Lost and Found — J. Svobodová, P. Schenker, M. Romanyshyn & Allstar Refjúdží Band | Pittsburgh, USA

Allstar Refjúdží Band

Ethno brass or alternative jam band
A multicultural union of artists and musicians from China, Kurdistan, Armenia, Slovakia, Swit¬zerland, the Czech Republic and the USA.
The band energetically mixes brass, ska, rap, klezmer, Dixieland, Chinese opera, and Arme¬nian and Kurdish melodies in one pot.

About us
The Allstar Refjúdží Band emerged as part of the Archa Theatre’s Dance Through the Fence event, in which refugees and foreigners living in the Czech Republic perform together with professional artists. The director of the show, Jana Svobodová, invited American musician Michael Romanyshyn to form a band for the show and compose music that would reflect the variety of musical culture. Dance Through the Fence premiered in March 2008 at the Archa Theatre. Soon after the premiere, the Allstar Refjúdží Band received numerous invitations to perform solo. Today this multicultural band has a series of successful concerts at music festivals under its belt and its repertoire has expanded by a number of new compositions.

How we work
Michael Romanyshyn created a completely unique method for the Allstar Refjúdží Band.
Musical motifs from Kurdish, Armenian and Chinese songs form the basis of new composi¬tions. The songs are created out of collective improvisation. The music isn’t written down; it is born out of listening together. The compositions are combined with original lyrics and older lyr¬ics are given new arrangements. The band’s hit is a cover version of the Czech national anthem sung in Chinese, Kurdish and Swiss versions. The question “Where is my home?” thus receives new meanings.
Since its creation in 2008 the Allstar Refjúdží Band has performed at important music and theatre festivals such as Colours of Ostrava, Eurotrialog Mikulov, Bažant Pohoda, the Boskov¬ice Festival, the Trutnov Open Air Music Festival, United Islands, the Nitra International Theatre Festival 2011, the Plzeň International Theatre Festival 2010, and others. Abroad the band has performed in Warsaw, Berlin, Rotterdam, The Hague, Haarlem and Utrecht. They also often play in Slovakia.

The Allstar Refjúdží Band obtained a month-long music-theatre residence in June 2014 on the occasion of the opening of the Alphabet City cultural centre in Pittsburgh. The residence is connected with a series of concerts on the US east coast, including performances in New York, Washington DC, Boston and other cities.
Karaoke Europe: Who Eats Dogs
The Allstar Refjúdží Band’s new album Who Eats Dogs released under the Indies MG record label was launched with a special concert performance on June 21, 2012.