Bigger, Better, Harder Stuff That Doesn't Suck - Prague - 04_02 - 10_02

Thursday 4th February

 

Robert Balzar Trio @

U Malého Glena

ROBERT BALZAR TRIO

 

 

@ U Malého Glena

Robert Balzar (contrabass)

Stanislav Mácha (piano)

Jiři Slavíček (drums)

 

 

 

ROBERT BALZAR - bass

e-mail: robertbalzar@centrum.cz

He was born in 1962 in Nachod in Czech republic. He graduated from the Brno Conservatory - double bass,piano. He has been performing in Prague since 1985, beginning with TV bigband. After he has played with the Gabriel Jonas; Jazz Face; Emil Viklicky Q.; Karel Ruzicka Q.; David Friedman (USA); Allan Praskin (USA); Larry Porter (USA); Joe Newman (Count Basie Big Band); Benny Bailey (formerly with Quincy Jones); Tony Scott (formerly with Bill Evans, John Coltrane); Hal Galper Trio; Benny Golson; Wynton Marsalis; Lew Tabackin; Tony Lakatos; Victor Lewis... He was also a memeber of elite group that played with U.S. President Bill Clinton at the Reduta Jazz Club during Clinton's 1994 visit to Prague. He has performed at a number of internacional festivals, such as the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Prague Internacional Jazz Festival and the Karlovy Vary Internacional Jazz Festival. And he has toured Norway as a member of Benny Bailey Quartet as well as toured the United States and Canada.In 1996 group under his own name - Robert Balzar Trio and recorded first CD with this group called TRAVELLING. In 2000 R.Balzar Trio recorded second CD called ALONE.

"....he sound great, his solos are thought through, he's got unerring rhythm, he creates just the right sound for the band."

George Mraz

Discography:

1986 - JAZZ MAGMA;J.Buchar Q (Panton) 1987 - EAST WEST CONNECTION (Panton) 1988 - BIGBAND; V.Zahradníka (Panton)  - TRIBUTE (Arta) - FAR AND YET NEAR (Arta) 1991 - ROUND MIDNIGHT; E.Viklicky (Arta Rec) 1992 - IMPRINTS; L.Andršt (Arta)  - SUBWAY (Bliss Rec) 1993 - BOHEMIAN NIGHTS (Gemini Rec) - RESOLUTION;Jazz Face-(Arta) 1994 - TWO PRESIDENTS; Bill Clinton,   Václav Havel (Čs.Rozhlas) 1995 - FOOD OF LOVE (Melantrich) 1998 - TRAVELLING; R.Balzar Trio (Jazzpoint) - SPRING ROLLS Q; Růžička, Jonáš, Balzar, Zbořil (Cube)

1999 - DISTANCE; S.Loescher (HLM Rec) - JUST SQUEEZE ME (Cube) - BIRDS IN BLACK; Najponk, Balzar, Šulc (Gallup) - BALLADS BLUES AND MORE; Najponk Trio (Cube) 2000 - ALONE; R.Balzar Trio (Cube) - ILLUSTRATOSPHERE; D.Bárta (Sony Music/Bonton) 2001 - SIX SONGS; Darkk Bros. (AFresh Production) 2002 - INVITATION; Y. Sanchez (Cube) 2003 - I REMEMBER LOVE; Benny Bailey (Laika Rec) - ENTROPICTURE; D.Bárta (Sony Music/Bonton) 2005 - OVERNIGHT; R.Balzar Trio (SonyBMG)

STANISLAV MÁCHA - piano

Stanislav Macha was born in 1971. He graduated from the Secondary Art School in Prague and has studied music privately since childhood. In 1992, he won the International Jazz Festival in Karlovy Vary with his group The Four. In the next few years, he performed with a number of prominent Czech jazz combos. He was a member of the Czech Radio Big band. He has also performed with several inernationally renowned musicians, such as Wynton Marsalis, Piotr Baron, Nicholas Simion. Macha has performed in Germany, France, Finland, Denmark and Switzerland. In 1994, he was a member of the band that accompanied Bill Clinton at the Reduta Jazz Club. He has been a member of the Robert Balzar Trio since 1996 and recorded with this group CD TRAVELLING and CD ALONE.

