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About

Sunny Side is a Czech music band that plays the authentic interpretation of traditional bluegrass from the 40s and 50s of 20th century – time when this type of music was at its top in terms of popularity. The concerts always reflect the 40s and 50s with the choice of songs, costumes and the tuning of the band. The show is not only about the music, sense of humor and fun competitions are definitely part of its agenda.

The band started in August 1997 and during its existence released several CDs. Sunny Side plays at music festivals, in music halls and clubs throughout the Czech Republic and also in Europe. On the international level they have received several prestige awards. The band’s motto is: ”We play bluegrass for people!”

Band members

Jirka Šubr Jirka Šubr
Jirka Bok

Jirka Šubr

Jiri Subr, the double bass player, joined the band at the and of the year 2013. He started his musical career at the primary school. He had learned playing the fiddle at LSU (Public school of Arts) for about 3 years. He also learned playing the quitar from his father in early 80�s of the past century. He tried to play double bass by his own then. At Gymnazium (High School) he established the band Lojzici together with Pavel Handlik. Jiri is also a member of music groups Barbecue and Tuplak.
Jirka Bok Jirka Bok
Jirka Bok

Jiří Bok (1974)

Raised and born in the hills of North Bohemia, where the moonshine still gurgles its mournful song about life and freedom, far far away from any civilization. Some people say there ain´t no cell phone signal in their slanty shanty, some believe there is an internet cable already installed in their poor cabin since the millennium started. However, the closest train runs four miles walk down in the valley. In this environment there was nothing else to do (between stacking of hay and milking the cow) but a guitar and a banjo picking. Bok´s passion for the banjo (he received one from his daddy when he was just ten) lately was almost forgotten. While dealing with a different style of music with Jiri Kralik and Rowdy Rascals, did not touch the instrument known as the drum with the neck a bit. His heart was set for swing and gypsy jazz last nine years. He aslo played the bluegrass music in the band called Abalone where he played guitar (till 2013). Then Sunny Side came and gave him the last chance to take and dust off his auld Gibson from the wall, to produce some yea-haw music once more. Ya´ll now! Back to tradition is our motto so high.
Pavel Handlík Pavel Handlík
Jirka Bok

Pavel Handlík (1976)

Sunny Side’s frontman. His characteristic, cultivated and trained tenor makes him one of the best bluegrass singers in Europe. As a guitarist (using top quality guitar Rozawood.) he is known for his economical, clear and lucid play. At concerts he is also the band’s usher who likes to amuse the audience with jokes and fun competitions. Pavel started his music career in 1991 during his studies at gymnasium. At that time he played with band Lojzíci from Mladá Boleslav with whom he released very successful CD called ’Vzpomínej’. Later on, during his studies at University of Prague, Pavel has been a member of Fifty Fingers, Shade of Blue and also had shortly played with Petr Kůs in Fámy band. Since 1999 he is a member of Sunny Side. This band was, is and will be the most important for him in terms wealth of music experience and inspiration – this is the band in which Pavel became the true band leader. During his music journey he got paradoxically from modern to traditional bluegrass about which he likes to say: ... for a musician it is the biggest challenge to play a GOOD traditional bluegrass because traditional bluegrass cannot be cheated as the audience would always notice that...Pavel is not only interpret but also a composer. He plays his songs with band called Barbecue.
Jan Hušek Jan Hušek
Jirka Bok

Jan Hušek (1989)

Has finished an Art School with the violin and viola under Bohumil Holan´s leadership in the town of Mlada Boleslav. Honza has been peeking in bluegrass since the age of 13 The first band was Modry Ksandy (the Blue Kshandy), where at the beginning he played the guitar and then switched to mandolin, after a colleague left. For a while he performed in a parallel band Blue Fern (violin) until the year 2005 came. A great hand from the group of Fair Play Grass (mandolin, later on guitar), where he stayed until 2015 (CD "Karolína" 2008). In the fall of 2014, he founded the Fork Road (guitar), which gained a relatively solid reputation in just two years of active performance. After the band´s broke-up, he joined the North Bohemian Spare Parts as a violinist. In 2021 he joined the band Flastr with his mandolin again and then an offer came from the Sunny Side, in the autumn of the very same year. In addition to bluegrass, Honza also devoted himself to classical music in the past. The Mlada Boleslav´s Chamber Orchestra (viola). He tried out southern rock in the Mlada Boleslav´s Blackies (electric guitar). For ten years, he played more commercially oriented rock music at the S.O.S., and later in the group Layla (electric guitar and violin). Then his Celtic folk-rock period is presented by the band Isara (violin, CD "Na scestí" 2013). In the Sunny Side, Honza plays the 2003 F5 Mandolin made by the Czech luthier Sucek.

The Popular and Entertaining Bluegrass Band from the Czech Republic

A Four-time Winner of the Audience Pupularity Award at the Prestigious Festival of the European Bluegrass Association - EWOB

Schedule

Nov
14
Saloon v modrem

Czech Republic, Mlada Boleslav

19:30
Nov
16
Posviceni v modrem

Czech Republic, Jablonec nad Nisou

16:00
Nov
26
Koncert v Praze, U vodárny, Korunni 972/75, Praha 3

Czech Republic, Praha

20:00
Nov
29
Koncert v ACW Saloonu

Czech Republic, Plzen

20:00

Contacts

Czech Republic
Pavel Handlík
musicbg@centrum.cz
sunnyside.cz
sunnyside.bluegrass

Created by Alexey Chudinov