Flying Balkan Laikas

Put Slavic Romani folk, folk-rock, a little punk, and some rock ’n’ roll into a musical blender, and you get Flying Balkan Laikas. This Austin, TX and LA based band is “to Russian folk music what Béla Fleck is to bluegrass: Outside-the-box, no-boundaries, take-no-prisoners innovators” (Houston Press). Their high-energy, interactive shows feel like block parties and showcase the massive contra-bass balalaika, the triangle-shaped stringed instrument of Romani and Russian folk traditions.