Dave Holodiloff Band: Balkan String Projekt Concert

The ever popular and beloved "Balkan String Projekt" is back in 2025! Join Dave Holodiloff and his Monterey Bay all star string band at the cutting edge Wave Street Studios in Monterey, CA! You won't want to miss this show!

Since releasing a new album,“Balkan String Projekt II: California Caravan” featuring Elijjah McCullar in 2020, the BSP layed low, quietly expanding the repertoire and exploring new rhythms and exotic harmonies here and there at various shows and festivals. Now, for only the third time since their second album release in 2020, the Projekt is returning for a proper concert once again in 2025!

This time around, the band is extra excited to present this show at the unique and wonderful Wave Street Studios! An amazing state-of-the-art music and events venue nestled just up the recreational trail from historic Cannery Row in Monterey CA, This acoustically designed studio has a full bar with signature cocktails, local beer and wine. Enjoy the professional sound system, sprung dance floor and spacious courtyard featuring a heated bench and fountain to boot....this one of a kind venue has it all! Learn more at www.wavestreetstudios.com

For this particular incarnation of the "Balkan String Projekt", Dave has assembled a dream team of Monterey Bay string players and long time band members (all prolific in their own right) including: Elijjah McCullar (violin, cumbus, etc) who will be soaring into the stratosphere along with Dave's mandolin while the rest of the Acoustic All Stars Squad will primarily anchor the rhythm section to planet Earth! Hang on to your seats folks, this is gonna be a wildly fun night....see you there!

Advance ticket links available via www.daveholodiloff.com and www.wavestreetstudios.com and www.eventrbrite.com

Ticket Prices: $40/advanced or $50/door

Call the studio for advance tickets to save the ticket fees 831 655-2010

New Album Information:

The latest album from the Dave Holodiloff Band, Balkan String Projekt II: California Caravan will take you on a string based musical journey from the Balkans to Big Sur and back! Fusing traditional folk music from Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Albania, and more, along with a few Eastern Europe-meets-California inspired originals, band leader Dave Holodiloff collaborates with various guest musicians to bring the "Projekt" to life. In addition to Holodiloff's signature mandolin and vocals, the album features violinist, singer, and cumbus player Elijjah McCullar on a variety of ballads, upbeat dances, and some wild and jazzy jams. Hop on the "California Caravan" and enjoy acoustic world folk fusion at it's finest from the Dave Holodiloff Band's Balkan String Projekt!

Individual Bios:

Dave Holodiloff: Born and raised on the Monterey Peninsula of California, Dave Holodiloff is fully devoted to exploring the acoustic frontiers of the mandolin from his home in the USA and touring internationally to Europe and even South America. Playing over 300 performances a year as the leader of the Dave Holodiloff Band, Balkan String Projekt, freelance artist, and “SOLO-diloff", Dave has made a name for himself both as a performer at festivals and concert venues and as an acoustic event entertainment specialist. His dynamic musical repertoire includes Originals, World, Pop, Gypsy, Celtic, Bluegrass, Latin, Jazz, and more. An experienced percussionist, vocalist, musical producer, and guitar player in addition to his skills on the mandolin, Dave is a sought after bandleader and collaborator.

Elijjah McCullar: Fiddle phenom, cumbus (Turkish banjo) specialist, and soulful singer Elijjah McCullar hails from the Sierra Nevada and is well versed in Balkan, Celtic, World, and Bluegrass (a rare combination in any performer). Young Elijjah got his start on the classical violin at age 10 and quickly expanded to Bluegrass, Celtic, and was then introduced to Turkish and Balkan music at age 12. Through mentorship from the Romani diaspora of California, study of ethnomusicology at UCLA, playing in varied belly dancing ensembles, and traveling throughout the Balkans extensively, McCullar has developed a unique style that is all his own. In addition to singing, violin, and the cumbus, Elijjah is well versed in mandolin, oud, bouzuki, and a variety of world folk instruments.Perhaps Elijjah McCullar's most talented gift of all is his knack for discovering beautiful melodies of the old world and breathing new life into them with a touch of "California" fusion. His voice carries a richness well beyond his young years...as does his instrumental work on a variety of stringed instruments. Introducing a variety of Balkan dance rhythms, songs of Greece and Albania, and original material, Elijah's contribution to the Dave Holodiloff Band's latest Balkan String Projekt II album "California Caravan" has been nothing short of immeasurable.

