Paprika Balkanicus Oz/NZ Tour 2009

"Paprika Balkanicus had set the night afire!"  - The Scotsman
"A wild ride - fast, furious and exhilarating!" - The Adelaide Advertiser
"These boys won the crowd completely with their charm and virtuosity...a must see." - The Independent

Since their debut visit to Australia in 2008, PAPRIKA BALKANICUS has been in hot demand all over the world with more than 30 appearances at major music festivals and cultural events.  Now in early 2009, they are back; supporting good friends and home-grown heroes THE CAT EMPIRE on their Australian tour, before embarking on a run of their own headline shows on the East Coast.

PAPRIKA BALKANICUS first met The Cat Empire at the Edinburgh Festival, on the Australians' debut tour of Europe back in 2002.  Many fantastic late night jamming and dancing sessions later, PAPRIKA BALKANICUS were invited to stay at Felix's house on their debut Australian tour, cementing a friendship that continues to flourish today.

Paprika Balkanicus will be setting stages alight across Australia with their own headline tour, from late March. Dates and venues will be announced following the conclusion of each Cat Empire show.

Feb 26 - March 22

Supporting The Cat Empire www.thecatempire.com , plus head-line shows at WOMADelaide, Auckland Festival & Gold Caast Arts Centre

March 25 - April 5

Paprika Balkanicus head-line shows (shows in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne & Brisbane TBA after the final Cat Empire show in each city)

Please, visit regulary www.myspace.com/paprikabalkanicus for updates.
 

Saturday, 30th August 2008

Paprika Balkanicus took the Balkan part of the Gypsy Festival from the Spiegeltent to the Mela on Saturday night. This five-piece, who come from Romania, Serbia and Slovenia and dress like overgrown schoolboys, subversively re-invent classic middle European evergreens that have been part of the universal musical psyche since the early 20th century.

Their riotous performance placed the great accordions of Milos Milivojevic and Zivorad Nikolic at each side like a musical frame, shifting with understated aplomb from sounding like brooding pianos to whirling barrel organs. Guitarist Vlad Jocic held the middle ground, strumming like mad, his pork pie hat and drainpipe trousers giving him a mischievous air. At his side, balancing the energy of the group and providing quirky chat between pieces, was electric bass player Jozef Secnik (ex Terra Folk).

Balkanicus's repertoire was contrastingly urban in comparison with that of Parno Graszt, including updates of classics like Russia's Kalinka and Moonlight. While they revelled in wringing the emotion out of bittersweet ballads, their czardas, rumbas and whooping circle dances began deceptively slowly, building up through enormous crescendos with everything played at breakneck speed. During this process their musicianship never faltered as they dealt out complex, ricocheting rhythms at a devilish pace.

The star of the show was undoubtedly Romanian Roma Bogdan Vacarescu who, while still young, is a virtuoso violinist who could turn any tune into gypsy fare. For pieces like The Skylark and Tarantella his fingers created running cascades of arpeggios full of vibrato trills, glissando slides and contrasting textures using all the tricks available to reach the highest notes possible before zipping down again.

His technical mastery of various fingering styles made it sound at times as if there were at least two fiddlers, particularly noticeable in a brilliantly dancing Czardas. At the end with the audience circling the Mela garden site, it was obvious that Paprika Balkanicus had set the night afire.

The full article contains 770 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.

 

Paprika Balkanicus

These virtuoso musicians from Romania, Serbia and Slovenia on violin, guitar, double bass and accordion play a fiery blend of traditional and Gypsy music from the Balkan Peninsula's incredible musical  history.

Paprika Balkanicus

Described as a gypsy riot, they have already won themselves a substantial following in the UK, Europe and Japan.

From silky-smooth stroking tones to lightning-speed furious arpeggios, violinist Bogdan Vacarescu's blurred fingers lure some of the most beautiful and passionate melodies ever written for violin.

Next to him Jozef Secnik on double bass and Vlad Jocic on guitar provide an intriguing harmonic foundation of frequently odd rhythms with unpredictable solo eruptions.

Flanked by Milos Milivojevic on accordion, the band can sound as soft as a whisper or larger than life.

2007 was a triumphant year for the group; along the highly successful tours in Japan and Norway, they seduced masses at a number of the biggest British and international festivals over the Summer of '07, including Glastonbury, Kingston Green Fair, Balkan Fever London, Secret Garden Party, Diaspora Music Village (Hyde Park), Exit (Serbia) and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals.

