‘Music and Meanings’ educates and entertains

By NATASHA COLLINS For the Chronicle

A display of banjos, maracas and kazoos, not to mention a plethora of other unique instruments, greeted audience members entering the Bozeman Lodge Sunday as Chrysti “The Wordsmith” Smith, known for her National Public Radio spots, teamed with four musicians to play music and supply deeper meaning.

NICK WOLCOTT/CHRONICLE Chrysti “The Wordsmith" Smith of Yellowstone Public Radio fame jokes with the band the DupliKates during a performance they teamed up for at the Bozeman Lodge Sunday afternoon. “There will be an hour’s worth of edu-tainment,” Smith promised during her appearance at the assisted-living facility with the local band the DupliKates.

And she followed through. The program, “Music and Meanings,” was a journey featuring eclectic musical numbers interspersed with Smith’s thought-provoking commentary about the origins of music-related terms.

Members of the DupliKates - Chuck Swenson, Ron Shimpf, Kate Ciari and Kate Bryan - have been playing music together for about five years. The two Kates met when Kate Bryan posted an ad, Kate Ciari answered it and with the help of Swenson and Shimpf formed the DupliKates.

Sunday’s performance began with jokes and anecdotes and it soon became clear the DupliKates are all about having fun. Although the group had trouble agreeing on its musical influences, with songs ranging from Irving Berlin melodies to polka tunes, its members agreed that Dan Hicks, a “cowboy folk artist,” has been a huge influence.

“We look for interesting vocalizations,” Ciari said.

Smith and the band, many of whom are lifelong friends, dreamed up the concept of mixing word origins with music.

“We wanted to put something different together,” Ciari said.

Smith is well known around Montana for her interesting etymology spots on NPR. She began her career as a wordsmith at Montana State University while studying anthropology. Next was a student project analyzing words and phrases for local radio station, KGLT. She’s since dissected the English language. And she plans to continue supplying Montanans food for thought on the radio, in her books and now with the DupliKates.

“The supply of words is endless,” she said.

When listening to the DupliKates’ songs, Smith picks the most interesting aspect of the song for her, whether it is lyrics or an instrument, she said. She then researches a word, instrument name or phrase by sifting through her many dictionaries and research sources.

For example, to preface the DupliKates’s rendition of the spiritual song “Rivers of Babylon,” some of which is sung a-cappella, Smith explained the origins of the word a-cappella.

The word is Italian for “in the matter of the chapel,” she said. Hundreds of years ago, monks traveled to and from chapels singing songs without instrumental accompaniment, or, a-cappella

The Wordsmith and the DupliKates plan to take “Music and Meanings” on the road to other facilities and libraries across the state in the near future. For more information, visit www.duplikates.com and www.wordsmithradio.org.

Natasha Collins can be reached at natasha@dailychronicle.com

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