Eastern Sons Rising: Balktoberfest

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HEY, GLOBE TREKKER, do you know where Macedonia is located? Does your GPS feature Bulgaria? Can you drive to the Balkans?

No clue? Well, you're not alone, Dr. Geography.

But luckily you can attend Balktoberfest on Saturday and drink a little brew, dance a little dance and get edumacated all in one sweaty swoop.

The eight-hour festival of music, dance and food wasn't designed as edutainment, but it would be fab if people come away from it knowing a little bit more about this large area of Southeastern Europe, whose residents include Romanians, Greeks, Turks, Serbs, Croats, Bulgarians, Bosniacs, Slovenes, Montenegrins, Albanians, Roma and even some little-known peeps called Macedonians.

There will be 15 performing groups at Balktoberfest, including The Balkanics, which features drummer Bryndyn Weiner, who co-organized the festival with the World Music Folklife Center. Music from the Balkans often features fast, complex rhythms, which means you should stretch before you go to Balktoberfest — dancing is all but mandatory.

Express spoke to Weiner and got the scoop on this boogie down production.

» EXPRESS: What was the impetus for the festival?
» WEINER: The idea came from the Zlatne Uste Golden Festival that has been happening in New York City for the past 25 years or so. That festival first started as a one-night, single-room event with a couple hundred people from the folk-dance community and has become the biggest event of its type on the East Coast.

Our idea is similar: Have an event that showcases local amateur/semi-pro talent, brings various ethnic and folk dance and music communities together, promotes the traditional Balkan culture, provides the opportunity for new people — particularly younger people — to experience this stuff and generates enough revenue to make donations to charities with programs in the Balkans.

What it really boils down to for the participant is to enjoy a big party with an emphasis on live music and dancing indigenous to, primarily, the Balkans.

» EXPRESS: I once had a former music editor at a local publication tell me he didn't know where Macedonia was, so most of the readers wouldn't know, and that I shouldn't mention it in my review of a jazz band playing music steeped in the Balkans. So, in your experience in promoting the region's music and culture, does the general public know where the Balkans is located?
» WEINER: Quite honestly and sadly, the only news Americans see about the Balkans is of war and other such things leading to very negative, if not unfair, stereotypes. My initial [1971] and current-day experiences are quite different and have exposed me to incredibly rich cultures, with amazingly sincere, friendly and proud peoples who have struggled through centuries of almost constant political turmoil.

Neglecting to attribute these music and dance traditions to their ethnic groups and geographic origins is like trying to describe jazz to someone without mentioning African-Americans and New Orleans; who these people are and where they live is integral to understanding their traditions. We hope those attending Balktoberfest without having knowledge of these countries and the people who live there will walk away with at least an idea of what their music sounds like and what if feels like to be in a dance line with a couple hundred other people.

» EXPRESS: What are the sorts of music that will be presented at Balktoberfest?
» WEINER: There will be quite a range of musical styles. We will have tamburitsa [string music] from Croatia, Macedonia and Serbia; chalgiya [clarinet, accordion, drum] music from Macedonia; bitov [traditional folk] music from Bulgaria; traditional circle and belly dance music from Turkey; wedding band — traditional-based music played with contemporary instruments — representing several Balkan styles; and traditional Balkan and Georgian folk singing.

We will also have three dance performing groups that will provide short demonstrations.

The sounds, images and energy levels will vary quite a bit from group to group giving attendees plenty of opportunities to dance like mad yet also relax for a bit and listen to some terrific live music and watch some amazing dancing. For the musically fascinated, the non-Western modes and odd time signatures will be intriguing and cerebrally challenging. For the dancer, the beats will be infectious, driving and will make futile any attempt to resist their temptation to move.

» EXPRESS: Tell us about your band, The Balkanics.
» WEINER: We started three years ago after my Bulgarian wife, Tzvety, and I returned from a trip to visit her parents in Bulgaria. She's a terrific singer and I'm a neophyte drummer. We got together with some friends of ours, Varol Saatcioglu and Len Newman, who play in the traditional Bulgarian band Lyuti Chushki, and started rehearsing. We sought out some reed players — sax and clarinet — and after going through a couple different ones, have luckily settled in with two very fine musicians, Jeff Suzda and Daniel Rozas. Early on we also had an accordion player, Rick Nunno and a tuba player, James "Monty" Montgomery.

We then started compiling a repertoire of music from various well-known Balkan artists like Esma Redzepova, Yuri Yunakov, Konushenska Groupa and Ivo Papasov. We started playing for the local recreational folk dance groups and folk festivals, and Monty got us hooked up with a regular monthly gig at the Wonderland Ballroom in Columbia Heights. That gig really helped us to work on our sound and establish a modest yet enthusiastic following. We think this was very likely the first time a band our type has played a D.C. club, and we very much would like to keep playing these kinds of gigs. They are a lot of fun and it's been a great way to get connected with a younger audience.

First timers to our shows often seem put off by the dancing but after a few drinks and some thumping tunes, they jump in and end up having a blast.

» EXPRESS: Who are some of the other Balktoberfest groups that you'd point to as being can't-miss?
» WEINER: The group of Bulgarian musicians assembled for this festival, the BG All-Stars, will be incredible. They consist of formally educated native Bulgarians, several of whom have made, or currently make, their livings as folk musicians. They are not to be missed.

I feel like I'd be slighting someone if I didn't say that none of the groups should be missed but some are of particular note including the Georgian performing group Zedashe, Gogofski Trio from Boston, Walt Mahovlich from Cleveland and local groups Grup Nazar and Lyuti Chushki. It also depends on what people are most interested in seeing or hearing. There will be something for everyone.

» EXPRESS: Food and drink will be for sale at Balktoberfest. What are some typical meals and beverages in the Balkans?
» WEINER: Our edible and potable offerings won't be exactly "authentic" Balkan but very close. Had we chosen to provide the food ourselves, as opposed to getting it catered, the fare have likely included traditional foods like kebabcheta [grilled ground meat sausage] and banitsa [cheese and meat in fillo dough]. Regardless, the food provided by Middle East Cuisine of Takoma Park will be very tasty. They'll offer platters of Mediterranean foods like humus, baba ganoush, two kinds of dried sausage from Binkert's of Baltimore, Bulgarian feta cheese, falafel, Mediterranean salad and baklava. Prices should be around $7.

Beer is, of course, a favorite throughout the Balkans but the brands sold there are near impossible to find here. We opted to serve Gordon Biersch Marzen draft, a craft beer we have enjoyed at their brew pub in Rockville.

Another favorite in the Balkans is fruit brandy, the best being homemade. The Serbians, Croatians and Macedonians prefer Slivovitz made from plums while the Bulgarians prefer Rakia made from grapes. Again, it's difficult to find these products here but have asked the vendor to try to buy a couple bottles of the Hungarian Slivovitz, the only kind available in Montgomery County. Not sure if they will be able to get it though.

The one tricky part about this being a first time event for us is we have no idea how many people to expect. I'd recommend getting there early to guarantee you get some fine food and beer before it runs out.

» Hollywood Ballroom, 2126 Industrial Parkway, Silver Spring; Sat., 6 p.m.-2 a.m., $10-$28, free under 6; 301-622-5494.

Images courtesy Balktoberfest and The Balkanics