Crooks & Straights

Crooks & Straights are a country band from Rijeka, Croatia. The music can be used as a mixture of neo- traditional honky tonk and western swing are described. Characteristic are generally short, but frequent instrumental solos that alternate frequently in rapid succession to one another.

History

The group was co-founded in October 1999 by Damir Matković and Mladen Srića. Damir Matković occurred for the first time on the local music scene in the instrumental jazz - rock group " Anonymous", where he remained until 1986, when he left the group and went to Germany. He has played for years as a professional musician in various bands in German music clubs. In the last phase of his stay in Germany he played for the first time in a country band. This was the group " Rodeo " from Apolda.

Mladen Srića was in Rijekaer music scene best known as the bassist of former pop groups " Grafiti " and " VAMP ". The group " VAMP " even came close to signing a record contract with the publishing house " Orpheus " from Zagreb, but the beginning of the war, Croatia has made pause their activities first and then brought to the end after a certain time.

" Crooks & Straights " have always been a six -piece band. The first occupation was thus established that Damir Matković has Aleksandar Grmaš and Joško Serdarević invited to join the group at the acoustic guitar and the drums, while Mladen Srića Siniša Katalinić hired on electric guitar and Gorana CEHIC on fiddle. Among them, the most famous name was on every case Joško Serdarević, a member of the famous pop bands already from the times of the former Yugoslavia. In the second half of the 1970s he played in the group " Vrijeme i zemlja ", and in the first half of the 1980s he was a member of the " Xenia ", one of the most popular Yugoslav pop quartets of its time. At the time of invitation to join the " Crooks & Straights " he had just returned just after ten years in Switzerland as a professional musician in Croatia.

Siniša Katalinić was the guitarist in Rijekaer rock band " The Stuff ," which was indeed discounted graphically active, but just always been a local group in spite of everything and has remained. Gorana CEHIC was several years a member of the only slightly more well-known rockabilly -country band "Mississippi Queen" from Zagreb. When she got the invitation to play in " Crooks & Straights " she studied the violin at the Music Academy " Ino Mirkovic " in Lovran.

The first phase

After just a few months before they could even perform on stage, Siniša Katalinić left the group, dissatisfied with the fact that the preparations take too long for the first appearance in his opinion. However, his departure was hardly noticed as the replacement guitarist has been found in Robert Bradicic almost immediately. He's the late 1980s in the group " VAMP " played together with Mladen Srića who has now offered him the position of lead guitarist in " Crooks & Straights ". Since he had only just returned from Spain, where he had worked for several years as a professional musician, and was still playing in any group, he has immediately put the band.

Thus, the occupation Bradicic, CEHIC, Grmaš, Matković, Serdarević and Srića has become one in which " Crooks & Straights " were holding their first-ever live concert in the club " River Pub " in Rijeka in mid-January 2001.

At the beginning, the " Crooks & Straights " their repertoire compiled so that they cover the most famous American singers have played, and have edited only from time to time some standard in own package. Nevertheless, they have begun not only performing live in Croatia, but also abroad, first in Italy and Slovenia.

The second phase and the beginning discounted graphic

After a certain number of performances both in Croatia and abroad, the band has appeared with their first shot on the international scene, on the CD " International Country Music Sampler ", in October 2002, published by the Independent Record Publishing " Comstock Records " from Fountain Hills, Arizona, United States. It was their own processing of the " Singing the Blues", a book written by Melvin Endsley standard. Thus they became the first Croatian band whose recordings have been published by an American record company, promoted and brought to market. Thanks to this publication now had the audience of many European radio stations, especially in the country dedicated to music shows, the opportunity to hear country music, a particularly American genre of music is played on the Mediterranean coast.

The appearance of an international collection of its kind and consequent interest in the group gave the band members clearly understand that it was time to take the first own album. Thus they have during the year 2002 and the first half of 2003 selected and recorded the material for it. Working on this album has inevitably a shift in the direction of the self - written compositions displayed, with the result that there are already four of his own songs under the recorded material. The rest was completed by the arrangements of American standards, including the already mentioned " Singing the Blues ", which they have presented to the European public.

The release of the first album has, however, not entirely unexpected, delayed because Aleksandar Grmaš Council decided in 2003 to leave the band and completely stop the music. Since the band already had an agreed tour in Germany in front of him, a compromise was reached; Grmaš agreed, only to play the German concerts and go away afterwards.

In addition, it was not exactly conducive to the band that Gorana CEHIC has finished in the meantime her studies at the Music Academy and married in Italy. Eventually she finally moved in Italy. But she insisted to stay in the band further back and today, it to play between the two countries at all gigs and important samples dabeizusein.