Discography:

1993 - SPACE AND RHYTHM; The Four (Arta Rec) 1994 - TWO PRESIDENT'S JAM SESSION  (Čs. Rozhlas) - YOU'RE NEVER ALONE; Big band Čs. Rozhlasu - MAGIC HOLIDAYS; R.Pokorný Quartet (Arta Rec) 1997 - YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN; K.Růžička jr. (Arta Rec)

1998 - TRAVELLING; R.Balzar Trio (Jazzpoint) 2000 - ALONE; R.Balzar Trio (Cube) - ILLUSTRATOSPHERE; D.Bárta (Sony Music/Bonton) 2002 - INVITATION; Y. Sanchez (Cube) 2003 - ENTROPICTURE; D.Bárta (Sony Music/Bonton) 2005 - OVERNIGHT; R.Balzar Trio (SonyBMG)

JIŘÍ SLAVÍČEK - drums

e-mail: jirislavicek@centrum.cz

Jiri Slavicek was born in 1969. He graduated from the Ostrava Conservatory. He has been performing in prague since 1992, beginning with the critically acclaimed group The Four. With that group he won the Karlovy Vary Jazz Festival competition. He has performed with many bands and recorded several albums. He has performed with such international stars as Wynton Marsalis, Art Farmer, Piotr Baron, Kuba Stankiewicz and Sandy Lomax. He joined the Robert Balzar Trio in 2000 and recorded CDALONE.

Discography:

1993 - SPACE AND RHYTHM; The Four (Arta Rec) 1998 - JAZZ PERCEPTION; R.Pokorný (Arta Rec) 1999 - POCTA R.A.DVORSKÉMU; P.Kořínek Jazz Orchestra (Jazz Art Production) - BLUE POINT; R.Pokorný Trio (Arta Rec)

2000 - ALONE; R.Balzar Trio (Cube) - ILLUSTRATOSPHERE; D.Bárta (Sony Music/Bonton) 2002 - INVITATION; Y. Sanchez (Cube) 2003 - ENTROPICTURE; D.Bárta (Sony Music/Bonton) 2005 - OVERNIGHT; R.Balzar Trio (SonyBMG)

Friday 5th February

Archive @ Lucerna

Entrance fee: 400 czk

Archive are a musical group based in London, England, whose music spans electronica, trip hop and progressive rock. Over their fifteen year history, the band have released seven studio albums and enjoyed moderate success throughout central Europe, while remaining little-known in their native Britain.

Archive were formed by Darius Keeler and Danny Griffiths in 1994 from the ashes of the UK breakbeat act Genaside II. Together with the female singer Roya Arab and the young rapper Rosko John, the band released their first album "Londinium" on Island Records in 1996, a mix of dark Trip hop (in a similar vein to Massive Attack), electronica and progressive music. The album received moderate critical acclaim, but due to internal dispute the band split up later that year.
However, in 1997 Keeler and Griffiths reformed Archive with another female singer (Suzanne Wooder) and in 1999 released their second album "Take My Head", a mix of pop and symphonic trip-hop far more melodic than its predecessor. The band have described this album as their least favourite of t
heir albums.
Between 2002 and 2005 the band released three albums with singer Craig Walker (formerly of Power of Dreams) to growing popularity and critical acclaim, including a large following in France and Poland. These albums have seen Archive gradually turn away from their roots in Electronica and Trip hop and towards more psychedelic and progressive style of bands such as Pink Floyd, Mogwai, and The Secret Machines. The band also composed the soundtrack to the French film Michel Vaillant, released in November 2003.
Archive began their Europe tour in November 2004 without Walker, and without notifying ticket holders. Increasing shouts of 'Where's Craig?" from bemused fans at the concerts in Poland and France finally prompted a notice on the website that Craig absence was "due to unforeseen circumstances". Another statement from Darius Keeler hinted at personal problems keeping Walker from touring [1]. In an interview with the TV station arte in late 2005 [2], Keeler and Griffiths stated that Walker is in fact no longer with Archive and is working on a solo album, whereas Walker has stated that he left Archive due to personal differences with management and other band members.
In autumn of 2004, Archive announced that Dave Pen (Birdpen) would replace Walker on the Noise tour - due to the continuing personal problems between Walker and the rest of the band. During this same tour, Keeler and Griffiths met the singer Pollard Berrier at one of their shows in Vienna, Austria. The three began writing and rehearsing together, and were recording in Southside Studios, London, by September 2005.
In May 2006, Archive released "Lights", from which the first single was "System". Dave Pen contributed on three tracks of the album and Maria Q sang on four tracks.
They have been touring in Europe since 2006, with Dave Pen, Pollard Berrier and occasionally Maria Q as singers. As the critical reaction to their "Lights" tour has been excellent, they recorded a live DVD in Paris in January 2007.
Archive released their 6th album "Controlling Crowds" on March 30th 2009. The first single was entitled "Bullets".
As of February 2009, Rosko John is "back in the Archive collective", according to the official Archive newsletter.

