Druhá Tráva

The Czech bluegrass genre developed in the mid-1960s, influenced by American bluegrass music.[2] A regional tour by Pete Seeger in 1964 was a particular inspiration to Czech musicians.[3] The Communist regime was hostile to such music, and Czech musicians with Western folk and rock influences helped advocate for the country's eventual independence.[4]

Singer-songwriter and mandolinist Robert Křesťan had been a fan of American roots music since the late 1960s, listening to records that had been smuggled into the country. Křesťan was particularly fond of bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe.[5] Křesťan went to great pains to find records and learned how to play the music on homemade instruments.[6] He joined the band Poutníci in 1979.

Křesťan and another member of Poutníci, banjo player Luboš Malina, formed Druhá Tráva in 1991. The band's original lineup also included dobro player and guitarist Luboš Novotný, bassist Jiří Meisner, and guitarist Pavel Malina. The group's configuration has changed considerably over its history, though Křesťan, Malina, and Novotný have been in the band consistently since 1991. They released their debut album, Robert Křesťan & Druhá Tráva, in 1991, and followed up a year later with Revival, sung entirely in English. Starodávný svět came out in 1994 and for their fourth album, the band invited singer Pavlína Jíšová to join in the recording.

In 1997, guitarist Pavel Malina left Druhá Tráva and was replaced by Martin Ledvina. The group subsequently released three studio albums in one year: Pohlednice, New Freedom Bell (a collaboration with American bluegrass musician Peter Rowan), and Czechmate. A year later, in 2000, they toured the United States. During this period, the ensemble experienced a frequent turnover of drummers, which included Štěpán Smetáček and Miloš Dvořáček. Bass player Jiří Meisner departed and was replaced by Juraj Griglák, and the group released their first compilation record, a double album titled Best & Last, in 2001. The same year, Druhá Tráva announced that they were breaking up.

In 2004, Druhá Tráva reformed, with some lineup changes. Křesťan, Malina, and Novotný were joined by double bass player Petr Surý (replaced in 2010 by Tomáš Liška) and guitarist Emil Formánek. Also in 2004, they published their eighth studio album, the English-language Good Morning, Friend. They followed it a year later with the live recording Live in Brno, a collaboration with Charlie McCoy.

In 2007, Druhá Tráva worked with a number of musicians, including Jan Vyčítal, Wabi Daněk, Kateřina García, Pavel Bobek, Pavlína Jíšová, Charlie McCoy, and Ondřej Konrád on an album of Bob Dylan covers, titled Dylanovky.

Druhá Tráva has continued to tour and record to the present day. They released Marcipán z Toleda in 2011, Shuttle to Bethlehem in 2011, Pojd'me se Napít in 2013, and most recently, Díl první, which came out in 2020. Their current lineup includes guitarist Radek Hlávka, bassist Tomáš Liška, and drummer Martin Novák.[7]

• Robert Křesťan a Druhá Tráva (1991)
• Revival (1992)
• Starodávný svět (1994)
• Druhá Tráva s Pavlínou Jíšovou (1995)
• Pohlednice (1999)
• New Freedom Bell (with Peter Rowan, 1999)
• Czechmate (1999)
• Good Morning, Friend (2004)
• Dylanovky (2007)
• Marcipán z Toleda (2011)
• Shuttle to Bethlehem (2011)
• Pojd'me se Napít (2013)
• Díl první (2020)

• Live (1997)
• Live in Brno (with Charlie McCoy, 2005)
• Živě v Telči (2012)
• In Concert (DVD – 2015)

• Best & Last (2-CD, 2001)
• 16 nej od táborových ohňů (2008)

• Luboš Novotný – Radost zarmoucených (1995)
• Luboš Malina – Naper se a pukni! (1995)
• Luboš Malina – Piece of Cake (1999)
• Luboš Novotný – Venku z trávy (2000)
• Robert Křesťan – 1775 básní Emily Dickinsonové (2002)
• Luboš Malina – Afterparty (2004)
• Luboš Malina & Martin Fridrich – Dueling Fingers (2005)