Hype is followed with "sold-out" night of Bluegrass in Bulgaria

Jesse Brock & Lilly

"On the 3rd of January 2006, a team of young professionals performed to a sold out audience of Bulgaria's high society, in the capitol city of Sofia. This group was Lilly of the West with special guest from America, Jesse Brock.

They performed pure acoustic music with flavors of Bluegrass, Old-time, Celtic, Country, and even Bulgarian folk. They gave 2 encores with the presentation of a traditional favorite,
"Sto mi e milo", given in 7/8 timing. Jesse Brock went as far as to learning the words in their native tongue, and playing his mandolin in the awkward timing with solo melodies.

The band consists of Vladimir Michailov on viola, Svoboda Bozduganova on bass, Yassin Vassilev on guitar, Lilly Drumeva on guitar, and Jesse Brock on mandolin and bass. This band sent shivers down the spines of an enthusiastic crowd while offering a spicy array of music. The concert will also be aired on Bulgaria's #1 station on the 20th of January.

Many interviews preceded the concert to inform folks of what they were to expect, with the insertion of DVD clips and audio snippets from previous venues and c.d.'s. Attendees got more than they bargained for once the whole band started playing, and at the end of the night, 'gave a standing ovation with flowers presented to the leader of the band, Lilly Drumeva, who organized the venue.

After the performance, they all went to greet the guests in the reception area, where there were complimentary drinks and autographs being signed. All concessions were sold out before they could even make their way to the booth. Many fans, who were not fortunate enough to grab their items before the booth was cleared, were loyal enough to leave their e-mails for updates through the website of www.lillydrumeva.net.

The concert was well publicised in the 5 major national newspapers, naming Jesse Brock as "King of the Mandolin" and compared his visit to that of a young Bill Monroe coming to Bulgaria. Jesse performed in many music clubs in the capitol, Sofia. He also appeared on the State National Radio and Retro Radio, on New Year's Day. Jesse Brock was invited to hold workshops at the Bulgarian Academy of Music in the near future.

Hats off to our youth in Bluegrass for a successful show abroad, and we wish them success in the future to come. "