http://www.myspace.com/archiveuk
http://www.archiveofficial.com

 

Saturday 6th February

Pipes & Pints, Chancer, P:N:S @ Klub 007 Strahov

Pipes & Pints (cz),
Chancer (cz),
P:N:S (cz)
@ Klub 007 Strahov

161 czk

Antifascist Action!

Pipes and Pints (cz/usa) - Punk Rock with Highland Bagpipes

Pipes And Pints were formed in 2006 by Vojta Kalina (Highland Bagpipes/Vocals) with a dream of a band that combines punk rock with dirty folk music such as The Pogues. Soon after, he met Tomas Novotny (Guitar/Vocals, ex-Who ate my Skate) who shared the same dream, flavored by country and rock and roll. The band released a demo and toured Central Europe (Germany, Austria, Czech Rep., Slovakia) both as a headlining band and in support of The Porters, Society Parasites, and others throughout 2007 and 2008. However, the vision of the future for Pipes And Pints was not shared by all of the original members and a line-up change resulted in the addition of Lukas Vincour (Drums/Vocals, ex-Punkhart and more), who moved to Prague from Moravia; Syco Mike (Lead Vocals, ex-Mugshot76), who canceled his return from Austria back to native California and moved to Prague with only his dog Tequila; and eventually Ondra Balvin (Bass/Vocals, Super Pilot, ex-ElPaso), a good friend from the streets, squats, and clubs of Prague.

In December 2008, after only a month of rehearsing, the new Pipes And Pints line-up (without Ondra on bass yet) recorded a 5-track EP which immediately became a promise of better days and the beginning of a new adventure. This EP release was well received and the boys didnt hesitate to hit the road with it. It was during that tour Pipes And Pints added new bass player Ondra and proved to everyone they were serious about their music as evidenced by their relentless and voracious playing at European clubs and festivals. After less than a year the band got a reputation as true believers who give it all they have and you could see them with bands like The Porters, Church of Confidence, Born To Lose, Deadline, Hudson Falcons, Al And The Black Cats and more, or as a headlining band.

In November 2009, Pipes and Pints are releasing their debut, full-length album entitled "Until We Die“ with the cooperation of Wolverine Records for Europe and Unrepentant Records for North and South America. Pipes And Pints are devoting the rest of this year and next to what they love the most - live shows. With plans to support the album with as many gigs and tours as possible, Pipes and Pints are looking forward to seeing you "until they die“.

www.myspace.com/pipesandpints
www.pipesandpints.cz

The Chancers were formed in the summer of 1998, when a group of like-minded musicians combined for a one off concert. Since then the band line up has changed dramatically as they have taken their ideas and music around the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, France, Switzerland, Croatia, Austria and Hungary, playing anywhere with a floor and an audience keen to embrace their interpretation of the ska sound. Highlights of the past years include playing on the first Prague concert of English Two Tone legends The Selecter (later supported them in Vienna as well), sharing the bill with visiting modern ska bands like Skunk, Spunge, The Hotknives and The Blaster Master, and an invitation to perform at the Sziget festival in Budapest, where The Chancers stole the show with their energetic dance stylings.
On the recording front the band followed up their “Tuffer Than Tomorrow EP” with a full album, “Rudeboy Polka” , released on their own label. The album has garnered favourable reviews from a number of publications including Rolling Stone , Show!, Big Beng and Rock and Pop magazines, not to mention a clutch of ska fanzines across Europe and North America .On their most recent release, the four track “Teach the Rich”. The Chancers have broken new ground by working with top Czech remixers Nana Zorin and DJ Wich (voted as DJ of the year 2001 in Czech Grammy Awards). Their position as the top ska band in the Czech Republic was confirmed by a band profile and interviews on Czech Television and and frequent airplay on national and local radio.

