Using a variety of acoustic instruments, the Swiss band creates a sound that is equally suited to oldmovies and a wild night of dancing. Somewhere between Ennio Morricone and the abyss of a Tom Waits, between a gypsy village in the Balkans and America’s Wild West lies the world of the Kummerbuben.

The songs of the six musicians from Berne/Switzerland provide thesoundtrack for the big emotions of the small people, those for whom joy andtragedy lie a hair’s breadth apart. These are songs of dangerous liaisons and small-town desires, of broken bohemians and daring suburbanites. Zoology and scurrility are the preferred sources for their lyrics.

In recent years the Kummerbuben have made a name for themselves as revivers of old Swiss folk songs. Their albums «Liebi und anderi Verbräche» («Love and other crimes», 2007) and «Schattehang» («Shady Slope», 2009) feature centuries-old songs turned into modern folk, rock, Americana and gypsy music. Many a European clubgoer has experienced unforgettable moments at Kummerbuben concerts.

Their latest album «Weidwund» («Fatally wounded», 2012) features only music composed and lyrics written by the Kummerbuben. But to their unique sound they remain true. The Kummerbuben also remain true totheir Swiss roots: they sing in Swiss-German and French.