A trio of impromptu performances at the 2018 Back to the Garden Festival became the genesis of Dervish State. A couple of daze later, Brent Jones & HowieZowie attended a porch party in East Village. During intermission they discussed working on a living, breathing ambient-fusion-collaboration geared towards the visual. The thought was to record theme music or 'scores' for what could be presented a
s a long form video and/or a live multimedia presentation. They left that concert with a concept and a name. Not long after that ad hoc formation, director John Pacheco approached Howie about performing an overture for his upcoming production. It immediately became a Dervish State project. Shortly thereafter, Howie brought K.F Carmen & Anne Moniz into the fold. Anne Moniz, recording artist and audio grad (OIART 2015 alumnus), lead singer of London rock band Nimway. Nominated for Best Sound Brickenden Award in 2016 for LCP production “Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me”, directed by Marina Sheppard. Singer/pianist/composer Brent Jones is a busy musical collaborator in his home region of South-Western Ontario contributing to the work of many artists through sessions, production, and performance. He runs Quiet Earth Studios in a heritage farmhouse on his family’s rural property, just outside London, Ontario and is co-founder of the Back To The Garden Music and Arts Festival held at The Jones Farm. Jones’s latest album Coincidence Makes A Miracle – recorded in England at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios offers cinematic soundscapes of light and shadow - contemplations on the human experience – expressed through music as a vehicle to teach, heal, and celebrate. Originally from Vancouver, K.F. Carmen is talented in a variety of creative endeavours most notably music and art. Since moving to Ontario he has expanded his creative focus into the multimedia realm. He has helmed multiple collaborative efforts on the London arts scene and now pursues music/video production full-time. Your favourite American ex-pat hails from Alaska via California & Maine (amidst a few whirls around the globe). With a theatre background and a lifetime spent on the radio/in the music business; HowieZowie has found his niche as a producer and more recently the infamous "Theremin Guy." Prior to marrying a Canadian live-on-air in 2012 and moving to London, he had been a producer, engineer, guitar tech, musician....but mostly on a quest for knowledge about his passion ~ The Art of Recording Music! Besides his many guest spots with local artists, his long-term stint as "The 5th Mongrel", he is also a frequent collaborator, supporter & philanthropist on the London music scene. Howie was Forest City London Music Awards' Volunteer of the Year and can be found on the air as host of Saturday Morning with HowieZowie on 94.9 Radio Western.
