The Balkaneers
ABOUT US THE BAND
Founded on the Gower for the purpose of partying, we are a 6 piece band mashing up our own unique and original sound. We find traditional Eastern European, Gypsy and Celtic folk tunes and mashing them up into something a little bit different, changing the rhythms and writing all our own lyrics and arrangements. Our set has developed into a mixture of upbeat Ska and fusion dance tracks. Instruments include accordion, saxophone, clarinet, mandola, djembe, penny whistle, bass, guitar, drumkit percussion and vox.
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Tunes come from Gypsy, Jewish and Celtic cultures, fom countries including Russia, Macedonia, Israel, Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine, France and Scotland.
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Our influences include The Destroyers, Balkan Beatbox, Gogol Bordello, Al Jawala, The Balkanistas, Slonovski Bal and The Specials, and we are grateful to all those tunes out there that have inspired us to play, translate, have fun with, and generally mashup in the tradition of folk music all over the world.
We are, left to right:
On bass , bass and bass- barely visible, Chrisalus has recently buried all the prevous bassists in his basement and now bounces to the bass with us.
On clarinet and penny whistle, vox and percussion- born in a vodka factory and raised on the breeze, Camilski now mostly plays with air and melodies.
On drums small and large, loud and very loud, hi-hats and lo-hats, cymbals and metaphors - Captain Bazza the white. Say no more.
On accordion, spoken word and singy and shouty words - ex welly wanger and front man Alexus was captured by bandits and taught to multi task left and right whilst maintaining a large grin and sporting stripey trousers.
On guitar and mandola - Matheus the spine cracker spent the first half of his life on a lilo in the Andes strumming the gentle reggae rythm, but has long since surfed to the tidal ryhthms of Ska.
And not least! - on saxophone, vox and percussion - building her present incarnation from timber, Hazelofski the jammy donut likes to wear a wig and blow that funky sax.