PNS is czech noisy hardcore-punk band from Prague. It was formed at 2001
Current members are:Markos - Drums, vocal,Andrej - lead Vocal,Vencaro - Bass,Pablo - Guitar,Peterson - Guitar
albums- Ztracená existence (demo 2001) Jaká bude další válka?! (demo 2004) Poslední odpocet (Cd 2007- phr) Nakažení prokletí (Ep 2008-phr) Split w. Societys Parasites(US-hellcat rec) (CD 2009-phr)

Sunday 7th February

Cultura Tres, FDK @ Chapeau Rouge

End: 02/07/2010 - 23:59

Cultura Tres (ve),
FDK (cz)
@ Chapeau Rouge
Live Underground












 

Cultura Tres has its origins in Venezuela. With the first EP "Seis" (2007) the band already outgrew the South American continent, landing European support slots for bands like Pro-Pain and even being invited to perform at the world release show of Gorefest's "Rise to Ruin" album in their homeland the Netherlands. The quick growth of the band should come as no surprise, since the four band members possess skills and experience gained from years of writing, recording and performing in different bands; with some individual highlights including Rock Al Parque for 80,000 people (Colombia), Ozzfest, Hodokvas Festival (Slovak), Rock TV Night (Italy), the "Chaos AD" tour of Sepultura (South America) and a variety of albums and video-clips that met with critical acclaim.

Encouraged by the excellent response to the EP, the musicians locked themselves in the studio for a year of rigorous composing. In October 2008, the band released debut album "La Cura" in South America, gaining them a hurricane of media attention.

After a release tour through homebase Venezuela, the band was invited to a showcase in London. There they were spotted by Metal Hammer magazine, who selected Cultura Tres as the month'sglobal metal discovery. During their stay, the band was offered additional shows in mainland Europe, enticing them to stay longer and prepare for a European release of La Cura. Cultura Tres started recording the videoclip for their European single "And Then I Woke Up" in Holland. In the mean time, the debut videoclip of South American single "Libertad" (recorded in Venezuela) burst through its intended boundaries of South American music television, when it was picked up on internet. As a result, it also attracted the attention of important magazines in Europe and even Japan, each praising the album for its dark and original music.

 

This summer, in between festivals in Holland, Cultura Tres went back to South America for a promotional tour in Argentina, furthermore proving their hold over the continent. Shortly after, the entire band received a full endorsement from Ibanez. And now, with European and Japanese release tours set for spring 2010, the future for Cultura Tres looks brighter than ever… Don't miss this chance to hear the new sound of South American doom!

FDK: http://www.last.fm/music/FDK




Monday 8th February

Henry Rollins - Frequent Flyer Tour @ Palac Akropolis

HENRY ROLLINS (US)

FREQUENT FLYER TOUR

Spoken Word

@ Palac Akropolis

 

Henry Rollins (born February 13, 1961 as Henry Lawrence Garfield) is an American singer-songwriter, raconteur, spoken word artist, writer, publisher, actor, radio DJ, and activist. After joining the short-lived Washington D.C. band State of Alert in 1980, Rollins fronted the California hardcore punk band Black Flag from 1981 until 1986. Following the band's breakup, Rollins soon established the record label and publishing company 2.13.61 to release his spoken word albums, as well as forming the Rollins Band, which toured with a number of lineups until 2003 and during 2006.
Since Black Flag, Rollins has embarked on projects covering a variety of media. He has hosted numerous radio shows, such as Harmony In My Head on Indie 103, and television shows, such as The Henry Rollins Show, MTV's 120 Minutes,and Jackass. He had a recurring dramatic role as a white supremacist in the second season of Sons of Anarchy and has also had roles in several films. Rollins has also campaigned for human rights in the United States, promoting gay rights in particular, and tours overseas with the United Service Organizations to entertain American troops.

Henry Rollins Website

Tuesday 9th February

THE REAL McKENZIES @Rock Café

The Real McKenzies (celtic punk, CAN) - an exclusive acoustic concert at Rock Café! 9 - 10/2/2010, start 19:30, tickets for 250, - payment in advance at the Rock Café and Ticketstream, 300, - in place. ATTENTION - a limited number of tickets !!!!!

 

 

The Real McKenzies are a punk band from Vancouver, however strongly rooted in their Scottish link. The music of these "modern Celtic singers" can be defined as a combination of Sex Pistols and Scottish folk legend Robbie Burns.

Wednesday 10th February

Groove Bitches @Zero

Groove Bitches @ Zero music bar

Djs Cray + Choix (isis recordings)

Free Entrance.

myspace.com/zeroprague

REGGAENERACE S COCOMANEM A SOLID VIBEZ