News
CHECK OUT: www.myspace.com/druhatravaSALE on New Freedom Bell album at Compass Records (and next year's tour)
October 30, 2009
Compass Records is having a Midnight Madness Sale until 12PM CST November 1st and it includes Druha Trava's New Freedom Bell album for $5! Check it out here: http://compassrecords.com/store.phpOn another note, Druha Trava's 2010 will be from mid September through October and is being worked on currently, so watch this site for next year's dates.
Photos from 2009 tour
September 23, 2009
Enjoy some photos taken by Lubos Novotny on their tour this year! Click here.And to enjoy some older tours, click here.
Moab concert venue changed
September 1, 2009
The venue for the Moab, UT concert has been changed to Star Hall. See schedule page. Druha Trava is now in London on their plane waiting to take off for Chicago. The tour is on!Druha Trava's visa petition approved!
August 24, 2009 5:45PM-CDT
Thanks to the tenacity of Greg Buhr working from Minnesota Senator Al Franken's office, I just received word a few minutes ago that Druha Trava's visa petition has been approved! Greg left a message last Thursday at USCIS, then spent 55 minutes holding on the phone on Friday waiting to speak with the Congressional Liaison there, and called again this morning receiving a promise that they would make a ruling on the petition today! He kept working it until they acted. They called him just a bit ago and he immediately called me. Since the US Embassy in Prague is ready to interview Druha Trava, all should go well from here on out! Bea Flaming - DT US RepresentativeUSCIS slow on approving Druha Trava's visa petition...
August 22, 2009
The upcoming tour for Druha Trava is being threatened by the delay in processing their visa petition. For details read the email sent to the concert producers/promoters yesterday. Our US embassy in Prague is ready and willing to interview DT as soon as the approval for the petition comes through, but their hands are tied until that happens.If the concert is canceled, that information will be posted here on August 29th. If USCIS acts in the next few days to enable the members of Druha Trava to all get to the embassy in Prague for the required interviews, that will be posted as soon as we know. It will all be decided within one week.
Druha Trava US tour soon to begin...
August 16, 2009
Druha Trava said their farewells a couple days ago to American musician Charlie McCoy after a successful tour in the Czech & Slovak Republics. In July Amercan musician Tony Trischka was over there touring with them. Now it's DT's turn to come here to the US to perform!English translations of Robert Krestan original songs
July 21, 2009
New translations of some of Robert's songs are now available on this site: TRANSLATIONS They are translated by Ruth Ellen Gruber, author of the article about Druha Trava originally published in 2005, first in the New International Herald Tribune and reprinted in the New York Times. You may enjoy reading some of her other writing, especially her sauerkrautcowboys blog.Author -- National Geographic Jewish
Heritage Travel: A Guide to Eastern Europe
New book 2008 -- Letters from
Europe (and Elsewhere)
Press release for 2009 US tour
July 21, 2009
DRUHA TRAVA
MAKES FIRST U.S. TOUR SINCE 2007
Acoustic Folk Rock from the Czech Republic
Who: The legendary Czech band Druha Trava
What: An 18-date U.S. Tour, the band's first American tour since 2007
Acoustic Folk Rock from the Czech Republic
Who: The legendary Czech band Druha Trava
What: An 18-date U.S. Tour, the band's first American tour since 2007
When: September 4 to October
3
For Full Details See:
www.druhatrava.com or myspace.com/druhatrava
- - - - - -
The legendary Czech band Druha Trava returns to America in September for its first U.S. tour since 2007.
Famed on both sides of the Atlantic for its "Czechgrass" fusion of acoustic, bluegrass, folk and rock, Druha Trava will play venues in Minnesota, Kansas, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Texas, California, Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois.
"We're excited to be coming back to the U.S.," said DT's banjo virtuoso Lubos Malina. "We miss our fans and our friends."
The winner of numerous Czech Music awards, DT gained new international renown this year when it was chosen to play a one-hour set outside Prague Castle during President Obama's visit to the Czech capital in April.
The legendary Czech band Druha Trava returns to America in September for its first U.S. tour since 2007.
Famed on both sides of the Atlantic for its "Czechgrass" fusion of acoustic, bluegrass, folk and rock, Druha Trava will play venues in Minnesota, Kansas, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Texas, California, Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois.
"We're excited to be coming back to the U.S.," said DT's banjo virtuoso Lubos Malina. "We miss our fans and our friends."
The winner of numerous Czech Music awards, DT gained new international renown this year when it was chosen to play a one-hour set outside Prague Castle during President Obama's visit to the Czech capital in April.