At this time the " Crooks & Straights " at almost every gig in Croatia were still, compared with " Plava Trava Zaborava ", and the other much older Croatian country band, although in the musical sense it known quite a few similarities with their much colleagues from Zagreb had.

The greatest international success and the release of the first album

Early 2004 have " Crooks & Straights " decided that the priority in their plans is to find the replacement for Aleksandar Grmaš, the group quickly be recovered through, and the sound in the concert performances, they built up during the four years preceding his departure had to bring back to the same level again. The release of the first album should wait for some time therefore still.

The replacement was found in Sandra Mladenić which is one of only two musicians in Croatia at that time, played the pedal steel. Through this instrument, which is rarely found outside of country music, the band's sound became more traditional.

" Crooks & Straights " have their biggest success on 23 "Picnic Country - Europe Contest " is reached, the European country music competition, which, in 2004 took place in Mrągowo, Poland, from July 23 to 25. This is a festival with a long tradition, since the communist era, and after the fall of the Iron Curtain, it has become gradually a kind of Euro Vision Song Contest of country music. " Crooks & Straights " were officially invited to perform at the festival as representatives of Croatia. According to the competition rules, the last two compositions of the semi -hour presentation from each participant were what assesses the international jury as an entry into the competition. It was requested that a song should be its own processing of an American standard, and the other an original, written by the participants themselves. The choice for the " Crooks & Straights " was easy. " Singing the Blues" had already received from many European broadcasters rave reviews, and therefore there was no need to look any further. At the time the original composition was a little surprising, "When I Called You Mine " is selected, a song that was much already finished after the first album, recorded, and it was not planned, it may as a possible supplement to the already existing material supply.

The end result of all this was that " Crooks & Straights " have won in the competition of bands from all over Europe the first place, and thus, have become the best European country band for the 2004/ 05 season officially or unofficially. This success has also opened the door for them to European country scene, and then invitations came from different countries, mostly occur in large country music festivals, of which there are many in Europe. Thus they managed to emerge from the shadows of the " Plava Trava Zaborava ".

And then it was finally time to release the first album. After negotiations with three different record labels, they've decided to sign the contract with Dancing Bear Records from Zagreb. This decision was made in large part by the Council of Damir Halilic Hal, who is one of the best European finger -picking guitarist, and published the albums themselves for the same publisher. The album came out in June 2005, under the title " So Little Left To Say ".

Current occupation and the release of their second album

Shortly before the appearance in Poland made ​​Gorana CEHIC announced that she was pregnant, and that meant that it was necessary again to look for a replacement. Joško Serdarević has Nataša Veljak found, a seventeen -year-old violinist from one of the most famous musical families in Rijeka. Gorana CEHIC has continued to insist to stay in the band, and therefore Nataša Veljak was hired only as a temporary replacement.

On top of this plan worked relatively well. Gorana CEHIC was after a year again and has begun to emerge from Italy to the concerts and some samples again. Soon the group started to work on the recordings for the new album, and the trend to write their own songs, now a step continued. Now was the first time more than one half of the material on the album of self-penned compositions. However, towards the end of 2006 Gorana CEHIC was forced mainly from private reasons, to leave the band this time forever.

Then the " Crooks & Straights " have again Nataša Veljak invited to join them, this time in the long run. She accepted the offer and since the beginning of 2007, it has the status of a full-time band member.

Your return to the group was just at the time when the violin should be included in the material for the second album. This has practically taken over night not only live performances, but also the whole identity of the violin sound on the new album. Of course, this would not have been possible if it had not previously played with the band already.

On this album were for the first time and look for a number of guests, and among many musicians for whom this presented the first direct experience of country music. The best known names are Damir Halilic Hal on acoustic guitar, the singer Meri Trošelj, " ENI " Member Ivona Maričić, Alba Nacinovich than singing, and Tomi GRASO, a Croatian- Australian pedal steel player.

The second album came out in May 2007, also published by " Dancing Bear Records ", under the title " Just One Thing". This album has finally also the winner from Poland in 2004, "When I Called You Mine ," found its place. The thing at the same time the only still played by Gorana CEHIC and Aleksandar Grmaš song.

Since the ascent of Nataša Veljak the cast of " Crooks & Straights " has not changed and as such they play today, both in Croatia and abroad.

Discography

Crooks & Straights have so far released two albums for " Dancing Bear " from Zagreb, Croatia.

• June 2005: So Little Left To Say
• May 2007: Just One Thing