FPB (band)
| FPB | |
|---|---|
 Uz jsme doma and Romek Hanzlik play FPB songs live in Brooklyn in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Fourth Price Band, Čtvrtá cenová skupina, Čtverecjeď |
| Origin | Teplice, Czechoslovakia |
| Genres | punk rock |
| Years active | 1980–1987, 1990, 2008–present |
| Associated acts | Už Jsme Doma |
| Members |
Miroslav Wanek Romek Hanzlík Pepa Červinka Jaroslav Noga Adam Tomášek |
| Past members |
Milan Nový Kamil Krůta Radek Uhlíř Pavel Keřka Petr Růžička Ivo Dolanský Petr Kuranda |
FPB, short for Fourth Price Band, is an influential Czech punk rock band formed in 1980 in Teplice, a Czech town bordering Germany, by bassist, singer and poet Miroslav Wanek and his friend, Petr Růžička, who was considered the band's manager. These two were soon joined by drummer Milan Nový and, later, guitarist Romek Hanzlík. The group moved through several different lineups before splitting in 1987. In 2008 Wanek and Hanzlík let Uz jsme doma play 21 songs from FPB repertoire on occasional concerts.
The act of playing punk rock in the early '80s in a Communist nation drew much attention to the band, but the group was also notable for integrating musical complexity and poetry into the traditional punk fold. Cited influences include The Damned and The Clash. Wanek had also soon discovered Pere Ubu and The Residents, his favorites, through illegal tape trading in Czechoslovakia; these influences became more noticeable when, in 1986, Wanek joined Nový's group Už Jsme Doma, a highly influential and still-existing avant garde punk rock band that has featured nearly every other member of FPB for a time.
A 'fourth price group' was a term used in Socialist Czechoslovakia for the fourth (lowest) of four pub levels. Wanek tried to display his feeling, where his new band belongs, where it feels natural. Not in such a fancy places in "First or second price level", but in culture on the bottom - or underground. Actually the band used to use several different names due to police "supervising" - to confuse them. They used names such as FPB, Fourth Price Band, Ctvrta cenova skupina, Ctverecjed etc.
History
Formation and early lineups (1980)
The band began when Wanek, an ambitious young composer and musician, chatted with his neighbor Růžička, an organizer of illegal concerts who'd done minor jail time for his involvement in the underground music scene. The communist Czech government at the time was very strict about which musical artists it would legally sanction and which it would deem 'anti-social' and prevent from performing. Starting a group outside of government sanctions was a complicated procedure, so the two decided to go at it together.
They found drummer Milan Nový, and, needing a full band, ended up employing Nový's bandmates from his band at the time, Mikron, to form the first lineup of FPB. This lineup lasted for "three or four months",[1] and played one show, before the other members of the band were intimidated by government pressure, and the band was reduced to Wanek, Nový, and Růžička.
Classic lineup (1981–1985)
After several months as essentially a two-piece, Wanek called up his former schoolmate Romek Hanzlík, who'd been playing in a bar band called Admirál. Hanzlík was unhappy with present setup and accepted Wanek's invitation to join FPB. This became the core lineup for the band between the years of 1981–1985. Despite the complicated logistics, the band played frequently and gained much popularity in the Czech punk scene for their sophisticated take on the frantic, melodic punk rock of the time.
In 1985, Nový had co-founded a more experimental, musically omnivorous seven-piece band called Už Jsme Doma. Nový was playing saxophone in the band at the time. Wanek took an immediate liking to the group, who frequently shared illegal concert bills with FPB. In 1986, Wanek and Hanzlík were invited to join UJD, at first as guests of sort, while UJD were experiencing personnel problems. When a four-piece lineup of UJD, with Wanek and Hanzlík and sans Nový, solidified at the end of the year, Wanek and Hanzlík decided to focus on the new band and quit FPB.
New configuration of group (1986–1987)
Růžička opposed retiring the FPB moniker, so he and Nový put together a new FPB lineup featuring Kamil Krůta (guitar) and Radek Uhlíř (bass and vocals), both of whom were involved with the popular Czech punk band Šanov 1 and mere teenagers at the time. This incarnation, playing a mix of Wanek's FPB songs and new material, lasted for two years before dissolving. Most of people call this line-up "New FPB" to make obvious difference between Wanek's era and this new item, which was too far from former originality of "Old FPB".
Reformations and subsequent activity (1990, 2008–present)
In 1990, after the Velvet Revolution, Wanek, Hanzlík and Nový reunited as FPB just to record 17 songs from their 1981–85 set, which were released on the CD "Kdo z koho, ten toho", and doing one show in Lucerna Prague. The very last show of FPB was in 1993 on the privat party in pub "U vystřeleného oka" in Žižkov Prague.
After the breakup of New FPB in 1987, Nový and Krůta put together a two piece group called Pseudo Pseudo that played together for a number of years. Hanzlík played in UJD from 1986–1997, before retiring from performing to work as a manager and promoter of bands, including UJD. Wanek continued to play in UJD. Nový had three stints in UJD – as the sax player from 1985–1986, the drummer from 1988–1989, and again the drummer from 1995–1996. Krůta was briefly UJD's bassist, from 1996–1997, although he never properly recorded with the band.
In 2008, a concert of classic FPB material (21 songs) was performed by Wanek, Hanzlík, and the current members of UJD – bassist Pepa Červinka, drummer Tomáš Paleta, and trumpet player Adam Tomášek. This performance coincided with the release of "Kniha prani a stiznosti," or "A Book of Wishes and Complaints," a 3-CD set of FPB material on Malarie Records. Although this concert (called UJD and Romek Hanzlik play FPB songs) was originally intended as a one-off, the five-piece band (with Jaroslav Noga on drums) has continued, performing occasional festival gigs and other special events.
Members
Current
- Miroslav Wanek – bass, vocals (1981–1985, 1990); guitar, vocals (2008–present)
- Romek Hanzlík – guitar, vocals (1981–1985, 1990, 2008–present)
- Pepa Červinka – bass, vocals (2008–present)
- Jaroslav Noga – drums (2011–present)
- Adam Tomášek – trumpet, vocals (2008–present)
Former
- Milan Nový – drums (1981–1987, 1990)
- Kamil Krůta – guitar (1986–1987)
- Radek Uhlíř – bass, vocals (1986–1987)
- Ivo Dolanský – guitar (1983-85)
- Pavel Keřka – bass guitar (1983-85)
- Ota Chlupsa – guitar (1983)
- Petr Růžička – manager (1981–1987)
- Petr Kuranda – bass guitar (1981)
Discography
Releases
- "Early Years" (recorded 1982–1983, released 1987)
- "Live v Gongu" (1984)
- "Opatov - live" (1985)
- "Jedem v punku jako v tanku" (1984, 1987)
- "Kdo z koho, ten toho" (MC,LP,CD, 1990)
- "Kniha prani a stiznosti" (3xCD, 2008, Malarie Records)
Compilations
- "1984 The Third" (1987)
- "Razie" (1987)
- "Hrubý punkový hláska" (1987)
- "Czechoslovakia (Ten Czechoslovak Years 1978–1988)" (1989)