National Public Radio
correspondent Don Gonyea raved over DT singer/songwriter Robert
Krestan's versions of Bob Dylan songs -- sung in Czech -- from the
group's 2007 Dylanovky CD.
DT comes to the U.S. with new material and new energy, fresh from recent European tours with American banjo legend Tony Trischka and Charlie McCoy, the harmonica wizard who was recently named a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
They bring new CDs including Dylanovky and a brand new CD issue of DT's 1991 first album, Robert Krestan & Druha Trava, which has been completely re-mastered and re-released with 5 bonus tracks.
"Much of this material hasn't been heard in the U.S. before, and we'll be performing some of the tracks on tour," said Malina.
Also, for the first time, new English translations of 10 of Robert Krestan's songs will be made available, posted on the band's U.S. web site click here for lyrics
ABOUT THE BAND
Druha Trava (which means "Second Grass") was formed in 1991 by singer-songwriter Robert Krestan, banjo and wind instrumentalist Lubos Malina, dobro player Lubos Novotny and other veterans of the Czech acoustic music scene.
Its distinctive sound is based on exceptional musicianship combined with Krestan's gritty vocals and original songs.
DT "uses American roots music as a launching pad for its own synthesis of jazz, pop, folk and even classical motifs," stated an article about the band in The New York Times. "In doing so it transforms a quintessential American idiom into a richly textured, highly personal statement that defies genre classification."
The winner of multiple Czech music awards, DT has a loyal following at home and in the United States. It first performed in the U.S. in 1993 and since 1994 has toured North America every year except 2008.
The band has recorded more than a dozen albums, including collaborative CDs with American stars Peter Rowan and Charlie McCoy.
Re-release of Druha Trava's first album
July 7, 2009
Druha Trava's first album (self titled "Robert Krestan & Druha Trava") has been remastered and released, along with 5 bonus tracks, in the Czech Republic. They will be bringing it along to sell on their tour this fall.Coffee Gallery concert cancelled
July 7, 2009
The decision has been made to cancel the concert at Coffee Gallery due to driving considerations, but Druha Trava plans to perform there in 2010 when they will have a longer tour.New album with Wabi Danek
May 8, 2009
In February Druha Trava recorded a second album with Wabi Danek which will be released in the Czech Republic in the next couple of weeks. They will be bringing it along when they come to the US this fall.NPR identifies Druha Trava ...
May 5, 2009
On May 3rd NPR identified Druha Trava in response to folks who wrote in to them. It happens at the end of this story:Your Letters: Health Care, Jewish Cooking, Prague
Why Don Gonyea did not name Druha Trava ...
April 16, 2009
For those of you who wondered why Don Gonyea did not name the band in his story (see below), here is the answer straight from him:I now know the identity of those amazing musicians in Prague!
I arrived at the event in Hradcany Square as part of the White House Press Corps and missed their introduction. That day I was on a very tight deadline and was mostly focused on the President's speech, so I never got around to tracking them down.
It wasn't until days later, after I told my editor about the great band I'd heard opening for Mr.Obama, that she suggested I do a short postcard as a sidebar to the Presidential trip. By then I was in Islamabad on the final leg of the President's week long tour.
I wrote the story once I got back to DC not knowing who they were... a fact that somehow added to the mystery and unexpectedness of it all.
You and many other DT fans instantly recognized their sound.
I too am now a big fan and hope very much to see (and meet) them next time they get to the US. I've already found their music on iTunes...including the Dylanovky CD.
Thanks again for the note... and the info.
And please give the band my best.
Cheers,
Don
2009 US tour schedule posted
April 16, 2009
Druha Trava's planned itinerary for 2009 can now be seen on the schedule page. More details will be added later.Druha Trava on NPR
April 15, 2009
NPR's correspondent Don Gonyea thought DT was terrific when he heard them play ahead of President Obama's address in Prague. [Listen to the story] Too bad he didn't mention the name of the band. DT is planning a US tour in September -- but fans traveling in Europe this spring and summer will have plenty of opportunity to hear them play before that. [Visit the Czech performance schedule]Druha Trava "opens" for President Obama
April 5, 2009
Druha Trava was honored to perform this morning before President Obama's speech at Prague Castle.
2009 tour
January 28, 2009
Druha Trava is definitely planning on touring the US this fall in September and possibly early October. In the coming months tour dates will be posted as contracts are received. During the past year the band has been performing with percussionist David Landstof, who has a jazz background and also performs with Lenka Dusilova and in an Irish band with Lubos Malina and Katka Garcia. They hope to bring him along on the tour. Watch this website for tour dates for this coming fall.Older (2008 and previous) news
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