Managed to grab a short chat with Bojan off Irish Stew

Celtic music: Why? What’s the reason you play Celtic music?

Well it’s a simple answer, why not, we believe we all have the same Celtic roots back in Serbia, actually the Celts were there 1000 years ago
I listened to a lot of Irish music, I grew up with Irish music, I didn’t listen to Serbian music at all. I just heard the Pogues and that was that.

Why did you call the band Irish stew of Sindidiun?

Sindidiun is an old Celtic name for Belgrade, so that’s the reason

What was the first Irish song you tried with Irish stew?

I think it was the most popular traditionals like Whiskey in the Jar, the Irish Rover and stuff like that, then after we did some covers and then we decided to make our own songs and do that

Playing with the Orthodox Celts, did those guys give you much help?

Yeah yeah, of course They were the first band in Serbia playing the Irish music, so they were also a big influence and I’m proud to be member of the Orthodox Celts as well
(on OC front-man Aleksandar) What a great singer and a great person

If I go to Serbia, is there really a deep love for Celtic music, is the connection really that strong, the connection?

Yeah, historically yeah, the Celts were all round Europe they actually founded Belgrade, before the Romans, they set up the city

What’s the ingredients for a good Irish Song?

A good energy, a bit of happiness a bit of sorrow, that’s basically an Irish song, ha ha!

What’s your favourite song that you composed?

The Lady of Tomorrow, from the latest album. When I wrote this song I imagined she was from Ireland!

Full article here

Carry on Camping, the unOrthodox Celtic way!

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Interview with Aleksandar, not long after he had finished the concert

So that was a tight deadline, wasn’t it?

You tell me, tell me your impression

Well you were on for 9 but you didn’t start until 10.30

You know we planned to be here at 1 pm. To make a sound check at half past 5, to have some kind of relaxed time before the gig and to start playing at 9

But actually everything went wrong, first we started our journey last night at 9.30 pm, there was heavy rain in Belgrade so we started to travel an hour later, 10:30

We went to Hungary, we were in Budapest around one o’clock

Those guys closed the highway. We lost two hours in Budapest, then we arrived at the border around 7.30 and were there until 1.30 pm (the next day)

We really were wondering shall we make it our not, actually we didn’t believe we would be on time,

We were ready to call the organizers to move the concert until tomorrow, but everything went ok

We came here at 9.05, so we did a sound check and then we started playing as soon as we can

The warm up band played some similar songs, but ye guys rocked it tonight.

The set list for this occasion, and for occasions like this, is always full of traditional’s, but when we cover other songs we try not to do as other bands do, we are trying to make it personal so maybe that’s why it sounds different.

The band before us, a great traditional band, but we make it much more rock

So where does the inspiration come from?

Me, personally,  the start was my father, as I was little he was always listening to the Dubliners and stuff like that so I was used to listening to Irish folk, to Celtic folk, to Scottish folk

Later on I discovered the Pogues and that was the trigger . I can say that with pride just because they were the first to mix all those punk and rock stuff with folk

When you are listening to all those bands after the Pogues, just punk, the Pogues were much more than that

Why Irish music, because it was the most comfortable thing for me to express myself

You know when we are talking about music it’s a huge thing, I like classical, I like rock, I like punk, but overall I express myself through Irish music

You finally got the chance to play with Shane MacGowan, what was that like? (Exit Festival, Serbia, singing the Irish rover, 2002)

I cried, you can believe me or not, when he came onto the stage I was crying like a child

Shane was like, “what the fuck is going on”, why is he crying. It was great!

My wife was with me, she was like, “come on”, but I was crying!

I was trying to get in touch with Shane for some time before that and when they told me I would be on the stage with him it was, first, an honour, secondly for me something special, he is the one reason why I am doing this.

But actually the main impact on me is Ronnie Drew, not Shane himself, but Ronnie Drew it was his attitude , Ronnie was the main man, Shane was an inspirational person, the one who made me writing lyrics, but attitude, I don’t know how to say that but gentleman stuff was Ronnie

I always think that if I am Irish he’d be my grandfather, that’s it, I was so familiar with this person, just listening to him

The success of Star of the County Down video?

First of all you must know we didn’t start doing this because we wanted to be famous, this is what we are, believe me, Serbians are much in love with the Celts, I mean the ancient Celts, most citizens are from Belgrade, the Celts disappeared, sorry, but we are Celtic people, some-parts, so it was a reason why people feel what we feel

We didn’t know what it would sound like to be honest, I mean the greatest breakthrough of ours, Yes we uploaded ten years (after it was first produced), so when YouTube came around we grabbed the chance, and we did it!

Full article here

Carry on Camping, the unOrthodox Celtic way!

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Interview with Paolo (manager) and Lorenzo (banjo)

So Uncle bard and the Bastards explain the name

Paolo Well the very evening when the band started out they just played one short gig, it was with our friend Roberto the bard, Robert the bard

Real Irish name!

Paolo And at first they didn’t know how to call themselves and they just made this name up, I mean, the dirty bastards but it was meant to be just one short gig

Actually the gig went very well, and they decided to go on and they kept the name actually

And where was the first gig, somewhere in Ireland?

Paolo No, in Italy

Lorenzo Close to where we live, close to Milan

But you all met in Dublin and brought it back, did you?

Lorenzo The bass player in Dublin spent a lot of time in Ireland (Rob ‘Uncle Bard’ Orlando)

Paolo But they met in Italy

Lorenzo But we were friends before

The first gig, so you said it went well?

Paolo They enjoyed themselves and they decided to go on because it was worth it,

Did you play Irish traditional songs or was it more you own kind of stuff or was it just let’s see what we can do. See how it works so

Lorenzo It was traditional songs. Some Flogging molly, some Dropkick Murphy’s, some Dubliners stuff

I mean there are a few bands that do Celtic music in Italy, isn’t there?

