another fine womadelaide tradition being observed with this group
that being the inclusion of some eastern european music in the mix
every year it seems to be a given that such an act will appear on stage
in some respects and with all due respect - the music itself is kind of predictable
there's only so much that can be done with traditional style and instrumentation
i have a feeling that groups based on such traditions are very plentiful
so it makes sense that something else is required to make the transition
to pluck a group out of the rabble and parachute them into womadelaide
and have them accepted and hopefully enjoyed by this learned audience
in this case the first impression is that presentation has been considered
the 5 lads decked out in similar attire of black slacks, white shirt, wide ties
of course of no relevance when it comes to the music but a nice touch anyway
and for me at least an indication of some degree of respect for the audience
i.e. the want to create a good impression of a unified musical outfit
no doubt about that as they hid their stride with the first tune
twin piano accordians on a rapid-fire tune that gets the crowd moving
there's also a violinist, acoustic guitarist and a hybrid electric/double bass
belting out a very up-tempo number obviously very well rehearsed
there's time changes, stop-starts, solos, duos, and all then all hard at it
by the end of the first tune it is proven this band is full of confidence
then they roll out another appealing factor seen with similar bands
a sense of humour mixed with a heavy accented command of english
the first laugh coming with a tale of their early morning flight from perth
we arrive this morning in your beautiful city - we very lucky to be here
we very lucky to have single room in hilton hotel - 1 single room for all of us
lost in translation but some self-deprecating humour working well with the crowd
and then onto the next number - and now time to check out each musician
the violin player attracting the most attention with his skilled playing
all over the strings mostly at speed and drawing some amazing sounds
high-pitched shreiks, some familiar riffs, gypsy sounds, a hint of classical
and all in the same tune and supported by his bandmates effortlessly
it appears to me that this musician is the cornerstone of the band
his skills adding a dimension to the sound that demands attention
between each tune they take the time to explain a little about the music
and invariably also throw in some more genuinely humorous remarks
this tune is from macedonia - where they grow paprika and beautiful ladies
the impression being that this band knows to keep a crowd interested
they are not going to rely totally on the music - this is a show
and full marks to them - looks, sound, and stageshow perfected
it could be just very well rehearsed - but it's more than that
these guys genuinely have a lot of fun playing their music
which in this case sees the crowd respond appropriately
good clean fun basically - very easy to enjoy
