Young Sparks first formed late last year, but in the relatively brief time they’ve been together, the band has made a formidable impression at home. “We managed to break through very quickly in the Czech Republic, thanks to the fact that we built a band of young talented people with similar tastes, and oriented towards modern influences from the USA, which is not very common in the Czech Republic,” says guitarist Matyáš Frýdl. “Very few bands play in a similar style. I would say that our music is perceived very positively, even if it is quite contrary to the conservative audience that grew up on older Czech traditional bands like Greenhorns. We will gradually re-educate them.”
Although the members — Frýdl, Honza Handlík (banjo), Johanka Štanglová (mandolin), Tomáš Alexa (bass), and their newest recruit, Jitka Vejsadová (fiddle) — hail from different parts of the country — specifically, Prague, Pilsen, and Mladá Boleslav — they all consider the Czech Republic home. “It’s the heart of Europe, especially as far as the European bluegrass,” Frýdl says. “We got together through bluegrass events that took place in the Czech Republic. We met mostly at workshops and jam sessions, and as a result, we knew we had to get together because we are very close in our music tastes, as well as in age.”
Frýdl says their sound leans towards a traditional idiom, but adds that they attempt to add distinctive elements of modern bluegrass, adding that “there are dry and distinctive mandolin chops in our music, a lot of space given to banjo, a bass that drives us forward, and a guitar that gives the songs its balls.”
“We are inspired by a lot by modern performers who play energetic bluegrass with a great punch,” he continues. “In particular, Jason Davis, Will Clark, Deer Creek Boys, The Boxcars, and others. Overall, we like it when the music gets you energized and makes you nod your head to the beat.”
Because the band has been in existence for less than a year, they’ve only managed to perform one-off concerts in their country’s bigger cities, such as Prague, Pilsen, and Kladno. “We haven’t had a chance to do a longer tour yet,” Frýdl notes. “But we would definitely like to do one in 2026. We would like the possibility of getting a grant from IBMA to tour the USA, but we would also like to play in some European countries, as well as make some longer tours in the Czech Republic.”
Likewise, Young Sparks have yet to make their way onto the festival circuit. “We haven’t had the opportunity to play bigger festivals yet, because the band was formed at a time when the festivals were already scheduled for last season,” Frýdl explains. “The only exception was the bluegrass summit organized by EBMA in Prague, where Honza played as part of an international band consisting of young talents from all over Europe. However, this year, we managed to get into Europe’s oldest bluegrass festival, Banjo Jamboree, where we’re playing mid-June. Apart from that, we’ve gotten invitations to participate in other Czech festivals which we’ll play during the summer. We would like to attend European festivals like EWOB, La Roche. and others in the next few years. A big dream would be to play at IBMA in the USA.”
So too, their shared stage experience has been limited mainly to sharing stages with other Czech groups, particularly the band G-runs n’ Roses. “We usually play with Czech bands that are on a great level, and together we organize great concerts,” Frýdl adds.
The band’s recordings have mainly consisted of videos from concerts or rehearsals, but as part of the qualification for the Banjo Jamboree festival they recorded three songs.
“We’re only playing covers at the moment, but we try to add our own arrangements to all of them,” Frýdl notes. “Gradually, we plan to start incorporating our own compositions, which we hope to start doing in the coming weeks.”
Frýdl freely shares his own ideas about the popularity of bluegrass. “The bluegrass community is very strong and loyal across the globe,” he maintains. “People like the music and actively seek it out. Even though the bluegrass audience in Europe in particular is gradually getting older, we feel that in the USA there is a rising wave of popularity among young people, which is slowly happening in the Czech Republic as well. For that, we’re very grateful. Music connects and bluegrass doubly so. The grass is blue!”
