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Current mood:  ecstatic
The Druid Sisters Tea Party by E. "Doc" Smith‚ Sep. 16‚ 2005 The Druid Sisters Tea Party has been called a "rollicking light-hearted all-girl groove Celtic-funk dance band with tons of fun in mind." Drummer-percussionist Claudia Paige, started the project with the idea of mixing African and tribal beats with Celtic fiddle in a sort of Afro-Celt manner but going all organic, a sort of "Jungle Gypsy" feel. The crisp drumming, the tribal beats, and the Celtic jigs, are all based on solid grooves instead of straight ahead rock four-four.
Paige began playing drums at the age of 8, and when she was about 12, her mother (who ran a nightclub) woke her up in the middle of the night and asked her to sit in with a major rock band whose drummer was "unable". Paige next played with members of The Grateful Dead and other major rock bands while still really young, as well as stints with the San Francisco Mime Troupe, and more recently with Linda Perry (Pink, Christina Aguilera). She is considered one of the best female drummers on the West Coast and has been sought after for recording by a variety of bands.
Paige actually first came to my attention from her work with the Berkeley trio "Z-Axis" with founders Meredith Anderson and Celia DuBose, and were produced by Henry Kaiser. Her work with the popular group "Jain" remains some of her best efforts, and in subsequent years has recorded with "Come Lily" and "My Familiar". "I have a very eclectic style incorporating hand drums and traps, bringing world rhythms, tribal trance grooves, funky rock & roll, and a solid in the pocket feel to any kind of music. I'm a dynamic player who knows how to add passion to the music and make it sound unique and powerful, sensual and edgy."
The Druid Sisters are rounded out by original member Cyoakha Grace on vocals, harmonium, and keyboards, who joined the Tea Party from her critically acclaimed World-Trance band, "Land of the Blind", where she produced 3 award-winning CDs and toured the US. She adds a dreamy "Kate Bush" feel, adding a touch of Goth-Trance to the lively mix. With the recent departure of the talented bassist Kate Aragon, formerly of the "She Devils", (and also "Come Lily" and "My Familiar"), to filmmaking, Paige has recently added violinist Kathy Buys and vocalist-guitarist Trish Godwin.
Buys, on the violin, moves from traditional jigs to dreamy Middle-Eastern licks and adds a tightness and a fun lightness new to the world of Celtic rock bands. Godwin, arriving from the hip-hop scene, with acoustic and electric guitar, moves and matches Buys as second melody instrument, adds new feels into the Celtic mix, such as folk with sweet acoustic parts, funky bass lines and psychedelic swirling electric guitar.
Their recently remixed self-titled EP with "Taiko" and "African Child" are worth a listen and no doubt the first of many more to come. In the world of the male-dominated "jam-bands", the Mendocino-based Paige and her Druid Sisters Tea Party, truly are a welcome addition to the west coast tradition of spirited musical adventure. Don't miss them the next time they come to your town. You can reach them via http://druidsisters.com/.
7:31 PM
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