MSN Music Raquy performs with the dumbek and the kemenche, also known as the spike fiddle. It is an instrument from Iran, which is much like a violin, except instead of moving the bow around the instrument to hit the different strings, the kemenche sits on a spike that allows the musician to rotate the fiddle itself while the bow stands stationary. Raquy and the Cavemen allow the listener to experience the musical cultures from The Middle East and Egypt and fuse them with Liron Peled's hard rock drumming background. Incidentally, Raquy and Liron have tied the knot and reside in the ever-hip Williamsburg section of Brooklyn along with the rest of the Cavemen. The Global Stage was a place of psychic transport when Raquy and the Cavemen took the stage. The name Cavemen is appropriate due to the rawness of the beats, and there is also a timeless property to the music that makes it impossible to dislike. The whole experience of the music takes you on a journey to the roots of Middle Eastern drumming and as soon as that kemenche starts flowing the trip goes deeper. Its sound is like a close stare into the eyes and soul of the Middle Eastern culture that lives inside the music. Raquy brings forth the experience of an ancient culture straight to the stage for everyone to reflect, react and rotate to. Daphna Mor, originally from Tel Aviv, Israel, leaves all who witness her playing with a smiling jaw-dropped expression when she plays two recorders simultaneously that evoke an echoing, resonating sound. Raquy and the Cavemen played the closing set at Floydfest, and were cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd. Their previous sets at Floyd left a buzz around the grounds that let everyone know where to spend their remaining time at the festival. The Hill Holler Stage hosted the closing set of the fest and had a nicely saturated mud pit in front of the stage. Mud or not, people danced, shook and spun and sooner or later took a face plant into the mess. As the beats flowed, cheers and hollers filled the foggy air of Floyd. The love that each band member has for their instrument is especially evident when they are all on stage. They move fluidly to the enchanted drumming, mystical kemenche and melodious recorder. Find one of their shows and be enriched, encouraged and energized." Full Story At: A
different write-up about the same festival, also by Chris Hart: |