YankeuDeHunedoara

Hi! Westroot, Bucharest's only bluegrass band, is playing tomorrow for the 4th of July at the Hard Rock Cafe in Bucharest! Come out and experience the independence! https://www.facebook.com/events/1432578453680988/ I haven't posted much lately because, in an unexpected turn, I was taken on as banjo player for Loredana Groza! An unexpected turn of events. It sounds like name-dropping, but it's true. So I guess Westroot is no longer the only band in Romania with a full-time banjo player from the US. Still, if you want to hear country and bluegrass played on banjo American style, we're the only ones who can offer it. Concert starts at 22:00, free entrance! -Chuckk

Howdy! Westroot, singura trupa in Romania cu un american la banjo (care este eu), va canta sambata in programul "Sala de Repetitii" pe Radio 3net: http://www.radio3net.ro Sambata, 18 ian, ora 13:00 Evenimentul pe FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/237330133105029/ Daca ai auzit de Rednex si ai vrea sa stii cum suna stilul autentic cantat de americani, fara caricatura de tarani, acuma ai sansa aici in Romania. Daca nu, asculta Rednex. Dar asculta si Westroot. Everyone's doing it! Noi suntem la: facebook/westroot.band www.westroot-band.com Have a good one! -Chuckk

Hey folks, we're bringing the bluegrass back to the famous "Peasant's Club" tomorrow, i.e., Clubul Țaranului! We're offering a special one-time-only deal: Entrance was 10 RON, now JUST 3 DOLLARS (10 RON)!!! https://www.facebook.com/events/1484469741779158/ Hope to see you there! -Chuckk

Hmm. Are altceva in spate care se poate desface? In poza, parca ai scos deja niste suruburi, nu? Daca tot ce se poate scoate e scos, inelul se poate trage in jos pana iese de sub gatul? Eu am mai desfacut banjoul meu acoustic, dar nu vine din aceasi planeta! Singura alta idee pe care o am ar fi sa rupi gatul de chitara si sa pui unul de banjo... -Chuckk

I don't know about courage or genius, but I think Bill Gates is a perfect example of what I'm talking about, because he's a greedy bastard. I can't stand him. But he saw opportunity early on in an undeveloped market and, rather than starting a company to do things lots of other companies were doing, he started a company to do something that almost no one was doing. If he had been a musician in Bucharest today, he would not have started a metal band...

Absolutely right, one must refrain from making comments like that. In 6 years I've refrained from saying such things again and again because I'm always aware that I got just as frustrated in American society from time to time. I must point out, though, that the people who had told me how frustrating Romania would be were always only Romanians, chastising me for my optimism and my belief that things might not be so bad. So if you say anything positive about the country, the natives berate you; if you say anything negative about the country, the natives berate you. I know foreigners who have established themselves in the states and criticize various aspects openly and people agree or disagree just like they would with a fellow American. I've been here for 6 years and I speak the language fluently. I engage in serious conversation with Romanians about Romania on a regular basis. It may sound whiny to say that this society is messed up, but I'm most definitely saying it from the inside. I could introduce you to foreigners in the US who do so. But I didn't join this forum just to make this post. I joined it years ago and have used it often with no complaining. My point being that it can be very rewarding to embrace an unexplored market, however small it may seem. As they say, it takes no courage to buy when everyone else is buying, but the returns are small. Single post? Again, I didn't just get off the boat. I've been here for 6 years and have been working with musicians here for a good part of it. That was not "a single post". I made many other posts before this one that were not at all cynical, some of them in Romanian. Only someone who doesn't know me would think of me as a stereotypical American. It is not top 40, but I never said anything about that. I said people love it, and they do, in the states and here. The hard part here is getting musicians to play with you. Now, of course, I have a country/bluegrass band and we've played a dozen concerts in the last few months, including some pretty good locations. The public loves us, but still we're having the same old problem with the personnel. Good product, wanted by the people, but the ones who have it don't want to distribute it. My Romanian wife is now also pushing me and pushing me to leave Romania, and I am still convinced that this is the best market for what I have. -Chuckk

Eu am absolvit compozitie jazz din Univ of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, USA. Cant la 5-string banjo din 1989, singurul banjoist in Romania. Sunt din SUA. Nice to meet you!

