Gypsy folk to caravan through Merced
The music of Eastern European gypsies comes to Merced this weekend in a free show.
Ukrainian and Eastern European folk music from Raven & Rose is set for 7 p.m. Sunday, March 27, at Coffee Bandits Cafe, 309 W. Main St. It’s free and appropriate for all ages.
The concert coincides with the album release from Raven & Rose’s Coin of the Realm Orchestra, which includes violin, accordion, trombone, guitar and melodica, an air-powered keyboard.
The husband-and-wife team is made up of Rosalie Crowe, aka Rose, on violin and singer-songwriter Raven, née Roy Crowe, on the other instruments. The band said it prides itself on a range of sounds from serene and dreamy waltzes to lively and wild kolomeykas, which traditionally accompany a circular dance.
Both of my parents immigrated from Poland to Detroit when they were young. We made several trips to stay with my family back in the tiny farm town of Rogówiec, Poland.
Rosalie Crowe
aka RoseRose’s Polish roots have inspired her focus now on eastern European music, she said. She said she was mesmerized early on by her uncle, Zygmunt Bieniek, who played accordion tunes at gatherings on his farm in Rogówiec, Poland.
“Both of my parents immigrated from Poland to Detroit when they were young,” she said. “We made several trips to stay with my family back in the tiny farm town of Rogówiec, Poland. I have lots of good memories of the wheat fields, horse drawn carts, family farm and accordions.”
The gypsy-folk orchestra is traveling as part of its 25-city spring tour. Raven & Rose’s live shows look to strike a balance between original pieces and spirited instrumentals, according to the band, putting a modern spin on gypsy and Eastern European folk music.
Since they met two years ago, the Washington-based couple they has been playing together in several other music projects including Unstable Atmosphere, String Rain and Coin of the Realm Orchestra.
Raven & Rose will continue to travel the next two months, parting with band members in California to travel east, playing music through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and New Orleans. They also plan shows in the mid-west and Great Plains.
This story was originally published March 24, 2016 at 12:29 PM with the headline "Gypsy folk to caravan through Merced."