Julia Simmance (Neukam) – fiddle

The next friend in this introduction series has never actually been a member of our band but we played with her (mostly busking) quite a few times. What still fascinates me though, is how great this only tune became which we recorded with her. It’s still one of my personal favorite, thanks to Julia’s spontaneous, tasty ans solid rhythm patterns with which I felt so comfortable to play the guitar and the mandolin solo, and of course she also did a great job with her fiddle solo variations. I think that’s the main reason we don’t have this tune in our repertoire, without Julia it’s just not the same. 🙂
The tune itself is named after the city I live and where Julia also comes from, where we met each other and where we recorded the tune. Augusta is the old latin name of Augsburg.

Weiterlesen →

László Pásztor – bass guitar, double bass

My next friend I’d like to introduce is the one who played many lovely tracks for our albums, he was our stable bass player from 2007 until 2012, he also played in my punk rock band for several years, he’s my fellow countryman from Budapest who’s now living and constantly picking (and bowing) his double bass in Galway, Ireland, ladies and gentlemen, meet the unbeatable Laszlo Pasztor alias Lasello 🙂
I’d like to post a song that has never actually been in our concert repertoire but for sure it’s NOT because Laci couldn’t play his fantastic bass solo again. 🙂
This song is a very short poem written in 2005 and only those can understand it really who like to dig deep in the meaning of things, those who LIVE the things, who seek for real love, real pleasure, those who refuse the plastic, consumer life of our age. I send them this song in this lovely morning. Weiterlesen →

Gyula Egyed – 5-string banjo

A photo from Nemzetközi Bluegrass és Akusztikus Zenei Fesztivál, Abaliget, 2008.

Our next musician we’d like to introduce is Gyula Egyed, banjo player who unfortunately only played on one album of ours. One of the songs we recorded with him is “I Wanna Be a Folksong If I Die”, an ironic and naive wish to be part of the folklore after our death. Ironic because it refuses all the traditional methods of memorial in a funny way and naive because folklore doesn’t work this way. It’s still one of our mostly played songs in our repertoire and a favorite of our audience.
I always gladly remember the time when we recorded this album “Dreamer” in our small flat in the Hills of Matra in Hungary. Beautiful place, great inspiration for bluegrass music and the loudest thing which sometimes disturbed our recording was my one year old daughter. A little work, a little walk in the forest, a good beer or wine (can’t remember) after work. Thank you Gyula for being the first banjo player on the Attila & Friends albums, you did a great job! 

Weiterlesen →

Dear friends and fans,

Our project began more than 10 years ago, we recorded 10 albums so far and I have to say:
I’m blessed for having so many great musicians and friends on these recordings. I’ve been thinking about for a while that they’d deserve a bit more attention so I decided to begin a series of posts here on Facebook to introduce these great musicians, each one of them through a little story and a song.

Weiterlesen →