roll call - german/european mandolists

**french** · Feb-04-2004, 3:09pm

just interested in seeing how many german (first)/european (second) mandolists are hanging out here.

i live in a place called korschenbroich, between düsseldorf (de) and mönchengladbach (de), a bike ride from the dutch border.

- tom

**Christine W** · Feb-04-2004, 3:49pm

Well I was born in Brema Haven and grew up in Munich. My mother was german and my father was russian. Does that count. I live in the US now though. I've been to Dusseldorf as a child. The rest of my family lives in Berlin and Walsrode. Oh yeah and I play the mandolin of course.

**JiminRussia** · Feb-06-2004, 4:19pm

Just a bike ride huh? The Tour de France is a bike ride too you know

**Klaus Wutscher** · Feb-06-2004, 7:52pm

Vienna, Austria. I would say that qualifies as a close second, but still quite a bit away from M´gladbach

**mandodana** · Feb-06-2004, 11:16pm

I'm American but I lived in Heidelberg for several years. In fact, I only moved back to the U.S. a few months ago. I could go for a nice schnitzel und pommes about right now.

**hellindc** · Feb-06-2004, 11:39pm

I hope "french" doesn't mind if I intrude on her\his thread to ask some advice. I'll be staying in Geneva from mid-March to mid-May. Does anyone know of any good venues or festivals to check out in the region? I'm going to do some weekend trips during this time, so it does not have to be immediately in Geneva. Also, I would like not to take my mandolin with me but to rent or buy something inexpensive. What are my chances?

I play a lot of bluegrass, blues, alt-country, fiddle tunes, etc., but my tastes in music are across the board. Thanks for your help, and don't let me distract you from comleting the roll call.

**otsaku** · Feb-07-2004, 12:44pm

i'm in copenhagen , denmark

wouldn't mind finding some mandolin players here so I can get started

**Christopher Howard-Williams** · Feb-07-2004, 1:37pm

I am a Brit (born in Germany just a bike ride from Munchengladbach) and now living in France just across the border from Geneva (I also have the honour to be the current president of FBMA - that's France BMA).
Hellindc,get in touch through the board's message system and I'll reply. We can meet up - I am 20 minutes from centre of Geneva. I think Wildfire will be in or around Zurich some time then (not a lot going on in Geneva). I have a band so I could organise some kind of a music session in any case.

**Bluegrasstjej** · Feb-07-2004, 3:52pm

I'm Swedish, I live in Vänersborg in the central-south of Sweden.

**jbrwky** · Feb-08-2004, 2:48am

Another American living in Europe. Switzerland. I can't call myself a "mandolinist" but I bang around on one. The Swiss Bluegrass Music Association has a website I think that lists the festivals for the year.

**Christopher Howard-Williams** · Feb-09-2004, 1:50am

Hey jbrwky, which part of Switzerland are you in? Hellindc and I are getting set to hook up in the Geneva area around March. You can't be more than 3 hours away!!!
The Swiss BMA are very active and involved in EBMA (E for European).

**Sellars** · Feb-09-2004, 1:53am

I'm in Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

we should all meet each other at the EBMA festival in May (or june, i keep forgetting that)

**Spencer** · Feb-09-2004, 5:01am

There are several BG mandolin pickers here around Copenhagen, myself included.

Spencer

scs@mek.dtu.dk
www.copenhagenmountainboys.dk

**HoGo** · Feb-09-2004, 5:35am

I'm in Slovakia, central Europe. Not many mando pickers this far east.

**Bluegrasstjej** · Feb-09-2004, 7:24am

Originally Posted by (HoGo @ Feb. 09 2004, 06:35)

I'm in Slovakia, central Europe. Not many mando pickers this far east.

Cool! What music do you play? And what is Slovakian folk music like?

