In the days of traversing this great land in a conversion van filled with acoustic instruments and the insecurities of the four musicians that played them, we found solace in the repetition of a few great albums. I believe our friends at Compass Records had given us music for the road, and the two that continuously cycled in and out were Otherworld (Lunasa), and Live in Palma (Dervish).

While I loved both bands and their records, it was the voice in Dervish that resonated with my heart, mind, and soul. Albeit a strange comparison, it reminded me of how I felt the first time I heard Led Zeppelin, and the power and mystique of Robert Plant’s vocal - which felt more elemental than something emoted from a being of flesh and blood. If Plant’s vocal felt a blend of air and fire, Cathy’s voice emitted the same elemental aura - but of earth and water.

When our band was fortunate enough to share a bill with Dervish at a festival one summer on the shore of Lake Huron, I finally had the opportunity to experience them performing live. Even as my eyes could finally see the source of this sound, I felt as if I watched some immortal spirit being channeled by the sounds of the instruments themselves.

I left feeling inspired to learn some of the melodies that she so effortlessly dances her way through. Not to imitate something inimitable, but to let myself be guided by my own feel of dynamics and phrasing.

This channel is indeed a love-letter, and it felt right to lead with the very first one I had tried to write years ago. Thank you, Dervish.