A few months back (before I started this blog), I visited Macedonia, the country I lived in from '02-'04...it was the first time I had been back and it was a pretty amazing time.  I bought a few folk instruments there (a kaval and a Balkan duduk) and was just working on my kaval chops today so I thought I'd post some killin' folk music from Macedonia.  Here's a Dragan Dautovski recording of a folk song called "Dafino Mome."  I feel like the groove the kaval line sets up on the intro is just so deep.  Listen to how they slow down a bit every time the singer comes in--for some reason that makes it move even better.

And here's a shot of one of my favorite spots in the world, St. Jovan Kaneo on Lake Ohrid in Macedonia.  Archaeological rumor has it that it was built in the 13th century, and it was affiliated in some way with the monastery up the hill, St. Kliment Ohridski, which is also pretty amazing.  That little country sure does have a rich and long history--but the best part about it are the incredible people and their love for coffee, conversation, nostalgia, and rakija (home-made hard liquor made from plums, grapes, or whatever you can find!).  My week there in February was way too short--so hopefully I can schedule another trip in the near future to connect with some dear friends over a longer period of time and get even more connected with some of the music.  By the way, those cliffs are about 50 ft high if I remember right, but it's the deepest lake in Europe, so you can jump off without hurting yourself if you aim for just the right spot.