DRUHA TRAVA

The Czech Republic probably boasts as many bluegrass musicians as the hills of Tennessee. If that's true, it's partly due to the influence of Druha Trava. Founded by singer Robert Krestan and banjoist Lubos Malina in 1991, the group built on enthusiasm ignited by Pete Seeger’s 1964 performances in Prague and Brno. Fans were so enamored, they created their own banjos based on photos of Seeger performing. Flash forward two decades: Last spring Druha Trava opened for Barrack Obama when the US president spoke to a crowd of 30,000 at Prague castle.

Druha Trava incorporates wide ranging influences, from Bill Monroe and Bob Dylan to Chick Corea and Czech opera. Though they basically use a typical bluegrass complement of instruments, you might see Malina grab a clarinet or Irish whistle. This along with the versatility of dobro player Lubos Novotny (once part of the legendary Czech newgrass group Prudusky) helps create much of their unique sound. Rounding up the lineup are Petr Sury on acoustic double bass and Emil Formanek on guitar.

Druha Trava has recorded and performed with Peter Rowan, Charlie McCoy, Tony Trischka, Andy Owens, Davy Spillane, and has recorded more than a dozen CDs. The band is as well known for its originals as carefully chosen covers.

On their CD Good Morning, Friend, the band breaths new life into that Johnny Cash song, as well as John Fogerty’s “Bad Moon Rising.” Their recent release Dylanovky is an entire album of Bob Dylan covers. In fact, when they were invited to perform before Obama's speech, the band chose to sing Dylan's "Girl from the North Country" and his "Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)" — both in Czech, naturally.