Čechomor is a Czech band from Svitavy that performs traditional songs in rock arrangements. They have toured throughout Europe, North America, Russia, China, Mongolia, and Australia and were reportedly a favourite band of Czech playwright and former president Václav Havel. In 2001, they won three Anděl Awards. History Formation and first release: 1988–94 Čechomor was founded in the west Moravian town of Svitavy in the spring of 1988 under the name I. Českomoravská nezávislá hudební společnost (1. Czech-Moravian Independent Music Society). The band's original lineup consisted of Jiří Břenek (violin, vocals), František Černý (guitar, vocals), Jiří Michálek (accordion), and Antonín Svoboda (violin). They released their first album, Dověcnosti, in 1991, under their original name. After the release of the album, they were joined by Radek Pobořil (accordion, trumpet). Change in sound, new members: 1994–99 Around 1994, Čechomor began to move away from a purely acoustic sound and began using more electric instruments. They were joined by new musicians Martin Rychta (drums), Michal Pavlík (cello, bagpipes), and Karel Holas (violin) and they abbreviated their name to Českomoravská hudební společnost. They released their next album, Mezi horami, under this name, in 1996. The same year, founding member Jiří Břeněk died of cancer. At this point, the ensemble consisted of Černý, Holas, Pobořil, Pavlík, and Rychta. In 1999, the band went on tour with fellow Czech rockers Lucie, opening for them on their Větší, Než Malé Množství Lásky tour. New name, new recordings, film, and live album: 2000–02 In 2000, the group released the album Čechomor, from which they took their present name. David Koller from Lucie appeared as a guest drummer on the record, and Lenka Dusilová sang guest vocals. Later that year, the band went on tour with Jaromír Nohavica. Radek Klučka joined Čechomor on drums, replacing Martin Rychta. In 2001, a concert was held at Rudolfinum, where Čechomor played with the Collegium of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. The performance was arranged by well-known English composer and producer Jaz Coleman. The band went on to record their next album, Proměny, with Coleman on production duties. The album also included the participation of the Collegium. Čechomor won three Anděl Awards for the record—Group of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year. Around this time, playwright and director Petr Zelenka approached the band about making a film. The project, titled Year of the Devil, again included the input of