Lot Lorien

Lot Lorien is a Bulgarian - British progressive-folk band, combining in a modern way the traditions of British and Bulgarian folklore with classical music, jazz and progressive rock. Some of the main influences can be found among great musicians and bands like Theodosii Spassov, Pentangle, Dando Shaft, Fairport Convention, Rush, Steeleye Span, etc. The band, initially Bulgarian, first came into existence in 1996, when the founders - Kiril Georgiev (guitars, lyrics, compositions) and Zlatomir Valchev (drums, percussion) were joined by Petar Pavlov (bass). After number of experiments and line-up changes the band was joined by Bora Petkova (vocals), Galina Koycheva (violin) and Nelly Gancheva (cello, for few concerts). Being ardent fans of English fiction writer John R. R. Tolkien, the band members were inspired to choose their name by Tolkien’s Middle-earth works (the place where the stories of "Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" unfold). Lothlorien is the fairytale woods kingdom of the Galadhrim elves where time seems to have stopped and every stranger entering this land forgets all worries and pending threats. Inspired by this standstill of time, Lot Lorien (they choose to spell the name as two separate words) begin to create music evocative of fairytale images that prompt the listener to forget their mundane worries.