I started this post days ago, and for research I started listening to all their music, and since I am the worst multi-tasker EVER I just now pulled myself away from all the tangental research projects that arose (i.e. the musical about the oxford english dictionary that I WILL write and it WILL star a certain Neil Patrick Harris or Alan Cumming or Billy Connolly-even if they don’t make historical sense).  Wow try to figure out that tangent: awesome romanian gypsy music (their word, not mine-so don’t think I’m being pejorative) to the OED in 3 steps.

 I started on their self titled album which I burned from The Coolest Person I Know (thanks, Amanda) and soon was listening to them for all occasions: before a big regatta, road trips, when it rained (or more likely snowed- being that I lived in upstate New York at the time), when it was nice out… Whatever you want to call the genre that they are in (the accordion-laden, sprinkled with fiddle and sprawling vocals of a gypsy band) they are both the platonic ideal and the most surprising and experimental group I have heard so far. 

Don’t take my word, look for yourself….LOOK!

YouTube

(I would post it directly but the link keeps on getting mangled somehow…sniffle)

SO: Taraf de Haïdouks is the name that they are known by but in Romania they are Taraful Haiducilor, see the reason why here(this site is also provides a good sampling on their music).  If you happen to be in Italy not this Sunday but the next, they will be in Pinerolo and then they will be mostly in France.  It seems like they are perpetually on tour, though they haven’t been in the US since 2005, keep an eye out…here.  

ALSO: their latest studio album since 2001 is called Maškaradă (I’m a little tardy-it came out last year)

Finally here are some links:

Check out NPR-they have a streaming concert and a little history: NPR

Here is their myspace page (of course they have a myspace page): myspace

This is pretty neat:Divano Production

     They represent all kinds of music from Belgium to Macedonia to Mali