Dylan Gully, Markovitch and Pauline Willerval of Brittany-based Zetadam Trio who will embark on a cycling music tour of Cork's Atlantic coast later this month.

A tour with a twist

This month a band of three musicians from Brittany will embark on a cycling tour along Cork’s coast, and they’re still short two gigs.

Zetadam Trio, who perform “reincarnated traditional music”, will set out on bicycles to ride the Wild Atlantic Way of county Cork, playing a string of intimate, unplugged concerts as they go.

And if this endeavour wasn’t remarkable enough, the group’s accordion player, known simply as Markovitch, is completely blind.

Described by bandmate Dylan Gully as a very autonomous man, Markovitch has been playing with the band since 2016.

Speaking to the Cork Independent, clarinet player Dylan, said: “Markovitch is the one who really wanted to do a bicycle tour. He cycles with clubs on tandem bikes and does races. He loves it and he really wanted to melt the music and the cycling."

Dylan will cycle up front on a tandem bike with Markovitch while singer and gadulka player Pauline Willerval will ride alongside the duo. In 2017 the trio completed a one month bicycle tour of Brittany covering 869km and playing 26 gigs.

Dylan said: “That was a really nice experience. We had good weather all the time. When you cycle you really feel the journey. It's good for your health and then you are inspired by your environment and nature.

“It's really good for the music as well because when we get on stage we have more fresh energy and inspiration from the day, rather than driving on the motorway.”

The group’s tour of Cork will get underway on 27 August, however they are still on the hunt for two gig venues, one in Baltimore and one in Castletownbere.

Zetadam Trio is calling on anyone who might be able to help them secure a venue in either location to contact them vie Phil Bergan at philbergan@gmail.com.

“The band is a fusion of cultures. We play a lot of traditional music from different cultures, so it can be French, Turkish, Bulgarian, Romanian and sometimes Irish,” said Dylan.

Zetadam Trio are not strangers to these shores and last visited in 2015, performing upstairs at the old Lobby Bar and the Aula Maxima in UCC where they played to a full house.

The group’s whole tour, will be filmed by West Cork video production company ClonaTeeVee.

“I often come to Ireland myself, with many different bands, and I know Cork very well,” said Dylan.

“I have toured in West Cork a lot. I'm trying to learn Irish music with the clarinet and for me Cork is the best place to do that,” he added.