Founded by Damian Kurasz and Janusz Demkowicz in 2000, TOLHAJE was soon after joined by other musicians who come from the Subcarpathian region. They were Marysia Kulik, Tomasz Duda, Maciej Cierlinski, Lukasz Moskal and Piotr Rychlec.
The band is inspired by, inter alia, the customs of the Boykos and Lemkos – ethnic groups living in Bieszczady before 1947, musical culture of South-Eastern Poland (Lubelszczyzna – Polish historical region that encompasses Lublin) and the ethnic groups of modern Ukraine.
TOLHAJE have performed on stages in the entire country endearing themselves to the audience as well as competition juries. They reached the final of the 4th edition of the Folk Music Festival of the Polish Radio (second place). They were the winners of the 19th International Youth Folk Song and Music Festival “Eurofolk Na Pograniczach” in Sanok in 2001. In June 2002, the band represented Poland at the 23rd European Broadcasting Union Festival in Mölln, Germany.
Moreover, most of the members from TOŁHAJE collaborated with famous artists, like Gordon Haskle, John Lord (Deep Purple), Nigel Kennedy, Michael Bolton as well as with well-known Polish artists (Katarzyna Nosowska, Kayah, Hey, Maria Peszek, Smolik, Pink Freud, Kora, Ewa Bem, Stanisław Soyka, Gaba Kulka, Justyna Steczkowska, Zakopower, Piotr Rubik, Michał Bajor and many others).
In April 2003, TOLHAJE won the Folk Phonogram of the Year Award 2002 for the album “A w Niedziela Rano” – founded by the Radio Centre for Folk Culture in the Polish Radio. The album was also nominated for the Fryderyk Music Award 2003 in the ETNO/FOLK category.
In September 2011, ‘Stereokarpaty’ – the long-awaited second studio album of the band, was released. This album includes songs inspired by folk music from the Polish and Ukrainian borderland that are sung by Marysia Kulik in Ukrainian and Eastcarpathian dialects. “Στέρεος” (read: stereos) in Greek, apart from its reference to sound quality, means ‘solid’, ‘powerful’, ‘well-built’ and ‘well-constructed’. These qualities are pertinent to TOLHAJE’s new release – more mature, perfected, and wrapped with Carpathian stereophonic inspirations.
In the autumn of 2013 TOŁHAJE received a proposal to cooperate music for a new TV series “Wataha”, HBO Poland. During this project the band has created a new songs and after that an idea arose to release an album “Czereda” and „Mama Warhola”.
Current members:
• Marysia Kulik – vocal
• Damian Kurasz – guitar
• Tomasz Duda – saxophones, bas clarinet
• Janusz Demkowicz – bass guitar
• Lukasz Moskal – drums
• Piotr Rychlec – accordion, didgeridoo, sound engineer
• Maciek Cierliński – hurdy gurdy
Collaboration:
Covers design, webdesigns and visualization:
• Weronika Siwiec / weronikasiwiec.com
• Stachu Strzyżewski / Bieszczady .pl
Tołhaje’s Music
Our creativity
Album “A w niedziela rano” (On Sunday Morning)
The album ” A w niedziela rano” (2002) was our debut.
TV series “WATAHA” HBO
In the autumn of 2013 TOŁHAJE received a proposal to cooperate music for a new TV series “Wataha”, HBO Poland. During this project the band has created a new songs and after that an idea arose to release an album. The new album “Czereda” and „Mama Warhola” contains inter alia songs, which have been used in broadcasted TV series on HBO. Thanks to the cooperation we have met great people, a part of film crew (film producer, screenwriter and some of the actors). It was a wonderful experience.
Album “Stereokarpaty” (Stereocarpathians)
In September 2011, ‘Stereokarpaty’ – the long-awaited second studio album of the band, was released. This album includes songs inspired by folk music from the Polish and Ukrainian borderland that are sung by Marysia Jurczyszyn in Ukrainian and Eastcarpathian dialects. “Στέρεος” (read: stereos) in Greek, apart from its reference to sound quality, means ‘solid’, ‘powerful’, ‘well-built’ and ‘well-constructed’. These very qualities are pertinent to TOLHAJE’s new release – more mature, perfected, and wrapped with Carpathian stereophonic inspirations.
Album “Czereda” (Crowd)
Our 3rd album “Czereda ” – is special re-edition, which contains songs that appeared in the HBO TV series “WATAHA”. It also includes live songs from the concert ArtCelebration Eastern Roots Festival in East Culture / European Culture Stadium in Rzeszów (2014), with the accompaniment of string section and our four new, energy compositions. Where does the name of the album come from? Crowd is a bunch, pack, and the group of people who follow the same path. It is also a storm of thoughts and ideas that were born during the creation of our new material, in a fit of inspiration, which appeared shortly after the proposals for the cooperation on the music for the TV series “Wataha”. In addition, the concept of the crowd and pack are very close to us, because it used to determine a group of highwaymen in Bieszczady – tolhajs.
Mama Warhola (Mother of Warhol) – with traditional songs sung by mother of Andy Warhol – Julia Warhola, who in small village near to Bieszczady Mountains.