Divokej Bill

An eight-piece band hailing from Úvaly, near Prague in the Czech Republic, Divokej Bill (which translates roughly to Furious Bill) have had an up-and-down relationship with some of the people in their home nation, but remain best known as a band whose catchy and accessible music helped them become one of Eastern Europe's best-selling and best-loved acts. Formed in 1996, the band (Vaclav Blaha -- vocals and guitar, Milos Jurac -- bass and vocals, Stepán Karbulka -- vocals and dance, Adam Karlik -- violin, Roman Procházka -- guitar and vocals, Honza Bartl -- banjo, Martin Pecka -- accordion, and Mark Zezulka -- drums and percussion) released its first album, Propustka do Pekel, in 2000. Over the course of the next six years, Divokej Bill released three more albums and a live DVD that featured their unique blend of Celtic, folk, and country music. In addition, the band has been a feature at European festivals, including Ouvalskej Bigbit and Masters of Rock. Branded by some bandmembers as purveyors of "redneck rock," Divokej Bill released Rock for People in 2007, which would break into the Top Ten of the national album charts. ~ Chris True