Vardos – Wild Side of the Village

Recorded at Metropolis studios, Melbourne, 2006 by Siiri Metsar.
Alana Hunt – Violin
Sofia Chapman – Piano Accordion
Indra Buraczewska – Double Bass
Guest Artist Tim Meyen – Cimbalom (hammered dulcimer)
Music learnt from Roma(gypsy) and traditional musicians in our adventures in Hngary and Romania.

Vardos – Wild Side of the Village
Review by Ian Dearden

This is music for romancing, dancing, drinking and going wild.
Vardos are a Melbourne based trio (Alana Hunt on violin, Sofia Chapman on accordion and Indra Bupaczewska on double bass) joined on this CD (on occasions) by Tim Meyer on hammered dulcimer.
To say these women are exceptional musicians is to cast the Pope as a part-time Catholic – these women are hot, and if they weren’t so far away, they’d be playing at my next party.
They’d dance you to dawn, and then have you rise again!
This album contains entirely traditional tunes (with occasional vocal interludes) but Vardos claim credit for the arrangements, variations and solos.
The album is split neatly between the Hungarian and Romanian roma (gypsy) traditions, and although most of it truly does sound like it comes from the wildest side of the village, there are occasional delicate moments where the music drops below breakneck speed.
Originating in Perth in 1993, based in Melbourne for the past eight years, Vardos have toured extensively in Australia and overseas, garnering glowing reviews for their electrifying live performances, in particular Alana Hunt, violinist, as the “live wire in chief”.
On this CD, Vardos provide a fantastic introduction to these exciting Eastern European musical traditions, and like Liszt, Brahms and many others before you, you’ll be moved to dance (and drink, shout, behave outrageously etc etc).
You can find out more about Vardos, at their website at www.vardos.com.au.

About the artist: Extrovert folk band Vardos will put you under a classy Eastern European spell with runaway violin, sinister accordion and our in-house Latvian blonde on double bass. Live wire violinist Alana shreds through hurtling wedding dances and seductive serenades, while Sofia and Indra sing burning laments.