Hudba Praha Band: After all, we can easily educate the listeners
On the album, they included novelties created in the past two years, as well as two compositions that fans know in concert, and two from the repertoire of their friendly group Jasná páka, which were never recorded in the studio.
Why is Hudby Praha Band’s first album released six years after its existence?
V. Knocked: Because first we toured the republic and played, which was always the most important thing for us. Each of the authors in the band had some ideas or songs ready, but we were mainly on stage. Then covid came, we started rehearsing more, finished the songs, came up with new ones and the record was made. We just took advantage of an unfavorable time.
If there was no covid-19, wouldn’t there be a record?
V. Knocked: It was, but it would probably come out later.
B. Hammered: And maybe not even that, because we were thinking about her even before covid started. You could even say that he delayed us, because I canceled the recording date of the Propast studio three times because of him. If I was twenty-five and we couldn’t play with the band for two years, I probably wouldn’t be so upset. Now I was angry, even though we played a lot of great concerts this year, for example. But the record would be anyway.
There was also a need for a lineup to sit down. Drummer Tomáš Stloukal is with us today, and I have to say that in the forty years I’ve been playing professionally, I’ve never played with a better one. He is a great musician, he is cool, he smiles, he has no problems, he is hardworking. He has the best qualities a musician should have.
Hnyk: Plus he likes John Bonham from Led Zeppelin. That alone says a lot about the way he plays the drums. He came to the recording studio so well prepared that he drummed his part for the first time, and with his finger in his nose, so to speak.
Hudba Praha Band was formed in 2015 after the breakup with singer and guitarist Michal Ambrož from the original band Hudba Praha. Was the following period difficult for you?
V. Knocked: It was. even though we used to go out for beer with Michal Ambrož, the former singer of Hudba Praha, a crazy campaign started on Facebook and in the media, which poisoned a lot of people and didn’t exactly cast a friendly light on us. Because of this, some others left the original planned party as well. I was left with Jirka Jelínek. So I contacted brother Bohouš and the singer Jamaica. We found the singer Zdeňko Hnyk and other musicians also came. We put together a de facto new band and we were just sorry that we wasted a lot of time dealing with unnecessary complications.
Hnyk: It took less than two years before we started operating normally.
B. Hammered: Forget yesterday, don’t worry about today, tomorrow will be yours. I would close it with this password. Let’s continue.
Did you start writing new songs right away?
V. Knocked: We have always composed, even in the past. However, it rarely manifested itself in the Prague repertoire. I think it was a shame, because the color of the lower authors in the band is always good.
On the new album, you basically preserved the sound of classic Prague music. Was it important to you?
V. Knocked: We didn’t think about it at all because we co-created it in the past and it’s our own. In forty years, we have it in us.
Hnyk: I have been going to Hudba Praha concerts for years as a fan. I’ve been fond of saying for six years that I jumped from the front row under the stage to the front row on it. At the same time, it was unimaginable for me that I would ever get an offer to sing in my favorite band. Fortunately, it happened, and since I have her repertoire in my blood, they completely automatically subordinate their authorial contributions to the classical sound. After all, as a presenter of Radio 1, I played Hudba Praha songs to listeners for many years, often as the very first one.
B. Hammered: We agreed that we wanted to keep the sound that we felt was original and that we built together. There was no reason to leave it, it just takes into account that it was now secured. All our songs, and it’s always been like that, can only be played in Spanish. They have melody, they have harmony and they have good lyrics.
Are there any older ones on the album?
B. Hammered: The oldest ones are Leave it, Leave it and Sweetie. I composed them years ago for Jasná páka, and although the fans wanted to hear them on the record, they were never recorded. We thought it would be a shame to leave them alone.
Hnyk: I’m glad that these two songs got on the album and I even get to sing one of them. I have them recorded at home on tapes from old Jasná páky concerts. Of course in terrible quality, captured by a single microphone somewhere in the middle of the hall. And it’s about the sixth copy of the record. But I always liked them very much.
V. Knocked: The song Někdo jde bôt is about thirty-five years old. We also never recorded it, we got lucky until now. Even thanks to these older compositions, the continuity of the band is preserved.
There is a song on the album with the Latin title Quo vadis, domine, meaning Where are you walking, sir. It is full of Latin expressions. Isn’t it too complicated for listeners?
B. Hammered: That song was written by Zdeněk and I also wondered if it wasn’t too complicated. I took Latin in high school, so I know the quotes. But probably not today’s youth. But then it dawned on me that today’s youth don’t like us that much, that we are a band for the audience. Anyone who wants can find translations of those quotes. Internet is enough for him.
Maybe it’s stupid, but I think as a band we can educate the listeners a bit. We always did, and it didn’t matter if we were in our thirties or sixty.
Hnyk: The lyrics of the song Quo vadis, domine are educational not only in the area of Latin quotations. In general, this is the current world situation.
Are you planning an album launch?
V. Knocked: If it is possible due to covid-19, it will take place on December 17 at the Vagon club in Prague. We will play all the songs from the album. Her godfather will be Petr Janda, which makes us very happy, because it was shot in his studio Prepast. There was an excellent atmosphere, it was a pleasure to record there.
You may find it useful on Zboží.cz: