IVAN HLAS TRIO + ROBERT KŘESŤAN A DRUHÁ TRÁVA

IVAN VOICE TRIO
Ivan Hlas - composer, lyricist, singer and guitarist was born on May 10, 1954 in Vinohrady, Prague, but at the age of four he moved to Prague's Hanspaulka. He is a trained bookseller, after seven years of experience he has had a number of different jobs. Until 1971, he worked as a singer-songwriter, where he now exclusively uses his own work.
Ivan Hlas collaborates with a number of musicians and performers of our popular music. Since 2006, he has been playing mainly in the chamber ensemble "Ivan Hlas Trio" (Norbi Kovács - ac.guitar, Jaroslav Olin Nejezchleba - cello, Ivan Hlas - ac.guitar).
Ivan Hlas – guitar, vocals
Jaroslav "Olin" Nejezchleba - cello - (*1960) He was born in Kyjov. Cellist, bassist, occasional mandola player and other stringed instruments. After graduating from the Brno Conservatory, he was and still is in the groups Marsyas, Etc..., ČDG (Vladimír Mišík), Blues Session, Njorek.
Norbi Kovács – guitar, vocals – (*1968) Born in Šala, Slovakia. After his first experiences as a musician, he moved to Prague in 1992. He went through many bands such as Stará cesta, Red Wine, Plazma, collaborated with a number of performers, especially the singer Radůza. He was also engaged in teaching activities. He is a member of the group Lokomotiva and guest with the band PH 5.5. He is also dedicated to film and scenic music.
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ROBERT CHRISTIAN AND THE SECOND GRASS
The group Druhá trava was founded in 1991 by Robert Křestťan and Luboš Malina after they left Poutník. The second grass is characterized by two distinctive features - the authorial and interpretative exceptionality of the singer, lyricist and translator Robert Křestťan and the extraordinary instrumental skill of the other members of the group.
The band Druhá trava was ranked among the top on the folk & country scene not only in the Czech and Slovak Republics, right from its inception. Although it is often referred to as bluegrass, it has been mixing several styles since the beginning of its existence. Bluegrass refers rather to the previous engagement of several members of the group with the Pilgrims of Brno.
Druhá trava has so far released 19 albums in the Czech Republic and the USA and is a multiple-time winner of the APH Anděl award in the Folk and Country category. In 2021, the band Druhá tráva won Angel for the album Part One. And Robert Křestťan entered the Hall of Fame! In the fall of 2022, the band released their latest album, titled Part Two. While the "number one" was dominated by cover songs, the number two is based on original material. In this case too, the group led by frontman Robert Křestűan invited producer Eddie Stevens, known primarily for his collaborations with British dance bands. His experimental approach pushed the distinctive acoustic sound of Second Grass into other contexts. At Birdland Studios at the foot of Slovakia's Súľovské vrchy, he wasn't afraid to include keyboard instruments, synthesizers, non-traditional studio effects or push the band beyond its comfort zone.