens will leap at the chance for a little Irish entertainment, especially during the month of March. Enter Dervish, a trad/folk band from northwestern Ireland that has enchanted audiences since 1989. Presented by Cityfolk – Dayton’s famed traditional arts organization – Dervish will perform the penultimate show of their current tour at Stivers School for the Arts on March 22. Lead singer Cathy Jordan spoke to the Dayton City Paper about touring, Dervish’s new album – and … um … skeletal remains.

First round is on us, Cathy. What can we pour you? 

Either a cold bottle of Heineken or a large glass of rioja. – Cathy Jordan

Dervish’s current tour started on March 1 in Green Lake, Wisc., and ends on March 23 in Hartford, Conn. Do you prefer spending a month on the road or time in the studio?

They both have enjoyable aspects. Being in the studio is the creative side of what we do. Composing the structures and arrangements of the songs that we choose to play is hard work, but it’s very rewarding in the end, especially when it comes to performing the arrangements and seeing how audiences react to them. However, touring can be tough … traveling long distances with very little sleep. Great concerts make up for all the long journeys. – CJ

Does Dervish mostly cover traditional Irish songs, or does the band write some of its own material?

What people tend to forget is that even though the material may be traditional, we compose all the song intros and breaks and the arrangements are unique to the band. We also write our own material and have recorded original songs on Dervish albums and solo records. – CJ

The band will perform in Mount Vernon, Wash., on March 17. How wild can a Dervish show get on St. Patrick’s Day? 

It’s always great to play a concert on St. Patrick’s Day in the U.S., as it’s the one day of the year when everyone is Irish and not afraid to flaunt it. It’s like “Green Christmas” and the atmosphere is always electric. Good, clean, green, Irish fun, I’d say. – CJ

A few days later you’ll perform in Dayton, and not for the first time. What was the band’s previous visit to our city like?

The last time we were in Dayton we had so little time, we didn’t get to see anything except the venue and the hotel. This time I hope to rectify that; I’m open to suggestions as to what to see and do. What I do remember, though, is performing a great gig for lovely people. – CJ

This tour supports and promotes the release of new album The Thrush in the Storm. Tell us a little about the record. How were the recording sessions? How does this album differ from previous Dervish albums? 

I must say this was a very easy album to make; it only took three days to record. Of course, we had a lot of preproduction done [early] and we had performed all of the material on stage beforehand. This made the recording process so much easier, as all the “teething problems” had already been sorted out. The Thrush in the Storm sees the band going right back to our roots, playing pure traditional music and uncovering as many previously undiscovered gems as we could find – which gets harder and harder as the years go by – and as more and more musicians and singers pull songs from the “well.” – CJ

There’s a track on The Thrush in the Storm called “Snoring Biddy” about a man who murders his wife. Did this lady snore that much? I need details.

“Snoring Biddy” is about a man who had the misfortune of marrying the laziest woman in Ireland. There were cows to be milked, pigs to be fed, laundry to be done … and she was in bed asleep and snoring. In the end, the poor man did the only thing he could have done, in his opinion: murder her and throw her in the bog! – CJ

Apparently you play “the bones.” What kind of bones do you use for percussion purposes? 

Cow ribs! – CJ

Bones, songs about murdered wives … exactly what kind of show can Daytonians expect?

Don’t worry – no one will die. Except, you could die dancing. – CJ

Dervish performs on Friday, March 22, at 8 p.m. at Stivers School for the Arts’ Centennial Hall, 1313 E. Fifth St. General admission is $25. (Some service fees will apply.) Senior, student, explorer and group sales discounts may be available. For tickets, call the Cityfolk Box Office at 937.496.3863, or visit cityfolk.org. For more information, visit dervish.ie.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo – the South African male choral group first widely recognized for their appearance on Paul Simon’s classic 1986 Graceland album – will perform at Miami University’s Middletown Campus on Wednesday, Feb. 13. Since Graceland, the choir has won a multitude of honors, including three Grammy Awards.

