Referring to themselves as a “Czech and Austrian Bluegrass Band,” New River Train was first formed in 1993, although its actual roots were sown in Czechoslovakia during the early eighties. “The fascination with some tapes of American bluegrass music was the reason for five teenagers to start a bluegrass band and make their way to the top of the bluegrass scene in the Czechoslovakia,” co-founder, vocalist and banjo player Mojmir Sevcik insists.
From that point on, the group’s progress seems to have evolved quite naturally. In 1983, the band’s original fiddle player, Milan Kalcu, relocated to Austria, followed by Sevcik in 1989. After the fall of Iron Curtain in 1989, it was inevitable that the two would reconnect, having formed their friendship in their home country of Czechoslovakia several years before. As Sevcik says, “It was only a question of time.”
The band’s been performing together consistently since their founding. Both Kalcu and Sevcik became Austrian citizens, while the other four current members of the band — Ivan Drazny (guitar), Milda Toman (mandolin, vocals), Miroslav Novotny (fiddle, vocals), and Ales Wesely (bass, vocals) — commute whenever necessary. Indeed, it seems the commuting has become quite consistent. The band has played concerts and festivals throughout Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, France, Denmark, Holland, and Switzerland for the past several decades.
Along the way, they’ve shared stages with Tony Trischka, Radim Zenkl, and Blue Highway, experiences that they continue to cite as highlights of their career. They also have two full-length albums to their credit — Together Again (1997) and Let It Roll (2008).
Nevertheless, like most bands that maintain a certain longevity, New River Train has seen some shifts in personnel. Indeed, since the early 2000s, there have been several changes. The band’s original mandolin player, Jiri Vopava, left in 1995. In 2001, there was an extensive shake-up when original members Michal Hromcik (guitar, vocals), Tomas Kubin (bass), Gustav Vichta (fiddle), and Tomas Pugner (mandolin, vocals) left the band. Kalcu left in 2003. In 2014, guitarist Michal Hromcik announced his departure, but by 2018, the current lineup had finally gelled to what it is today.
The band’s history and influences are borne from its individual members. Sevcik began playing piano while attending music school, but by age twelve, he became totally absorbed with the five string banjo. He played in his first bluegrass band, PRAM, from 1978 to 1981, and then became a member of the band KOPR from 1981 to 1989. During that time, they emerged as one of the top bands within the Czech bluegrass scene. These days, he’s considered one of the leading Czech and Austrian bluegrass pioneers. In addition, since 1999, he’s been a member of the Hall of Fame for the oldest Czech bluegrass festival, Banjo Jamboree.
Toman began playing country and bluegrass music in 1974 with a local band called Sekvoje, and three years later, he helped found a group called Kyvadlo, which went on to become an important part of the Czech bluegrass throughout the ’80s. In 1990, he joined the Kitchen Band with other local members of the bluegrass community based in the town of Jihlava, located in the Czech Republic. In 2001, he connected with New River Train and has been with the group ever since.
Wesely took up bass at the age of 17 after hearing the music of the Greenhorns, and the Czech bluegrass bands Kyvadlo, Prazce, and CWBC. Since 1991 he’s played in a number of other outfits, including Svetla Trava (1991-1993), Kabinet (1993-1994), Modrej Stejsn ( 1994-2001), and the Rolls Boys ( 2001-2013 ), the latter of which toured throughout Europe and recorded three CDs. He’s been a member of New River Train since 2014.
Novotny was 17 when he began playing mandolin and fiddle in a pair of local bands, Lenochteam and Wobcas. From 2006 to 2015, he was the fiddler for the newgrass band, Taverna. He’s been the fiddler and vocalist in New River Train since joining in 2018.
Drazny began playing in the local bluegrass scene with the band TICHO and then joined the band KOPR in the middle ’80s. He later became one of the founding members of New River Train in 1993. He left for a spell to pursue projects that focused primarily on both bluegrass and Irish music, but returned to New River Train in 2018.
With all these seasoned players in tow, New River Train clearly has the fuel to ride the rails for some time to come.
