When Fish Fly

Family, fine music take wing as Glorious Birds

Dana Idlet (center) is the frontwoman for Dana Louise and the Glorious Birds, a new band that also includes Keith Grimwood (from left), Adams Collins and Ezra Idlet, Dana’s dad. The group will celebrate the release of its first CD Tuesday at George’s.
Dana Idlet (center) is the frontwoman for Dana Louise and the Glorious Birds, a new band that also includes Keith Grimwood (from left), Adams Collins and Ezra Idlet, Dana’s dad. The group will celebrate the release of its first CD Tuesday at George’s.

It's impossible to talk about Dana Louise and the Glorious Birds without talking about family.

"Dana Louise" is Dana Idlet, and two of her current band members are her dad, Ezra Idlet, and Keith Grimwood, Ezra's musical partner for nearly 40 years as Trout Fishing in America. Adams Collins rounds out the new quartet, which will introduce its debut CD Tuesday at George's Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville.

FAQ

CD Release Party:

Dana Louise

& the Glorious Birds

WHEN — 7 p.m. Tuesday

WHERE — George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville

COST — $5

INFO — troutmusic.com or Dana Louise on Facebook

Although the currents run deep around the Glorious Birds, how the band came together was pure serendipity.

Handmade Moments -- a local duo made up of Anna Horton and Joel Ludford -- was recording at the Trout studios in Prairie Grove and invited Collins in to play.

"I thought, 'This guy is great -- and he doubles on banjo,'" Ezra Idlet says. "'This might be somebody Dana could work with.'"

"Dad thought it would be a really good match, and it was," Dana says. "Then we needed bass parts, so Keith would come in and lay some bass tracks down. And we needed percussion, and Dad played.

"I wanted to have a band, and everyone was having so much fun, we thought maybe we ought to play some shows together," she adds. "And here we are."

Actually, they're not just "here." They're everywhere. Ezra Idlet and Grimwood are still scheduling a full rotation of Trout gigs, plus playing with Glorious Birds whenever they can. Dana Idlet and Collins are playing as a duo, Dana plays solo, and then they're the indie folk band.

"[Wife] Beth says I'm suffering from a case of mistaken identity -- I've mistaken myself for a 19-year-old," says Grimwood with a laugh. But nobody -- except her dad -- could enjoy playing with Dana more.

"One of the things I've always liked about Trout is that it crosses generations," Grimwood says. "Our kids' songs were inspired not only by our kids, but by our own childhoods, and now I'm watching my son Kevin grow into the role of a dad. Life just seems to get larger! I look over at Dana and Ezra on stage, and it's a wonderful feeling. It's wonderful to watch Dana grow into whatever it is she's becoming -- this entertainer, this artist. It's all about the music -- and this music is good. I'm honored to be playing it."

"Keith gave me a ride the other day, and while we were in the car, he told me, 'If there's ever anything you need, I've got your back. You can just look at me and say "help," and I've got your back always,'" Dana marvels. "It was amazing to hear. I feel taken care of and respected and loved on stage."

"When we get on stage, one of things that really moves me is how she is in the moment," Ezra Idlet says. "It's not just a recitation of things she has learned; she's with the band, with the audience, in the moment. It's a quality I find very attractive in any performer.

"When you get on stage, you know when it's real. This is real. She's not just treading water. She's a real musician, and this is a real band growing into itself."

Funny thing is, Dana Idlet didn't start out to be a musician. Tired of playing basketball in college, she turned to the solitary pursuit of visual art -- and found her way to an art residency in the Azores. After four or five months on the islands west of Portugal, she found herself playing guitar around a fire every night.

Collins, on the other hand, has been playing piano since he was "tiny," moving on to percussion and then vibraphone, ending up in Colorado playing jazz as he worked toward a master's degree.

He wound up hating jazz and "wandered for a couple of years" playing banjo. Now, he says, he gets to be "the color guy" in the Glorious Birds, taking off on musical explorations that pay homage to those jazz roots.

It might not be what he expected, but it's closer than it was for Dana.

"I was just as surprised as Dana that she chose this path," her mom, Karen Idlet, says. "Watching her today makes me think that her talent was always there just waiting to come out. I just knew that whatever direction she followed she would be 'glorious.'"

NAN What's Up on 05/01/2015

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