Lorenzo Nowadays…yes

Paolo We like drawing a line between the bands that play Irish music because they love Irish music and they also love Ireland, and the bands that play Irish music just because its fashion

Lorenzo yeah, it’s a sort of fashion nowadays in Italy

Paolo Celtic stuff

Lorenzo but there are really  good bands, good bands but it was different when we started no one playing Irish music expect for traditional Irish music

It was hard to find venues to play in…

So how did you build up your fan base, was just word of mouth, or it was something new?

Lorenzo It was something new and we are playing every weekend so people learn the songs….

Got used to you! I know this song, I know this song!

Lorenzo Yeah!

What’s your favourite song, of the guys? (to the manager)

Paolo The guys, I think its….

He is trying to remember a song now, look!

He is playing for time now….

Lorenzo do you want to check the check list

Paolo “I did not belong to this world”, I have to admit that’s my favourite song

Lorenzo Only because I am the song writer!

A request tonight, yeah!

So Paolo what about 2016 for the band, what are you hoping for?

2016?

Paolo 2016, ok it is going to be a great year for the Bastards, as we have a lot of requests at the moment and

People are really happy with them, I don’t why because you can see Silvano here, you can look at him

Baby face

Paolo He doesn’t deserve it the bastard (tag) especially, ha ha

We are doing well

They are doing well and

So we are full of requests from all over the world

From all over Europe

And we are hoping to go to Ireland, to play in Ireland

National stadium in Dublin

We have very good reports from places where they have played

In August they have played in the Netherlands in front of 10,000 people

We got a large number of messages on Facebook, Facebook messages just to congratulate us

And actually so things are getting better and better

So what’s your part in the band anyway? (to Lorenzo)

Lorenzo I play the banjo, the banjo and the mandolin

But tonight I will only play the banjo

So what can we expect from the band tonight, what kind of music are you going to play,

How would you describe your sounds?

Paolo Crap!

Lorenzo Bullshit, ha

Very good manager, here, very good manager!

Lorenzo We are going to play sounds of our album, a few traditional ones, Irish traditional, but even a couple of songs written by English song writers

I have a question like, what is the Italian part of your band, I mean there must have some kind of Italian kick to the band, there must be something that you can bring from Italy to a Celtic punk band?

Lorenzo H’mmm. I really don’t know! Except the looks maybe

Yeah ok you are good looking guys

Don’t look like Shane MacGowan or anything that’s for sure

Lorenzo I really don’t know

When you are up playing the banjo, do you instantly click into an Irish or is it just….

Lorenzo Yeah because banjo is not a musical instrument that we play in Italy, so the only way to play it is in an Irish way or a bluegrass way

And I learnt to play the banjo in Ireland

Is this when you were Busking around Dublin, and….how did that go for you busking around England and Ireland and Wales…?

Lorenzo It was a great experience

Was it a bit daunting at the start, was it a bit nervous?

Lorenzo Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was really a great experience

Do you have any crazy stories from your time busking on the streets

Grafton street, must have been difficult, because there are so many people that be playing on Grafton street

Lorenzo Yeah but there are rules between the buskers, and you just have to keep distance and then at the end of the day you are playing with other musicians. It’s really great because there is friendship between musicians. And we started playing with three guys and then we ended up in 20 maybe, with a Russian guy playing guitar and a few Irish musicians

It was really, really beautiful

Ok, and did you play in Galway as well? Galway is always pretty good for busking, isn’t it?

Lorenzo It is. It is. And the level of the musicians are really high

So what about 2016 then, what are your plans, what are your hopes?

Lorenzo We are writing the songs for the new album

We will do a summer tour

Will that include any gigs in London or Ireland?

Lorenzo Maybe London we are talking about it, don’t know yet when and where?

What does the manager say?

Paolo with a couple of venues, but for the moment it is really hard to get there but we are in talks with them, we are trying to get there

Lorenzo I don’t know if we are going to play in Ireland because

Italians play Irish music in Ireland

Paolo It sounds strange!

But I think Irish people like to see their culture appreciated and they like to see, you know, it’s cool for us to see that we are not just crazy Irish people playing this music, someone else appreciates it, you know

Lorenzo I hope so!

So what got you into the scene anyway, I mean how did you start? How did you get into this music?

Lorenzo Well every one of us has a different story about it

I stared playing the banjo

I started visiting, living for a few months in Ireland

And then I started learning Irish music.

What made you pick up the Banjo, why particularly the banjo?

Lorenzo Because I used to play the guitar, so I try

It was fun, so

What’s your kind of favourite song on the banjo, what’s your favourite tune?

Lorenzo My favourite tune

I prefer to play jigs more than reels

Whereas ballads probably Raglan Road or the Town I love So Well, we will play tonight.

The Town I love so Well is one of my favourite songs ever

We will be looking at you tonight then!

You played with the Dropkick Murphy’s, what was that like?

Lorenzo Twice, a really great experience

Did you get to meet them, hang out with them?

Lorenzo Yeah, yeah, Kenny is one of the best and better musicians I have ever met, really, we were sound checking, and he went on stage, stopped just to shake hands to every one of us, thanking us for been there, was incredible

So where abouts was it again, England or Ireland, no it was Italy where you played with the Dropkick Murphy’s?

Lorenzo Turin and Milan, it was a sold out show so

Did you learn anything from looking at the….., I don’t know, looking at the stars of Celtic (rock) music at the moment or whatever?

Lorenzo Really nice guys, they are really professional

Full article here

A bunch of Italian Bastards

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