Rabbit-folk stylings of Tildon Krautz set to hop across Highlands
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“Anti-Rational Rabbit Folk” might sound like a bizarre series of words hurled together – but for Tildon Krautz, it’s the label they’re happiest with.
The idiosyncratic band – fronted by the husband-and-wife duo of Gregg Weiss and Gabi Swiatkowska – are making their way to the Highlands for a string of gigs across the region. But what on earth does that label mean?
“One night at around two in the morning, a little wild rabbit jumped out on the road as we were approaching,” Gregg explained. “We have a special love for little beings like this and we just kind of stopped to see what she'd do.
“Ms. Rabbit decided to frolic up the road ahead of the car. We started rolling slowly and figured she's jump out of the way – which she did. But then she immediately jumped back on the road and continued up a few hundred yards exactly like that; on the road, off the road, on and then off again.
“Either me or Gabi said, ‘How entirely anti-rational of that rabbit.’ At the time we had the bookers from the Lattitude Festival who were asking us how we called our music. We figured that was a perfect description.”
For Gregg, this latest tour is a long-awaited return to a country he loves. “I came up to Scotland a whole bunch in 2006-09 and then had to stop because the artist visa became temporarily too prohibitive for us and our sponsoring booking agency to afford. Now that I'm more or less officially European I don't have that trouble anymore!
“I love it up here in the Highlands. We've been all over this place, and this is going to be the most comprehensive tour yet
“Like down in France, there is a culture of appreciation for good music and the arts in general. The whisky isn't so bad, either!”
Originally from the States, Gregg moved with Gabi over to France a few years ago. “The move to France was really quite random. We have some friends who live near where we’re now settled. Their daughter went to school in NYC with our daughter.
“We went to visit with them so the girls could touch a little bit of what they both missed from home, and voila! We ended up settling there after seeing how grounded they both became upon reconnecting.
“It also didn't hurt that the French have a love for all things cultural. They truly support the arts down there. It's nice not to have to be famous to feel like you're not a beggar on the street. There is still a strong tradition of small concerts, with modest fees.”
As a musician, Gregg got his start in the NYC anti-folk scene, playing alongside the likes of Regina Spektor and Jeffrey Lewis. “I was one of the original people down on that scene, I guess.
“I've played in bands with Jeffrey and Regina – mostly around a group that was called Dufus, led by a fella named Seth Faergoalzia. It’s here where the anti-rational aspects of our sound really come from.
“Gabi was also a fan of this music, and it was through Dufus that we eventually met.”
It’s a story worth sharing – Gregg has a classic folk troubadour’s eye for a good yarn. “The story goes that I was on a date with another girl who was not very interested in spending time with me,” he explained. “I had been chasing her a while, and she'd finally relented and agreed to come to the Dufus show with me that night.
“In straight NYC fashion when it became clear that she really wasn't interested – she invited her sister on the date, and spent most the time talking to her – I sort walked over to Gabi who I'd noticed sitting alone in the audience and struck up a conversation.
“I walked her home that night and we kept in touch for about a year before I moved back up to NYC permanently to be near her and explore our relationship more fully. We agreed that if we continued to be interested we'd go on an adventure together that would include a long term relationship and all that sort of good stuff.
“That was in 2003. We've been together ever since.”
It was that desire to stay together that led Gabi – a multiple award-winning children’s illustrator – to becoming part of Tildon Krautz. “We both found that the touring lifestyle required too much time apart for our liking. After a number of years together with me on the road and her at home – and both of us with extremely expensive phone bills – we decided that the best solution would be for her to join the band.
“She asked me what instrument I wanted her to play and I said, ‘Bass.’ After about two-and-a-half years we started performing together.
“First time we played together she hid behind a column that was on the stage. Now she writes half the material we play and is the best bass player I've ever worked with – much having to do with couple's telepathy, I'm sure.”
And ever since they’ve started playing music together, everything has become better for the couple. “Being in a band together is the best of both worlds for me. I get to do what I love the most, which is play music and be around her. So it's all pretty good.
“Add in that she's a phenomenal songwriter and a darling of the stage and we really can't go wrong.
“Of course it's not easy all the time. But nothing is.”
Tildon Krautz play the following dates in the Highlands: Eden Court on Saturday, June 10, Lochinver Village Hall on Monday, June 12, Ardross Community Hall, Alnesson Friday, June 16, Sutherland Sessions, Dornoch on Saturday, June 17, Arisaig Hotel on Sunday, June 18 and two in Plockton on Monday, June 19 at Sgoil Chiuil and Plockton Village Hall. Click here for more information or to book tickets.