Salut, yankeul de la Westroot sunt. Vom aduce niste country si bluegrass ce n-a auzit Parisul la Big Mamou sambata 14 septembrie! Iata pe Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/162197413983925/ Avem o noua violonista care este foarte, foarte buna! Acuma vii la Westroot si primesti hillbilly, cowboy si redneck cat suporti! -Chuckk

Yes sir! -Chuckk

Howdy! I'm Chuckk, the yankee and banjo player from Westroot. We have finally assembled a band and we're playing out! Next Saturday, August 10th (my birthday), we're playing at Clubul Țaranului in Bucharest: https://www.facebook.com/events/278157402322454/ We kick it hillbilly-style! I don't know any other band (here) that plays this music: http://www.westroot-band.com/video.html Come on out and join us! -Chuckk

Salut. Noi suntem Westroot, country & bluegrass in Romania. Iata niste videoclipuri: 'Blackberry Blossom', traditional American bluegrass tune: 'Flowers on the Wall', 1960's Statler Brothers hit, dedicat tatalui meu de aniversarea lui fiindca nu puteam sa fiu eu in SUA: Avem partituri de vioara pentru melodiile, dar si improvizatie este bunvenita daca are cineva chef. Asa cum stiu ca se zice, putem zice si noi: rugam seriozitate. Noi muncim de ceva timp sa stapanim un stil si acuma avem cateva concerte aranjate in curand. Eu sunt Chuckk, banjoist din SUA. Vodafone: 0731 618125 email: badmuthahubbard at hotmail dot com Multumim! -Chuckk

That bubble was burst long ago! Not to overgeneralize, because there are all kinds of people everywhere, but I sometimes think of this old experiment in learned helplessness, in regard to Romanian society. If you put a dog in an area with different walls and buttons and stuff, and shock the dog, it will run around until it finds the switch or gate that turns off the shock. But if you shock the dog so it can't get away for a couple hours first, then put him in the same situation, he will only lie down and whimper, rather than running around and pushing levers; he doesn't even try to escape. I do know plenty of Romanians who refuse to accept injustice, and there were plenty even throughout the Communist era (Vasile Paraschiv, e.g.), but I think I probably know more who accept it without complaint. Of course, maybe you've noticed too, dudu, that one has to be careful generalizing in a different society, for good or bad; sometimes it seems like every problem I have is because of cultural differences, but that's not always the case. I sometimes feel like Romanians walk painfully slowly on the sidewalk, but in reality it's the same in America; it's actually me that walks fast.

Not a bad idea! We used to play a lot in Cismigiu, and got a lot of people stopping and asking. I think busking is a great idea, because we can cut through the bullshit of these childish bass players and go right to people's ears. I'll suggest it to the mandolinist and violinist... Double bass would be a DREAM for us! We met with a guy who played double bass, but, big surprise, he didn't wake up the morning of practice and was so ashamed he couldn't be bothered to answer his phone, the little bitch. More than once... If you happen to get hold of the guy's info, please do pass it on. -Chuckk

Thanks! It's nothing great, it's what they call a "bottlecap" banjo, meaning the rim and pot are one piece of aluminum. It was made in Korea. It's not next to me right now but I think the name on it is Arrow. I also have a Goldtone EBT electric 5-string banjo which is more versatile and a decent instrument. -Chuckk I think I could work it out. The metal bit is cool! -Chuckk

Salut. Banjoist din SUA inca este disponibil in Bucuresti pentru proiecte. Cant bluegrass, dar ma descurc si cu jazz, rock, alternative sau alte genuri. Cateva exemple: badmuthahubbard (at) hotmail (dot) com +4(0)731618125 Hit me up! -Chuckk

Cognek, I'm not talking about making money or a living. I'm talking about convincing someone to join us to practice 2 fking hours a week and to come to performances when we have them. We can't get gigs without a bass player, but ALL of the bass players I find want to know that you have paying gigs before joining. Babies. You actually unintentionally echoed what many of them say. "Oh geeee, I don't knowww, no one else is doing that, so I don't think it will be very popular. I don't know if it will be worth the effort to meet for two hours once a week. I think I'll just stay home." It's like holding a bottle of water and saying, "Gee, I don't know if I'll be able to open it. I think I'll just leave it closed." Just try to open the damn thing! I'm from PA. -Chuckk

