FRAGMENT is the #1 European Bluegrass Band 2004, representing European Bluegrass at IBMA in 2005

27 May 2004: Congratulations! The band from the Czech and Slovak Republics won First Place in the European Bluegrass Music Association (EBMA) band competition this past weekend (20-22 May). The competition was held at the European World of Bluegrass Festival (EWOB) in Voorthuizen, Netherlands. Fragment will now represent EBMA at the International Bluegrass Music Association's World of Bluegrass, Nashville, Tennessee in 2005. They even made it into the frontpage of JigTime International, a site which celebrates music and culture from around the world. more...

Fragment was founded in Bratislava,Slovak Republic (former Czechoslovakia) in 1983. The band's main intention was to play progressive newgrass music, and the band quite fast gained its recognition on the Czechoslovak bluegrass scene. In the nearly twenty years of its existence, the band has seen many musicians and musical styles to come and go – from newgrass to new acoustic music and bluegrass.

Milan, Jana, Richard, Tomas, Henrich

Since 2000 Fragment has had its US manager Terry Lease who helped the band to fulfill its dream about a longer musical stay in the USA. There was a change of mandolin players again: the newcomer, Milan Marek, has proved as a great lead singer too. In 2001 Fragment stayed in the U.S.A. for three months. They toured mostly through the Midwest, but also played at Thomas Point Beach Festival in Maine, and at Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. Shortly after the tour Pavel Malina left the band. An 18-year old guitar player Tomas Jurena joined the band, the greatest young talent on the contemporary Czech bluegrass scene. In the spring of 2002 Fragment recorded „Waiting for Summer" album (Hicon, 2002). Shortly afterwards, they left for a four-month long US tour.

After a return from a successful US tour, Svata Kotas left the band for personal reasons. A young banjo player Richard Cifersky, known for his work in premiere Slovak bluegrass bands, came to Fragment. With him the band was working on a new album which was released in June 2003, shortly before their planned US Tour.