Kries

Kries is a Croatian ethno band led by the singer Mojmir Novaković, the former frontman of the ethno group Legen. The name comes from the old word for a bonfire, after the traditional midsummer fires lit between St George's and St John's Day. The band draws on the melodies and words of traditional songs, Slavic mythology and Dinaric and Mediterranean rhythms, and plays them with bagpipes, flutes, lijerica and percussion beside electric guitar, bass and drums.

Novaković formed the band in the early 2000s with Kamenko Čulap, Ivo Letunić and Krešimir Oreški. The debut double album Ivo i Mara (Kopito Records, 2004) is built around Ivo and Mara, the couple of Croatian folk tradition, and includes the band's music for Branko Ivanda's film Konjanik. The second album, Kocijani (2008), was produced by Martin Swan of Mouth Music.

The third album, Selo na okuke / Village Tracks, was recorded in the Marin Držić Theatre in Dubrovnik and released internationally by Riverboat Records in 2017. It was well reviewed in fRoots and Songlines and spent two months at the top of the World Music Charts Europe. Kries has played festivals such as Sziget in Hungary, Celtic Connections in Scotland, Colors of Ostrava, Roots & Blues in Canada and the Rainforest World Music Festival in Borneo.

The 2024 line-up is Mojmir Novaković and Ivo Letunić on vocals, Andor Végh on bagpipes, diple and flutes, Krešimir Oreški on percussion, Erol Zejnilović on electric guitar, Konrad Lovrenčić on bass and Ivan Levačić on drums. After more than a year away from the stage the band played Zagreb's Boogaloo in May 2024 and announced a new album; their newest video is "Sve vam zdravo".