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Warsaw Village Band takes tradition on the road
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Times Colonist (Victoria, British Columbia), Warsaw Village Band takes tradition on the road >>
The Warsaw Village Band just got back from New York, and a whirlwind tour though Germany. Now, they're in Victoria for their MainStage appearance at FolkFest and first visit to Canada.
"Sometimes it's crazy," says Wojtek Krzak, who plays violin in the band, in a phone interview from his home in Warsaw, Poland.
Things were suddenly bumped into a higher gear for the band when they released their second album, People's Spring, in February, and took home a BBC Radio 3 World Music Award in the Newcomer category in March.
Since then, he says, "We have so many offers from all over the world to play concerts."
The group of seven young people (ages 19-32) came together in 1997. Their band acts as an unofficial cultural project, trying to resurrect Polish musical traditions out the obscurity of homogenized culture and the rubble of past Communist governments.
The Warsaw Village Band, he says, is "looking somewhere in the roots and also looking forward," blending old techniques with new influences into a cultural hybrid they call "bio-techno."
The band uses traditional Polish drums and the suka (Polish fiddle) to perform traditional folk songs and ballads, while the women of the band sing with an antiquated style called "white voice" - musical screaming once used to communicate across long distances.
A "village band" in every sense, the group often travels to the small villages of rural Poland, learning almost-forgotten music from old masters.
When the band walks into small communities, someone inevitably tells them something like, "at the end of the village, you will find Johnny who plays the violin," says Krzak. With these seasoned musicians, they learn about traditional music, and about the rural culture they feel is so important.
"They are so open," Krzak says.
"They are so happy that the young generation wants to discover this type of music."
While they have found a very receptive fan base in Poland, Krzak says the real challenge is bringing their music to international audiences.
He's hoping their performances will "fight the Polish stereotypes," opening eyes to real Polish culture.
The band is playing eight Canadian dates at folk festivals across the country.
"I can't wait to see the Canadian audiences... it's an absolutely fantastic country," he says.
Krzak says international audiences never know quite what to expect when they see his band play, but they hope to show their Victoria audience a taste of the exotic and a fun time.
"We will give some people some good new vibes," he says. "And some peace, some breaks from everyday problems."
07/02/04
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