High on the instant success of the self titled "Balkan String Projekt" album released in January of 2018, the Dave Holodiloff Band's Balkan String Projekt ensemble didn't skip a beat, continuing to work on new material and playing shows on a near constant basis as "The Projekt" or in a variety of other high energy acoustic incarnations.
Then, feeling the inspiration to once again etch their ever expanding repertoire into sonic stone, the band headed back into the studio that same Summer to begin recording what was to become known as the "Epic Kopanitsa", a nine part Bulgarian 11/8 dance medley that band leader Holodiloff arranged into an intense and emotionally riveting composition featuring Michael Martinez on piano and Peter Mellinger on violin.
Continuing to expand the repertoire and testing out new material at countless live shows, they returned to the studio in the Spring of 2019 to lay down the "Martensko Pravo" featuring Isaac Misri on guitar. It's an obscure, highly technical, and energetic tune that "Zac" learned from a gaida player while camping in the mountains of Bulgaria the previous season and brought back to the Projekt!
Next, with the recent addition of fiddle phenom, cumbus virtuoso, and singer Elijjah McCullar, the ensemble's repertoire multiplied once again as the young prodigy brought a multitude of horos, ratchenitsas, syrtos, sirbas, folk songs, and more to the table. By the Summer of 2019, after many magical nights of live performance, Dave decided it was time to capture some of these special moments in the studio, and so back they went...
At this point, the Projekt went into a productive frenzy, recording the bulk of the material for the album over the rest of the 2019 Summer season. In addition to Elijjah McCullar's contributions on both vocals and strings, Dave also brought in longtime musical collaborator John Klein on upright bass as well as Bulgarian singer Dessislava Gnaan for a couple of old world folk duets. To top it off, Holodiloff sang some festive classics like Caje Sukarije and Saraiman, tipping his hat in tribute to some of the most popular Romani songs that inspire many to this day.
Now, the album was almost ready....however, before being able to put the finishing touches on the tracks, Dave embarked on a couple of successful international tours to Peru and Italy followed by the local Christmas holiday season. After a brief recovery period it was time to finally release this long awaited album, right? Well....the worldwide economic shutdown in the Spring of 2020 put a halt to almost all musical endeavors. Tours, shows, and events were cancelled and there was so much uncertainty about the future that the musical community seemed to go into a holding pattern, waiting for things to go back to some semblance of normal.
An unexpected blessing of the forced shutdown of live music was having extra time to work on new material! So, after life started to stabilize again in the Summer of 2020 with no idea when or if the full album would ever be released, the Projekt decided; why not record a few more songs and let the chips fall where they may? So, Michael and Peter followed Dave back to the studio to record a new Balkan mix of one of his beloved and time tested originals, "London Bridge Breakdown" as well as another Romanian folk favorite "Ileana Ileana". Then, Elijjah added his hauntingly beautiful Greek inspired original, "Elijjah's Hasapiko", which had become a staple of the Projekt's live repertoire over the past year. Additionally, Elijjah added "Do Marr Ciften", a standard Albanian folk song rearranged as a catchy acoustic pop hit, of which band leader Dave's describes as "one of the best tracks on the album".
Now, in the Fall of 2020, after some challenging setbacks which ultimately served as an instrument of musical growth, the latest masterpiece of Dave Holodiloff's Balkan String Projekt is finally here: "California Caravan". In Dave's predictably unpredictable style, it takes on folk music of the Balkans and fuses a unique "California vibe" to it that is all his own. With an all star cast of fellow musicians bringing in their own individual talents, the album blurs the lines between old world tradition and "west coast acoustic festival jam band", conjuring a mix of otherworldly sounds that can only be described as "quality acoustic music".
Finally, a special recognition goes out to Elijjah McCullar for his outstanding talents and vision on this particular Projekt, "California Caravan", lending a sweet sound to every note. Performing in a multitude of capacities as singer, composer, and multi instrumentalist, Elijjah's contributions to the album have been nothing short of immeasurable. So hope on, and enjoy the ride across sonic landscapes from Bulgaria to Big Sur and back!

Buy or download “Balkan String Projekt II: California Caravan” at or wherever music is sold online!

For information, bookings, and to schedule interviews contact: Dave Holodiloff, (831) 521-3877,

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Wave Street Studios, 774 Wave Street, Monterey, United States