We are the children of the folk dance community around the Washington, D.C. area and naturally we are interested in doing something completely different from what our parents did. The Balkanics was founded late in 2004 and has since become popular amongst ethnic as well as mainstream audiences in the D.C. area and the East Coast.
The music of the Balkans is so interesting and challenging that we can’t help but feel blessed for being able to interpret it and present it to you, our audiences, in its typical form, with only a slight flavor of our own. The instrumentation that we use is typical for most wedding bands popular today throughout the Balkans. The clarinet, the saxophone, the keyboard and the bass/rhythm guitar — all modern electric instruments of the West — give this music of odd modes a very peculiar sound. It is truly appealing to younger crowds because it’s loud, exciting and very driving, even somewhat hypnotic. And because we play generally traditional tunes, we can characterize the product as “old music for the new generations.â€
Naturally, purists and traditionalists do not prefer this fusion of genres and instrumentation but it certainly has a lot to offer if you ask the youth attending our gigs.
Currently we are the only band of its kind in the Washington, D.C. area. At our gigs, we love to see both young people as well as our friends and extended families who represent the previous generation of folkies in this neck of the woods. Thank you all for your continuing support and let the party begin!
A little bit of history...
Bryndyn and Tzvety Weiner always wanted to have a band for what’s called Balkan “wedding style†music. In general, this is a genre that became widely spread in the Balkans since the 1960s when people started playing traditional music (at weddings) on Western instruments — clarinet, saxophone, accordion, bass, trap set, etc. In the late 2004, following a trip to Bulgaria where Tzvety and Bryndyn heard plenty of this music, they started looking for people who may be interested in such a band.
Varol Saatcioglu, who had recently moved to the D.C. area, was the first person to join the effort as he himself was very excited to play this kind of music. His Turkish ethnicity and outstanding musicianship made him a natural music director of the group. His primary instrument up to that point was the Bulgarian bagpipe (gaida) but with the Balkanics, Varol laid down the groove on his keyboard.
Next recruit was Len Newman picking up the bass. Len was also a natural addition to the crew with his years of experience playing all kinds of Balkan string instruments — tambura (Macedonian and Bulgarian), saz, lauto, bouzouki, cumbus just to name a few.
After moving to the D.C. area, James “Monty†Montgomery, a New Orleans grown tuba/dumbek player and a Balkan music enthusiast, was looking forward to meeting the local folk dance crowd. One summer day in 2005, the connection was made between Monty and the newly formed “Balkanics.†Monty joined the band and soon took on the role of promoting the Balkanics throughout the local club and live music scene.
Rick Nunno also started playing with the Balkanics later in 2005 adding the accordion to the roster. The band was starting to take shape and sound like an authentic Balkan wedding group.
Although gigs started to line up in 2005 and the Balkanics were very well received by the audiences, the band still needed a very necessary lead player. Several people filled this position temporarily — Davidione Pearl, Rudi Sautean, and Andria Alefi until one day Jeff Suzda, an accomplished Jazz saxophone player, responded to our Craig’s List ad. He showed up to several practice sessions and gradually grew very intrigued by the style. He soon joined the group and has since been an intricate part of our arrangements and stage presence.
Although it seemed like the group was solid now, more changes in the crew occurred. Monty and Rick parted ways with the Balkanics which reduced the group down to the bare bone 5. In the summer of 2006, a young saxophone/clarinet player, Daniel Rozas finished his studies and found it was appropriate time to pick up on an old habit. His previous experience playing Balkan music made him a natural fit with the group.
In this configuration, the band has been performing since December 2006.