Hi. I'm an American banjo player. I've lived in Bucharest for 5 years and man, I'm starting to think the things people told me before I came here were right. "You'll see..." they said, "You can't get anything done." I don't know how many bass players we've gone through. Our music is not complicated, and you can find hundreds of examples of the style on YouTube. I see, and understand, that many bassists are motivated by money. Nothing wrong with that. But: "Seeking band with activity onstage," "Seeking band with paying concerts," etc. This is something I haven't yet figured out about Romania. How does a band that doesn't have a bassist have paying concerts?? This is a serious question. How do these people actually get into bands that already have paying concerts? It's like a cop looking for criminals who've already been arrested. A band with regular paying concerts is probably not looking for you, Einstein! I wonder why you've been posting the same message for so long and not gotten anywhere. I also get this question sometimes... There are no other bands in Romania that play bluegrass (correct me if I'm wrong), and one other band I know of that plays a kind of country music (Desperados). "Do you think something like that will catch on here?" Umm... YES. Romanians, including non-musicians, who hear us love us. Romanian society also seems to eat up anything American (media is our #1 export). The only people who've EVER questioned whether anyone would like my band's music have been musicians. I can't help wondering if this is related to the absence of a free market here for so long. No one here listens to bluegrass because there is no bluegrass here. When someone comes along with a new product in an unsaturated market, Americans JUMP on that shit! E.g. Bill Gates, if you've ever heard of him. But all I hear around me is, "I don't know, no one else is doing that. I don't know if it will work." That's the idea, dude! Someone else will come along and do it if you don't, and leave you behind. The public is more curious than you give them credit for. Or they are simply bored, if you prefer. My wife is talking about a possible move abroad, and I'm actually resisting it because this style of music DOES exist in other European countries. The public here would love it, but the musicians here seem to be terrified of anything the public doesn't already love. Maybe that's why they're playing American bands' music and not the other way around. That O-Zone hit was huge in the states, even in a language no one understood (I know they're not Romanian, I just mean to say people are curious about things from other cultures). Fanfare Ciocarlia toured the US and Canada last year because people are dying to hear something different and unusual. Don't blame the fuckin public if you only offer them what they already have. That's like saying your cat only likes turkey when you've never given him anything else. I hope I haven't hurt anyone's feelings. I like to think there are others around here who would agree with me. I just had to get this off my chest.

Eu nu am incercat modelul asta. Mi se pare destul de enervant, sa bagi varful sub unghie: http://alaskapik.com/ Eu folosesc de obicei National la banjo si nu am mare plangere. Am cateva pungi pline de thumb si fingerpicks cumparate in state, dar pana la urma National ajunge. https://www.google.com/search?q=national fingerpicks&tbm=shop Nu am gasit nici un fingerpick din metal in Romania, doar de plastic. -Chuckk

Chuckk sunt, americanul cu banjo in Bucuresti. 4 melodii gasesti la: http://www.westroot-band.com Acuma avem vioara si tobe, ne trebuie doar bas si vai de mine cati am incercat. Hai ca stiu ca e cineva. Suna sau SMS la mine: 0731 618125 sau Andrei (voce si mandolina): 0757 112103 Yeehaw! -Chuckk

www.westroot-band.com Eu sunt Chuckk, americanul care canta la banjo. Trupa canta bluegrass si country in Bucuresti. Suntem in cautare mai ales pentru violonista, dar n-am refuza dobro daca exista asa ceva in tara. e-mail: westroot.band@yahoo.ro Numai bine si happy picking! -Chuckk

Salut. Noi incercam in timp real sa pornim pe drumul: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Westroot/457312857642241 Eu sunt din SUA si cant banjo bluegrass de ani de zile, iar acuma m-am alaturat de niste romani talentati pe aceasi linie. Unu s-a lasat de chitara si s-a apucat de mandolina. Nu suntem chiar de genul Chris Thile, Bela, etc. Mai avem! Iata trupa mea preferata, Mountain Heart: Check out si Old Crow Medicine Show, Dan Tyminski, Jimmy Martin, Roy Clark... Daca te intereseaza muzica mai taraneasca, Tommy Jarrell este demential. Nu o as numi bluegrass aceasta muzica, dar are ceva: Salut si keep on pickin'! -Chuckk

Eu am experimentat un pic cu asa ceva in Rakarrack, care e gratis, dar s-ar putea sa fie numai Linux, nu sunt sigur. Nu functioneaza perfect, dar e impresionant si fun!

Hi folks. Chuckk the banjo player here. We're looking for a rhythm section and, god willing, a violinist. Here are a few samples of our songs: http://www.badmuthahubbard.com/cgi-bin/band.py Hit me up. 0731 618125 badmuthahubbard@hotmail.com -Chuckk

Dudu knows whereof he speaks, as long as he speaks well of me!

Hi. 5-string banjo player living in Bucharest, interested in playing with folks. I posted here before with a short sample. I've since returned to the U.S. and brought my acoustic to Romania with me, so I have a traditional acoustic banjo and an electric. Here are some more samples of the kind of stuff I can do, and how the acoustic sounds: I'm also interested in other styles. You can do a lot with the instrument; people work it into jazz and rock as well. I'm not so much interested in metal though. Hit me up. -Chuckk