Varol Saatcioglu was born in Edirne, Turkey, in 1982. Music has always been a part of Varol’s life as his mother is a piano, music, and folkdance teacher. At the tender age of five, he was accepted into the prestigious Municipal Conservatory of Istanbul, where he studied music theory and piano. After emigrating to the United States, Varol began studying the gaida (Bulgarian bagpipe) under the guidance of Georgi Doichev, former principal soloist with the Filip Kutev National Ensemble. He has also studied Thracian and Rhodopi styles with Vassil Bebelekov. After joining the Balkanics, Varol began playing the keyboard, applying knowledge and skills from his studies at the conservatory. Varol currently resides in Bethesda, MD, and also plays with local bands Lyuti Chushki and Grup Nazar.
Tzvety Weiner (vocals)
Tzvety Weiner was born and raised in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, in a family steeped in Bulgarian folk music. At the age of 5, Tzvety started taking classes in theory of music, solfege, and piano — all mandatory subjects for those who sought to become professional musicians. Later, Tzvety enrolled in folk singing classes in preparation for the famous Shiroka Luka folk music High school in Bulgaria. Around that time, communism collapsed in Eastern Europe and Tzvety faced choices that she never considered before.
Instead of pursuing her predestined profession, she decided to take a break from music and became interested in computer science. In 1998, Tzvety moved to the US to complete a college degree in Computer Science. The love for Bulgarian music and performing in general was never left too far behind though. Luckily, a traditional Bulgarian band, Lyuti Chushki, was actively performing in the DC area and she joined the band as the lead vocalist. Since then, Tzvety has also performed with a Macedonian music band called Luk Na Glavata.
In 2005, Tzvety and her husband, Bryndyn Weiner, decided to start a wedding style band. The Balkanics was born.
Jeff Suzda (saxophone, clarinet)
Jeff Suzda (b. 1982) is originally from Chicago, where he worked as one of the most in-demand young saxophonists on the Midwest jazz scene before moving to Washington, DC. Jeff, who recently finished playing the national tour of the show 42nd. St., is a 2004 recipient of the Downbeat Music Award for Best College Combo. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Jazz Studies from the prestigious Indian a University School of Music in Bloomington, IN. Jeff has toured in China, Japan, the Caribbean, Mexico, all across America, and currently lives in Silver Spring, MD where he teaches and performs regularly with a variety of ensembles. To learn more about Jeff, please visit http://jeffsuzda.com/page2.html
Len Newman (bass, rhythm guitar, tambura)
Len got into this music when still a mere student slacker. Now he’s a DC professional!
Len is the OPV* of this band (*OPV = “Oldest Person in the Village,” a term from ethnomusicologist jargon referring to the individual whose age presumptively qualifies him as the most reliable native informant on village traditions). As such he is esteemed by other band members for his unerring judgment calls on questions like “is the tempo too fast, can a baba do the dance?” (Which just happens to be a lyric from a song Len is composing — stay tuned.)
Len prides himself on owning more Balkan string instruments than anybody else in the band and shows them off playing not just with Balkanics but also with other hard-to-tap-your-foot-to bands like Karpouzi, Lyuti Chushki, and Luk na Glavata. Time permitting, Len makes his living as a computer programmer slash attorney.
Bryndyn Weiner (drums, vocals)
Bryndyn Weiner, a native of Silver Spring, Maryland, has benefited from being exposed to dance and music from the Balkans since childhood. He has been dancing folk dances from Hungary, Romania and the Balkans since the age of 18, including a combined 8 years in the DC-area performing groups Zemya, Tisza and the Washington Revels. Bryndyn’s musical portfolio includes singing in musicals and choirs, playing tupan (traditional Balkan bass drum) for 16 years and more recently learning traps. His musical group experiences include stints with the DC-area groups Lyuti Chushki (Bulgarian traditional), BAMCo (Balkan brass band) and Luk Na Glavata (Macedonian traditional) as well as a now-defunct garage rock band.
He has made several folklore research and pleasure trips to Europe and the Balkans including a 5-month residency in Hungary with the semi-professional dance group “Nyirseg.”
Bryndyn co-founded the Balkanics in the Fall of 2004 after returning from a musically inspiring trip to Bulgaria
Influences
Wedding bands throughout the Balkans, Konushenski Naroden Orkestar, Yuri Yunakov, Ivo Papazov, Saban Bajramovic, Esma Redzepova, Laco Taifa, and many others which we cannot think of at this time.
Sounds Like
A loud, exciting, fun Balkan wedding band with a grain of something you can't quite grasp...
We are the children of the folk dance community around the Washington, D.C. area and naturally we are interested in doing something completely different from what our parents did. The Balkanics was founded late in 2004 and has since become popular amongst ethnic as well as mainstream audiences in the D.C. area and the East Coast.
The music of the Balkans is so interesting and challenging that we can’t help but feel blessed for being able to interpret it and present it to you, our audiences, in its typical form, with only a slight flavor of our own. The instrumentation that we use is typical for most wedding bands popular today throughout the Balkans. The clarinet, the saxophone, the keyboard and the bass/rhythm guitar — all modern electric instruments of the West — give this music of odd modes a very peculiar sound. It is truly appealing to younger crowds because it’s loud, exciting and very driving, even somewhat hypnotic. And because we play generally traditional tunes, we can characterize the product as “old music for the new generations.”
Naturally, purists and traditionalists do not prefer this fusion of genres and instrumentation but it certainly has a lot to offer if you ask the youth attending our gigs.
Currently we are the only band of its kind in the Washington, D.C. area. At our gigs, we love to see both young people as well as our friends and extended families who represent the previous generation of folkies in this neck of the woods. Thank you all for your continuing support and let the party begin!
A little bit of history...
Bryndyn and Tzvety Weiner always wanted to have a band for what’s called Balkan “wedding style” music. In general, this is a genre that became widely spread in the Balkans since the 1960s when people started playing traditional music (at weddings) on Western instruments — clarinet, saxophone, accordion, bass, trap set, etc. In the late 2004, following a trip to Bulgaria where Tzvety and Bryndyn heard plenty of this music, they started looking for people who may be interested in such a band.
Varol Saatcioglu, who had recently moved to the D.C. area, was the first person to join the effort as he himself was very excited to play this kind of music. His Turkish ethnicity and outstanding musicianship made him a natural music director of the group. His primary instrument up to that point was the Bulgarian bagpipe (gaida) but with the Balkanics, Varol laid down the groove on his keyboard.
Next recruit was Len Newman picking up the bass. Len was also a natural addition to the crew with his years of experience playing all kinds of Balkan string instruments — tambura (Macedonian and Bulgarian), saz, lauto, bouzouki, cumbus just to name a few.
After moving to the D.C. area, James “Monty” Montgomery, a New Orleans grown tuba/dumbek player and a Balkan music enthusiast, was looking forward to meeting the local folk dance crowd. One summer day in 2005, the connection was made between Monty and the newly formed “Balkanics.” Monty joined the band and soon took on the role of promoting the Balkanics throughout the local club and live music scene.
Rick Nunno also started playing with the Balkanics later in 2005 adding the accordion to the roster. The band was starting to take shape and sound like an authentic Balkan wedding group.
Although gigs started to line up in 2005 and the Balkanics were very well received by the audiences, the band still needed a very necessary lead player. Several people filled this position temporarily — Davidione Pearl, Rudi Sautean, and Andria Alefi until one day Jeff Suzda, an accomplished Jazz saxophone player, responded to our Craig’s List ad. He showed up to several practice sessions and gradually grew very intrigued by the style. He soon joined the group and has since been an intricate part of our arrangements and stage presence.
Although it seemed like the group was solid now, more changes in the crew occurred. Monty and Rick parted ways with the Balkanics which reduced the group down to the bare bone 5. In the summer of 2006, a young saxophone/clarinet player, Daniel Rozas finished his studies and found it was appropriate time to pick up on an old habit. His previous experience playing Balkan music made him a natural fit with the group.
In this configuration, the band has been performing since December 2006.
Yes, quite a funny coincidence ... who will open a law suit first? ;-) We're actually called The Balkanics Band .... so maybe that will avoid confusion. In the unlikely event that we are ever in the States yes we should do a show together!
After you've finished here, you may like to hear this poem sung on myspace -
2 of 230, walkaboutsverse.741.com: WALKABOUT WITH MY PEN
Once drove an old sedan, up north, From a place in Sydney to Cairns; Then to Kuranda I went forth, By train, to look without set plans.
I browsed through the trendy market, With fresh fruits of tropical kind; Walked to the creek through lush thicket - Nature’s hand giving peace of mind.
I dined in a scenic cafe; Then, outside, as I wrote for yen, Some passing Kooris called-out: “Hey, You go walkabout with your pen.”
Request or question, I don’t know - Assured voices, elderly men. That’s now several years ago, And I’ve seen the world - with my pen.
....the widow....... is really a good movie and I think you know his masterpieces as a director like ....Time Of The Gypsies...., ....Black Cat,White Cat.... and so on... And sure you know (and like) his No Smoking Orchestra
we wish you continue good vibes in /with /within your music...
best regards from Berlin to Washington in the name of keletizene.de
Hi Balkanics. Just a little note to let you and your friends know that, after rave reviews, 'Guca' the film is out on DVD. To buy, visit Guca's myspace site and click on the 'Buy DVD' poster. Alternatively go directly to www.oart.co.uk/store.
