The Complete History of BSHB – Part 1

Once upon a time...

I was born in 1977 in Zagreb. I grew up in my neighborhood and like most of the kids in those days, spending time with my friends outdoors, just hanging and doing the usual things. We were always very close and having them in my life was very important to me. Back then we were a team. We grew up together, and most of them are still part of my life. Some of them on a regular basis and some less frequently but we're always there for each other, no matter what.

I recall going out behind my apartment building with the older guys when I was supposed to be at home. My mother was looking for me while I was sitting with the guys on the park benches. They would play guitars, impressing the girls who would look at them like they were gods. I would stick to the sidelines, happy just to be able to hang with them… I think that was the first time I saw the true power of that instrument.

Then for a period of time, my mother and I went to live in Germany, literally in pursuit of happiness. It was a big deal for me because we were going there with almost nothing and starting from zero. I admire that woman for so many reasons. Today, when I am a parent myself, I know the weight of that story and how hard and big this decision was.

When we got to Germany, I was never really able to understand it. I couldn't see myself living there, and I hated that overall coldness between people. It’s just wasn't me, and I guess it’s not for everybody.
However, I see now how much I learned from that experience. The language, the respect and consideration for human differences and finally familiarizing with them. Also, I gained a work ethic.

There I finished high school and coach school to become a sports and gymnastics teacher while playing professional volleyball and naturally, continued to play music.

I came back to Zagreb when I was 21 with the intention to study medicine but, luckily, didn't get to enroll… I doubt I would’ve finished it anyway, so finally, I got into physiotherapy and together with old friends from the neighborhood, called Sopot, formed a band called – The Second Hand Band.

The rock’n’roll and the band’s enthusiasm did their part and my studies extended to 9 years, but I can say I lived the happiest and craziest student’s life you could imagine. Since I was playing everywhere, college kind of fell to second place, especially since my dream was to make it big with my band.

At one moment I realized that following my dreams would cost a lot of money and that I needed to get a day job to finance my night job.

So I finished college and, somehow by chance, started my career as a soccer physio. Suddenly, really good things started to happen and I got a ton of opportunities. I got my first job in NK HAŠK, two years later in GNK Dinamo where I stayed for 11 years. After that, I moved to work with basketball players in KK Cedevita Zagreb. I really love my job and think I'll always be doing both – physiotherapy and music.

I just can’t imagine doing one without the other. Since 2000, I’ve been building my career alongside doing what I love the most (the most important thing) which is playing music and writing the story of BSHB.

Where did the inspiration come from?

I've always loved music, ever since I can remember. My dad would listen to a huge variety of music - from The Rolling Stones to Pink Floyd, from classic rock to country music… so even at an early age, I was listening to the music that is „meant to be listened to“, especially vinyl.

Soon I became infected by the cult of listening to good music. I'm talking about the thing when you search for, focus on, and admire those particular great moments in a song. The arrangements, the groove, the sound of the drums and guitars, and finally, the story and the message behind it.

That’s how I listen to music today and that’s what I expect to receive from it after giving it my full attention, and half an hour or one hour of my life. 

When I was 7 or 8, I recall there was this one guy across the street who looked like Elvis and had the same guitar, at least it looked that to me back then. One day he was sitting on that bench in the park and playing “Stand by Me”, which was my mother's favorite song, and I begged him to teach me to play it. It was just the bass line but to me, it was a huge thing at that time. I tried to play it while he was talking to his friends and I asked if I could borrow the guitar for the afternoon.

He agreed, so I practiced while I was waiting for my mom to come home from work, and then I played it for her. She started to cry and the next day a new guitar was on my bed when I came home from school. That’s how my journey started.

In one way, my dad was responsible for me playing exactly the kind of music I play today, but my mother is the one to blame for my love for the guitar and my playing since the day I found it on my bed. My wife had it restored and repaired and together with my friends presented it to me for my 40th birthday. You can imagine how that felt…

That guitar is the first thing I pick up in the morning – you know, when you get up, walk barefoot through your house and just fingerpick something that’s in your head. It’s my way of starting the day and saying good morning to her.

When I was 15, Andrej God (my friend from the building, the founder of The SHB, and my future bandmate) introduced me to the band Lynyrd Skynyrd and I was instantly infected by southern rock. Soon I discovered The Allman Brothers Band, The Black Crowes, and many more bands through which I nurtured my love for that kind of music and ignited the desire to be involved in a similar story.

That's how it all started, and that's how it still goes on. Today I mostly listen to those four bands and some similar to them, but for me, that's it. After 25 years of exploring and experimenting with various types of music, I've happily returned to the basics where it all started.

THE FIRST GIG

Actually, we started to practice with the goal to someday play in Sax!. The club with the reputation of being the best in town and playing there meant that you were really good. One year later, one of our backing vocals, Dunja, booked our first gig there. That’s right! Our first live gig was set up in Sax!, but – on a Monday when it’s usually closed.

We were hanging out with some friends at the Apollo, telling them our band stories and they were eager to finally hear what we sound like. So everyone came. The club was on fire and crowded with our friends.

I was on the drums, my legs and arms were shaking and I was giving my 150 percent. I remember feeling - that strong energy intertwined between us on the stage and the audience in front of us, the power you gain by performing on the stage and it was truly an addictive experience.

Since then I’ve known I want to do that for the rest of my life, just to have that amazing feeling over and over again.

There isn't a lot of audio or video material from those first years, but some fans and former members of the band made it possible for us to look back in time and see how young we were...

You can take a look for yourself at our YouTube playlist: The Second Hand Band - Through the years

To be continued...