This year they performed at some of the most prestigious  concert halls and clubs in UK and France such as Royal Festival Hall, Carling Academy Islington, Bruntwood Theatre Manchester, Tate Modern and New Morning - Paris to name but a few.

Band members have previously worked with Nigel Kennedy, World Youth Orchestra, Neil Innes and Tommy Emmanuel and won numerous awards including Spirit of the Fringe and the BBC World Music Award.

Their self-titled debut album is available to buy at their concerts or through their website.

www.myspace.com/paprikabalkanicus

"Amazing performance – they hit the audience like a Balkan storm!" JVC Japan

Media Release

Monday 28 April, 2008

SPICY BLEND OF GYPSY MUSIC ARRIVES IN TIME TO HEAT UP WINTER

Brisbane Powerhouse presents

PAPRIKA BALKANICUS

Silky, smooth and as spicy as their name suggests, gypsy musical gods Paprika Balkanicus are set to warm up Brisbane this winter with two electrifying shows at Brisbane Powerhouse from 31 May – 1June.

Touring Australia for the very first time, with performances in Melbourne and Adelaide, Paprika Balkanicus already have a well established reputation as one of the hottest newcomers in World music. The atmosphere is set to sizzle with fantastic musicianship and witty stage presence that has already won this ensemble a substantial following in the UK, Europe and Japan.

Hailing from Romania, Serbia and Slovenia, Paprika Balkanicus combine violin, guitar, double bass and accordion in a fiery blend of traditional Gypsy music from the Balkans and Eastern Europe. Their repertoire comprises of songs that mirror longing, passion and joy of these long hidden places. From slow sultry tones to lightning-speed furious arpeggios, the band can sound as soft as a whisper or larger than life.

Violinist Bogdan Vacarescu, Jozef Secnik on double bass and Vlad Jocic on guitar, provide an intriguing harmonic foundation of frequently odd rhythms with unpredictable solo eruptions. They have previously worked with Nigel Kennedy, World Youth Orchestra, Neil Innes and Tommy Emmanuel to name a few and won numerous international awards including Spirit of the Fringe and BBC World Music Award.

Paprika Balkanicus will keep the thrills coming, flanked by Milos Milivojevic, accordionist extraordinaire, they will entice the audience to boogie and shake, stomp, clap and laugh, with their endless energy, enthusiasm and mesmerising rhythms. They have had people up and dancing at some of the most prestigious concert halls and clubs in UK and France such as Royal Festival Hall, Carling Academy Islington, Bruntwood Theatre - Manchester, Tate Modern and New Morning - Paris to name but a few.

Music lovers in all over the world, especially in Japan and the UK, were seduced in masses by these gypsy gods and their riotous performance. Join Paprika Balkanicus for a dose of heat and passion this winter ! Their self-titled debut album is out now.

Paprika Balkanicus will perform at Brisbane Powerhouse 31 May – 1 June; Melbourne 2 + 5 June and the Adelaide Cabaret Festival 11 – 14 June.

"Masters of good atmosphere!"- BalkanUK.com

"Amazing performance - they hit the audience like a Balkan storm!"- JVC Japan

Sat 31 May – Sun 1 June

Time 7:30pm

Venue Powerhouse Theatre

Tickets $38 + $28.50 (gallery seating)

Bookings 07 3358 8600 or brisbanepowerhouse.org

For further information, images and interview opportunities please contact

Brisbane Powerhouse PR Manager, Olivia Guglielmino

p 07 3358 8671 m 0409 187 289 f 07 3358 8611

e oliviag@brisbanepowerhouse.org

or Brisbane Powerhouse Publicity Coordinator, Rachael Morgan

p 07 3358 8670 m 0404 775 377 f 07 3358 8611

e rachaelm@brisbanepowerhouse.org

Balkan Peninsula

Balkan Peninsula in South Eastern Europe - bounded on the east by the Black and Aegean seas, on the south by the Mediterranean Sea, and on the west by the Adriatic and Ionian seas.

The Balkan Peninsula generally encompasses the countries that are commonly known as the Balkan states: Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, and Bulgaria. In addition, the South Eastern part of the peninsula includes Eastern Thrace, the European part of Turkey.

Geographically, the northern boundary of the peninsula can be defined by the Sava River; the lower Danube River from the point, at Belgrade in Serbia, where the Sava joins it; and a line drawn arbitrarily from the upper Sava to the Adriatic Sea near Rijeka, Croatia.

This northern boundary encompasses a region that (together with Romania and excluding Montenegro, Dalmatia, and the Ionian Islands) constituted most of the European territory of the Ottoman Empire from the late 15th to the 19th century.