BORN AT LENT, RETURNED TO LENT

You have a long tradition of performing at the festival. What is it like to return?

Ha-ha, when I check into my hotel today I discovered this is my eight time at this hotel. I feel good here. If I am not performing, I love coming as a visitor. Compared to other festivals, Lent is special. I hope this atmosphere will last for a very long time here in Maribor, since it truly is something else.

You were born at Festival Lent.

Yes, our first performance was at the Judgement tower in 1999. This year, we are performing at Spiegel tent, which is a very special venue. It resembles a venue at a festival in Edinburg at which we performed recently ant that gives me goose bumps.

Members of the band have different musical background. How do you combine different music genres?

We have classical, tango and rock musicians. The important thing is to show what we do best, so we perform things that we like. Our genre could be called Terrafolk music.

What does it mean to be an independent musician in these days?

Professional musicians in Slovenia are becoming very rare. Most of the artists have a normal job and also perform in a band. I performed with Terrafolk for four years before I decided to quit my job. Therefore, I it took me 30 to 35 years to become a professional musician. I hope that we survive in Slovenia.

Does the economy influence the art?

Definitely, in all areas. The decline in sales is connected to the development of modern technologies which has an impact on bands like ours. Also, there are less and less performances in Slovenia and abroad. However, it is worth continuing if you have a purpose.

How would you compare the Slovene music scene to the foreign scene? What are the strengths and weaknesses?

The main problem is the size of our country. Also, this could be seen as an advantage, since the bands have to go abroad and perform. That seems positive to me because your audience expands. Slovenia is to small, so we are forced to go abroad and see what other markets have to offer.

Written by: Simon Rajbar

Photo: Urša Lukovnjak