**HoGo** · Feb-09-2004, 7:47am

Mostly bluegrass (surprise, ehh), but I can play almost any style, including Slovak folk music which is based on fiddles. There is still a page of my band "Steam" I used to play with. We did some Skyline style music. But I played also with traditional bluegrass bands. Once we tried to combine Slovak folk with BG and found one tune that's almost identical to Cripple Creek, our guitar player was also the player of Fujara (2m long Slovak pipe- very special sound) so he played an intro on this. People liked it, and we did, too. I met with a band Downhill from Sweden two years ago on EBMA festival, they were great! I never thought there are such good bands there.
But I wonder why I don't see any Czech pickers around! I suppose they are playing instead of talking.

**Klaus Wutscher** · Feb-09-2004, 11:23am

HoGo: Actually,there´s a lot going on in Slovakia, especially in the Bratislava region. I frequently meet slovakian pickers at festivals, and quite good ones too! (If you are into bluegrass, of course)

**jbrwky** · Feb-09-2004, 1:12pm

Xtopher, I'm in Zug, just south of Zurich.

**mad dawg** · Feb-09-2004, 1:31pm

Are there any fellow Siemens employees in this thread?

**Christopher Howard-Williams** · Feb-09-2004, 3:39pm

jbrwky. Ok, so that's about 3 hours from here. It's also closer to where most SBMA events happen. I shall try to make to some concerts this year and I'll contact you before then. Maybe we'll get to meet up (like they all do in the US on this message board!).

**hellindc** · Feb-09-2004, 11:49pm

What's remarkable is how something like this can hook people up. Xtopher has been very kind and gracious already in responding and offering more hospitality that a stranger would expect. Jbrwky, I hope our paths cross as well.

**HoGo** · Feb-10-2004, 3:46am

Klaus, I know all of them and they all know me. I used to play with two bands from Bratislava even though I live 200km east from there (Zvolen). I do not know what you call "a lot of going on" but my estimate is at most two dozen bluegrass mandolin pickers that played with bands on public. I know almost all of them personally or at least I know they exist. My favorite is M.Barok, now with new band Meantime (after I left the band) soon to appear in the West (Ewob events). They are the best Slovak band (together with Fragment), really driving modern BG.
OK. Time for a new guestion: How many pickers are there in your country? What is your estimate?

**Jose** · Feb-10-2004, 7:53am

I'm from Spain and I live in Bilbao, Basque Country.

**Bluegrasstjej** · Feb-10-2004, 8:08am

Originally Posted by (HoGo @ Feb. 09 2004, 08:47)

Mostly bluegrass (surprise, ehh), but I can play almost any style, including Slovak folk music which is based on fiddles. There is still a page of my band "Steam" I used to play with. We did some Skyline style music. But I played also with traditional bluegrass bands. Once we tried to combine Slovak folk with BG and found one tune that's almost identical to Cripple Creek, our guitar player was also the player of Fujara (2m long Slovak pipe- very special sound) so he played an intro on this. People liked it, and we did, too. I met with a band Downhill from Sweden two years ago on EBMA festival, they were great! I never thought there are such good bands there.
But I wonder why I don't see any Czech pickers around! I suppose they are playing instead of talking.

Wow, that sounds really interesting. Is there anywhere on the web where I can listen to Slovak folk music?
Downhill are very good, there are actually many good Swedish bluegrass bands. At the moment it seems like all of them offer sound files at their homepages, so if anyone is interested, just let me know and I'll give you the links.

**HoGo** · Feb-11-2004, 3:59am

Well, I don't know of any site with Slovak folk music. The best guys that play it are kinda old grandpas from mountains.... There are some interesting similarities to BG music like up-tempo tunes played in either instrumental and sung versions, high pitched male vocals, bass plays first and third in fast tunes and second fiddle or viola plays kind of chops on off-beat, first fiddle takes solos. and there is also a hammered dulcimer rolling behind (I once heard a gipsy play Foggy Mt. Breakdown on dulcimer note for note like Scruggs, at 150bpm, my jaw was on the floor

) or taking breaks....