The Cedar Presents
FRÄNDER and BALKAN PARADISE ORCHESTRA - Global Roots Festival Night 1
Monday, September 23, 2024/ Doors: 7:00 PM / Show: 7:30 PM
All Ages
Standing
Free
This is a standing show with an open floor. To request seating or other access accommodations, please go to our Access Page.
For Cedar presented shows, online ticket sales typically end one hour before the door time, and then, based on availability, tickets will be available at the door.
LISTEN
'Evigt regn (Eternal Rain)" By FRÄNDER. Video courtesy of FRÄNDER’s Official YouTube Channel.
Teaser Nèctar tour By Balkan Paradise Orchestra. Video courtesy of Balkan Paradise Orchestra’s Official YouTube Channel.
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Night one of Global Roots Festival kicks off with Fränder and Balkan Paradise Orchestra. Fränder play modern acoustic folk music forged in the deep forests of northern Sweden - with alluring harmonies, heavy grooves, and mesmerizing energy, the band creates a unique musical landscape filled with mystery and charm. To close the night, the Catalonian 12-piece horn and percussion outfit Balkan Paradise Orchestra takes the stage. Pulling on a wide range of genres and musical traditions from the world over, they fuse Balkan roots, reggaeton, rumba, ska, disco, Arabic rhythms, and electronic influences. Don't miss this unforgettable kick-off to Global Roots Festival!
FRÄNDER
In 2015 The three siblings Daniel, Gabbi and Natasja formed FRÄNDER together with Estonian Säde Tatar, later to become Gabbi’s wife. They shared the idea of a musical haven where they could create music never heard before and develop both individually and as a group. One summer’s evening when the thunder was rumbling and the storm was howling through the valley of Håga, Säde played and sang traditional spells of her Estonian homeland. Everybody around her got enchanted and felt like it was the ancestors and the rock ‘n’ roll gods making a common cause, showing FRÄNDER the way. And in that moment they knew they had to create a bridge between the sacred lands of Håga and Estonia.
FRÄNDER comment: “We are energized by, and find creative freedom within the expressive modern sound of nordic traditional music. But we have never been interested in merely reproducing the past, instead we strive to find new ways back into the future.”
Another bridge the group built for the new album was generational, as they enlisted veteran percussionist Björn Tollin, a founding member of Sweden’s Hedningarna who had revolutionized the Nordic folk scene in the 90s with his drums. He hasn’t recorded an album since the critically acclaimed first album of BOOT “Virvla”, but upon hearing FRÄNDER he said, “I have never heard anything like this!” -- and came enthusiastically onboard.
“We don’t like to be stuck in any one genre. For us that also means not to
mix genres heedlessly. Instead it’s important for us to unnoticeably blend them together - like a soup or a stew. That’s why we chose to work with people who are experienced in other musical fields - but not necessarily tied to the doctrines of traditional Swedish music,” says Gabbi.
To this end, flautist Säde Tatar continues, “We composed and recorded FRÄNDER II throughout the pandemic, selecting Daniel Bergstrand as engineer and co producer -- maybe Sweden’s most-hired producer for metal. Yet it's important for us to still be playing acoustic instruments commonly used in our traditional music. Even the percussion is played in a, for Swedish music, traditional way. FRÄNDER's music is filled with traditional rhythms, medieval folklore and based on our traditional dance types. You will also hear us play all sorts of traditional instruments, like Swedish bagpipe, Jew´s harp, willow whistle, Swedish mandola and kulning, an ancient way of singing used for herding cattle that is unique to Swedish tradition.”
The group’s second album, FRÄNDER II, is like nothing else heard on the folk or world music scene, pushing stylistic boundaries and proving FRÄNDER to be among today’s most trendsetting Scandinavian bands. They make a personal imprint on the nordic sound of folk music and their music is hauntingly evocative, with subtle echoes of Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull and even the Beatles blending seamlessly with sounds from both Swedish and Estonian traditional music. While their compositions are original, their interpretation of traditional music in a rock idiom calls to mind the brilliant work of Fairport Convention vis a vis English folk music. Sometimes dubbed “heavy folk,” despite the fact that they’re playing acoustic instruments, FRÄNDER’s music rocks!
FRÄNDER comment: “Listening to our debut album you can hear that
everything’s already there - our personal expression, the intricate arrangements and the beautiful melodies. With FRÄNDER II we took it further, not caring so much of labeling the music, but with the ambition to challenge what’s considered folk music and placing us on the outskirts of the genre. We’re still playing acoustic instruments, but heavier, with a modern sound and influences far beyond the folk scene. Making a mix of music accessible to people with no expertise or special insight in Swedish traditional music, but still using all the typical stylistic elements from our tradition. This is how we heard it in our heads all along!“
With Gabbi on Swedish mandola, Daniel on double bass, Natasja on violin and lead vocals, Säde on flute, and Björn joining on drums and percussion, FRÄNDER’s music is commanding and intensely spirited but at the same time nuanced and mystical, its melodies and rhythms strongly evoking the magical beauty of their northern woodlands and their deep cultural roots. And – it really rocks!
To learn more about Fränder:
BALKAN PARADISE ORCHESTRA
Since they began their journey in early 2015 in Barcelona, Balkan Paradise Orchestra has shown, in each and every performance, their potential as an unusual and ground-breaking group. Composed of wind and percussion players, the Balkan Paradise Orchestra (aka BPO) is a breath of fresh air for the music panorama of their country.
Despite taking as a starting point the sounds of Balkan roots, their compositions mix different rhythms and traditions worldwide, resulting in an eclectic and festive music. BPO has a surprising capacity to generate empathy with the public, bringing joy and desire to dance in every corner of the world.
This 2024 the Barcelona fanfare premieres its new album, “Nèctar,” which transports us to the world of bees, teamwork, personal and collective effort; the desire to live intensely, with full awareness and without complexes; fly, travel, squeeze and savor every moment, every corner of the world. And above all, “Nèctar” is the beehive, the family, the daily work and the constant struggle for the BPO project. “Nèctar” is a mainly instrumental album that mixes very diverse styles and genres, but you can also hear some vocal parts. It features the collaborations of Meritxell Neddermann on synthesizers and the singers of the band Maruja Limón. This new album mixes and plays with several representative sonorities of BPO, from calmer, acoustic songs with Balkan influences, to more danceable and festive tracks that flirt with electronic, pop or disco music.
To learn more about Balkan Paradise Orchestra:
