This outstanding band plays traditional bluegrass, old-time country and western-swing music. The band prides itself on the extremely high quality of instrumental ability, and it's members additional ability to provide "a capella" vocals. The essential focal point of the band is the man who created it, the fiddler Jiri „George“ Kralik. The musical feeling and the ultimate 'sound' of the band, has been mostly influenced by his experiences. George gathered these important ingredients of a successful band during his visits to the country that originated these musical genres, the USA. His attendance and performances at many festivals has shaped his musical views. This understanding of the music, and the love generated for it, has produced an amazingly delightful original music with strong ties to it's traditional past.
Another supporting piers of the Rowdy Rascals are the polished guitar and banjo player Jirka Bok and on the double bass David Koucky, sometimes called the dog house master. The goal of this unique band is to not only come through to a large Czech audience, but also to perform in both the European and American scenes.
Even though it may look this band is very young, the members do have a lot of musical experiences. Here is list of examples.
Jiri (George) Kralik - fiddle, vocals
George has played "the Devil´s box" all of his life. He was named „Best Fiddler“ by the BG Association of the Czech Republic in 1998 and 2002. George attended the Mark O'Connor Fiddle Camp in Nashville, TN several times, where he met and learned from some of the most exceptional fiddlers, including O'Connor, Buddy Spicher, and Aubrey Haynie. As a guest he also performed with Randy Waller and his Country Gentlemen in Holland. He regularly teaches fiddle playing at the Risor festival in Norway and other workshops around Europe. This year he will finish four years of study at the Jazz conservatory in Prague, CZ. His studies at this outstanding music school has not only helped him to improve his technical skills but also given him a solid ground of theoretical knowledge that enables further multifaceted development of his music. Thanks to his longterm contacts with exceptional fiddlers during his visits to States as well as through his study in the jazz conservatory he has become an excellent instructor. He is not only able to show students how to play complicated solos and harmony parts but also to explain the systems by which a composition has been constructed.
Jiri (George) Bok - guitar, banjo, vocals
He plays the banjo over twenty years and the guitar since he was born after the fashion of his parents. After the beginnings with heavy metal music and Beatle craze with the family band „The Small Room Disease“ and „The Bok Band“ where he played electric guitar, George came back to music of Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, Flatt and Scruggs which he used to listen to as a baby boy from dad's sound tapes. Also from his dad he learned sequence of four swing chords. Playing banjo with his own band „Keep On Grass“ in 1990's George travelled all over the country. In 2000 he became a member of "The Apple Pickers" in New York, NY. It was there where he got enrapt by an old jazz and swing music. In the US he took a part in few recordings for his friends. E.g. „The East River Boys session" or he appeared with a great singer and songwriter Sherry Wagoner on one TV morning show. Since 2004 George lives in Prague, he joined the band called „The Mausetrap“. You could hear them on festivals as EWOB 2005 in Holland, or Jamboree in Strakonice, such as "a" mighty fine gathering in Luka nad Jihlavou. He likes to attend the bluegrass jams. At one of those we have met, played together and found that both of us have similar opinion of the music. That was how we started to work together.
Milos Klapste - double bass, vocals
At the age of 8 he started to play the piano, when he was 13 he started to play the bass guitar and since his 17 he plays the double bass as his main instrument. In the past he has gone through many bands and ensembles playing different styles, for example Cui Bono (hard rock), Boom Brasil (latin, MPB), Just Now (mainstream jazz), Lab Band (bigband, swing), Jan Steinsdörfer Q (fusion, groove) etc. In 2007 he participated at The Summer Jazz Workshop in Frydlant(CZ) where he definitely decided to become a professional musician, he moved to Prague and at present he studies double bass and composing at Jaroslav Ježek's Conservatory in Prague. He performed twice at prestige Jazz Goes to Town festival in 2008 (in small ensemble and in a bigband). He focus mostly on jazz, western swing, soul, gospel, latin, hip hop and fusion. Miloš a member of Rowdy Rascals since October 2009.
Rowdy Rascals 
