Fiddler's Green [Kosjeyr]

From Fiddler's Green Official Website

Irish Speedfolk! With this brand of music Fiddler’s Green has gained a reputation as one of the best live acts in Germany. Since 1990 the band has played more than 1,300 concerts both at home and abroad, and their renown as live performers is backed up by 10 studio albums, an EP, two live CDs and two DVDs.

The members of Fiddler’s Green are singer/guitarist Ralf "Albi" Albers, singer/guitarist Pat Prziwara, fiddler Tobias Heindl, accordion and bodhràn player Stefan Klug, bassist Rainer Schulz and drummer Frank Jooss.

With their latest releases DRIVE ME MAD! (2007) and SPORTS DAY AT KILLALOE (2009) Fiddler's shifted in to even higher gear and with new singer Pat brought a completely new and fresh sound to their studio albums. The six musicians perform with the same drive as in their legendary stage appearances, adding a live componenent to their records that hadn't been there before.

DRIVE ME MAD! and SPORTS DAY AT KILLALOE reflect the band’s musical evolution over the years and are guaranteed to get everyone up and dancing. Here the six folk-rockers live up to their name as innovators, rejuvenating the classic bar-sound like no one since the Pogues added a punk component to irish traditionals.

But all this was far in the future when several roommates sitting around their kitchen table in 1990 came up with the idea of a modern folk band. Founders Rainer Schulz, Peter Pathos and Ralf “Albi” Albers had already gathered musical experience in various bands between 1980 and 1990, including a folk duo and the trio X Rated. (The trio’s drummer Wolfram Kellner later joined Fiddler’s Green and played with the band from 1995 to 2000.)

Not long after its founding the group appeared at the newcomer festival in Erlangen. Firing up the audience with their ska-, punk-, and reggae-influenced folk music, they promptly won second prize – after only three rehearsals! From there Fiddler's Green has gone on to tour countless clubs and concert halls around Europe. In 1991 the band added new members and instruments: Stefan Klug on accordion and bodhrán (a traditional Irish drum) and Tobias Rempe on fiddle. Its first album, FIDDLER’S GREEN, came out the next year, followed by BLACK SHEEP in 1993, which brought the group more and more recognition outside their home region of Franconia.

In 1995 the band acquired a new fiddler and drummer and produced the album KING SHEPHERD, once again on its own label, Deaf Shepherd Records. It reached #103 in the German album charts. The 1996 EP "Make Up Your Mind" and a fourth album, ON AND ON (1997), were then released on the major label Polydor/Universal. ON AND ON reached #61 in the German album charts.

Before recording the 1998 album SPIN AROUND the whole band traveled to Los Angeles, so that they could benefit from a lot of new musical impulses. It was precisely this openness that became the band's trademark: crossing musical boundaries in a compelling way, sometimes with a spirit of playfulness and irony. These features made ANOTHER SKY a highlight of crossover folk – and it reached #2 in the top 50 albums of the German internet charts.

In 2000 the group acquired its current fiddler, Tobias Heindl, and was joined the next year by present drummer Frank Jooss (formerly of the Merlons). In this new formation Fiddler’s Green released its long-anticipated first DVD, CELEBRATE, to celebrate a landmark: the band’s 1000th concert! In addition to the riveting live outdoor performance at castle Hoheneck the DVD offers bonus material documenting Fiddler’s Green history. The band celebrated its 15th anniversary with a second DVD, JUBILATE!, with three hours of material.

2006 opened a new era for the band when it was joined by singer and guitarist Pat "This has to rock" Prziwara. DRIVE ME MAD!, the first CD with this new cast, reached #74 on the German album charts. Their latest release, SPORTS DAY AT KILLALOE, shows that the musicians of Fiddler's Green know better than ever how to transport their fresh sound to the studio and preserve their enthusiasm. This album made #52 in the German charts, giving them their highest standing
to date.

Yet through all the years and with all the new developments the six guys have never forgotten their main goal: to have a good time and make sure their audiences do, too! That is why they have a huge and devoted fan base. Three times in the past their enthusiastic performances literally brought down the stage. This just shows how energetic Fiddler's Green can be!