thePULSEDance Music for the Open-Minded
Ghorar Deem Express Lands at the Lucky Dog
August 2005 – Over the past few years, the East Coast music scene has been expanding its horizons. Bands like Incus, Tainted Quill and Rasputina have gained their followings by mixing genres and contributing individual sounds that are entirely unique. Now there is a new band to add to that list: Ghorar Deem Express.
Ghorar Deem Express was started in Amsterdam by former expatriates Rachel Koppelman and Andrew Bergmann. While living in Europe, they hooked up with Nader Sobhan to form the first incarnation of Ghorar Deem and today the band features ten members: Bergmann as the composer and bassist, Koppelman on accordion, Sobhan on vocals, Nikolai Onken on guitar, Steve Mitchell and Stephan Verchin on percussion, Tyler Wood on keys, and Lars Dietrich, Natalio Sued and Jay McMahon filling out the sax section.
Ghorar Deem combines this wide variety of instruments and cultural aesthetics to create a sound that is fresh to the scene, but, despite its eclectic feeling, the founding members do not classify the band as “world music.”
The vibe of Ghorar Deem Express comes from the atmosphere in which it was born. “Although the band is rooted in rock and blues, we drew heavily from the people around us,” explains Andrew. “Amsterdam is full of people from all over the world, from many different cultures. All of these influences are what give Ghorar Deem Express an exotic texture.”
Last fall, Andrew and Rachel returned to the U.S. with Ghorar Deem and hope that the band will find a new audience in America. Floating Opera Records will be releasing their debut album on August 10th, and, although Ghorar Deem Express is quite the opposite of popular American music (fortunately!), they believe they will be better received here than in Europe. “There’s not a big rock scene, they’re really lacking in jam and improv,” notes Andrew. “We’re not necessarily comparable to bands like Phish, String Cheese Incident or moe, but we think that fans of those bands could easily get into Ghorar Deem.”
The “un-categorizable” quality of Ghorar Deem Express is what gives them their edge, but without making them inaccessibleto listeners. If there is any band to which they are willing to compare themselves, it’s the Balkan cabaret Reverend Glass Eye and His Wooden Leg.
A little bit jazz, a little bit hip-hop, a little bit Balkan gypsy rock; Ghorar Deem has the room to take things where they want. “Our first album has more of a Latin jazz feel,” says Andrew. “But now we’re heading in a heavier direction, a more punk direction,” explains Rachel. “We’re dance music for the open minded, but our intention is always to rock, and that’s what you can expect at the Lucky Dog show. That, and that we’ll always try to freak you out.”
