No Duhking Around
Winnipeg Folk/Roots Quintet is Fast Becoming a Hot Item
Jen Zoratti

Blending folk, celtic, bluegrass and soul, they’re a band that takes everything good from the Winnipeg Folk Fest and puts it all into one ‘superband’ — right down to the banjo — and they have also become one of Winnipeg’s biggest musical success stories.

Meet The Duhks, the Winnipeg folk quintet that has taken the roots scene by storm — especially south of the border.

With the release of The Duhks, their debut album for Disney-owned Sugar Hill Records, the band has been busy in the past year. Touring almost constantly since February 2005, the band has played over 125 gigs in the U.S. and Europe, stopping in Vancouver to pick up an award for outstanding roots recording at the Western Canadian Music Awards in September.

“It’s been wild and crazy,” says bandleader Leonard Podolak (banjo, vocals). “I really think we’re living the dream.”

The group — which also includes Jessica Havey (vocals), Jordan McConnell (guitar, pipes), Tania Elizabeth (fiddle, violin), Scott Senior (percussion) — has earned itself quite a fan base for its eclectic take on roots music. With influences that range from folk and bluegrass to traditional Celtic reminiscent of Podolak’s former band Scrüj MacDuhk, The Duhks have sold about 34,000 copies of their album in the States alone.

So has this band gone all Neil Young on us? Are they a bigger deal Stateside?
“It’s sort of hard to not say that,” Podolak admits. “I get the sense that there’s a lot of people who have labelled us as a Celtic band (in Canada). In the States being Celtic is still exotic. They haven’t been river-trampled yet.”

The two dates at the West End Cultural Centre this weekend mark a welcome homecoming for the road-weary troupe.

“We’re looking forward to it,” says Podolak. “Winnipeg’s always been a really great place to play.”

Folk festivals are where Podolak feels most at home, which isn’t surprising, since his father is Winnipeg Folk Fest founder Mitch Podolak.

Music was always a big part of Podolak’s life growing up.

“I saw Bela Fleck and the Flecktones play when I was 16,” says Podolak. “Then I was like ‘Oh, the banjo’s cool. Teach me the banjo, dad.’ It was really the influence of my parents that got me into music.”

As any good Folk Fest-goer will tell you, a big part of the festival’s charm is in watching an entire provincial park to let loose and dance. The Duhks try to incorporate that atmosphere into their live show, which is why the band is playing two shows at the West End — a concert and a dance.

“I like playing venues that include dancing,” Podolak says. “We’re accommodating our fans. Some will want to sit and listen and others will want to dance.”

Fans can also expect to hear some new material at these gigs. Right after this two-night homestand, the band is headed to Nashville to begin recording a new record.

“We thought we’d be a little folk band, play festivals and make some records,” Podolak says. “But it’s become bigger than that. And it feels great. It’s been killer.”