Singing in the traditional Zulu style of isicathamiya (is-cot-a-ME-ya), Ladysmith Black Mambazo was born out of a dream that came to founder Joseph Shabalala in the early 1960s. During this period of sleeping inspiration, he envisioned a choir singing in perfect harmony. Shabalala spoke of the experience in a recent interview:

“In the early 1960s, I had a dream of a type of singing group that I wanted to create. Not just a dream, in the wishful way, but an actual dream while I was asleep. This beautiful dream led to the creation of my group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Now, some 45-plus years later, this original dream has led to so many more dreams. We have been awarded Grammy Awards, represented our homeland of South Africa at many prestigious events, including accompanying Nelson Mandela to Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, traveled the world so many times and most importantly, spread a message of peace, love and harmony to millions of people. This was never a dream a black South African could ever imagine. As the years have passed, and the 20th century became the 21st, I started to get asked what will happen to Ladysmith Black Mambazo once I retired, if I ever retired. Well, I have spent much time thinking about this. Ladysmith Black Mambazo was never about one person. Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a mission: A mission to spread our message and to keep our culture alive and known. South Africa is a most wonderful place, filled with beautiful people. By touring, as we have, almost seven months every year for over 20 years, we have wanted to keep South Africa alive in people’s hearts.”

To date, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has done a tremendous job of living out their goals. According to the group, the tradition of isicathamiya originated in the mines of South Africa, “where black workers were taken by rail to work far away from their homes and their families. Poorly housed and paid worse, the mine workers would entertain themselves after a six-day week by singing songs into the wee hours on Sunday morning. When the miners returned to the homelands, this musical tradition returned with them.” LBM continues the custom to this day.

Originally titled Ezimnyama (“The Black Ones”), the group later changed their name to Ladysmith Black Mambazo. “Ladysmith” was the name of Shabalala’s rural hometown – the site where he grew up as a farm-boy and later became a factory worker, “Black” references oxen – the most virile of all farm animals and “Mambazo” is the Zulu word for “axe.” Legend has it that LBM were so tight they could “chop down” any fellow contestant in the many competitions they entered. Eventually, the choir’s pristine harmonies became so powerful that they were banned from competitions and encouraged to participate strictly as entertainers.

After impressing on a 1970 radio broadcast, Ladysmith Black Mambazo signed their first record contract and released Amabutho shortly after. Since then, the group has generated an expansive discography of over 50 recordings. According to LBM, “their philosophy in the studio was – and continues to be – just as much about preservation of musical heritage as it is about entertainment.”

In the mid-1980s, Paul Simon caught wind of Ladysmith Black Mambazo and invited them to perform with him on record and in concert. This led to Simon producing 1988’s Shaka Zulu – the group’s first stateside release and first Grammy Award-winning album. Afterward, LBM began collaborating with Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and many more.

After rising to fame, Ladysmith Black Mambazo put their credentials to good use and are as culturally minded as they are musically talented. In 1999, Shabalala decided to launch the Ladysmith Black Mambazo Foundation – their mission being to teach Zulu children about isicathamiya, their traditions and their culture. In turn, Zulu customs will flourish for many generations to come.

When asked about the future of the group in 2008, Shabalala responded, “Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a family. Within the group I have had brothers and cousins singing together. Over the past 15 years, because of retirements and death, I have been joined by four of my sons. They are the future of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, our next generation. The mission and message will continue. Thus, the dream I had over 45 years ago will continue well into the 21st century. We never will be silenced and we hope our fans and friends around the world will keep wanting to hear this message.”

Ladysmith Black Mombazo will perform on Wednesday, Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the David Finkelman Auditorium on Miami University’s Middletown campus. Tickets are $26 general admission, $24 for seniors/staff and $15 for students and children under 12. For more information, visit mambazo.com or regionals.muohio.edu/artistseries/middletown.htm.

Reach DCP freelance writer Leo DeLuca at LeoDeLuca@daytoncitypaper.com

Reach DCP freelance writer Joe Aiello at JoeAiello@daytoncitypaper.com