VEJA

Veja is a Croatian world music band. It’s focused on researching Istrian traditional folk music and performing the same in more modern arrangements by using various traditional instruments from all over the world. Up to now, Veja has had many performances around Europe.

The name “Veja” is a term for an Istrian custom of gathering around a dead person and watching his body all night. It was usually accompanied by eating and drinking which then often led to singing. During one of the very first Veja rehearsals, an old man sitting in the room said: “Boys, you sound like veja”. Having in mind that Veja’s mission is to bring the traditional songs back to life by rearranging them, after some minutes of laugh, the name was a logical choice.

Perhaps the ancestors of Veja’s members would at first be astounded with the way in which their descendants are using mih (Istrian bagpipes), gajde (Slavonian bagpipes), kaval, fiddle, accordion and guitar together with bass guitar, djembe and cajon, but in time they would accept the fact that everything changes – thus grows, and all that grows – lives, inspires and opens new opportunities for creativity.